佛祖歷代通載 9.18

9.18

（十二）　是年特進沈約卒。約字休文。婺州東陽人。左目重瞳。腰有紫誌。少為書生。名聞一時。以風流見稱。而肌體清癯。時謂沈郎瘦。甚為武帝所重。官業具南史。甞出意撰聲律以革古詩。後世取則。號曰四聲。約甚精佛理。著中食論。理趣甚高。其略曰。人所以不得道者。由於心神昏惑。心神所以昏惑。由於外物擾之。擾之大者其事有三。一則勢利榮名。二則妖妍靡曼。三則甘旨肥醲。榮名難日用於心。要無晷刻之累。妖妍靡曼方之已深。甘旨肥醲為累甚切。萬事紜紜皆三者之枝葉耳。聖人知不斷此三事求道無從可得。乃為之法使簡而易從。若也直云。三事惑本並宜禁絕。而此三事。是人情所甚惑。念慮所難遣。雖有禁之之旨。而事難卒從。譬如方舟濟河。豈不欲直至彼岸。河流湍急。會無直濟之理。不得不從流。靡久而獲至。非不願速。事難故也。禁此三事。事宜有端。何則食之於人不可頓息。其於情性三累莫甚。故推此晚食併置中前。自中之後清虛無事。因此無事念慮得簡。在始未專。在久自習。於是束以八支紆以禁戒。靡曼之欲無由得前。榮名眾累稍隨事遣。故云。往古諸佛過中不飡。此蓋是遣累之筌罤。適道之捷徑。而惑者咸謂止於不食。此乃迷於向方。不知厥路者也。又甞著設會謂意謂如來在日。眾居伽藍不置食具。時至則分衛持鉢以福眾生。今之僧徒一皆違廢。不止不持中食。甚者甘腴厨饍豐美飲食。或遇請召得蔬蔌之具。莫不顰蹙以為不能甘也。此豈有志於道哉。其論略曰。出家之人本資行乞。戒律炳然。不許立厨帳并蓄淨人。今既取足官寺。行乞事廢。或有持鉢登門。便呼為僧徒鄙事。既為眾所鄙恥。不復行乞。悠悠後進求理者寡。將謂乞食之業不可復行。由淨飯王子轉輪之貴。持鉢行乞以福施者。豈不及千載之外凡庸沙門躬命僕竪自營口腹者乎。行乞受請二事不殊。今不復行乞。又不赴請。則行乞之法於此永冥。此法既冥則僧非佛種。佛種既離則三寶墜地矣。約有文集百餘卷。行于世。

(12) In this year, Specially Advanced Shen Yue died. Yue's courtesy name was Xiuwen; he was a native of Dongyang in Wuzhou. His left eye had double pupils, and his waist bore a purple mark. In his youth he was a scholar whose fame resounded throughout his day. He was celebrated for his elegant taste, yet his physique was slender and frail, so people of the time called him 'the slender Master Shen.' He was deeply valued by Emperor Wu. His official career is fully recorded in the History of the Southern Dynasties. He once innovatively formulated tonal prosody to revolutionize ancient poetry; later generations took it as a model and called it the 'four tones.' Yue was extremely refined in Buddhist principles and wrote the 'Treatise on Midday Meals,' whose doctrine and purport are profoundly elevated. Its outline states: 'The reason people fail to attain the Way is that the mind and spirit are muddled and bewildered. The reason the mind and spirit are muddled and bewildered is that external things disturb them. The greatest among these disturbances are three: first, worldly influence, profit, and illustrious fame; second, seductive charms and alluring pleasures; third, delectable delicacies and rich flavors. Illustrious fame is hard to apply to the mind every day, but essentially it carries no burden of the moment. Seductive charms and alluring pleasures are already deeper by comparison; delectable delicacies and rich flavors impose an acutely heavy burden. The myriad confusing affairs are merely the branches and leaves of these three. The sages, knowing that without cutting off these three things one can in no way attain the Way, established methods for them that are simple and easy to follow. If one were simply to say, "These three things are the roots of delusion and must all be prohibited and cut off," yet these three things are what human feelings are most deluded by and what thoughts find hardest to dispel, then though there be the intent to prohibit them, it would be difficult to comply right away. For instance, when crossing a river on a raft, who would not wish to go straight to the opposite bank? But the river current is turbulent, and there is certainly no principle of direct crossing; one cannot help but follow the current, taking time before finally arriving. It is not that one does not wish for speed, but that circumstances make it difficult. In prohibiting these three things, the undertaking should have a starting point. Why is this? As for eating, humans cannot abruptly cease it, yet regarding emotional nature, none of the three burdens is heavier than this. Therefore, pushing this evening meal aside, combine it before midday; from midday onward, one remains pure, empty, and free of concerns. Because of this lack of concern, thoughts can become simple. In the beginning one is not yet devoted, but over time it naturally becomes habitual. Thereupon, binding oneself with the eight limbs [of observance] and girding oneself with the prohibitive precepts, seductive desires have no way to advance, and the myriad burdens of illustrious fame are gradually dispelled along with affairs. Thus it is said: The past Buddhas did not eat past midday. This is truly the fish trap for dispelling burdens and the shortcut to reaching the Way. Yet the deluded all think it consists merely in not eating; this is being lost regarding direction and ignorant of the path.' He also once wrote 'Establishing Assemblies,' in which he thought: 'When the Tathāgata was in the world, the assembly resided in the saṅghārāma and did not store utensils for food. When the time arrived, they went on alms rounds carrying bowls to bring blessings to sentient beings. Today's monastic disciples have completely violated and abandoned this. Not only do they fail to observe midday meals, but in worse cases they enjoy succulent kitchen fare and abundant delicacies. When they happen to be invited and receive vegetarian provisions, they invariably frown, regarding it as unpalatable. How can this be having one's mind set on the Way?' The treatise states in brief: 'The livelihood of those who leave home was originally based on begging for alms; the vinaya precepts are clear and luminous that one is not permitted to establish kitchen provisions or keep pure persons (kappiya-kāraka). Now, having obtained sufficiency in official monasteries, the practice of begging for alms has been abandoned. When someone occasionally carries a bowl to households, people immediately call it a vulgar affair of monastics. Having become an object of scorn and shame to the multitude, they no longer beg for alms. Among the careless latecomers, those who seek principle are few; they will think that the practice of begging for food can no longer be carried out. If the prince of Śuddhodana, with the nobility of a wheel-turning monarch, carried a bowl to beg for alms to bless donors, how could he not equal ordinary, vulgar monks a thousand years later who personally order servants and attend to their own palates? Begging for alms and accepting invitations are no different as two practices. Now, neither begging for alms nor going to invitations, the method of begging for alms is hereby extinguished forever. Once this method is extinguished, monks are no longer the seed of the Buddha; once the seed of the Buddha is separated, the Three Jewels fall to the ground.' Yue had a collected work in over a hundred fascicles, which circulated in the world.