佛祖統紀 47
English (machine translation) 47
- Language
- English
47.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Zhipan of Donghu in Siming during the Xianchun era of the Song
47.2
Treatise on the Prosperity and Decline of the Dharma, No. 17, Part 14
47.3
Gaozong (the ninth son of Huizong. His mother was Worthy Consort Wei, posthumously titled Empress Xianren. His birthday, the Tianshen Festival, was on the twenty-first day of the fifth month. His mausoleum is the Yongsi Tomb.)
47.4
In the first year of the Jianyan era, the Emperor halted his cortege at Weiyang. Earlier, when the Empress Dowager Longyou, née Meng, was about to leave the capital for the south, she sought a method for bodily protection from a venerable monk at the bodhimaṇḍa. Someone instructed her to venerate Mother Mārīcī. When the capital was settled at Wumen, recalling Mother Mārīcī's virtue of unseen protection, she enshrined an image of the goddess at the Central Tianzhu Monastery by West Lake and carved a stone inscription to record the matter. Now, according to the Mārīcī-devī Dhāraṇī Recitation Method translated by Tripiṭaka Master Amoghavajra: 'Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha (ten times). Homage to Mārīcī Bodhisattva (ten times). I, your disciple [name], take refuge in the Three Jewels and Mārīcī Bodhisattva. May you protect my body so that no one can see me, no one can know me, no one can seize, bind, or harm me, no one can deceive or penalize me, and no one can take my possessions on debt; may no adversary find an opportunity against me.' Then recite the Supreme Mind Dhāraṇī: 'Oṃ mārīcī svāhā' (either one hundred times or one thousand times). 'Protect me amid perils of the state; protect me amid perils of bandits; protect me amid lost ways in the wilderness; protect me amid water, fire, and weapons; protect me amid perils of ghosts, spirits, and poisons; protect me amid fierce beasts and venomous insects; protect me amid all adversaries and evil people. May the Buddha's true words protect me! May the Dharma's true words protect me! May the Saṅgha's true words protect me! May the gods' true words protect me! May the ṛṣis' true words protect me! In all places and at all times, may you always protect me. For your disciple [name], svāhā.' When reciting, visualize the Bodhisattva taking the form of a heavenly maiden, adorned with necklaces, seated upon a lotus flower, her left hand holding a celestial fan, her right hand lowered with the palm facing outward in the gesture of granting wishes. If one wishes to behold the true body of the goddess to seek supreme wishes, recite it a full one hundred thousand times. The Buddha said: 'This goddess constantly walks before the sun and the moon, unseen by the sun and the moon. Because I know this goddess's name, I am able to avoid all perils and calamities.'
47.5
In the third month of the second year, Li Jue, the sheriff of Biyang in Tangzhou, encountered an invasion by the northern barbarians. Escorting a single servant, he fled on a solitary horse. At night they hid in an empty house by the roadside. Hearing the sound of a carriage passing by, he sent his servant to ask: 'Where are the Tangzhou bandits?' He saw that the person in the carriage was over ten cubits tall with a blue face; terrified, the servant returned. Jue immediately mounted his horse and caught up with him. Stepping forward, he paid homage and said: 'Jue has fled from the bandits to this place. Dare I ask what is carried in your carriage?' The man replied: 'These are the names of the dead who suffered calamity in Jingxi; the Heavenly Bureau has fixed the registers. You are Li Jue, and you are also among their number.' In great dread, Jue cried out: 'By what method can I avoid it? Please grant me your guidance.' The man said: 'If every morning you can recite [the name of] Mārīcī Bodhisattva seven hundred times and dedicate the merit toward the open sky to the sages and worthies of the Heavenly Bureau, the death register can be erased, and the peril of weapons can be avoided.' Just as Jue bowed in thanks, the driver galloped swiftly away. From then on, he recited and upheld it without ceasing, and taught it to others in turn; all were able to avoid calamities (printed by Jia Deren).
47.6
The commentary says: The Mārīcī Sūtra has three translations in the canon. Only the version by Tianxizai of our dynasty contains the most incantations and ritual methods. Emperor Renzong personally composed an imperial preface to place at its head. Although one did not hear of people practicing its rites at that time, the karmic affinity of the Bodhisattva had already begun prior to this era. When Gaozong crossed to the south, Longyou received instruction from the venerable master and obtained the response of enshrining her image; Li Jue pleaded for his life before a spirit and achieved the efficacy of chanting her name. How supreme! Her majestic power and compassionate vows are indeed as inconceivable as those of the Great Being of Perfect Penetration. Śākyamuni himself said: 'Because I know this goddess's name, I am able to avoid all perils and calamities.' We can truly believe that the Bodhisattva's primordial source lies even before Śākyamuni. Today, the Central Plains face many troubles, and war has not ceased. If scholar-officials and commoners can practice this most simple method of dispelling calamities—whether for their whole lives or with their entire families—I can see that the Heavenly Mother is able to bring great salvation to humanity.
47.7
In the eleventh month, an imperial decree ordered the sale of four-character master titles at the price of two hundred thousand [cash].
