佛祖歷代通載 16.36

16.36

（二十　乙丑）　三月帝不豫。自徵方士服金丹受法籙。至是發背躁悶失常。遂至大漸。旬日不能言而崩。年三十三。舊史贊曰。昭肅削浮圖之法。懲游惰之民。志欲矯步丹梯求珠赤水。徒見蕭衍姚興之曲學。不悟始皇漢武之妄求。蓋受惑左道之言。故偏斥異方之教。況身毒西來之法向欲千年。蚩蚩之民習以成俗。畏其教甚於國法。樂其徒不異登仙。如文身斷髮之鄉。似吐火吞舟之戲。詎可正以咸韶而律以章甫。加以笮融何充之佞。代不乏人。雖荀卿孟子之賢。未容抗論。一朝墮殘金像燔棄胡書。結怨於膜拜之流。犯怒於匹夫之口。哲王之舉不駭物情。前代存而勿論。實為中道。欲革斯弊將俟河清。昭肅頗稱明斷。然聽斯蔽矣（已上並見舊史）。

(Year 20, Yichou [846 CE]) In the third month, the Emperor was indisposed. Ever since summoning alchemists, ingesting the golden elixir, and receiving Daoist registers, he developed an ulcer on his back and suffered frantic distress, losing his normal composure. This led to his critical illness, and after being unable to speak for ten days, he died at the age of thirty-three. The Old History eulogized: “Zhaosu (Emperor Wuzong) abolished the law of the Buddha (stūpa) and punished idle, vagrant people. His aspiration was to scale the cinnabar stairs and seek the pearl in the Red Waters. He merely saw the perverse learning of Xiao Yan and Yao Xing, but did not realize the vain pursuits of the First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han. Having fallen under the spell of heterodox arts, he thus rejected the foreign teaching in an extreme manner. Moreover, the teachings that came west from Shendu (India) had nearly reached a thousand years; the simple masses had grown accustomed to them as their way of life, fearing their teaching more than national law and delighting in their followers as though ascending to immortality. It was like the land of tattooed bodies and severed hair, or the spectacle of swallowing fire and engulfing boats: how could one correct it with the music of Xian and Shao, or regulate it with the cap of Zhangfu? In addition, sycophants like Zha Rong and He Chong were never lacking through the ages. Even with the virtue of Xunzi and Mencius, there was no room to argue against them. In a single morning, golden statues were broken and destroyed, and barbarian books were burned and discarded, contracting resentment among the ranks of worshipers and incurring anger from the mouths of ordinary men. The actions of wise rulers do not shock human sentiments; for previous ages to preserve it without disputing was indeed the Middle Way. To reform this evil, one would have to wait for the Yellow River to run clear. Zhaosu was acclaimed as perspicacious and decisive, but in listening to this, he was deluded.” (The above are all found in the Old History).