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Translation of 唐護法沙門法琳別傳

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Source: pramana-mt · Machine translation by Gemini 3.8 Flash (2026-10-21) of in.bauddha.taisho.2051 · Machine output without human authorship: no copyright is claimed (CC0 1.0). The original text keeps its own…

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Preface to the Separate Biography of Dharma Master Falin

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Composed by Li Huailin, retired scholar of Longxi

Considering the matter closely: In the beginning of the Great Ultimate and the primordial qi, the three luminaries were still concealed. After the Wood Sovereign and the Fire Thearch, the eight trigrams thereupon arose. From this we know that when benevolence and righteousness gradually unfolded, characters were invented based on the dragon chart; when the Dao and its virtue were said to have declined, writing was formed relying on the bird tracks. Therefore, the Left Historian recorded speeches, and the Xia and Shang [dynasties] were fully documented in proclamations and oaths; the Right Historian recorded events, and Tang and Yu [dynasties] were transmitted in canons and counsels. Coming down to the Historian Qian compiling the text of the *Records of the Grand Historian*, and Ban Gu continuing the work of Ban Biao, the rise of biographies for heroes, lofty scholars, elders, and recluses has indeed been long-standing! How much more so for the Dharma cloud and the Buddha sun, which have no coming and no going, or wondrous existence and true emptiness, which are free from arising and ceasing! Although the ultimate principle is utterly tranquil, traces of events respond expediently. Thus, manifesting the auspicious marks in the western regions, the King of Zhou gazed upon the radiance of five colors; transmitting portents to the eastern Xia lands, the Han Emperor dreamed of the sixteen-foot form. Thereupon, the impassioned Mātaṅga entered Luoyang responding to various capacities; the articulate Senghui journeyed to Wu after realizing the Great Way. In every generation there have been such men, heroes emerging from time to time. / Here there was the Śramaṇa Falin of Xiangyang. Continuing the traces of the four reliances, he arose in response to the five defilements. He grasped the eight treasuries in his bosom, and embraced the Nine Schools in his mind. Holding together the severed bonds that were about to slacken, he carried forward the former renown of Nāgārjuna; righting the collapsed discipline that had fallen into disorder, he inherited the remaining greatness of Aśvaghoṣa. As for his speaking frankly without concealment, it equaled Zhu Yun breaking the railing; offending without hiding anything, he surpassed Wang Xiang pulling the robe. Touching the dragon's scales without changing his resolve, he was truly the strong grass in a fierce wind! Braving severe punishment without altering his integrity, he was genuinely a loyal minister of the latter days. Moreover, his literary expression was wide and refined, unmatched even by Qin's hanging of a single word; his presentation of facts and principles was vast and extensive, beyond compare even with Shu's offering of a thousand pieces of gold. Alas! Gentlemen of Confucianism and Buddhism seldom savor this Way. Truly, the loftier the melody, the fewer who join in! Was it not almost on the verge of extinction? / Here was Superior Cong of Hongfu Monastery. Endowed with the spirit of the stars, he realized the Dao in the year of riding a goat; enriched by the spiritual efficacy of the seas and mountains, he cultivated virtue in the year of stroking the elephant. His resolve equaled that of [Fotudeng] Cheng and Dao[an], vowing to crush heterodoxy and direct his thoughts [to the truth]; his capacity was matched with that of [Dao]an and [Hui]yuan, taking the propagation of the correct teaching as his heart's purpose. As for holding the thread of the golden chapters and stringing the flowers of the jade tablets, he plumbed to the wondrous utmost the cardinal tenets, thoroughly exhausting their hidden subtleties. Yet beyond his listening and reading, his mind wandered through the masters and histories; he gathered together Huang-Lao, and encompassed both Confucians and Mohists. Constantly concerned that Master Falin's elegant works were mostly scattered, he consulted the elders and compiled them into scrolls, dividing them into upper, middle, and lower parts, and entitling them the *Separate Biography*. The principles and reasoning are comprehensive and complete, collected without omission, trimmed and supplemented with good standard; he is indeed a fine historian among the saṅgha! However, in recording words and recording events, Ban [Gu] and [Sima] Ma would feel much shame by comparison; in straightforward brush and forthright speech, Chen [Shou] and Fan [Ye] would be humbled beside it. This proves that Master Lin's initial draft only displayed its brilliance for a single age, while the Superior's polishing has set a model for myriad generations. / The disciple Li Huailin of Didao has a resolve that matches with Superior Cong like gold and orchids, and a bond of righteousness conforming like glue and lacquer. Although separated by black [robes] and white [lay clothes], their taste and inclination are quite identical. Thereupon, on the occasion of paying homage, having the fortune to view this treasure-trove, I have ventured to express these rash and simple words to provide this preface and introduction.

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Composed by Śramaṇa Yancong of Hongfu Monastery in the Capital