47.8
In the first month of the third year, the Jin barbarians entered the Huai region. The Emperor visited Jiankang. In the eighth month, the Emperor departed from Jiankang. In the eleventh month, the barbarian chieftain Wuzhu Zongbi took Hangzhou. Zhu Bi, magistrate of Qiantang, led archers to battle him, but was outmatched and fled to Tianzhu Mountain; the barbarians suddenly arrived, and he was killed. Previously, when Dharma Master Dexian, known as Yuanying (fourth generation under Ciyun), was a child, a physiognomist told him: 'One day you will face disaster with officialdom; only by leaving the household can it be avoided.' Thereupon he shaved his head and went to Lingshan, studying under Huijing, and ultimately succeeded to his abbot's seat. Approaching death, he said to his disciples: 'During my life I escaped disaster through the power of the Way, but after my death there will still be residual karma.' When his disciples made a statue of him for the Patriarchs' Hall, they protected its neck with iron. When the barbarians arrived, their chieftain, the Pearl King, came to the Patriarchs' Hall of Lingshan. All the other statues stood, but only the Master's statue did not rise. The chieftain in anger ordered him beheaded; because the neck had iron, it could not be harmed. Thereupon they piled firewood filling the doorway and set fire to burn it, yet when the firewood burned out, the building was as before. Some saw a thousand divine monks holding pitchers and pouring water, appearing and vanishing in mid-air. The barbarian troops were terrified and withdrew. Earlier, when Dharma Master Rujing presided over Upper Tianzhu, Wuzhu entered the territory; the master had a premonitory dream knowing that this mountain's calamity could not be avoided, and warned the assembly to flee. When the barbarians arrived, someone said they could be greeted with ritual, so they struck the bell to assemble the crowd; the barbarians suspected resistance, so their following soldiers looted extensively and set fire to the monastery. In the twelfth month, on the day jimao (the sixth), the Emperor visited Mingzhou. On renwu (the ninth), he halted at Dinghai and boarded an imperial tower ship. On guisi (the twentieth), the barbarians took Yuezhou. On guimao (the thirtieth), Zhang Jun, Pacification Commissioner of Eastern Zhejiang, fought the barbarians at the West Gate of Mingzhou. Seeing that the local populace wove many mats, Jun sent soldiers to collect them and covered the roads with multiple layers of mats. When the barbarian cavalry trampled on the mats, their horses all slipped and fell; seizing the moment, he attacked swiftly and cut off many heads (this is transmitted by local elders, differing from the official dynastic history).
47.9
In the first month of the fourth year, on the day jiachan (the first day of the year), the Emperor stopped at Qitou and entered Baifeng Hermitage. The monks were performing the New Year repentance; the Emperor stepped forward and stood beside them, and hearing words praying for the protection of the state and the peace of the people, he was greatly pleased. He lingered there, drank tea, and then departed. (The imperial throne and the stone inscription granting an exemption from taxes by special decree are now in the hermitage.) On bingwu (the third day), he halted at Zhang'an Town in Taizhou and entered the temple on Mount Jin'ao. An old monk was praying before the Buddha, his words entirely concerned with grieving for the times and protecting the state. The Emperor asked what text it was; he replied: 'The Golden Light Repentance for the Protection of the State.' The Emperor thereupon lodged at the temple. Later, when he established the court at Lin'an, he granted gold and silk annually to all the temples in the capital to perform this rite. Earlier, while the Emperor was at his residence in the capital, an extraordinary man gave him a poem that read: 'A skiff lies moored at Oyster Shoal, / Where the sunset lingers, awaiting the tide to swell. / Let us not fail our pact to climb on high, / Journeying together atop the back of the golden turtle.' When he journeyed over the sea and ascended Mount Jin'ao, he sat upon a couch and saw this poem inscribed upon the wall, only then realizing that the extraordinary man had presented a prophetic omen. On gengxu (the seventh day), the barbarians sacked Mingzhou. Their chieftain suddenly arrived at Nanhu Monastery; the crowd had already scattered, and only Jieran refused to leave. The chieftain rebuked him: 'Are you not afraid to die?' Ran said: 'In my life, I built this Sixteen Contemplations Hall through the power of my vows. Now I am old, and I cannot bear to abandon it merely to seek life.' The chieftain admired his righteousness and said: 'If the Master would kindly return north with me, you may build a contemplation hall of this exact design.' Thereupon they took him captive and marched off. When the barbarian troops reached Huxin, they forced the Vinaya Master Yuanzhao to go; the master was joyful without reluctance. Reaching Jingkou, he said to those around him: 'I am about to return to the west.' Instantly the music of pipes and songs was heard; at that moment, soldiers and civilians alike saw the master chant the Buddha's name, face west, and pass away. (The master was a grandson of Vice Director of the Right Lu Dian.) Previously, when Chan Master Zhengjue, known as Hongzhi, presided over Tiantong, he expanded the halls and gathered a community of up to one thousand two hundred people. When the barbarians entered the territory, the assembly was about to disperse; the master stopped them, saying: 'The barbarians will not reach here; there is no need to flee.' When the barbarians climbed Pagoda Ridge, they saw divine soldiers filling the valleys and retreated in great fear. When Chan Master Daochang, known as Yuetang, of Mount Yuwang heard that the barbarians were arriving, he dug a pit behind the mountain, took the relic pagoda of Śākyamuni, sat within it, and covered it above with pottery. When the barbarian chieftain arrived and could not find the pagoda, he was enraged and set out to burn down the buildings. Suddenly, a painted image of Guanyin on the wall emitted light, and water flooded the ground, while the revolving library rotated of its own accord. Overcome with dread, the chieftain bowed, prayed, and departed. After seven days, they opened the pit to retrieve the pagoda; the water reached his neck without drowning him. On bingyin (the twenty-third day), the Emperor halted at Guantou in Wenzhou (remaining for ten days). In the second month, on yihai (the third day), the Emperor halted at Jiangxin Temple. An imperial decree designated the former residence of Lin Lingsu as the Zifu Teaching Cloister; Grand Councillor Lü Yihao recommended Dharma Master Daochen, known as Yuanbian, to preside over it. On bingzi (the fourth day), the barbarian troops withdrew. Earlier, because Hangzhou was afflicted by war and drought, the people had welcomed the great statue from Upper Tianzhu into the Fahui Temple in the prefecture. The incense-attendant Daoyuan, worried that it would be sought when the troops arrived, hid it in a well and placed another image in the temporary palace. When the barbarians returned from Siming and assaulted Hangzhou once more, they indeed demanded the location of the Great Being, seized it directly, and drove Daoyuan along with them. Daoyuan prayed silently in sorrow; reaching Xu Village by night, as if someone were guiding him, he managed to escape and return to report to the prefecture. At that time, the barbarians burned the city, and people did not know where the well was. Suddenly, hearing the sound of metal and stone, they sought it out and retrieved the statue from the well. In the third month, on jiwei (the seventeenth day), the Emperor departed from Jiangxin. (The sovereign remained in the temple for half a month. Zhao Rusi's poem says: 'The Yongsi Tomb monarch stayed half a month at the capital,' which people considered an authentic record.) He decreed that Dharma Master Fadao accompany the retinue to discuss affairs of state and military matters. The Emperor wished to bestow an official cap upon him, but the master firmly declined; an imperial decree bestowed upon him the title Great Master of Perfect Penetration and Dharma Relief. In the fourth month, the Emperor halted his cortege at Huiji. During a drought, he ordered Dharma Master Dao to pray at Yuantong (the temple was inside the city walls); on that very day, rain arrived, and the Emperor was greatly delighted. In the seventh month, the two Daoist Sovereigns were moved from Hanzhou to Wuguocheng (Continued Records of Ancient Inquiries).
47.10
In the first month of the second year of Shaoxing, the Emperor stayed his imperial carriage at Qiantang and elevated it to Lin'an Prefecture. The Emperor frequently wrote out the Diamond Sūtra, the Perfect Enlightenment Sūtra, the Universal Gate Chapter, the Heart Sūtra, and the Verses of the Seven Buddhas in the inner palace; on days of leisure, he often opened and read them himself to foster holy understanding. He also wrote by imperial brush an inscription for the relic pagoda of Mount Ayuwang, saying, "Pagoda of the Radiance of the Buddha's Uṣṇīṣa." In the second month, an imperial decree ordered the reconstruction of the Great Being Guanyin Hall at Tianzhu. In the fourth month, an imperial decree ordered Jie, the forty-ninth-generation descendant of Confucius (son of Kong Duanyou), to inherit the title of Duke of Yansheng. Master Fadao was summoned for an audience. The Emperor leisurely said to him, "The Retired Emperor was misled by demonic men to destroy your form and attire. We shall remove this tattooed mark for you." Dao replied, "I cannot bear to obliterate the Retired Emperor's imperial ink." The Emperor laughed and said, "This monk remains obstinate even in old age!" He then commanded him to reside at Taiping Chan Monastery on Mount Lu.
47.11
In the second month of the third year, Master Dao of Mount Lu submitted a memorandum to the Department of Ministries, stating: "After the Chongning and Daguan eras, Daoist priests usurped honorary ranks and offices. Those like Lin Lingsu and Wang Chongdao who were treated as equivalent to the Two Grand Councils were very numerous. Consequently, Daoist priests were made to improperly sit above Buddhist monks. During the Jingkang and Jianyan eras, the official ranks treated as equivalent for Daoist priests were already rescinded, yet when assembling at monasteries for state memorial services with incense offering, they still dare arrogantly to take the superior seats. Their disregard for state law is like this! We now wish to restore the ancestral old regulations. The Short History of the Buddhist Monastic Order records in detail that whenever there was a court assembly, monks came first and Daoists after; when standing together in the palace courtyard, monks were on the east and Daoists on the west; and whenever Heaven was sacrificed to in the suburbs, Daoists were on the left and monks on the right." Soon after, it was sent to the Ministry of Rites, which obtained a report from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices stating: "Regarding the changing of rituals, the precedent of the general amnesty at Xuande Gate in the first year of Qiande had Daoists on the left and monks on the right. Furthermore, checking the Compiled Edicts of Jiayou and the New Book of Shaoxing, the texts consistently place monks before Daoists in sequence. In the Zhenghe regulations, the provisions that 'Daoist, Buddhist monk, Daoist abbey, Buddhist monastery' and that Daoists 'rank above monks' have already all been deleted and discontinued." Soon an imperial decree was received to correct it according to the regulations, placing monks above. In the eleventh month, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices issued a circular order to all circuits: whenever offering incense and lining up, or gathering in various places, all must follow the ancestral established regulations, placing monks on the left (this conformed to the imperial edict of the fifth year of Kaibao). In the eighth month, [it was noted that] ordained status certificates had first begun to be sold toward the end of the Zhiping era; formerly they were printed on yellow paper, and many were counterfeited. Zhu Yi of the Ministry of Revenue first memorialized to order that monks and Daoists use imperial silk certificates.
47.12
The Commentary states: During the Tianbao era of Emperor Minghuang of the Tang, silk had already been used for ordination certificates. In the early years of Taizong of our dynasty, one hundred and seventy thousand were universally ordained; in the Tianxi era of Zhenzong, two hundred and thirty thousand were universally ordained. At those times, only paper certificates were used to make them easy to distribute. Now, since they are being sold off, in order to enhance their value, imperial silk is used, matching the patent of appointment of ranked officials; this also demonstrates the court's esteem for Buddhist monks.
