佛祖統紀 47.19

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."