佛祖統紀 41.48

41.48

In the fourteenth year, in the first month, an imperial decree ordered that the Buddha's bone from Famen Temple in Fengxiang be welcomed into the forbidden palace and revered for three days, before being conveyed through ten monasteries in the capital. Popular tradition held that it was opened once every thirty years, and that when opened, the year would be abundant and the people peaceful. Princes, dukes, scholar-officials, and commoners paid reverence and made donations, and the populace burned their crowns and scorched their skin as an offering. Han Yu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, submitted a memorial, stating: "In high antiquity there was no Buddha, yet it was well governed; the Buddha-Dharma arrived under Emperor Ming of the Han, after which there was disorder and ruin. From the Jin and Wei downward, dynasties were especially short-lived. Emperor Wu of the Liang served it, yet was pressed by Hou Jing and starved to death in Taicheng. Serving the Buddha to seek blessings, he instead brought upon himself disaster. (In high antiquity, customs were substantial, hence there was good government; in later ages, customs grew shallow, hence there was disorder. The Duke of Zhou and Confucius used benevolence and righteousness as the vanguard, while the Buddha used the true Way to save the world; both served to reform shallow customs. The length of a dynasty's destiny is bound to fixed fate, and is not something for which the Buddha-Dharma can be blamed. Emperor Wu of the Liang was a sage of the four fruits living in the world; at the verge of death he was still cultivating purification precepts. The historians of that time lacked the understanding to know this, and so claimed that he asked for honey and died groaning. Tuizhi originated the claim of starving to death in Taicheng, which is extremely profane. Gentlemen of later ages should not adopt this argument.) The Buddha was originally a man of the barbarians; his mouth did not speak the lawful words of the ancient kings, and his body did not wear the lawful garments of the ancient kings; he did not know the righteousness between ruler and minister, nor the affection between father and son. (The Buddha was a great sage who descended in the Central Country of Tianzhu; his birthplace was on the eastern borderlands of Tianzhu. How could one regard the Central Country as barbarian? The entire canon contains the Way of the ancient Buddhas—how could it not be lawful words? The ruined-color kāṣāya is the hallmark of world-transcendence—how could it not be lawful clothing? He practiced the Dharma of the Dharma King, hence a ruler could not treat him as a minister; he became a renunciant, hence a father could not treat him as a son. Yet in the way of loyalty and filiality, that by which he repaid ruler and parents cannot be compared to the petty conventions of the secular world.) Moreover, his death was long ago; how could the dried and rotten bones, the ill-omened remnants of pollution, be suitable to enter the palace precincts? I beg that this bone be consigned to fire and water, cutting off the root forever. If the Buddha possesses numinous power to bring misfortune or blessings, let any calamity or blame fall upon my own person." When the memorial was submitted, the Emperor was furious and intended to put him to death, but relying on the intercession of Pei Du and others, he was demoted to Prefect of Chaozhou. (The Buddha manifested birth and death, but never truly perished. Leaving behind relics to create blessings for the world, wherever they reside is a bodhimaṇḍa—how could there be any reluctance concerning the palace precincts? Firm as a diamond, nothing can destroy them—how could fire and water destroy them? The Buddha's Way is merciful and forgiving; though disparaged, he does not retaliate, yet the protective heavenly spirits can naturally inflict punishment. Now that the Emperor's rage intended his execution, he certainly would have received his retribution, but relying on great ministers to save and intercede for him, this too was the Buddha's merciful power saving him from punishment so that he did not meet death.) / Earlier, when the relic entered the inner palace, it emitted light at night. At the morning court, the ministers all congratulated the Emperor, saying, "This was moved by Your Majesty's sagely virtue!" Han Yu alone spoke not a word. The Emperor asked Yu, and Yu replied, "Your humble servant has seen Buddhist sūtras; the Buddha's light has no appearances of blue, yellow, red, or white. This is the light of dragons and deities guarding and protecting it." The Emperor said, "What is the Buddha's light?" Yu had no reply. (Xuedou spoke in his place: "Your Majesty suspends high the heavenly mirror." An ancient master of virtue said, "We grant that Yu recognized