釋氏稽古略 3.217

3.217

護國真身佛骨　己亥元和十四年正月。帝遣中使杜英奇。持香華往鳳翔府法雲寺護國真身塔所。請釋迦文佛指骨入內。帝御安福門迎拜留禁中供養。三日五色光現。百僚稱賀。歷送諸寺。釋部威儀太常長安萬年音樂。旌旛鼓吹偉盛殊特。刑部侍郎韓愈上表陳諫引古言今。稱帝壽國祚之不延永。帝大怒。以表示宰輔。將抵以死。裴度崔群為解之貶潮州刺史。愈倒郡之初。以表哀謝勸帝。東封泰山。久而無報。欝欝不樂。聞郡有大顛禪師。道德名重。以書招之。三招而大顛至。顛之言論超勝。留數十日。或入定數日方起。愈甚敬焉。師辭去。愈祀神海上。乃登靈山造師之廬。問曰。弟子軍州事繁省要處乞師一句。師良久不顧。公罔措。時三平為侍者乃敲床一下。師云作麼。平云先以定動。後以智拔。公乃拜三平而謝曰。和尚門風高峻。愈於侍者處得箇入路。師問愈曰。子之貌欝然似有不懌何也。對曰。愈之用於朝享祿厚矣。一旦以忠言不用。竄逐八千里。播越嶺海喪吾女孥。毒霧瘴氣日夕發作。今黜於無人之地。其生詎可保乎。愈之來也道出廣陵廟而禱之。幸蒙其力而卒以無恙。以主上有中興之功已奏章道之。使東巡泰山奏功皇天。倘有意於此。則庶幾召愈。述作功德而薦之郊廟焉。愈早夜待之而未至。冀萬一於速歸。愈安能有懌乎。顛曰。子直言於朝也。忠於君而不顧其身耶。抑尚顧其身而強言之以徇名耶。言用則獲忠直之名。享報言之利。不用而逐事之必至。何介介於胸中哉。苟患乎逐則盍勿言而已。吾聞之為人臣者不擇地而安。不量勢而行。今子遇逐而不懌。趍時而求徇。殆非人臣之正也。且子之死生禍福豈不懸諸天乎。子姑自內修而外任命可也。彼廣陵其能福汝耶。主上以奸臣負國而討之不暇。僅能克乎。而瘡痍未瘳。方此之際。而子又欲封禪告功以騷動天下。而屬意在乎己之欲歸。子奚忍於是耶。且夫以窮自亂而祭其鬼。是不知命也。動天下而不顧以便己。是不知仁也。強言以干忠遇困而抑欝。是不知義也。以亂為治而告皇天。是不知禮也。而子何以為之。且子之遭黜也所言何事。愈曰。主上迎佛骨入大內。愈以佛者夷狄之法耳。三代無佛而年祚永久。晉宋梁魏事佛不夭則亂。愈恐主上惑於此。是以不顧其身而斥之。顛曰。若是則子言謬矣。佛也者覆天人之大器也。其道則妙物而為言。其言則盡性命之理。其教則捨惡而趍善。去偽而歸真。其視天下猶父之於子也。而子毀之。是猶子而刃父也。吾聞。善觀人者觀其道之所存。而不較其所居之地。桀紂之君。跖蹻之臣。皆中國人也。然不可法者以其無道也。舜生東夷。文王生西夷。由余生於戎。季禮出於蠻。彼二聖二賢豈可謂之夷狄而不法乎。今子不觀佛之道。而徒以為夷狄。何言之陋也。子以上古未有佛而不法耶。則孔孟生衰周。而蚩尤瞽叟生上古矣。豈可捨衰周聖賢而法上古凶頑哉。子以五帝三王之代未有佛而長壽也。外丙二年。仲壬四年。何其夭耶。書無逸曰自時厥後亦罔或克壽。或十年或四五年也。以漢晉之間人主夭且亂。則漢明為一代之英主。梁武壽至八十六。豈必皆夭且亂耶。愈曰。余謂佛者口不道先王之法言。而妄倡乎輪迴生死之說。身不踐仁義忠信之行。而詐造乎報應禍福之故。無君臣之義。無父子之親。賊先王之道。愈安得默而不斥之乎。顛曰。甚哉子之不達也。有人於此。終日數十而不知二五。則人必以為狂矣。子之終日言仁義忠信。而不知佛之言常樂我淨。誠無以異也。且子誦佛書。其疑與先王異者可道之乎曰愈何暇讀彼之書。顛曰。子未甞讀佛之書。則安知不談先王之法言耶。無乃以甞讀孔子之書而遂疑彼之非乎。抑聞人以為非而遂非之乎。苟以甞讀孔子之書而疑彼之非是舜犬也。聞之以為非而遂非之是妾婦也。昔舜畜犬。犬所見者惟舜。一日堯過而吠之。非愛舜而惡堯。以所常見者舜未甞見堯也。又聞。女子之嫁也母送之。巨往之汝家必敬必戒無違夫子。然則從人者妾婦之事。安可從人之非而不考其所以非之者乎。夫輪迴生死非妄造也。此天地之至數。幽明之妙理也。以物理觀之。草木根荄槁而復生。則其往復又何怪焉。孔子曰。原始要終。故知死生之說。莊子曰萬物出於機入於機。賈誼曰。化為異類兮又何足患。此皆輪迴之說。不俟於佛而明也。焉得謂之妄乎。且子又以禍福報應為詐造。此尤足見子之非也。夫善惡之報皆神理自然之應。易曰。積善有餘慶。積惡有餘殃。又曰。鬼神害盈而福謙。曾子曰。戒之戒之出乎爾者反乎爾者也。此皆報應之說也。唯佛能隱惻乎人之禍福。是以彰明較著言其必至之理。使不自陷乎此耳。豈詐造哉。又言。佛無君臣之義父子之親。此固非子之所及也。事固有在方之內者。有在方之外者。方之內者眾人所共守之。方之外者非天下之至神莫之能及也。故聖人之為言也。有與眾人共守而言之者。有盡天下之至神而言之者。彼各有所當也。孔子之言道也極之則無思無為寂然不動感而遂通。此非眾人所共守之言也。眾人而不思不為。則天下之理幾乎息矣。佛與人臣言必依於忠。與人子言必依於孝。此眾人所共守之言也。及其言之至則有至於無心非唯無心也。則有至於無我非唯無我也。則又至於無生矣。則陰陽之序不能亂。而天地之數不能役也。則其於君臣父子固有在矣。此豈可為單見淺聞者道哉。今吾告汝。以佛之理蓋無方者也。無體者也。妙之又妙者也。其比則天也有人於此。終日譽天而天不加榮。終日詬天而天不加損。然則譽之詬之者皆過也。夫自漢至於今歷年如此其久也。天下事物變革如此其多也。君臣士民如此其眾也。天地神明如此其不可誣也。而佛之說乃行於中無敢議而去之者。此必有以蔽天地而不恥。關百聖而不慚。妙理存乎其間然後至此也。子盍深思之乎。今吾告汝。以學者必考乎道之遠者焉。道之遠則吾之志不能測者矣。則必親夫人之賢於我者。彼之賢於我者以此為是矣。而我返見其非則是我心有所未盡知者也。是故深思彼之所是。而力求之則庶幾乎有所發也。今子屑屑於形器之內。奔走乎聲色利欲之間。少不如志則憤欝悲躁。若將不容其生。何以異於蚊虻爭穢壤於積[葶-丁+呆]之間哉。於是愈瞠目而不收。氣喪而不揚。茫然有若自失。逡巡謂大顛曰。言盡於此乎。顛曰。吾之所以告子者。蓋就子之所能而為之言。非至乎至者也。曰愈也不肖。欲幸聞其至者可乎。顛曰。誠爾心盡爾性。窮物之理極天之命。然後可聞也。爾去吾不復言矣。愈趍而出（韓子外傳）。

The True Body and Buddha Relic of Protecting the Nation: In the first month of the fourteenth year of Yuanhe, a jihai year [819 CE], the Emperor dispatched the palace envoy Du Yingqi, carrying incense and flowers, to the Stūpa of the True Body of Protecting the Nation at Fayun Monastery in Fengxiang Prefecture to invite a finger-bone relic of Śākyamuni Buddha into the inner palace. The Emperor attended at the Anfu Gate to welcome and prostrate before it, and kept it in the forbidden palace to make offerings to it. After three days, a five-colored light appeared, and all the officials offered congratulations. It was successively escorted to various monasteries. The dignified bearing of the Buddhist order, together with the music of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and Chang'an and Wannian counties, presented a magnificent and extraordinary spectacle of banners, flags, drums, and wind instruments. Han Yu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, submitted a memorial presenting his remonstrance, citing antiquity and discussing the present, asserting that it would not prolong the Emperor's lifespan or the