佛祖統紀 38.85

38.85

In the fourth year of Tianhe, the monk Zangcheng translated scriptures in Chang'an. The monk Zhide translated the repeated verses of the Universal Gate chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. An imperial edict commanded prominent Confucians, Buddhist monks, and Daoists to present expositions on the Three Teachings. The monk Dao'an composed the Treatise on the Two Teachings, designating Confucianism, Daoism, and the nine schools as the external teachings, and Buddhism as the internal teaching. The Emperor believed the counsel of the Daoists Zhang Bin and Wei Yuansong; based on the apocryphal prophecy that "the black-robed will rule," his mind grew suspicious of Buddhism. Zhang Bin persuaded the Emperor, saying: "In the times of Tang and Yu, there were no Buddhist stupas, yet the states were tranquil; the Qi and the Liang had monasteries, yet their reigns were brief. As long as one benefits the people and enriches the state, that is in accord with the Buddha's intention! Indeed, the Buddha takes great compassion as the foundation and would never impose bitter labor on the common people just to revere mud and wood. We request the building of the Great Temple of Pingyan to embrace the populace within the four seas, not establishing temples of narrow and biased views, but everywhere settling the Mahāyāna and the five classical scriptures. By Pingyan ["Universal Extension"], we mean: regardless of monastic or lay, making no distinction between foe and kin; taking the city walls and moats as stupas and monasteries, so that the Emperor himself is the Tathāgata; using districts and cities as monastic quarters, and uniting husbands and wives as the holy assembly; selecting those of illustrious virtue to serve as the Three Directors, honoring the aged as elders (sthaviras), choosing the benevolent and wise to serve as administrators, and seeking the brave and reverent to serve as Dharma masters. In this way, there will be no mind of resentment against a tyrant throughout the six directions, and all eight quarters will sing praises of the Zhou," and so forth.