47.13
The monk Mao Ziyuan of Yanxiang Cloister in Wu Commandery initially studied under Dharma Master Fan. Modeling himself after the Tiantai tradition, he produced the "Diagram of the Harmonious Merging of the Four Lands," the Morning Liturgy of Repentance, four-phrase verse chants, and the five-tone recitation of the Buddha's name, encouraging men and women to practice pure karma together. He styled himself the "Guide of the White Lotus," sat receiving prostrations from the assembly, strictly avoided alliums and dairy, abstained from killing, and refrained from alcohol; it was called the White Lotus Vegetarianism. Those who received his heterodox teachings called it "transmitting the Way"; those who engaged in illicit sexual congress with him called it "the Buddhadharma." When they met others, they were arrogant toward monks and contemptuous toward the people, stopping at nothing. Foolish men and foolish women misled and seduced one another in turn, and entire villages and fields delighted in their delusion. When someone reported them to the authorities, he was convicted precisely of the crime of "serving demons" and exiled to Jiangzhou. However, his remaining followers have emulated and practiced it, and to this day it remains widespread (Orthodox Lineage of the Buddhist Tradition).
47.14
The Critique states: Alas! The affairs of the world have never been without corruptions. When rulers of the world were like Yu and Tang, there were Jie and Zhou; when ministers of the world were like the Dukes of Zhou and Zhao, there were Wang Mang and Li Si. Daoism was rooted in Laozi and Zhuangzi, yet produced Guizhen and Lingsu; Buddhism was rooted in the Sakya Sage, yet produced Qingjue and Ziyuan. Truly, all Three Teachings have their corruptions! As for the so-called "Diagram of the Four Lands," it stole the maxims of the Tiantai school and attached miscellaneous verses to them, all of which were base and vulgar words. As for the "Morning Repentance," it abridged Ciyun's Seven Repentances to make a separate text, showing no understanding of what ritual method it was based upon. The four-phrase verse chants were akin to woodcutters' songs; how could the five-tone recitation of the Buddha's name relate to the ten mindful recitations? Calling it "White Lotus" was a fraudulent borrowing from the patriarchs; claiming the title "Guide" was a usurpation equal to the Buddha. Under the false name of "pure karma," he engaged exclusively in licentious and defiled conduct. Indecent and depraved, how could it all be recounted? Alas!
47.15
In the fourth year, Liu Yu of the puppet Qi invaded together with the Jin barbarians. The Emperor issued an edict to lead the campaign in person. In the ninth month, the Emperor personally went to the Great Being Hall at Tianzhu, burning incense and reverently praying for an early pacification of the northern barbarians. Soon afterward, Pacification Commissioner of Huaidong Han Shizhong defeated the Jin and Qi forces at Chengzhou. Shizhong presented the captives at the temporary capital, and in doing so set forth the case of those who had fallen in battle, begging for supplementary posthumous relief. The Emperor said with distress, "Those who died by blade and arrow are truly pitiable!" He immediately ordered Academician of the Hanlin Academy Hu Songnian to draft the text and establish a Great Water-Land Feast to provide salvation. On that evening, some saw ghosts and spirits gathering in great numbers, and some dreamt of the fallen soldiers all rejoicing and congratulating one another, considering that from then on they would attain rebirth in good destinies. When the Emperor heard this, he was greatly pleased. In the fifth year, there was a great drought lasting a full month. An imperial decree summoned Master Dao into the palace to pray for rain. He erected an altar and performed the ritual, placing fresh crucian carp into each of four golden vases, spurting water upon them, and silently praying. He dispatched four swift runners to cast them into the river; before the messengers had returned, the rain was already falling abundantly. The Emperor was greatly pleased and specially bestowed a golden alms bowl upon him. In the ninth month, the Emperor visited the Great Being Hall at Tianzhu to burn incense. The abbot Yingru answered his inquiries fluently. The Emperor was pleased, and bestowed Mount Wanshuixiang to provide for the Great Being, along with ordination certificates, silver, coins, and the like.
47.16
In the seventh year, Left Policy Censor Chen Gongfu submitted a memorial requesting that, in accordance with the established laws of the ancestral emperors, the chief ministers not be permitted to designate temples with official plaques; and that any court officials who had previously requested temples with official plaques to serve as merit cloisters for their family tombs be ordered to correct this and be allowed only small cloisters without plaques. The Emperor approved. Previously, Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs Li Gang had appropriated Puli in Changzhou and Xingsheng in Shaowu; the censorial officials memorialized that because both places possessed official plaques, there was a legal violation. An imperial decree ordered him to appropriate other small cloisters without plaques, which public opinion welcomed with gratification. Furthermore, Signaller of the Bureau of Military Affairs Shen Yuqiu memorialized, stating that although the tomb cloister Miaoyan Cloister had been built by his own family, since it originally had an imperial plaque, it ought not to be granted as a tomb temple. The Emperor considered that as it was a building built by his own family, it did not need to be changed. At that time, the remonstrators said that Yuqiu was able to embody the intent of the ancestral laws and reform present corruptions, so his request should be granted. An imperial decree permitted it.
47.17
In the ninth year, an imperial decree ordered all prefectures and commanderies throughout the realm to establish Bao'en Guangxiao Chan Monasteries as places specially dedicated to posthumous reverence for Emperor Huizong.
