釋氏稽古略 2.125

2.125

文帝謂其臣丹陽尹何尚之曰。適見顏延之宗炳著論。發明佛法甚為名理。並是開獎人意。若使率土之濱皆感此化。朕則垂拱坐致太平矣。夫復何事尚之因進曰。夫百家之鄉。十人持五戒則十人淳謹。十室之邑。百人修十善則百人和睦。持此風教以周寰區。編戶億千則仁人百萬。夫能行一善則去一惡。去一惡則息一刑。一刑息於家萬刑息於國。則陛下之言坐致太平是也（帝紀何傳）。

Emperor Wen said to his minister, He Shangzhi, Prefect of Danyang: 'I have just read the treatises composed by Yan Yanzhi and Zong Bing. Their clarification of the Buddha-Dharma is truly of exalted principle, and both open up and encourage people's minds. If everyone within the borders of the realm were moved by this transformation, I could simply let my robes hang loose, fold my hands, and passively bring about Great Peace! What further need would there be for action?' Shangzhi then stepped forward and said: 'In a village of a hundred families, if ten observe the five precepts, then ten will be upright and cautious. In a town of ten households, if a hundred cultivate the ten virtues, then a hundred will be harmonious. If such manners and teachings are extended throughout the world, then among countless millions of registered households there will be millions of benevolent people. For each good deed performed, an evil deed is eliminated; when one evil is eliminated, one penalty ceases. When one penalty ceases in a household, ten thousand penalties cease throughout the country. Thus, Your Majesty’s words about passively bringing about Great Peace are truly so' (from the Imperial Annals and the Biography of He).