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The Dharma Master was named Falin. His secular surname was Chen. He was a person of Yingchuan Commandery, a descendant of Zhonggong. His distant ancestors moved with their official postings and resided in Xiangyang. In his youth, he took off his hairpin; his disposition was devoted to extensive learning. Thereupon, he carried his book satchel to seek knowledge in Jinling and Ying in Chu, crossing texts to inquire about the Dao in the halls of Confucius and on the mats of Śākya. He thereby encompassed the nine divisions [of canonical scriptures] and thoroughly mastered the hundred schools; he plumbed the golden words and exhausted the jade tablets. He often sighed and said: 'If a great man cannot establish orthodoxy, destroy heterodoxy, and uphold the ultimate principle, how could he merely feel ashamed from afar before Nāgārjuna? He would also feel distant remorse before Aśvaghoṣa! It would be better to retreat into the rocky crags and rest the mind among the hills and valleys.' Thus, in the fifth month, the summer of the fourteenth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui, he secluded himself in the Guigu Cave on Mount Qingxi. Perusing Daoist and Confucian writings, he did not waste an inch of time. His lodge constructed high among the crags blocked the sun and moon; its open, flying doors and windows inhaled and exhaled the wind and clouds. In connection with this, he composed the *Record of Mount Qingxi*, of about eight thousand words; its principles resonate clearly, and its literary style is graceful and elegant. As it is circulated in the world, it is omitted from recording here. / However, the Dharma Master harbored virtue and concealed his person; cautious in speech yet swift in action, he vowed to uphold the declining bonds [of Dharma]. He observed transformation in the upper capital in the third month, the spring of the first year of the Renshou era. Thereupon, turning his back on the Chu passes and crossing the Qin rivers, he strode along the Three Yangs and traveled the Eight Rivers. Considering that the arts of immortality of the Li lineage were empty and baseless assertions, how could one investigate them thoroughly while wearing the black robe? Therefore, in the first year of the Yining era, he borrowed the attire of the Yellow Turbans in the hope of fully fathoming their ancestral origins, following them in their lodges. Now, the Dharma Master had long been conversant with Zhuangzi and Laozi, and his conversation was pure and extraordinary. The Daoist masters vied to pledge bonds of gold and orchids, aspiring to express affinity like glue and lacquer. Thus he was enabled to gain a penetrating insight into the profound fords of the secret scriptures of the Three Purities, and completely plumb the essential ways of the subtleties of the Nine Bureaus. He thereupon grasped the essence of Ge [Chaofu]'s fabrications and Zhang [Daoling]'s falsities, concealing them in his bosom; and he kept in his mind and vision the plans of the Li family revering the Śākya [faith]. / At the beginning of the Wude era, he returned to the Buddhist school, fully attending the Dharma assemblies and traveling around the lecture halls. Thinking that in the imperial soil of the divine land it would be easy to offer admonitions and corrections, he resided at Jifa Bodhimaṇḍa, resting his mind in concentration and wisdom. In the ninth month, the autumn of the fourth year thereafter, the Grand Astrologer Fu Yi, a former Daoist, being originally a Yellow Turban who was partisan toward what he had practiced, presented eleven articles on the abolition of the Buddha's Dharma. In summary he stated: 'The Buddhist scriptures are boastful and false, their words are uncanny and their matters obscure. They damage the state and ruin families; no benefit to the world has ever been heard of them. We request that the heterodox teaching of the barbarian Buddha be turned back to India, and that all śramaṇas be released back to their native villages. Then our family and state will be prosperous and peaceful, and the teachings of Li [Laozi] and Confucius will prevail.' Gaozu accepted the memorial presented by Yi, and thereupon issued an imperial edict questioning the śramaṇas, saying: 'Abandoning the hair and beard given by father and mother, shedding the splendid robes of lords and ministers—within which gate does the benefit lie, and inside what feelings does the gain reside? Regarding the two matters of loss and gain, please expound an exquisite explanation.' The Dharma Master, having long remained pent up within the railing, had wished to gallop on the broad avenue, and fortunately received this

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imperial question. He then presented his reply, saying: 'Falin has heard: The ultimate Dao is beyond words—how could the Nine Schools debate it? The dharmakāya is without form—it is not something the Ten Wings can elucidate. It is only because the four destinies are vast and beings drift into the ocean of desire, and the three realms wriggle and fall headlong into the mountain of heterodoxy; the sons are deluded and burn themselves, while ordinary mortals drown and cannot get out, that the Great Sage arose in the world, and the Perfect Man descended in spirit. He thereupon opened the gates of liberation and showed the path of tranquility. Thereupon, those of the kṣatriya royal lineage renounced love and affection to go forth from the household; the noble clans of India abandoned glory and splendor to enter the Dao. Thus Prince Siddhārtha cast off the imperial dragon robes to take up the robes of the puṇyakṣetra, vowing to escape the two kinds of birth and death, and aspiring to seek the single wondrous nirvāṇa; propagating the Dao to repay the four debts of gratitude, and nurturing virtue to benefit the three existences. This is its benefit. The chapter on Shaving the Hair and Going Forth from the Household in the *Sūtra of the Buddha's Former Deeds* says in verse:

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Even if love and affection abide together long, / when the time arrives and life ends, there will surely be separation. / Seeing this impermanence that lasts but a moment, / for this reason I now seek liberation.'

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'Thereupon, those who admire his virtue cut off evil to establish their person; those who revere his influence purify themselves to cultivate good. Therefore, they disfigure their appearance to fulfill their aspiration; hence they abandon the hair, beard, and handsome countenance. They change their mundane habits to accord with his Dao; hence they surrender the splendid robes of lords and ministers. Although in form they fall short in serving parents, inwardly they harbor their filial piety; although in etiquette they diverge from serving the sovereign, in their hearts they store gratitude. Extending grace to foes and relatives alike, they achieve the great compliance; showering blessings upon the unseen and visible realms, how could they be restricted by minor infractions? When people of superior wisdom rely on the Buddha's words, it brings benefit; when those of the inferior and ordinary sort undermine the sage's teaching, it causes loss. But when evil is punished, the disorderly will renew themselves; when good is promoted, men of understanding will be transformed. Prostrating, I consider:

