唐護法沙門法琳別傳 3.9

3.9

陛下若奮赫斯之怒。則百萬不足悏情。陛下若斂秋霜之威。則一言容有可錄。輕忤御覽營魄飛揚。塵黷威嚴心魂失守。帝時大怒竪目。又問法師曰。朕聞。周之宗盟異姓為後。尊祖重親寔由先古。何為追逐其短禽鼠兩端。廣引形似之言。備陳不遜之喻。擢髮數罪比此猶輕。盡竹書愆方斯未擬。爬毀朕之祖禰。謗黷朕之先人。如此要君理有不恕。法師對曰。琳聞。文王大聖。周公大賢。追遠慎終。昊天靡答。孝悌之至。通於神明。雖有宗周。義不爭長。何者。皇天無親。唯德是輔。古人黨理。而不黨親。不自我先。不自我後。不以疎而不賞。賞彼有功。不以親而不誅。誅其有。過伏惟。

'If Your Majesty unleashes your fiery wrath, then a million executions would not suffice to gratify your feelings; if Your Majesty restrains your autumn-frost majesty, then one word may perhaps be recorded. Lightly offending the imperial gaze, my soul takes flight; staining your majestic presence, my mind and spirit lose their composure.'

The Emperor was at that time greatly enraged, with eyes staring wide. He again questioned the Dharma Master: 'We have heard that in the ancestral alliances of the Zhou, those of different surnames took the rear; honouring ancestors and esteeming kin truly originates from ancient times. Why do you chase after their defects, hesitating like a bird or rat between two ends, broadly citing specious sayings and setting forth disrespectful analogies in full? Plucking out all the hairs to count your crimes would still be lighter than this; using up all the bamboo slips to write your transgressions would still not compare! You claw and destroy Our ancestors, and slander Our forebears! Such intimidation of the sovereign cannot be pardoned in principle.'

The Dharma Master replied: 'Lin has heard that King Wen was a great sage and the Duke of Zhou was a great worthy. In pursuing the distant and carefully attending to the end, even the vast heavens could not answer them. The utmost of filial piety and fraternal duty penetrates to the divine beings. Although there was the ancestral Zhou, in principle they did not fight for seniority. Why is this? August Heaven has no affections; it aids only virtue. The ancients were partial to principle, but not partial to kin. They did not put themselves first, nor did they put themselves last; they did not fail to reward the distant, rewarding those with merit; and they did not fail to execute kin, executing those with guilt. We prostrate ourselves.'