nation's dynastic fortunes. The Emperor was furious, showed the memorial to the chief ministers, and intended to condemn him to death. Pei Du and Cui Qun pleaded on his behalf, and he was demoted to Prefect of Chaozhou. When Han Yu first arrived at the prefecture, he submitted a memorial mourning and apologizing, urging the Emperor to perform the imperial sacrifices at Mount Tai in the east. Having received no response for a long time, he was depressed and unhappy. Hearing that there was a Chan Master Dadian in the prefecture whose virtue and reputation were deeply respected, he invited him with a letter. After three invitations, Dadian arrived. Dadian's discourses were transcendent and supreme. He stayed for several tens of days, occasionally entering samādhi for several days before rising. Han Yu respected him greatly. When the master took his leave, Han Yu sacrificed to the deities on the coast and then climbed Mount Ling to visit the master's dwelling. He asked, 'This disciple's military and prefectural affairs are vexatious; please grant a single word on the most essential point, Master.' The master remained silent for a long time and did not look at him. Han Yu was at a loss. At that time, Sanping was serving as the attendant, and he struck the edge of the meditation seat once. The master said, 'What are you doing?' Sanping said, 'First stirring with concentration, then pulling out with wisdom.' Han Yu then bowed to Sanping and thanked him, saying, 'The Venerable's tradition is lofty and steep; I have found an entryway through the attendant.' The master asked Han Yu, 'Your appearance is gloomy, as if you are discontented. Why is this?' Han Yu replied, 'When I was employed at court, my salary and honors were bountiful. Suddenly, because my loyal words were not adopted, I was banished and driven eight thousand leagues, crossing mountain ranges and seas, losing my daughter, while poisonous mists and miasmas break out morning and night. Now degraded to an uninhabited land, how could my life be preserved? When I came here, my path led past the temple at Guangling and I prayed to it; fortunately, by its power, I ended up unharmed. Since the sovereign has achieved the merit of dynastic revival, I have already memorialized it, urging him to tour Mount Tai in the east and report his merit to August Heaven. If he has any intention toward this, he might perhaps recall me to compose records of virtue and offer them at the suburban sacrifices and ancestral temples. Morning and night I wait for it, but it has not come. Hoping for one chance in ten thousand for a swift return, how could I be contented?' Dadian said, 'When you spoke forthrightly at court, were you loyal to the ruler without regard for yourself? Or did you still care for yourself and speak forcefully merely to chase fame? If your words were heeded, you would have gained the name of loyalty and uprightness and enjoyed the benefits of your counsel; if they were not heeded, banishment was certain to come. Why harbor resentment in your chest? If you feared banishment, why did you not simply remain silent? I have heard that a minister does not choose where he is placed to find peace, nor does he weigh the circumstances before acting. Now that you meet banishment and are discontented, chasing the trends of the times to seek your own ends, this is hardly the rectitude of a minister! Furthermore, are not your life and death, calamity and fortune, suspended in Heaven? You should rather cultivate yourself within and entrust your fate to what is without. Could that Guangling deity truly grant you good fortune? The sovereign was busy