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Your Majesty's supreme virtue encompasses all, and your benevolent heart nurtures and fosters. You furthermore descend to attend to the true Dharma and turn your mind to the renunciant life, widely spreading the clouds of compassion and rekindling the sun of the Buddha. The way of bringing benefit is difficult to praise adequately. This shows that the imperial enterprise of the Great Tang spreads compassion over all living spirits, and the vast foundation of the sage dynasty pours forth bounty for a thousand generations. I would not presume to lightly measure the imperial mind with my own folly, but have carefully assembled these humble words to briefly set forth my narrow view. Desecrating the imperial gaze, I submit this with profound trembling." At that time, Gaozu read the Dharma Master's response, yet ultimately uttered no word. The Dharma Master frequently went to the imperial court, but received neither approval nor censure. But regarding the matters submitted by Fu [Yi], Gaozu did not issue an order to promulgate them. Fu Yi nevertheless openly proclaimed them far and wide. Taunts of 'bald rascal' circulated widely through the neighbourhoods, and songs mocking the 'barbarian ghost' were boldly declaimed at drinking parties. This caused the brilliant sun of the Buddha to be clouded and lose its light, and the abundant stream of the Dharma to be obstructed, depriving all of its moisture. At that time, many were the gentlemen of penetrating insight who wielded the brush, and not a few were the famous monks attuned to the principle who set their hairs to paper. Śramaṇa Puying of the Zongchi Bodhimaṇḍa, whose ascetic practice of precepts was exacting and whose erudition was peerless, encountered Fu Yi's mad words and accordingly composed the Poxie lun in two fascicles. In addition, the former magistrate of Fugou, Li Shizheng, who had turned his mind to the Buddha's principle and was deeply devoted to the profound teaching, harboured righteous indignation and furthermore wrote two treatises: the Neide lun and the Zhengxie lun. Both fully elucidated the Buddha's teachings and thoroughly pointed out karmic retributions, vying to cite Sanskrit words and subtly distinguish right from wrong. Yet when the Dharma Master consulted the authors and examined all the texts, he was uneasy in his heart, and said to the multitude: 'The scriptures and teachings are what Fu Yi rejects; how can one cite what he rejects to establish proof? Though you wish to crush the heterodox and return to the orthodox, you have not eliminated the root of heterodoxy. Now, examining the texts where the two teachers Confucius and Laozi respected and revered the Buddha, I will rely on their own lineages to refute his falsehoods.' The multitude all agreed. The Dharma Master therefore composed the Poxie lun in one fascicle, of about eight thousand words. Its principle accorded with the gongs and shangs, and its writing harmonised with bells and pitch-pipes. As it is known to the eyes and ears of all, it is omitted from this account. Yet the Dharma Master's style of composition and editing was pure, extraordinary, and surpassed the ordinary run, so that the worthy and noble lords of the court all recited it by heart, and renowned recluses preserved a copy at home. Truly, it may be said that its peaks of diction towered aloft and its sea of principle was vast and deep; it was a ferry across the expansive sea, a torch in the long night. Thinking that as the treatise was newly written, neither monks nor laity had heard of it, the Dharma Master thought: 'If I do not openly display its contents, how can I reform these deaf and dull folk?' Therefore, in the first month of spring in the fifth year, he submitted a memorial to the Crown Prince, saying: 'Probing far back to the origin of the Three Primes and Five Cycles, and the rise of the Heavenly August and Human Sovereigns, one finds the writings of the turtle charts and bird tracks, the scriptures of the golden tablets and cinnabar caskets, the standards of the Six Balances and Nine Lights, and the books of the hundred masters in ten thousand fascicles. None fail to follow the way of human relationships and faithfulness, or recount the teachings of the Shaohua, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius. Yet gathering their essentials, they have not reached the source of birth and death; examining their principles, they do not transcend the realm of existence and non-existence. How could they compare to the fivefold dharmakāya, the trividyā, and the sarvākārajñatā, which are utterly serene, eternally joyful, undergoing neither change nor shift? Boundless is the tathatā, neither arising nor ceasing; yet its way can sustain all that exists, and its compassion can blanket all living spirits, opening the ferry to the other shore of liberation, unfolding the treasury of ultimate unconditioned action, pulling the multitude of beings out of the sea of suffering, and saving all children from the burning house. However, as the transformation was separated by the Pamirs, more than a thousand years passed before the teaching flowed into the Han lands. For some six hundred years, shrines and pagodas have faced each other, and holy men have succeeded one another. Thus Dao'an mounted the carriage of the Qin emperor, and Senghui rode the chariot of the Wu ruler; Master Gaozuo was able to spread the eightfold noble path, and Upādhyāya Fotu skilfully expounded the five vehicles. Their transformation bathed the Nine Provinces, and their blessings moistened the three realms of existence. What is called benefiting all creatures refers to this, does it not? Under the Sui, its mandate dissolved, war-horses bred on the outskirts, disasters arose from the four fiends, and poison flowed to the common folk. The lamp of wisdom having dimmed, the rain of the Dharma was about to cease. Relying on our Great Tang, which above answered the mind of Heaven and below harmonised with the people's wishes, it mended Heaven to beautify the three celestial luminaries, and bound the Earth to secure the Five Peaks; the people received the grace of rebirth, and the Śākya gate was blessed with restoration. Just as it is about to surpass the Five Emperors and excel the Three August Ones, restoring the customs of simplicity and enacting the transformation of non-action, I have observed the defamatory matters submitted by Fu Yi. Although the authorities have not put them into practice, Fu Yi nevertheless openly disseminated them far and wide, so that at human drinking feasts they are competitively turned into playful mockery. This blemishes pure customs and truly sullies Chinese ways; it increases wrong views and harms the nation's puṇyakṣetra. In principle, this must not be. I humbly submit that Your Highness has long relied on the Three Refuges and long cultivated the Ten Virtues, fulfilling the hopes of the populace and answering the destined time of the Great Treasure. Your way accords with prosperity and peace, and your virtue illuminates your station as heir-apparent. When you send forth the resonance of repeated thunder, all sleeping insects open their doors; when you shed the radiance of bright fire, dark roads are all illuminated. How glorious! How beautiful! It is difficult to praise by name! It certainly surpasses the Han Guangwu's restoration and the Zhou divination of long years. Moreover, you are able to turn your mind to the gate of blessings and bestow your regard on the supreme realm, holding the ferry in your thoughts and setting your heart as a rampart. I humbly pray that you will break the banner of wrong views and light the torch of the saddharma. That the semblance teaching depends on you is truly a supreme blessing! Unable to bear my indignation and anxious sorrow, I respectfully submit this Poxie lun in one fascicle. Desecrating your majesty, I submit this with deepened awe.' Furthermore, during the days when Emperor Taizong was still a hidden dragon, he submitted another memorial, saying: 'Falin has heard that when feelings are urgent, the voice is necessarily mournful; when the principle is upright, the words are necessarily straightforward. Therefore, the destitute son yearns to make his words reach, and the weary worker desires to sing of his affairs. Why so? I have observed that in the final years of the Daye era, the world fell into turmoil: Heaven and Earth were grievously afflicted, the Four Seas boiled, waves surged, dust flew, hills burned, and plains were scorched. The five horses severed the route floating on the river; the seven boys sang the song of the flattened fortifications. Beacon fires alarmed constantly, and feathered despatches raced. Frontier passes were full of anxiety, and the night watches never ceased. The Way vanished, virtue was overthrown, the mandate was exhausted, and fortune ended. Transport was exceedingly burdensome; taxes were gathered down to the last grain. Piled corpses were like weeds, and flowing blood became rivers. The people found no joy in living, and living beings were exhausted. Thereupon, they had nowhere to lodge their complaints, and no place to cast their bones. The common folk suffered as if hanging upside down; the ten thousand states were distressed without a master. How could it merely be that the wheel of the Dharma ceased its sound and the orthodox teaching fell into ruin? The Sacred Emperor aroused a heart of commiseration for the people and complied with the decree of Vast Heaven. Thereupon, he raised the banner of righteousness and pacified the world. At that time, both clergy and laity found refuge, and Chinese and barbarians were alike delighted. Thereupon, he harmonised with Heaven and Earth, opened the eight winds, examined yin and yang, and attuned the four seasons. Above, he harmonised the states, and below, he ordered human relationships. His merits surpassed mending Heaven, and his spirit equalled establishing the ultimate pole. He sent down clouds and rain to nurture life, and opened the sun and moon to shine from above. He manifested this through music and rites, and recorded it with cultural institutions; his kindness moistened the reeds, and his bounty bathed insects and fish. Just as he is about to restate the Nine Categories, expound anew the Five Teachings, revive learning at the Shiqu Hall, and spread the customs of the schools, inheriting from Fuxi and Xuan[yuan] afar and matching Emperors Wen and Jing near at hand, so that his glorious achievements endure forever—making people unconsciously dance with their hands and stamp with their feet—I have observed the matters submitted by Fu Yi. Before I had finished reading them, my five organs broke apart; when I had just completed reading them, my six sentiments shattered. Alas! Heterodox words confuse the right, and māra's eloquence encroaches upon the true. They are unworthy even to be heard by the most foolish of men; how much less should they reach the imperial hearing! Fu Yi holds an important office of our time and is known to the hopes of men; how can he act so contrary to human nature and produce evil without cause? Moreover, his prose is shallow and vulgar, and the facts and principles are unrefined. It shames the canons and models of the former kings and impairs the standards of human relationships. Why so? When a gentleman does not speak, it is one thing, but if he speaks, he must hit the mark. The Master said: 'If a single word accords with principle, the whole world turns to him; if a single deed departs from constancy, even wife and children rebel.' Looking at the matters submitted by Fu Yi, summarising their main drift and probing them from beginning to end, they mostly deceive the imperial court and severely insult the Holy Sage. Fu Yi's intention was originally to advance himself thereby and seek promotion; it truly could not benefit the state or help the people, but was merely mockery directed at court and country. Now, Your Majesty has complied with Heaven and followed the seasons, grasping the charts and receiving the mandates, answering the hearts of the ten thousand states and assuming the solitary joy of the one man. With the power to support the endangered and save the world, and the merit of suppressing villains and pacifying crises, your authority truly overshadows the former kings and your reputation surpasses previous emperors. Furthermore, you turn your mind to the Triratna and fix your thoughts on the puṇyakṣetra. All those who have entered the renunciant life without exception receive the imperial bounty. It is only because we monks cannot uphold the precepts to repay the state's grace, and foolish fellows commit violations and create offences, that Fu Yi has been brought to set forth these wicked words. We beat our breasts in aching grief, with nowhere to hide our bodies. Yet if monks and nuns have committed offences, they are willing to receive the ultimate punishment. What we lament is that Fu Yi lightly insults the Holy Sage with harsh and injurious words. We deeply fear that those with wrong views will act wrongly based on this, and that ignorant fellows will gradually produce divergent views. Moreover, examining the Chunqiu, it says: in the seventh year of Duke Zhuang of Lu, in the fourth month of summer, the fixed stars were not seen, and the night was bright like the day. This was precisely the auspicious response at the Buddha's birth. Now, the Buddha has two bodies, the true and the responsive, and two kinds of wisdom, the provisional and the real; he possesses the three clarities and eight liberations, the five eyes and six supernormal powers. His spirit is called inconceivable, and his Dharma is named 'where the mind's operation is extinguished.' His way conveys all the holy ones into nirvāṇa; his power rescues ordinary mortals from the sea of suffering. Since Emperor Ming of the Later Han dreamed of the golden man in the thirteenth year of the Yongping era, the semblance teaching has flowed east with manifold spiritual omens, fully recorded in the histories of the Han, Wei, and books of the Yao and Shi dynasties. As for those like Dao'an and Daosheng, or Fotudeng and Kumārajīva, all possessed lofty conduct and profound understanding, being famous monks of their age; all were acknowledged by sovereigns and revered by the noble and great. For more than five hundred years, monasteries and pagodas have spread throughout the Nine Provinces, and monks and nuns have filled the Three Commanderies. This was entirely because the rulers of the times reverently believed, and court and country turned their hearts to it. That the semblance teaching has flourished down to the present without interruption is truly thanks to the power of human kings. If worldly lords and ministers, fathers and sons, still consider such grace difficult to repay, like Vast Heaven beyond requital, how much more is the Buddha the transcendent compassionate father of sentient beings, and the excellent physician for mortals and sages! To attempt to suppress and humiliate him, to penalise and insult him, is in principle impermissible. Looking upward to examine the Tathāgata, his wisdom transcends existence and non-existence; how could the Three August Ones fathom it? His merit encompasses creation and transformation; Heaven and Earth cannot compare to it. Thus Liezi says: 'Formerly, the Grand Minister Pi of Wu asked Confucius, "Is the Master a sage?" Confucius answered, "Qiu is broadly learned and of strong memory; I am not a sage." He asked again, "Were the Three August Ones sages?" He answered, "The Three August Ones were skilled in employing wisdom and courage; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu." He asked again, "Were the Five Emperors sages?" He answered, "The Five Emperors were skilled in employing benevolence and faithfulness; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu." He asked again, "Were the Three Kings sages?" He answered, "The Three Kings were skilled in employing the seasons; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu." Grand Minister Pi was greatly astonished and said, "Then who is a sage?" Confucius changed his expression and answered, "Qiu has heard that in the west there is a sage: he does not rule yet there is no disorder; he does not speak yet he is naturally trusted; he does not convert yet it naturally proceeds. So vast is he that the people cannot find a name for him!"' If the Three August Ones and Five Emperors were definitely great sages, how could Confucius have concealed it without speaking, thereby committing the fault of hiding a sage? Calculating by this, we deduce that the Buddha is the Great Sage.