47.18
In the fifth month of the eleventh year, Grand Councillor Qin Hui, on the grounds that Zonggao of Mount Jing was a partisan of Zhang Jiucheng, revoked his robes and ordination certificate and banished him to Hengzhou (Funerary Inscription). The Emperor said to his assisting ministers: "Ever since the Buddhadharma entered China, literati have flocked to it. The superior among them believe in the discourse of pure tranquility, while the inferior believe in the retribution of misfortune and fortune. Yet they fail to realize that the Six Classics are broad and great, omitting nothing. For instance, the Book of Changes speaks of 'neither thinking nor doing, resting quiet and motionless, yet responding and penetrating through when stimulated,' and the Book of Rites speaks of 'rectifying the mind and making the intentions sincere'—are these not the Buddhist transformation of pure tranquility? 'A family that accumulates goodness will surely have surplus blessings; a family that accumulates non-goodness will surely have surplus calamities,' and the Book of Documents says, 'Upon those who do good, a hundred blessings descend; upon those who do evil, a hundred calamities descend'—are these not the Buddhist retribution of misfortune and fortune?"
47.19
In the twelfth year, Gentleman for Managing Affairs Zhan Shuyi presented a memorial on revenue and taxation requesting an end to the sale of ordination certificates; the court complied. At that time, Lin'an Prefecture requested ordination certificates to repair the Great Being Hall at Tianzhu, and an imperial decree granted fifty thousand strings of cash instead. The Emperor said to his attendant ministers: "I observe that when ancient rulers wished to eliminate the two teachings of Buddhism and Daoism, they either destroyed their statues or abolished their followers, but none succeeded for long, and often they became even more flourishing. Now, if we do not release ordination certificates, they can naturally diminish gradually and be overcome."
47.20
In the thirteenth year, Right Policy Censor Zhan Dafang memorialized, saying: "Recently, when seditious words were stirred up, Zhang Jiucheng was truly at their head, and Zonggao of Mount Jing chimed in with him. Now that Zonggao has already been banished, how can the leader not be called to account?" An imperial decree ordered Zhang Jiucheng to reside in the Nan'an Military Prefecture. Liu Ruoqian, Daoist Chief of Lin'an Prefecture, submitted a request to the Department of Ministries asking that Daoists rank above monks, falsely claiming to have received a separate directive. Buddhist Chief Shanda submitted a statement requesting that it be verified according to the third year of Shaoxing, when the Department of Ministries sent down the petition of Master Fadao requesting the restoration of the ancestral old laws, and subsequently received an imperial decree ordering the correction according to regulations, so that whenever offering incense and lining up, or gathering in various places, monks should be above. Liu Ruoqian was notified, and a statement of acknowledgment was taken from him, warning that any further false petitions would be treated as violations of imperial decrees. An imperial decree ordered the construction of Tianshen Wanshou Yuanjue Monastery at Beishan by the West Lake. An imperial decree ordered the reconstruction of the Shouxing Cloister by the West Lake. The director of affairs requested an allocation of ordination certificates. The Emperor said: "Petitioners all wish to sell certificates to supply state expenditures, but I think otherwise. The proceeds from one certificate are no more than two hundred strings of cash, yet one man ceases to till the soil. If we halt allocations for ten years, then their followers will naturally become fewer."
47.21
In the fifteenth year, an imperial decree ordered that monks and Daoists throughout the realm first begin paying adult male capitation tax, ranging from ten thousand to one thousand three hundred coins across nine grades, termed 'tax for a life of quiet leisure.' Those aged sixty or above and those with disabilities were permitted exemption from payment. Master Dao sent a letter to the Department of Ministries, saying: "The Great Dharma has spread eastward for more than a thousand years. During this time, its decline and rise have followed the eras; though temporarily imperiled, it has ultimately surged forth. Yet there has never been a suppression and debasement as extreme as today! Since the middle of the Shaoxing era, adult male exemption tax has been levied on monks and Daoists, with the highest at ten thousand and the lowest down to one thousand three hundred. The state divides its people into four classes: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Monks and Daoists were formerly registered in official rosters and were able to stand in a tripartite balance with the Confucians, not because of any extraordinary administrative abilities in statecraft or governing the people, but solely because their ancestors were Great Sages who bequeathed teachings to do good. As for times when natural disasters spread and rain or sunshine were unseasonable, when their followers were commanded to pray, Heaven and Earth responded and ghosts and spirits complied; this has constantly been seen and heard by the ears and eyes of both ancient and modern times. If they indeed ward off disasters and bring forth auspicious blessings for the state, should they not be treated somewhat differently from the common masses? How can they suddenly be taxed with the levies of the common people, and taxed several times more? Today, the capitation taxes of commoners throughout the realm mostly amount to no more than three hundred coins, or in regions where the land is barren and the people toiled, they receive blanket exemptions. Yet monks are not even permitted to rank alongside ordinary commoners, on the pretext that they do not plow or raise silkworms yet are clothed and fed by the world! Now, as for plowing to eat and raising silkworms to be clothed, outside of monks and Daoists, it is not necessarily the case that every single person plows and raises silkworms!" and so forth.