punishing treacherous officials who betrayed the nation and could scarcely conquer them; the nation's wounds are not yet healed. At such a time, you wish to perform the feng and shan sacrifices to report merit, stirring up turmoil across the realm, while your real intention lies in your own desire to return. How can you bear this? Moreover, to panic in distress and sacrifice to spirits shows ignorance of destiny; to stir up the realm without regard for others merely to benefit oneself shows ignorance of humaneness; to force advice to solicit a reputation for loyalty, and then sink into gloom when encountering hardship, shows ignorance of righteousness; to proclaim disorder as good governance to August Heaven shows ignorance of propriety. Why do you act thus? Furthermore, when you met degradation, what matter did you speak of?' Han Yu said, 'The sovereign welcomed the Buddha's bone into the inner palace. I consider the Buddha merely a doctrine of the barbarians. The Three Dynasties had no Buddha, yet their dynastic spans were enduring; during the Jin, Song, Liang, and Wei, those who served the Buddha were either short-lived or met disorder. Fearing that the sovereign would be led astray by this, I disregarded my own person and rebuked it.' Dadian said, 'If so, then your words are mistaken. The Buddha is a great vessel that covers both devas and humans. His Way speaks through the subtlety of things; his words exhaust the principles of nature and destiny; his teachings abandon evil and strive toward good, casting off the false and returning to the true. He looks upon the world as a father does upon his son. Yet you defame him—this is like a son raising a blade against his father! I have heard that one who observes people well observes where their Way resides, rather than measuring the place where they dwell. The rulers Jie and Zhou, and the robbers Zhi and Qiao, were all men of the Central Plains; yet they cannot be taken as models because they lacked the Way. Shun was born among the Eastern Yi; King Wen was born among the Western Yi; You Yu was born among the Rong; Jizi of Yan emerged from the Man. Could those two sages and two worthies be dismissed as barbarians and not taken as models? Now you do not observe the Way of the Buddha, but merely dismiss him as a barbarian; how crude your words are! Do you refuse to emulate him because the Buddha did not exist in high antiquity? If so, then Confucius and Mencius were born in the declining Zhou, while Chiyou and Gusou were born in high antiquity. How could one abandon the sages and worthies of the declining Zhou to model oneself upon the violent and stubborn of high antiquity? You claim that during the eras of the Five Emperors and Three Kings there was no Buddha and thus people lived long. Yet Wai Bing reigned for two years and Zhong Ren for four years; why were they so short-lived? The "Against Luxurious Ease" chapter in the Book of Documents says: "From that time onward, none were able to enjoy longevity; some reigned for ten years, others for four or five years." If you say that sovereigns between the Han and Jin were short-lived and disorderly, then Emperor Ming of the Han was an outstanding sovereign of his generation, and Emperor Wu of the Liang lived to the age of eighty-six. Must they all have been short-lived and disorderly?' Han Yu said, 'I say that the Buddha did not speak the lawful words of the former kings, but falsely promoted the doctrine of saṃsāra and life and death; in his person he did not practice humaneness, righteousness, loyalty, or trustworthiness, but deceitfully fabricated accounts of retribution, calamity, and