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According to the Xisheng jing of Laozi, 'My teacher transformed and wandered in Tianzhu, and was adept at entering nirvāṇa.' The Fuzi states, 'The master of Laozi was named Śākyamuni.' Simply examining the scriptures and writings of Confucius and Laozi, passages attesting to their honoring and venerating the Buddha are by no means few. How could Fu Yi alone succeed in slandering and defiling [the Dharma]? In antiquity, Gongsun Long wrote the Jianbai lun ('On Hard and White'), blaming the Three Sovereigns and censuring the Five Thearchs; even down to the present day, those who read it still gnash their teeth, regarding it as a warning from the past. It is truly lamentable! Today, the reigning Sovereign is supremely sagacious and brilliantly discerning; just now, He intends to turn loose the war-horses and rest the oxen, to honor the gateways of the virtuous and mound the tombs of the loyal, flourishing the ethos of august emperors and kings, and inaugurating the transformative teachings of Śākyamuni and Laozi. The wild and reckless discourses [of Fu Yi] deserve all the more to be consigned to the flames! If it is claimed that when emperors and kings lack Buddhism, supreme governance endures and their reigns are long, while when Buddhism is present, tyrannical rule prevails and their reigns are brief: according to history, the solitary rule of Yao and Shun was not passed down to their own sons; during the Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qin, royal governance shifted repeatedly; and within the palace walls, treachery and rebellion continually followed one another. At that time, there was no Buddhism—what caused their reigns to be so brief? We, Lin and the others, happen to dwell in an era of Yao, yet in our daily use we are unaware [of the subtle workings of governance]. Outside, seeing the memorial presented by Fu Yi, we fear that if distant vassal states hear of it, they will deem that China lacks discerning wisdom. The Master said: 'Though one's words fill the world, there is no verbal transgression; though one's actions fill the world, there is no resentment or malice.' He who speaks wishes to be blameless; he who listens finds sufficient cause to admonish himself. Fu Yi speaks insolently, alarming all who hear him; this defiles the customs of the state and particularly harms the ways of China. Respectfully recording our sincere sentiments, we venture to memorialize and present them. We humbly prostrate ourselves:

