佛祖歷代通載 6.87

6.87

（十七）　國典。苟其不然。吾將何述焉。充等重抗。表曰。臣等暗短。不足以讚揚聖旨。宣暢大義。伏省明詔震懼屏營。輒共尋詳有佛無佛。固非臣等所能定。然攷其遺文鑽其旨要。五戒之禁實助王化。賤昭昭之名行。貴冥冥之潛操。行德在於忘身。抱一心之精妙。且興自漢世迄至于今。雖法有隆衰而弊無妖妄。神道經久未有其比也。夫議有損也。況必有益。臣之愚誠。實願塵露之微增潤岱岳。區區之況上裨皇極。今一令其拜。遂壞其法。修善之俗廢於聖世。習實生常。必致怨懼。隱之臣心竊所未安。臣雖愚蔽。詎敢以偏見疑誤聖聽。直謂世經三代人更明聖。今不為之制無虧王度。而幽冥之格可無雍滯。是以復陳愚誠。乞垂省察。氷猶以為不可。復下制曰。省所陳具情旨。幽昧之事誠非寓言所盡。然較略其大。人神常度粗復有分例用。大率百王制法雖文質隨時。然未有以殊俗參治恢誕雜化者也。豈曩聖之不達。來聖之宏通哉。且五戒之才善粗擬似人倫。而更與世之略其禮敬服禮重矣。敬大矣。為治之綱盡於此矣萬乘之君非好尊也。區城之民非好卑也。而尊卑不陳。王教不得不一二之則亂斯曩聖。所以憲章國體宜而不惑也。通才博採往往備其事。修之家可。以修之國及朝則不可。斯豈不遠耶。省所陳。果亦未能了有之與無矣。縱其了。猶謂不可以參治。而況都無而當以兩行耶。充等三上章執奏曰。臣等雖誠愚蔽不通遠旨。至乾乾夙夜思循王度。寧苟執偏管而亂大倫。直以漢魏逮晉不聞異議。尊卑憲度無或暫虧也。今沙門之守戒專專。然及為其禮一而已矣。至於守戒之篤。亡身不恪。曷敢以形骸而慢禮敬哉。每見燒香祝願。必先國家欲福裕之。備情無極已。奉上崇順出於自然。禮儀之簡蓋是專一守法。是以先聖御世。因而弗革也。然天網恢恢疎而不失。臣等慺慺以為。不令致拜於法無虧。因其所利而惠之。使賢愚莫敢不用情。則上有天覆地載之施。下有守一修善之人。謹復陳其愚淺。願蒙省察氷議遂寢。何充字次道。廬江潛人。魏光祿大夫宴之孫。少以文義見稱。初為王敦掾。敦兄含守廬江貪污。敦甞於坐稱之曰。家兄在郡定佳。廬江士人稱之。充正色曰。充即彼郡人。所聞異此。敦默然。坐客皆為不安。充宴然自若。丞相庾亮甞薦之於明帝曰。何充器局方概。有萬夫之望。若能總錄朝端為老臣副。及充拜尚書令。推能用功不私樹恩。世甚重之。初阮裕甞戲之曰。卿志大宇宙。勇邁前古。充審其故。裕曰。我圖數千戶郡。尚未能。卿圖作佛不亦大乎。卒年五十有五。其後門世事佛甚精。厥孫尚之及點胤等。並建大義闡明佛法云。