47.22
The Commentary states: To view monks and Daoists as ordinary adult males and levy taxes to grant them exemption—is this merely a shame for monks and Daoists? It is also a shame for the state, showing an ignorance of honoring and esteeming the Two Teachings! Nowadays, when prefectures levy the male exemption tax, they invariably demand payment according to the high quotas of normal years, disregarding the survival, demise, departure, or residence of monks. Furthermore, they wish to equalize the deficient quotas among the various monasteries. The harm produced is entirely of this sort! I once examined the commandery gazetteer, which stated: 'The male exemption tax for monks and Daoists originally had no fixed annual quota, but officials never reflect upon this.' This was the new law created by Wang Jinggong; in his own time and in subsequent generations, who did not know it was a calamity for the people? Yet when those governing today speak of Anshi, they view him as a petty man, but when pursuing people's taxes, they continue to employ his legislation! Once the fountain of profit is opened, even under the governance of a sage it cannot be abolished, because the human mind's fondness for profit is universally the same. Thus, those who devise laws for profit never fail to become a disaster for later generations. How sorrowful!
47.23
In the seventh month of the seventeenth year, Great Master Baorue Yuantong Faji Fadao sat cross-legged, expounded the Dharma, joined his palms, and passed away. A stupa was erected for him at Jiulisong on Beishan.
47.24
In the twenty-first year: Earlier, on the day Empress Dowager Wei returned from the north, considering that the Four Daoist Sages had given divine assistance, at this time Gushan was changed to Yanxiang Abbey to make offerings to them. The whole body of Dharma Master [Zhiyuan] was moved to Manaopo; countless relics were seen within the ceramic vessel. In the eleventh month, Zonggao, who had been exiled to Hengzhou, was transferred relatively closer to Meizhou.
47.25
The commentary says: Since antiquity, high ministers have associated with Buddhists out of respect for their Way and reverence for their character. In our dynasty, high ministers associating with Buddhists have been especially numerous. One has never heard of people implicating each other over the transgression of words. Hong Juefan's exile to Zhuya was due to his associating with Zhang Wujin; Gao Dahui's banishment to Hengyang was due to his associating with Zhang Zishao; yet both had their words made into their crime! Now the association between Confucians and Buddhists consists merely of matching verses in poetry and discussing the Way, or else undertaking gatherings like the Donglin Society on Mount Lu. How should it ensnare worthy men among the treacherous, and snare parties of people residing in the forests? That it brought misfortune to the Dharma-gate, as with these two masters, was due to the overblown criticism of remonstrating officials and the lack of discernment in the imperial palace.
47.26
In the twenty-third year, in the tenth month: Supervising Secretary and Prefect of Luzhou Ping Ji (courtesy name Jichuan, styled Layman Budong) entrusted the Fiscal Commissioner to temporarily administer the prefectural affairs. He bade farewell to his subordinate officials and donned his formal robes and cap. Facing the palace, he bowed twice, then put on monastic robes and mounted the seat. Resting a staff horizontally across his knees, he spoke a verse and passed away. Earlier, Ji had inquired about the Way with Gao Fori and suddenly awakened to the mind's essential purport. After the crossing to the south, the scriptures were everywhere damaged and deficient; Ji used his salary to produce forty-eight sets of the Great Canon, and the four major divisions of the minor canon in an equal number (in the world, the Avataṃsaka, Nirvāṇa, Ratnakūṭa, and Fajuyuanlin are considered the four major divisions). Wherever he went, he continued the Lotus Society with eminent monks and recluses, and the worthy scholars of the time all followed his transforming influence.
47.27
In the twenty-fourth year: An imperial decree designated Upper Tianzhu as an imperial chapel and specially exempted it from requisitions and similar levies. Duke of Overflowing Sagacity Kong Jie, who resided in Quzhou, died. A decree ordered his son Jin to inherit the title of Duke of Overflowing Sagacity, this being the fiftieth generation.
47.28
In the twenty-fifth year: Previously, at the beginning of the Zhiping era, Chan Master Jiezhu of Feishan, relying on the three collections of Biographies of Eminent Monks, gathered those who cultivated pure karma and were reborn [in the Pure Land] at the end of their lives, composing the Pure Land Biographies in three fascicles. During the Yuanfeng era, Minister Wang Gu supplemented it with newly heard accounts, making four fascicles in total. In this year, Lu Shishou of Qiantang continued the compilation of those reborn in the Pure Land into eight fascicles, changing the title to Precious Pearl Collection.
47.29
In the twenty-sixth year: Zhang Jiucheng became Prefect of Wenzhou. Jiucheng had been exiled to the Nan'an Army for fourteen years, staying in monastic lodgings in Hengpu; daily he discussed the scriptures and wrote books to ease his mind, once saying: 'The Six Classics are all the wondrous Dharma.' In the ninth month, Vice Minister of Rites Wu Bingxin died. Early in the Shaoxing era, the chief minister of the time shunned speaking of military affairs and banished Bingxin as a partisan. He thereupon returned to the south of Siming city, built a hermitage, and sat in meditation. He constructed a coffin and slept in it at night; at the fifth watch he had a boy knock on the coffin and sing: 'Old Man Wu Xin, come away home! There is no peace in the three realms, it is not a place to stay. In the Western Pure Land there is the lotus womb; come away home!' Hearing the singing, he would immediately rise to meditate and chant. After a long while, Minister Qin [Hui] died, and he was summoned to become Vice Minister of Rites. At that time state expenditures were depleted; Bingxin requested to sell ordination certificates to enrich the state, taking the opportunity to speak against the Qin faction, but was soon impeached; on the pretext of flattering the Buddha to seek blessings, he was sent out to govern Changzhou. Soon after, he was summoned again. Arriving at the courier station in Xiaoshan, he instructed his family to listen quietly, and all heard the sound of heavenly music. He immediately said: 'In the pure realm, losing mindfulness brought me here. Since the golden platform has arrived, I must depart.' Having spoken, he passed away. In the tenth month, an imperial decree ordered Zonggao, who had been transferred closer to Meizhou, to be restored to his secular clothing and released to return. In the eleventh month, a decree ordered him to reside at Mount King Aśoka in Mingzhou.
