釋氏稽古略 3.249

3.249

甲子會昌四年三月。詔以道士趙歸真為左右街道門教授先生。帝銳意求仙。歸真乘寵。每排釋氏。帝然之。復請與釋氏辯論。有旨追僧道於麟德殿談論。法師知玄登論座。辯捷精壯。道流不能屈。玄因奏曰。王者本禮樂一憲度。吐納服食蓋山林匹夫獨擅之事。願陛下不足留神。帝色不平。侍臣諷玄。賦詩以自釋。玄立進五篇。有鶴背傾危龍背滑君王且住一千年之句。帝知其刺（唐書舊史）。

In the jiazi year, the fourth year of Huichang, in the third month, an edict appointed Daoist Zhao Guizhen as Master of Daoist Instruction of the Left and Right Streets. The Emperor was intent on seeking immortality, and Guizhen took advantage of this favor to repeatedly slander the Śākya lineage. The Emperor agreed with him. He further requested to debate with the Śākya lineage. An imperial decree summoned Buddhist monks and Daoist priests to debate in the Linde Hall. Dharma Master Zhixuan ascended the debate seat; his eloquence was nimble, refined, and powerful, and the Daoist stream could not defeat him. Xuan then memorialized, "Rulers take rites and music as their foundation and unify laws and regulations; breathing exercises and ingesting drugs are merely the private preserves of common men in mountains and forests. I hope Your Majesty will not dwell your mind on them." The Emperor's expression showed displeasure. The attending ministers advised Xuan to compose a poem to explain himself. Xuan immediately presented five pieces, containing the line: 'The crane's back is perilous, the dragon's back is slippery; may the Lord of Men dwell [in the human realm] for a thousand years.' The Emperor understood its satirical intent (Old History of the Tang).