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Before Your Royal Highness: You are endowed by Heaven with heroic brilliance, naturally sagacious from infancy; Your spiritual demeanor is remarkably preeminent, and Your capacity is broad and magnanimous. You take delight in doing good, surpassing the King of Dongping; You find joy in warmth and gentleness, outshining the King of Western Chu. Furthermore, You regulate the hundred offices like Yi Yin, and bring order to the six administrative branches. In virtue, You have already raised the carriage curtain to inquire of the people's needs; in benevolence, You have cut the nets to spare living beings. You have opened a mansion on broad avenues to seat guests like Xun Qing; You have laid out gardens of tall bamboo to banquet visitors of refined culture. There are none whose poems do not exhaust the expression of feelings, or whose rhapsodies do not thoroughly depict things. Truly, Your fame is manifested in both court and countryside, and Your excellence crowns the luminaries of the past! We, Lin and the others, reflect inwardly on our own inadequacies; square or round, we are of little utility. Considering how utterly foolish Fu Yi is, we truly feel ashamed at his reviling of ordinary monks as 'bald-headed fellows.' His vilification is extreme, and his offense could not be greater. Since the times of Zunlu and Hexu, and after the opening of heaven and earth, there has never been anyone as mad and perverse as Fu Yi! Unable to endure the grief that breaks our bones and pains our hearts, we have respectfully recorded the matters memorialized by Fu Yi, and have ventured to set forth our humble words, answering them item by item as follows below. Sullied before Your majestic presence, we humbly fall prostrate, overcome with trepidation. Respectfully presented: on the second day of the fifth month of the sixth year of Wude [623 CE], presented by the śramaṇa Lin and others of Jifa Monastery. At that time, the Crown Prince and others consequently memorialized the Master's treatise, and Gaozu marvelled at it. Thus, the memorial presented by Fu Yi was shelved as a result. That the gates of Śākyamuni were opened wide once more truly relied on our Crown Prince: 'He who can draw me out is Shang'—the Master possessed such capability! However, what Fu Yi presented was wild and reckless, seeking to curry favor with the court. Having failed to attain his desire, he secretly practiced clandestine calumny, instigating and fanning the flames against the Buddhist clergy, fabricating specious heresies. Consequently, rat-pelts were confused with jade in the state of Zhou, and pheasants were mistaken for phoenixes in the state of Chu; jade and stone were confounded, and vermilion and purple became difficult to distinguish. He repeatedly slandered the Buddhist lineage, reaching even to

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Gaozu. The Emperor then followed his proposals, leaving [the sangha] unable to vindicate itself. Later, in the third month, spring, of the ninth year of Wude [626 CE],

