唐護法沙門法琳別傳 2.6

2.6

詔書。國家本系出自柱下。尊祖之風形乎前典。頒告天下無得而稱。令道士等處僧尼之上。奉以周旋豈敢拒詔。尋老君垂範治國治家。所佩服章亦無改易。清虛卓志與世不群。不立觀宇不領門徒。處柱下以全真。隱龍德而養性。智者見之謂之智。愚者見之謂之愚。非魯司寇莫之能識。今之道士不遵其法。所著冠服。並是黃巾之餘。本非老君之裔。行三張之穢術。棄五千之妙門。反同張禹漫行章句。從漢魏已來。常以鬼道化於浮俗。妄託老君之後。實是左道之苗。若位在僧尼之上。誠恐涇渭同流。有損國化。若不陳奏。何以表臣子之情。謹錄道經及漢魏諸史。佛先道後之事如左。伏願

the imperial edict stating that the state’s original lineage derives from the Archival Scribe, and the practice of venerating ancestors is recorded in former canons. Proclaimed to all under heaven, it is beyond praise. Ordering Daoist priests and the like to be placed above monks and nuns, we receive it with reverent compliance; how would we dare resist the edict? Yet examining Lord Lao’s handing down of models for governing the state and governing the family, the robes and emblems he wore were never altered. With lofty ambition in purity and vacuity, he stood aloof from the world, establishing no abbeys or temples, and leading no disciples. Dwelling as the Archival Scribe, he preserved the real; concealing dragon-like virtue, he nourished his nature. When the wise saw him, they called him wise; when the foolish saw him, they called him foolish. None other than the Minister of Crime of Lu (Confucius) could recognize him. Today’s Daoist priests do not follow his teachings. The caps and robes they wear are all the remnants of the Yellow Turbans, not the descendants of Lord Lao at all. Practicing the defiled arts of the Three Zhangs, they discard the wondrous gate of the Five Thousand Words. Conversely, like Zhang Yu, they indiscriminately practice mere chapters and verses. From the Han and Wei dynasties onward, they have continually converted vulgar folk through the way of ghosts, falsely claiming descent from Lord Lao, when in reality they are the sprouts of heterodox paths. If their rank is placed above monks and nuns, I truly fear that the Jing and Wei rivers will merge into a single stream, bringing harm to the governance of the state. If we do not submit a memorial, how can we express the devotion of subjects and sons? Respectfully I have recorded Daoist scriptures and the various histories of the Han and Wei dynasties regarding matters where the Buddha preceded the Dao, as listed to the left. I prostrate myself in the hope that