佛祖歷代通載 8.26

8.26

論曰。世智辯聰人情所歆慕以為英靈者也。佛世尊則以為八難之一。何哉。靈運恃才傲世。以謀叛伏誅。惠琳毀形衣僧伽黎而竊與朝政。既叛教矣。復從而毀佛。遂蒙惡報以死。嗚呼蓋世智之為難也明矣。觀嚴二人妄以凡情輕議聖典。向使不遇神人呵之。則世智之難亦幾不免。大哉跋摩尚之對制之言。可謂旨窮大體而識盡精微。真天下之通論也。

The commentary states: Worldly wisdom and eloquent cleverness are what human feelings admire and take to be spiritual brilliance; yet the Buddha, the Bhagavān, regarded them as one of the eight difficulties. Why is this? Lingyun relied on his talent and looked down on the world, and was executed for treason. Huilin altered his appearance, wore the saṃghāṭī, and surreptitiously meddled in court affairs; having already betrayed the teaching, he further proceeded to slander the Buddha, and consequently suffered an evil retribution unto death. Alas, that worldly wisdom is indeed a difficulty is evident! The two men, Huiguan and Huiyan, presumptuously applied worldly sentiments to lightly criticize the sacred scriptures; had they not encountered the divine being's rebuke, they too would scarcely have escaped the calamity of worldly wisdom. How great were the replies to the throne given by Guṇavarman and He Shangzhi! It can be said that their purport fully plumbed the general principles and their understanding exhausted the refined subtleties; they are truly universally valid discourses under Heaven.