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an imperial edict questioned the Crown Prince, saying: 'We reflect that the rise of Buddhism originates from the distant past. However, monks and nuns entering the Way fundamentally severed worldly ties; they do not pay land taxes, and their corvée labor is entirely remitted. In principle, they should spend their entire lives in monasteries, treading in virtue and dwelling in truth, devoting their lives to the gate of Śākyamuni, purifying their bodies and cultivating simplicity. In recent years, however, śramaṇas have committed numerous offenses, transgressing the penal codes and troubling proper administration. Unable to benefit the state or assist the transformation [of the people], they instead practice heterodox ways. Although the Buddhist precepts contain strict prohibitions, those who violate them do so with utterly no fear; examining it through this, it seems not to be sincere and true. Now, We wish to dismantle the images and laicize the monks and nuns; yet doing so precipitously might cause panic among the common people. We await your clear assessment: is this permissible or not?' The Crown Prince replied: 'Your servant has heard that when the Three Vehicles opened their tracks, the sons were spared the disaster of the burning house; when the Eightfold Noble Path initiated its origin, living beings awakened to the fruition of the unconditioned. Therefore, the rain of the compassionate cloud brings moisture without distinguishing mugwort from orchid; the brilliance of the sun of wisdom shines forth, so how could it differentiate riverbank from ravine? Moreover, in establishing teachings and handing down standards, it reaches the utmost subtlety and exhausts the profound; its supreme principle is deep and difficult, beyond the measure of human comprehension. Although there are the Confucian arts of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius, and the mysterious ethos of Zhuangzi and Laozi, if one seeks to compare them to this, they are far from being its equal. Whenever there have been worthy gentlemen through the generations or enlightened rulers of past and present, all have revered and honored it, without deviating from veneration. In the present age, however, circumstances are marked by trickery and falsehood, and people are largely deceitful. Those who have renounced household life are not entirely good; those who have entered the Dharma do not abandon arrogance and lust. There are also those who seek to evade taxes and corvée, falsely claiming to study the Way, stealing fleeting ease morning and evening under the pretext of being a śramaṇa. Yet there are certainly those endowed with proper deportment whose resolve is like a luminous pearl, and whose precepts and conduct are without blemish, their minds resembling pure jade. If you now intend to force them all to return to lay life without distinguishing the worthy from the foolish, We fear that fire sweeping Mount Kunlun will reduce jade and stone to ashes together, and frost descending upon the grove will destroy both orchids and mugwort alike. Speaking directly to the matter, We fear this will harm the imperial transformation. Now, to blame the Tathāgata for not meting out punishment to stop wickedness: not only is the Buddha-nature compassionate, but the Dharma-gate is impartial, lacking other and self, free of self-grasping and personhood; cutting off love and forgetting hatred, its state of mind is like the vast ocean. Toward those who abhor it, it harbors no thought of stinginess; toward those who trouble it, it generates no heart of wrath. Examining it in this light, it is clearly demonstrable. Furthermore, Shangjun was born in Shun's household, and Danzhu grew up in Yao's palace; though these two sons were unworthy, they still did not diminish the sagacity of the two rulers. Now, suddenly because of the faults of foolish monks, to wish to destroy the form of the venerable images: deliberating back and forth, in principle this is unacceptable.'

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Gaozu also questioned the assembled ministers, saying: 'Fu Yi repeatedly tells Us that Buddhism is useless. We wish to follow his proposal. What do you ministers think?' At that time, Pei Ji, the Duke of Wei and Left Servant of the Directorate, stepped forward to remonstrate with

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Gaozu, saying: 'Your servant has heard that in antiquity, Duke Huan of Qi drank wine and made merry with Guan Zhong, Bao Shu, Ning Qi, and others. Duke Huan said to Bao Shu: 'Offer a toast for Us and the others.' Bao Shu raised his winecup and toasted, saying: 'May our ruler not forget his exile in Ju; may Guan Zhong not forget his bondage in Lu; and may Ning Qi not forget his feeding oxen [under the cart].' At that time, Duke Huan left his mat and thanked him, saying: 'If We and the two grandees never forget what you have said, Master, then the altars of soil and grain of Qi will surely not fall.' This speaks of constantly keeping past origins in mind. Formerly, when Your Majesty initiated the righteous uprising, your resolve relied upon the Three Jewels, aspiring to secure the throne of the Nine-Five and vowing to open wide the mysterious gate. Now, Your Majesty has united the six directions in benevolence and possesses the wealth of the four seas; yet you wish to accept Fu Yi's wild and reckless advice to abolish and destroy the Buddha and the sangha. This would breach Your Majesty's past good faith and manifest Your Majesty's present fault. The common people would lose hope; in principle, this must not be done.'

1.16

Gaozu accepted the remonstrance of the Crown Prince and others, and thereupon issued an imperial decree stating: 'Three monasteries shall be retained, and one thousand monks established in the capital; the remainder shall all be bestowed upon princes and dukes, and the monks discharged to return to their native places.' Once the strict decree was promulgated, it was difficult to distinguish black from white; none dared oppose the imperial will, and so it was halted. On the sixth day of the fifth month, in summer,