blessing. He lacked the righteousness between ruler and minister, and the natural affection between father and son, destroying the Way of the former kings. How could I remain silent and not rebuke it?' Dadian said, 'How great is your lack of understanding! Suppose someone counts to ten all day long without knowing two times five; people would certainly consider him mad. Your speaking all day of humaneness, righteousness, loyalty, and trustworthiness while not knowing the Buddha's words on eternity, bliss, self, and purity is truly no different. Furthermore, as you chant the Buddhist scriptures, can you recite any part that you suspect differs from the former kings?' Han Yu said, 'What leisure have I had to read his scriptures?' Dadian said, 'If you have never read the Buddha's scriptures, how do you know they do not speak the lawful words of the former kings? Is it not that, having read Confucius's writings, you simply suspected his doctrine to be wrong? Or, hearing others say it is wrong, did you simply follow them in considering it wrong? If you suspect it to be wrong merely because you have read Confucius's writings, you are like Shun's dog; if you follow others in declaring it wrong merely because you heard them say so, you are like a concubine. In the past, Shun kept a dog, and the dog saw only Shun. One day Yao passed by and it barked at him—not because it loved Shun and hated Yao, but because Shun was what it always saw and it had never seen Yao. Moreover, I have heard that when a daughter marries, her mother sees her off and says, "When you go to your home, you must be respectful and cautious, and do not disobey your husband." Thus, following another is the affair of women and concubines. How can you follow others in deeming him wrong without investigating why they deem him wrong? Saṃsāra and life and death are not falsely fabricated; this is the ultimate order of Heaven and Earth, the subtle principle of the hidden and manifest. Observing through the principles of things: when the roots and stalks of plants wither, they sprout again; what is strange about their cycle? Confucius said, "By tracing things to their origins and pursuing them to their ends, one understands the teachings on life and death." Zhuangzi said, "The myriad things emerge from the loom of change and return to the loom of change." Jia Yi said, "Transforming into another kind of creature, what is there to worry about?" These are all doctrines of saṃsāra, evident without waiting for the Buddha. How can you call them false? Furthermore, you consider karmic retribution of calamity and blessing to be deceitful fabrication; this especially shows your error. The retribution of good and evil is the natural response of spiritual principle. The Book of Changes says: "A family that accumulates good will have an abundance of blessings; a family that accumulates evil will have an abundance of calamities." It also says: "The spirits harm the haughty and bless the humble." Zengzi said: "Beware, beware! What proceeds from you will return to you." These are all teachings on karmic retribution. Only the Buddha, feeling compassion for the calamity and fortune of human beings, clearly and distinctly expounded this inevitable principle so that they would not fall into ruin. How could it be a deceitful fabrication? Furthermore, you say the Buddha lacked the righteousness of ruler and minister and the affection between father and son; this is indeed beyond your grasp. Matters inherently exist within the bounds of society, and they exist beyond the bounds of society. What is within the bounds is preserved in common by ordinary