"...the statutes of the realm. If this were not so, what could I set forth?" Chong and the others again submitted a remonstrance, stating in a memorial: "Your ministers are obtuse and shallow, insufficient to praise the sagely intention or proclaim the great righteousness. Prostrating to examine the luminous decree, we are terrified and tremble with anxiety. We forthwith carefully examined the matter: whether there is a Buddha or no Buddha is certainly not for your ministers to determine. Yet examining the surviving texts and penetrating their essential points, the prohibitions of the Five Precepts truly assist the king's transformation. They disparage overt renown and conduct, and esteem covert, hidden cultivation. Practicing virtue lies in forgetting oneself, embracing the subtle purity of the one mind. Moreover, it arose in the Han period and has reached down to the present; though the Dharma has had periods of prosperity and decline, its harms have never involved witchcraft or deception. In its enduring longevity, the divine way has had no equal. Where a proposal has drawbacks, how much more so should one consider if it is certain to have benefits! Your ministers' humble sincerity truly wishes that minute drops of dust and dew may add moisture to Mount Dai, and our humble offerings may assist the imperial ultimate above. Now, if they are commanded to bow, their dharma will immediately be destroyed, and the custom of cultivating goodness will be discarded in a sagely era. Habit becomes second nature; this will inevitably cause resentment and fear. In our hearts, your ministers secretly feel uneasy about it. Although your ministers are foolish and benighted, how would we dare mislead the sagely hearing with biased views? We merely observe that throughout the three generations, each monarch was more brilliant and sagely than the last. Not making regulations for them now causes no detriment to the king's governance, and the communication with the unseen realm will encounter no blockage. For this reason, we submit our humble sincerity again, begging your imperial consideration." Bing still considered it unacceptable, and another decree was issued saying: "I have examined what you set forth; it is detailed in emotion and intent. Obscure matters are truly not fully expressible through metaphor. Yet roughly surveying the overarching principles, the regular norms of humanity and spirits roughly possess their separate applications. Generally, in the laws established by the hundred kings, though refinement and simplicity varied with the times, none ever mixed governance with strange customs or adulterated transformation with extravagant absurdities. Could it be that former sages were unenlightened, while future sages are broadly penetrating? Furthermore, the minor goodness of the Five Precepts only roughly resembles human relations, yet they cast aside the etiquette and reverence of the world. Ritual is weighty! Reverence is great! The main cords of governance are fully contained therein. The lord of ten thousand chariots does not love being exalted; the commoners of the realm do not love being humble. Yet if exalted and humble are not arranged, the royal teachings cannot be unified; to divide them causes chaos. This is why former sages codified the state's constitution, making it appropriate and free of doubt. Men of universal talent who gather widely often encompass such matters: cultivating it in the family is acceptable, but applying it to the state and court is unacceptable. Is this not far removed? Examining what has been presented, you also have not truly clarified whether he exists or not. Even if it were clear, I would still say it cannot be mingled with governance; how much less so when it is entirely absent, should we allow both ways to run parallel?" Chong and the others submitted a third memorial maintaining their stance, stating: "Although your ministers are truly foolish and benighted, unable to fathom far-reaching intentions, we toil diligently day and night to consider upholding the royal ordinances; how could we stubbornly cling to narrow views and disrupt the great bonds of human relations? We only observe that from the Han and Wei down to the Jin, no dissenting opinion was heard, and the standards of high and low never suffered any temporary loss. Now the śramaṇas' observance of precepts is single-minded, and their rites are singular. As for the firmness of their observance, in sacrificing their lives they are never negligent; how would they dare use their physical forms to slight ritual and reverence? Whenever we see them burn incense and offer prayers, they invariably give priority to the state, wishing it prosperity and abundance, with boundlessly sincere emotion. Their veneration and obedience to their superiors arise from nature. The simplicity of their rites is merely due to their single-minded adherence to the Dharma. Therefore, former sages governing the world accommodated them without change. Indeed, heaven's net is wide; its mesh is coarse, yet nothing slips through. Your ministers humbly believe that not requiring them to bow brings no detriment to the laws. Benefiting them by according with what is advantageous to them, so that neither the worthy nor the foolish dare hold back their devotion—then above there will be the shelter of heaven and the support of earth, and below there will be people who preserve the one and cultivate the good. We respectfully present our shallow thoughts once more, hoping for your imperial consideration." Bing's proposal was thereupon dropped. He Chong, courtesy name Cidao, was a man of Qian in Lujiang, and a grandson of Yan, the Grand Master of the Palace for Ceremonial of the Wei. In his youth he was praised for his literary talent. Initially he was an assistant to Wang Dun. Dun's elder brother Han was governor of Lujiang and was corrupt. Dun once praised him at a gathering, saying: "My elder brother was truly excellent in his commandery; the literati of Lujiang praised him." Chong straightened his countenance and said: "I am a native of that commandery, and what I heard was different." Dun fell silent, and all the guests felt uneasy, but Chong remained calm and at ease. Prime Minister Yu Liang once recommended him to Emperor Ming, saying: "He Chong's capacity and integrity possess the expectations of ten thousand men. If he could manage the court administration, he would serve as a deputy to this old minister." When Chong was appointed Prefect of the Masters of Writing, he promoted the capable and rewarded merit, not using his position to bestow private favors; the world respected him greatly. Earlier, Ruan Yu had once teased him, saying: "Your ambition is as vast as the universe, and your courage surpasses antiquity." Chong inquired why he said so, and Yu said: "I aimed for a commandery of several thousand households and still could not achieve it; you aim to become a Buddha—is that not vast?" He died at the age of fifty-five. Thereafter, his household served the Buddha with great devotion. His grandsons Shangzhi, Dian, and Yin all established the great principles and propagated the Buddhadharma.