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Gaozu cast off the sandals of the myriad affairs of state, and Emperor Wen took over the regency. At that time, a great general amnesty was granted throughout the realm, and [the monks and nuns] returned to their sacred dwellings. The sun of the Buddha shone brightly once again, which was truly a magnificent occasion! Furthermore, because Fu Yi had previously secretly incited the Yellow Turbans, there were Daoist priests such as Li Zhongqing and Liu Jinxi who all laid forth their narrow views and together produced mediocre writings, thereupon composing treatises such as the Ten Anomalies, the Nine Delusions, and the Manifestation of the Correct. They disparaged and evaluated the Buddha and sages, blinding and confounding living beings; their words transgressed the classical standards and documents, and their every move contravened the scriptures and histories. When the Master of the Law examined what they had produced, he was pained and took pity on them. Gloomily he composed a treatise, entitling it Bianzheng lun (Treatise on Discerning the Correct). To scrutinize it closely, the Master of the Law employed rare talents and encyclopedic learning, so it was not completed in a single day. At that time, as books and records were lacking, the work had been delayed for successive years. The Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, the Duke of Cai State Du Ruhui, was extraordinarily gifted from birth, with a magnanimous and profound capacity. He and the Master of the Law shared deep aspirations for withdrawal and looked forward to admiring and savoring each other's fellowship. Relying on [him to] borrow ancient classics and texts, the Master of the Law sent a letter to Lord Du, which read: "Falin is an uncouth rustic clad in coarse grass and a mountain dweller subsisting on tree fruit; among the nine kinds of needles, I am indeed like a bent one, truly comparable to rotten chaff. Not recognized by the present generation, my lot was to seal my lips for the rest of my life. Since internally I lack virtue and feel ashamed, while externally I am embarrassed by overflowing praise, not only have I let down Huiyuan, but I have truly also brought disgrace upon Dao'an. For this reason, I dedicated my aspirations to Mount Qingxi and turned my heart toward Zigai, forever savoring scriptures and books beneath the pine-covered crags, and long observing fish and birds beside the Guigu pool. How could I have imagined that I would suddenly leave behind the forests and swamps and enter again into the noisy dust, long remaining a guest in the plains of Qin and abruptly departing the barriers of Chu? Like duckweed drifting on the Eight Waters, like leaves falling in the three sunlit seasons; the burdens of seeking food and belly have long entangled me, so where can the sentiments of Zhongshu be lodged? Lying in the Lingtai, regrets arise; wandering in the white commune, sighs burst forth. My longing for Nanchao doubles, and the grief over the north wind grows ever more acute. Dwelling in life with hardship, endowed with a destiny of misfortune, in vain I chant the Seven Sorrows and uselessly sigh over the Nine Lamentations; caressing my body and consoling my shadow, what can be done about fate? Furthermore, illness has entered the vitals, and wind-disease wraps within the skin; though recuperating for successive years, I have not yet felt any recovery. As for illuminating snow or gathering fireflies, my physical strength has already declined. Traversing the Nine Schools and Seven Summaries is harder than climbing mountains; wading through the ten thousand scrolls and hundred schools is as dim as sailing the seas. Previously, on account of Fu Yi, I casually offered a meager composition. Yet because the source of heterodoxy was not exhausted, I am now revising the Bianzheng lun. However, scriptures and books are rarely complete, and historical records are far from sufficient. Though exhausting my meager thoughts, I know not how to achieve completion. Respectfully I reflect that you, Lord Vice Director, possess the talent of devising strategies and occupy the office of the Chief Minister (Aheng). Your discernment in knowing men far surpasses that of Shan Tao; your heart in receiving gentlemen rivals that of Zhao Wu. Your bearing is bright and crisp, and your discernment and capacity are all-embracing. You have grasped the pearl of the spiritual serpent and girded the jade of Mount Jing. Therefore, you harmonize the myriad achievements and regulate the Department of State Affairs; your virtue serves as a mirror for the gentry, and your renown is made manifest in court and country. Furthermore, your family is acclaimed as an ocean of brushes, and your house is styled the master of literary expression. Not forgetting our past fellowship, you have specially bestowed visits of concern and pity. Cold ashes have grown warm again; rotten wood has conversely flourished. Anciently, Wang Can inspected books by drawing resources from the Cai family; Sima Xiangru mastered rhapsodies by relying upon Yang Xiong. My wish is merely that if there are miscellaneous works of the various masters, as well as inner and outer writings from the Jin and Song dynasties onward, wherever they touch upon Buddhist scriptures, I wish to peruse them all. I respectfully submit a separate catalog; I especially hope for your gracious permission. In presumptuously troubling you with this request, in awe and trepidation what can I say? However, heterodox views and faithful confidence have coexisted since antiquity; can good people and wicked cliques be absent today? Previously, because of Fu Yi's flattering words, I briefly presented a minor treatise. Having received its submission to the throne and been favored with praise, I hold it deep within my heart, conscious only of my shameful lack of virtue. Anciently, before the Rhapsody on the Three Capitals met Zhang Hua, no one appreciated it. Today, had the Poxie lun not encountered a noble gentleman, who would have valued it as a treasure? Recently, monks and laity across the four quarters and throughout the commanderies within the seas have circulated, copied, praised, and chanted it in verse. Turning the minds of heterodox views and awakening the goodness of foolish people—is this not the power of your Bright Lordship? It will surely benefit living beings and yield modest unseen merit. Respectfully I employ it for adornment and shall dedicate it all." Lord Du replied at the time to the Master of the Law's letter, saying: "I have been favored with your fragrant letter, in which you have condescended to offer encouragement and brush away [my flaws]. Your fine words arrived suddenly, deepening my gratitude. Respectfully I reflect that you, Master of the Law, were born as an outstanding figure of the age, with an extraordinary and lofty spirit, a broad and resonant capacity, and a clear and forceful intellect and discernment. You surpass Fotucheng and Kumārajīva to illuminate the past; you excel Dao'an and Huiyuan to shed luster on posterity. You laugh at the discourse on ashes in the days of the Han, and surpass the debate on the tripod in the years of the Qin. Internally, you are well-versed in the five vehicles and have fathomed the eight treasuries; externally, you encompass the hundred masters and penetrate the Nine Schools. Moreover, your studies exhaust the subtleties of Zhuangzi, and your words fully express the profundities of Laozi. You understand the erroneous slips of the two Ges and investigate the deceptive writings of the Three Zhangs. You admire Chao Fu and Xu You at Yingyang, and follow the Four Whiteheads of Mount Shang at Shangluo. You conceal yourself at the Purple Terrace to recline and rise; you retreat to Mount Qingxi to chant and sing. In untrammeled detachment you possess the style of Huiyuan; in broad wandering you partake in the traces of Daorong. Furthermore, your heart holds together the broken cords, and your will binds up the decaying standards. Thus you retraced your steps from the mountain gate to grace the superior capital. Witnessing Fu Yi's mad arrogance, you already composed the Poxie lun; encountering the false words of Liu and Li, you are about to compile the Bianzheng lun. As the sūtras say: 'A Dharma-protecting bodhisattva should be precisely like this.' In the past I heard these words; today I see the person. But I, your disciple, merely fill a vacancy and unworthily hold office, truly ashamed of having any strategic talent; having been unworthily promoted, I am deeply embarrassed before the post of Aheng. As for your letter calling me an 'ocean of brushes and master of literary expression,' that is entirely an empty compliment! Moreover, my family does not hail from Jijun—how could I have books on bamboo slips? My chamber differs from the State of Lu—naturally there are no tadpole characters. As a person I differ from the two Dais, and in generation I am distinct from the two Guans. My knowledge of the five scripts is blank, and of the four divisions many are lacking. Since you, Master of the Law, have established the aspiration for enlightened virtue and succeeded to the traces of Deva, I, your disciple, also dare to offer a drop of dust to augment Mount Song. I shall respectfully inquire among great virtuosi and seek out grand literati, collecting widely what is required and searching extensively for essentials. I also hope to attend your table in person and face-to-face receive your excellent instruction, viewing the forceful splendor of your abundant virtue and listening to the remaining discourses of an elder. But I, your disciple, have no leisure from royal affairs, so I send this in place of my thoughts. On my rest day, I shall hasten to pay my respects." At that time, whatever the Master of the Law lacked, Lord Du supplied to the full. Gathering from Daoism and searching through Confucianism, the Master of the Law brought his former aspiration to completion. The treatise was completed in eight fascicles and twelve sections. It was sung and circulated throughout the Nine Provinces and transmitted through the Three Adjunct Regions. It can be said that its literary brilliance is striking and its reasoning lucid; it harmonizes with the pitch-pipes and accords with the bells, richly adorned and delightful to behold, broad and melodious, filling the ears. It truly caused the Jade Emperor of Daluo to tremble in fear within the Golden Gate, and the immortal lords of the Nine Bureaus to shake with terror above the Four Heavens. It altered the divergent paths of all heterodoxies and reformed the deluded minds of the confused masses. How much more could the left-handed paths of the Yellow Turbans fail to be overturned! Chen Ziliang, Scholar of the Eastern Palace, whose speech was an exemplar for the world and whose learning crowned the forest of Confucian scholars, beheld this treatise and therefore composed an explanatory introduction for it. The preface states: "I have heard that when Xuan Ni (Confucius) entered a dream, the principles of the Ten Wings were made manifest; when Boyang (Laozi) went out through the pass, the meanings of the two sections were made known. Some hooked into the profound and attached symbols; some explored the subtle and the formless and soundless. That which names and words cannot proclaim, that which yin and yang cannot measure, can still encompass heaven and earth and enclose ghosts and spirits. Yet their Dao did not reach across the trichiliocosm, and their words did not transcend the mundane realm. How much more so the dharmakāya, which is perfectly tranquil and wondrously transcends existence and non-existence; the ultimate principle is coagulated and mysterious, its traces obliterating the true and the conventional. Its essence transcends the three characteristics, and its taints are exhausted through the seven lives. No-mind is itself mind, and non-form is form. Because no-mind is itself mind, it can make mind this mind; because non-form is form, it can make form this form. The vine and snake are thereupon both empty, and form and name are therefore both silenced. Outside of the fish trap and hare snare, how can it be spoken of? As when the Western Count was imprisoned at Youli and thereupon revealed the subtle mysteries; or when Zichang in the silkworm chamber finally achieved his former aspiration; therefore the Changes says: 'Did not the makers of the Changes in antiquity have sorrow and anxiety?' The arising of treatises truly has good reason! The Master of the Law's secular surname was Chen; he was a descendant of Zhonggong, Chief of Taiqiu in the Han dynasty. His distant ancestors, following their official careers, migrated south of the Yangtze; recently, due to drifting and residing elsewhere, they lived in Jingzhou. In the Sui dynasty, he entered the passes and followed teachers to receive instruction. It may be said that jade moved from the crags of Jing, its immaculate luster becoming all the more apparent; the cassia transplanted from the secluded forest, its fragrant breeze reaching even further. The Master of the Law answered the auspicious omens of a Realized Man and received the good fortune of the yellow lower-garment. Internally he encompassed the Tripiṭaka, and externally he synthesized the Nine Schools. He was skilled at expressing emotion and especially adept at giving form to things. His compositions were graceful and elegant, and his reasoning was forceful and splendid. Richly adorned, they mingled like brocaded patterns; soaring freely, they towered with a spirit that ascended to the clouds. The gold and jade of Ban Gu and Jia Yi cannot be compared with him in the same year; the rivers and lakes of Lu Ji and Pan Yue could hardly run abreast with him. As for the learning of Master Zhuang and Master Mo, the books of Huangdi and Laozi, the texts of the Three Clarities and Three Caverns, the registers of the Nine Bureaus and Nine Immortals, the secrets of the Hidden Instructions for Ascending to Perfection, and the rituals of the Lingbao for Delivering Life, he swallowed them into his breast and expounded them as easily as pointing to his palm. In addition, having formerly practiced the Madhyamaka and in his youth harbored the Lotus Sūtra, he possessed dhāraṇī-retention and recently devoted himself exclusively to writing. Outside of exercising his thoughts, he was untiring in guiding and converting others. In debating Madhyamaka, he could rival Nāgārjuna; in discussing nature, he was not far behind Laozi and Zhuangzi. Thereupon, people from the four quarters crowded in like those returning to the Elder's garden; the seven nobility arrived in succession as if hastening to the market of Huayin. Truly, his learning rivaled Dao'an and Huiyuan, and his talent surpassed Sengzhao. He was indeed a ridgepole and pillar of the Bodhisattvas (kāyikasthas) and a wall and moat of the Dharma gate. Then there were Daoist priests such as Li Zhongqing and Liu Jinxi, who all laid forth their narrow views and produced mediocre writings, slandering the saddharma, so that among worldly people some developed heterodox faith. The Master of the Law pitied their blindness, fearing they would enter Niraya (hell). Thereupon, giving rise to great compassion, he composed this treatise. It may be said to beat the drum in this ocean of Dharma and trace the roots of that peak of words. The swiftness of the Green Rooster competed in speed; the thoroughbred of the Yellow Horse vied in galloping. Without exception, leaves fell and branches snapped; clouds melted and mists rolled away. It was like a great furnace burning a slender feather, or the blazing sun melting thin ice. The vanquished and the victorious can be seen from this. Temporarily taking refuge in the samādhi of kindness, he already smashed the demon army; casually brandishing the sword of wisdom, he forthwith subdued the foolish bandits. The sun of the Buddha thereupon shone anew, and the cloud of Dharma was thereby broadly spread. But the poems, rhapsodies, memorials, eulogies, stelae, inscriptions, and petitions composed by the Master of the Law, along with treatises on Mahāyāna doctrine and the Poxie lun, in more than thirty fascicles, have long circulated in the world. However, this treatise, in eight fascicles, twelve sections, and over two hundred sheets of paper, fathoms the origins of the teachings of the Buddha and Laozi, and exhausts the principles of names in evaluating phenomena. Although composed over many years, it has not yet been widely disseminated. Anciently, Duke Xiao of Qin fell asleep when hearing discourses on the Sage Emperors, but became animated when hearing talks of hegemony; the 'Sunny Spring' has few who can harmonize with it, which is deeply lamentable. Yet what the Master of the Law has composed encompasses both inner and outer learning, and I fear that curious youths of later generations might not comprehend it. I, your disciple Chen Ziliang of Yingchuan, recently offered my prostrations and inquired about the path. It shone brightly before my eyes like the bright moon entering the bosom; it responded silently to circumstances like a precious gem illuminating things. Having realized the illusion of the four crossroads, I ceased my wanderings across the hundred cities. Thereupon, revealing what had never been heard before, I have composed a brief commentary, in the hope that future like-minded persons may fortunately examine its principles." In the first year of Zhenguan, Emperor Wen relinquished the Dahe Palace, offering it for the sake of...

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