佛祖統紀 40.48

40.48

Hong Juefan said: 'Song Mingjiao often lamented that the monks of old were lofty and noble, observing no etiquette of a subject when seeing the Son of Heaven. Since Tang Lingtao first broke this precedent (the origin of this matter has not been seen), subsequent generations have followed it. Thereupon they no longer questioned it. Even recluses of the mountains and forests could not be made subjects by the Son of Heaven, how much less so the dignity of the monks' Path, who dwell as the Three Jewels to whom the world turns for refuge? Therefore, in his memorial for the Zhengzong ji, he stated "your subject so-and-so" at the beginning and the end to preserve the old precedent, while in his personal narrative in the middle he merely stated his name. The nobles and ministers of the time all esteemed his lofty insight.'