people; what is beyond the bounds cannot be attained except by the most spiritual under Heaven. Therefore, when the sages spoke, in some cases they spoke to preserve what is common to all people, and in other cases they spoke to exhaust the utmost spirituality under Heaven. Each has its appropriate place. When Confucius spoke of the Way, at its utmost it was "without thought and without action, tranquil and unmoving, yet responding immediately when stimulated"; this is not a teaching preserved in common by ordinary people. If ordinary people were without thought and without action, the principles of the world would almost cease to exist! When the Buddha spoke to ministers, he always relied on loyalty; when he spoke to sons, he always relied on filial piety. This is the teaching preserved in common by ordinary people. When his words reached the utmost, he went as far as no-mind; not only no-mind, but as far as no-self; not only no-self, but as far as non-arising. Then the order of yin and yang cannot disrupt it, and the cycles of Heaven and Earth cannot enslave it. Thus, the roles of ruler, minister, father, and son are inherently preserved therein. How could this be explained to one of narrow views and shallow learning? Now I tell you: the principle of the Buddha has no spatial limitation; it has no concrete form; it is subtle beyond subtlety. It may be compared to Heaven. Suppose someone praises Heaven all day long: Heaven gains no glory; if someone abuses Heaven all day long, Heaven suffers no loss. Thus, those who praise it and those who abuse it are both in error. From the Han dynasty down to the present, a great span of years has passed; the transformations in affairs under Heaven have been so numerous; rulers, ministers, scholars, and commoners have been so multitudes; the spirits of Heaven and Earth are so impossible to deceive. Yet the teaching of the Buddha has flourished in their midst without anyone daring to refute and abolish it. It must surely be able to cover Heaven and Earth without shame, and be measured against a hundred sages without embarrassment, with subtle principles residing within it, before it could reach such a point! Why do you not reflect deeply on this? Now I tell you: a learner must examine the far-reaching aspects of the Way. When the Way is far-reaching, my own intention cannot fathom it; then I must draw near to those who are more worthy than I. If those more worthy than I consider this to be right, yet I contrarily consider it wrong, it is because there is something my mind has not fully known. Therefore, if you reflect deeply on what they consider right and strive to seek it, you may perhaps attain some awakening. Now you are preoccupied with the realm of physical forms, scurrying after sounds, sights, profits, and desires; if something falls slightly short of your ambitions, you become resentful, sorrowful, and agitated, as if your life could not be borne. How is this any different from mosquitoes and gnats fighting over filth among heaps of weeds?' Thereupon Han Yu stared blankly and was speechless, dispirited and downcast, utterly lost as if having lost himself. Hesitating, he said to Dadian, 'Are your words exhausted here?' Dadian said, 'What I have told you was tailored to your capacity; it is not the ultimate of the ultimate.' Han Yu said, 'I am unworthy, but might I be fortunate enough to hear the ultimate?' Dadian said, 'Make your mind sincere, exhaust your nature, fathom the principles of things, and reach the utmost of Heaven's mandate—only then may you hear it. Begone; I shall speak no more.' Han Yu hurried out. (Hanzi waichuan)