47.30
In the twenty-seventh year, in the eighth month: Vice Minister of Rites He Yunzhong went up to the hall. The Emperor asked: 'How many monks and Daoists are there in the realm?' He answered: 'Two hundred thousand monks, and ten thousand Daoists.' The Emperor said: 'We see that among scholar-officials who venerate the Buddha, many beg for the release of ordination certificates. Now farmland is largely deserted, yet two hundred thousand people eat without plowing. If We grant more ordination certificates, this would be driving farmers to become monks. Since Han Mingdi, the Buddha's Dharma entered the Central Kingdom; its Way is vast and grand, and ultimately cannot be abolished. It is not that We intend to extinguish it; We only fear that if the monastic followers are numerous, those who do not plow will be many, so We merely temporarily suspend the ordination of monks.' (Record of Imperial Policies).
47.31
The commentary says: Gaozong was discerning and understood expedients; hence he did not release ordination certificates, intending to curb monks to assist farmers. Just as the ancients opposed the Buddha precisely because not plowing was a vermin upon the state, he may be said to have known the foundation of government. Yet to reflect upon it: as for those who become monks today, leaving aside those who study the Way, some are pressured by having many brothers, and some do not plow because they have no land—they are all idle people of the realm. Regions of deep mountains, snakes, and tigers, or the barren salt-flats along the sea, are not farmable fields. Leaving the household, relying on the collective effort and their vows, if they are fortunate enough to reclaim them into fields, these are all the idle lands of the realm. For idle people to eat from idle lands has never been a detriment to farming. Moreover, nowadays those who engage in farming are inherently numerous, and constantly suffer from the shortage of land in the realm, whereas the properties of monasteries are fixed. If one does not let idle people become monks, then farmers will be even more numerous; with many farmers and little regular land, farming will begin to suffer. Going off to become merchants, artisans, itinerant beggars, or entertainers, those pursuing trivial professions will be in disarray; and if they cannot even do that, they will turn to piracy at sea and robbery on land, leaving nothing they will not do. That being so, driving idle people to become monks is also an expedient of governance; how could this not be clearly explained?
47.32
On the sixth day of the tenth month: Chan Master Zhengjue, who resided at Mount Tiantong, bathed, changed clothes, sat upright, and passed away. Relics naturally grew from his teeth, hair, and monastic implements. His whole body was buried in the Eastern Valley, and he was posthumously titled Chan Master Hongzhi, his stūpa named Miaoguang. Those who pay reverence to the stūpa seeking relics all have their wishes fulfilled. (Ninth generation under Dongshan).
47.33
In the twenty-eighth year, in the second month: An imperial decree ordered Chan Master Fori Zonggao to reside at Jingshan again. In the seventh month, Supervising Censor Hong Zun argued that the minting of coins had not reached the quota. The Emperor instructed the ministers to order the populace to replace bronze implements with other materials. Thereupon bronze vessels from the imperial treasury were brought out and sent to the Coin Minting Bureau. Bronze utensils from the populace, as well as Buddhist images, bells, and chimes from monasteries and abbeys, were massively collected and ordered to be registered, levying a tax of twenty [cash] per catty.
47.34
The commentary says: During the Shaoxing era, the sale of ordination certificates was suspended, not using this for profit; and yet they levied taxes on monks and Daoists for exemption from corvée, and taxed bells and chimes of monasteries and abbeys. What was obtained was meager, and merely caused later generations to point to it as an innovation. It was simply that the petty official Zhan Shuyi implanted the taxation of revenue into the sovereign's mind, and the chief ministers of the time were unable to clearly explain the relative weight of such profit.
47.35
In the thirtieth year, in the eleventh month: Chan Master Daochang, residing at Lingyin, submitted a memorial begging to issue ordination certificates, but no reply was given.
47.36
In the thirty-first year: Vice Minister of Rites Wu Zicai memorialized, begging to issue ordination certificates; remonstrators denounced him for flattering the Buddha, and he was dismissed to return to his home fields. In the seventh month, the Jin bandit ruler Wanyan Liang moved his residence to Bianjing. In the ninth month, he personally led an invasion, his troops claiming to number one million. The śramaṇa Tanying of Zhongtianzhu Temple studied Chan and had awakened to the Book of Changes; he was repeatedly questioned in the palace. At this time, he divined with the Changes, stating that Liang would surely perish north of the Yangtze. In the tenth month, an imperial edict announced a personal campaign in western Zhejiang. Commander Li Bao's naval forces defeated them. Secretariat Drafter Yu Yunwen of Mizhou rallied the scattered soldiers of General Commander Wang Quan and defeated them at Caishi. Liang wished to cross at Guazhou and ordered the multitude: 'If we do not cross the river within three days, all generals shall be put to death.' The multitude suffered from his cruelty; at midnight the chieftains shot arrows into his tent, killed him, and fled.
47.37
In the thirty-second year, in the first month: The Emperor returned from Jiankang. In the fifth month, an edict announced the abdication to the Crown Prince. In the tenth month, excessive rain did not stop; the Emperor dispatched palace eunuchs to pray at Upper Tianzhu. As the smoke of the burnt offering began to rise, the morning sun cleared the clouds. The Emperor, delighted, brought out three jade objects from the inner palace to donate to the Great Being's hall; Empress Dowager Shoucheng donated a seven-jewel crown. The title Chan Master Dahui was bestowed upon Zonggao of Jingshan.