the Buddha's light.") / In the second month, an imperial decree ordered Hanlin Academician Zhang Zhongsu to compose an inscription for the Buddha's bone. Its summary states that at Mount Mingluan of Famen Temple in Qiyang, there is a stūpa built by King Aśoka that encloses a finger knuckle of the Buddha's body. Emperor Taizong specially built the monastery buildings and added a multi-tiered stūpa; Emperor Gaozong moved it to Luoyi; the Heavenly Empress presented a precious reliquary box; Emperor Zhongzong recorded it in the national history; Emperor Suzong revered it in the inner palace; Emperor Dezong venerated it in the ritual palace. According to the original biography, it must be opened once every thirty years, and then the jade candle will be harmonious, the golden mirror luminous, ominous vapors eliminated, and the crops abundant, and so forth. On the twenty-fourth day, the Buddha's bone was reverently returned to the old stūpa in Qiyang. / When Han Yu arrived in Chaozhou, he heard of the fame of Master Dadian, invited him into the prefecture to inquire about the Way, and detained him for ten days. Later, having sacrificed to the spirits by the sea, he climbed Mount Ling and visited his dwelling. (Dadian obtained the Dharma from Master Shitou Xiqian.) He asked the Master, "What is the Way?" The Master remained silent for a long time. Yu was at a loss. At that time, Sanping Yizhong was serving as attendant; he struck the Chan seat three times. The Master said, "What are you doing?" Sanping said, "First move him with concentration, then extract him with wisdom." Yu was overjoyed and said, "The Venerable's style is high and lofty; I have found an entryway through the attendant." One day he asked the Master, "How many springs and autumns have you lived?" The Master held up his rosary beads and said, "Do you understand?" He answered, "I do not understand." The Master said, "One hundred and eight, day and night." Yu was at a loss. The next day, he arrived at the gate again and met the head monk, recounting the previous conversation. The head monk said, "How did the Vice Minister understand it?" Yu said, "What was the meaning of 'One hundred and eight, day and night'?" The head monk clicked his teeth three times. When Yu reached the Abbot's quarters, he presented the previous words: "What was the meaning of 'One hundred and eight, day and night'?" The Master clicked his teeth three times. Yu said, "Truly I know the Buddha-Dharma is uniform!" The Master said, "What principle did you see?" Yu said, "Just now the head monk also acted like this." The Master summoned the head monk and asked, "Was your reply to the Vice Minister just now the Buddha-Dharma?" The head monk said, "It was." The Master then beat him and drove him out of the monastery. (Baoqing said, "The head monk knew the before but not the after; Master Dadian's orders are not carried out in isolation.") In the eighth month, [Han Yu] was transferred to Prefect of Yuanzhou. He visited Dadian's dwelling again, giving two suits of robes as a parting gift. Minister Meng Jian learned that Yu associated with Dadian and sent a letter commending him. Yu replied in a letter, stating: "Dadian is quite intelligent and understands principle; in this remote region there was no one with whom to converse, so I summoned him from the mountain to the prefectural city and detained him for several tens of days. He is truly capable of disregarding physical form and remaining undisturbed by external things. For this reason I interacted with him. When sacrificing to the spirits by the sea, I visited his dwelling; and upon departing for Yuanzhou, I left clothes as a farewell gift—this was merely human sentiment, not out of veneration of his teachings or seeking the benefit of a field of merit. Accumulating good or accumulating evil brings calamity or blessing according to its own kind; why should one abandon the Way of the sages and discard the laws of the ancient kings to follow the barbarian teachings in pursuit of blessings and profit?" and so forth. Meng Jian further convinced him, saying: "Those writings of Yang Zhu, Mozi, and Laozi are one-sided and empty in principle, lacking the critical essence of the Middle Way. The teachings of the Śākya clan are not so; they illuminate with great clarity the divergent paths of good and evil, and scrutinize the subtleties of spiritual retribution across all under heaven. In propagating their Way, it is not to seek gruel, rice, and offerings as a livelihood to benefit wives and children. Why should Lord Han view them with the sentiments of foolish men and base village folk? Moreover, when their teachings are practiced in the world, causing everyone to dread evil and cultivate good of their own accord, does this not greatly aid the bulwarks of moral transformation?" and so forth.