47.38
Emperor Xiaozong (Huiqing Festival on the twenty-second day of the tenth month; Yongfu Mausoleum).
47.39
In the first year of Longxing: Earlier, the seventh-generation descendant of Taizu, Zicheng, was the vice magistrate of Jiaxing. His wife, Madame Zhang, dreamed of a divine being claiming to be Lord Cui, holding a sheep and giving it to her; thereupon she became pregnant. At first, [the son] was enfeoffed as Prince of Pu'an Commandery. When the Emperor was initially in his princely residence, he sent the Palace Director of Attendants to Jingshan to inquire about the Way with Chan Master Gao. [Gao] answered with a verse: 'With great roots, great capacity, and great strength, / you shoulder the great affair that is uncommon.' Later, when in the residence of the Prince of Jian, he sent the inner guest-prefect to the mountain to bestow the three characters 'Miaoxi Hermitage' and an authentic praise. Now, all previous bestowals were retrieved and inscribed with the imperial seal. In this year, on the tenth day of the eighth month, the Master entered nirvana. The Emperor mourned inconsolably, bestowing the posthumous title Pujue and naming the stūpa Baoguang, and his recorded sayings were entered into the Great Canon. Right Grand Councillor Tang Situi, Assistant Executive of the Secretariat Li Bing, Hanlin Academician Wang Zao, Vice Minister of Rites Zhang Jiucheng, and Supervising Secretary Ping Ji had all inquired about the Way and attained awakening. (Duke of Wei, Zhang Jun, composed the stūpa inscription).
47.40
In the first year of Qiandao, in the second month: Dharma Master Zilin of Lingshan was summoned for an imperial audience. The Emperor asked: 'We wish to read scriptures; which are the most essential?' The Master said: 'The Diamond and Perfect Enlightenment are the most essential paths.' He also asked about the method of Chan investigation. The Master said: 'One must directly awaken for oneself.' The Emperor was pleased, and bestowed the title Cishou. In the second month, because the Princess of Zheng had left the household, an imperial edict decreed that if officials or commoners insulted monks and nuns or cursed them with the word "bald", in accordance with the Xiangfu and Xuanhe imperial edicts, ranked officials would be suspended from office and commoners exiled one thousand li. The prefectures and commanderies throughout the realm were instructed to post notices everywhere to make this known, and monks and nuns were permitted to copy the white command and carry it with their ordination certificates as permanent official proof. Regarding offenses committed by monks and nuns, official offices were not permitted to handle them privately, but had to memorialize to request an imperial edict to carry out execution.
47.41
In the third year, in the second month: The imperial carriage visited Upper Tianzhu to pay homage to the Great Being. He asked the abbot, Ruone: 'Before the Great Being, is it appropriate to bow or not?' The Master said: 'If you do not bow, each claims superiority; if you bow, you show mutual respect.' The Emperor joyfully bowed. He also asked about the meaning of cultivating the Golden Light Repentance on New Year's Day. The Master said: 'The Buddha preached the path of the Golden Light Samādhi to Brahmā, Śakra, and the Four Heavenly Kings, entrusting them to protect the country and protect the people. In later generations, the ancestral masters established it as a repentance ritual, practicing this method on New Year's Day to pray for blessings for the state; this is a ritual of an era of flourishing peace.' The Emperor was pleased, conferred the title of Monastic Scribe of the Right Street, and further bestowed money. In the former residence of Dharma Master Daoyi, he built the Sixteen Contemplations Hall, commanding Hanlin Academician Lou Yue to compose an inscription. In the third month, an edict ordered the construction of an Inner Contemplation Hall in the palace, following the exact system of Upper Tianzhu. Japan sent an envoy to deliver a letter to the prefectural office of Siming asking about the general meaning of the Buddhist Dharma, requesting that famous monks be gathered to open the letter and read it before the envoy. The prefect assembled them, but the monks all shrank back and dared not respond. The karmadāna of Qixin came forward joyfully, saying: 'The writings of Japan share the same characters as the Central Kingdom; why should there be doubt?' He immediately bowed to the prefect, tore open the seal, and read it rapidly, pinching the paper with his fingernails in seven places. When he finished reading, he said to the envoy: 'Although Japan wishes to study literature, there are not a few errors,' and explained them one by one. The envoy withdrew in shame and fear. The prefect leaped with great joy and said: 'A true karmadāna of the world!'
47.42
In the fourth year [of Qiandao], on the eighth day of the fourth month, Master Ne of Upper Tianzhu was summoned to lead fifty monks into the Inner Contemplation Hall to perform the Golden Light Samādhi for Protecting the Country. When the vegetarian meal was over, he expounded the Dharma. The Emperor said, "The Buddha's Dharma is indeed subtle, but how did so many volumes of sūtras come to be?" The Master said, "It is thus because it has a source." The Emperor was pleased, and promoted him to the rank of Monastic Scribe of the Left Street, Master of the Light of Wisdom. From then on, every year on the Buddha's birthday, the monks who entered the palace were bestowed fifty bolts of silk and conducted Buddhist services. (Recorded by Song Zhirui in the stupa inscription.) In the ninth month, the Emperor said to the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Li Tao, "The language of Buddhism and Daoism must not be used in examination essays. If it is used for personal cultivation in the mountain forests, it does no harm to the Way. If it is used in the examination hall, I fear it will interfere with state affairs." (Zhongxing shijian)
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- 佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese