唐護法沙門法琳別傳 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

3.1

Composed by Shi Yancong of the Hongfu Bodhimaṇḍa of the Capital

Li Wei and others further questioned the Dharma Master, saying: "Fascicle Six of your treatise states: 'They adorn themselves in the garb of Dao Yu, which brought calamity upon the Song; they trail the skirts of Sun En, which brought ruin upon the Jin; they wear the kerchief of Nanzheng, which rebelled against the Han; and they hold the tablet of Gongqi, which brought destruction upon their clan.' Yet the provision of large and small caps began in the Han dynasty, and the donning of hide kerchiefs and deer-skin caps arose in remote antiquity. The cap models itself on seasonal cycles, and the tablet rivals that of high officials. Furthermore, their robes resemble cloud-patterned gossamer, producing Daoists who grasp the morning clouds; their attire is like feathered gauze, so that one often hears of immortals treading the mist. Thus we know their traces may be sought, and the Three Funguses are not far; their manner may be looked up to, and the Eight Cassias are near at hand. Therefore, Xiao Shi, harmoniously, rode the cinnabar phoenix in the palace of Qin; Shuqing, brilliantly, drove a team of white stags in the court of Han. Yet you say they brought ruin to states and destruction to clans—from what charts or histories does this come? Since you have advanced groundless accusations, the law has severe penalties." The Dharma Master replied: "I, Falin, have heard that when the tune is in harmony the echo is accordant, and when the body is upright the shadow is straight. I have never seen anyone drill fire and obtain ice, or plant beans and harvest wheat. Hence, when Su Qin and Zhang Yi met at Guigu Cave, they each took the lead in superficial deceit; when Yan Hui and Min Ziqian met at Confucius' gate, both established the inception of virtuous conduct. Thus we know that practicing the teachings of the two chapters [of the Laozi] seeks the subtlety of non-action, whereas pursuing the style of the Three Zhangs plans to be the vanguard of rebellion. Why so? In the time of Emperor Shun of the Later Han, Zhang Ling of Pei traveled as a guest to the land of Shu. He heard an ancient tradition passed down, saying: 'Anciently, Gaozu of the Han responded to the twenty-four solar terms and sacrificed to twenty-four mountains, subsequently ruling as king over all under Heaven.' Ling did not measure his own virtue, and so concocted this plot. He slaughtered oxen to sacrifice at twenty-four places, erected earthen altars topped with thatched huts, and established twenty-four parish lodges (zhi guan). The rise of parish lodges began from this. Twenty-three places were in the land of Shu, and Yin Xi's single place was in Xianyang. Thereupon he deceived and enticed the foolish populace and gathered a vicious faction, extorting taxes of rice and scheming steps to rebellion. At that time, he was swallowed by a serpent, and his mutinous rebellion was prevented from breaking out. Furthermore, Ling's grandson, Zhang Lu, practiced his ancestor's arts; during the Later Han, he proclaimed himself Master Lord (Shijun). Just as calamity and chaos arose, he was annihilated by Duke Cao [Cao Cao]. Moreover, in the first year of Zhongping, Zhang Jiao of Julu proclaimed himself Master of the Department of Yellow Heaven; he had thirty-six commanders, all wearing yellow turbans. From afar he coordinated with Zhang Lu; his host reached a hundred thousand, and they burned the city of Ye. The Han emperor dispatched He Jin, the Governor of Henan, who led troops to crush and destroy them. Again, in the second year of Xianning under Emperor Wu of the Jin, there was a Daoist, Chen Duan, who deluded the populace with heterodox arts and styled himself Heavenly Master (Tianshi); his followers numbered several thousands over the course of years, until he was executed and exterminated by Wang Jun, the Regional Inspector of Yizhou. Again, in the first year of Taihe under Emperor Wen of the Jin, Lu Song, a Daoist of Pengcheng, styled himself Libationer of the Great Dao. Using perverse arts to delude the masses, he assembled followers, observed the sun and divined the celestial branches, and attacked the Guanghan Gate, claiming he was welcoming the Duke of Haixi. At that time, Huan Mi and others in the Palace detected this and fought them, and they were soon executed and beheaded. Again, in the fifth year of Datong under Emperor Wu of the Liang, the Daoist Yuan Jin deluded the populace with wicked words and practiced incantations and pacing the stellar grid (bugang); the government army seized him, and he was soon executed and exterminated. Again, in the tenth year of Kaihuang under Emperor Wen of the Sui, in Changlong County of Mianzhou, there was a Daoist named Pu Tong who, together with a certain Zuo Tong, claimed in Bengxi Lodge to have attained sagehood. Deceiving and confusing the people, they stacked couches up to the roof-beams, sat atop them, and said, 'Only fifteen-year-old virgin maidens are capable of receiving the Dharma.' They made the girls climb onto the couch, surrounded it with curtains, and then engaged in illicit relations with them. This went on for months. Later the matter was discovered, and they subsequently fled. Again, in the eighteenth year of Kaihuang, the Daoist Han Lang of Yizhou and the Daoist Huang Rulin of Mianzhou incited and deluded the Prince of Shu to initiate evil rebellion, saying: 'If you wish to establish a great enterprise, you must rely on superior conditions.' They then instructed the Prince of Shu to empty the granaries and exhaust the treasuries to fashion a thousand-foot Daoist image, host a thousand-day great vegetarian feast, paint the likeness of the late emperor, tie his hands and head behind his back, and cast spells to subjugate him. Zhao Zhongqing, Duke of Hebei, investigated and found the truth, and sent their persons to the capital department. Interrogated, they confessed their crimes and were executed in the marketplace. Recently, in the third year of Wude, Li Wang, a native of Changlong County in Mianzhou, had previously served Huang-Lao and constantly engaged in sorcery. Late in the Daye era, there was a Daoist named Pu Zizhen who was slightly versed in Daoist arts; he was sent to the Eastern Capital and died upon reaching Lianghan, and was buried there. Yet Li Wang falsely claimed, 'Zizhen has recently returned.' Furthermore, by the side of a mountain in that county, there was a stone cavern—a crag-cave so secluded and dark that no one dared peek inside. Wang relied on this to perpetrate his deceptive sorcery: when out in the light, he opened his throat and spoke loudly to receive and transmit messages; when entering the darkness, he choked his breath and spoke in a tiny voice, falsely pronouncing fortunes and misfortunes. He then had Daoists spread these tales, reaching the county and coming to the notice of the prefecture. When the officials initially investigated, they all believed and accepted it. Later, Regional Inspector Li Dali said, 'This matter is not trivial; it must be reported in a memorial. We must personally verify it before determining right from wrong.' He then went with the officials of the prefecture and county, along with over a hundred mounted Daoists, arriving together at the cave. They bowed twice and prayed, and Wang gave false replies at the time; those who heard were completely convinced. Only the Magistrate of Baxi County, Yue Shizhi, saw deeply into the underlying truth and knew it was fraudulent. Secretly watching in the dark, he saw Wang choking his voice; Zhi immediately shouted at him, and Wang promptly made a full confession. He was arrested and confined in the prefectural prison. Just as they were about to sentence him for his crimes, before several days had passed, he took poison and died. Thus we know that when what is practiced is not orthodox, rebellious plots follow one after another. The saying that 'heterodox ways bring chaos to the flock' is indeed trustworthy! I observe that the rebels adorning themselves with yellow turbans arose from Julu; the ghost writings on cinnabar slips originated from Yangping. Yet to say that 'their robes resemble cloud-patterned gossamer' is outright exaggeration; to say that 'their attire is like feathered gauze' defies human reality. How could one drive a crane or ride a dragon while draped in coarse hemp and plain cloth, or spur a luan-bird and whip a phoenix while wearing a hide kerchief on one's head? Therefore, the likes of Baishi and Chisong were by no means ghost-troops; the peers of Wang Qiao and Xianmen were not parish heads. Furthermore, when Li Dan served the Zhou, his attire was the same as that of the Ruists and Mohists; only on the day Gongqi plotted against the Han did the yellow turban first appear. If they take Boyang [Laozi] as their ancestral model, the Daoists should all perform court audiences; if they take [Zhang] Gongqi as their model, this evil especially ought to be extirpated." Li Wei and others further questioned the Dharma Master, saying: "Fascicle Seven of your treatise states: 'Jian'an was moved by a dream and his ailment was cured; Wenxuan experienced the descent of a spiritual presence and his illness was healed. When the King of Wu besieged the monastery, the relics floated in radiance; when the Lord of Qi carried out an execution, the blade promptly shattered. When Yuwen destroyed the saṅgha, his sores festered; when Tuoba abolished the monasteries, his pus flowed. When Sun Hao urinated on an image, his genitals suffered agony; when Helian was brutal and obstinate, he was struck dead by thunder.' Examining what you cite, all are emperors and kings. How could it be that momentarily turning one's heart brings the clearing of affliction and eradication of sickness, while temporarily abolishing and destroying brings the loss of the state and death of the person? From this we know that the rise and fall of imperial dynasties naturally depend on the length of destined cycles; the flourishing and decline of sovereign monarchs, on reflection, do not stem from faith or desecration. Why do you falsely state fortunes and misfortunes, and deceitfully recount portents and omens? To linger on such claims is not without reproach toward the state." The Dharma Master replied: "The Book of Changes states: 'A house that heaps up goodness will have a surplus of blessings; a house that heaps up evil will have a surplus of calamity.' The Book of Documents says: 'The retribution of good and evil corresponds just as an echo follows a sound and a shadow follows a form.' Therefore, in the reigns of Wen, Wu, Cheng, and Kang, the way of governance flourished in peace; in the era of the First Emperor of Qin and Ershi, cruelty poisoned all under Heaven. This was because treading the Way brought a long-lasting mandate, whereas excessive punishments brought a brief succession. The classic canons speak of this abundantly; how could it depend merely on destined cycles? How much more so when the Buddha is proclaimed the Tamer, uniquely honored across the three realms (traidhātuka), and the saṅgha is called the field of merit (puṇyakṣetra), revered by the four modes of birth (catus-yoni)! How could it be that devout reverence yields no proof of blessing, while destruction and eradication show no verification of disaster? Previously, I briefly presented karmic retributions to counter those perverse people, so that having heard of blessings in the morning, they might be content to perish in the evening. As for the peers of Wenxuan and Jian'an, the company of the King of Wu and the Empress of Qi, and Tuoba, Yuwen, Helian, Sun Hao, and the like, the records and biographies of their good and evil deeds are fully clear, as extensively expounded in works such as Xuanyan ji, Mingxiang ji, Soushen ji, and Ganying zhuan. Moreover, the distinction between good and evil, in principle and order, is brilliant and clear; recorded in canonical statutes, it hangs as high as the sun and moon. It is sufficient to make people, seeing the unworthy, examine themselves within, so that those who have lost their way in youth may know where to return; and beholding the worthy, emulate them, so that those on confused paths may become enlightened. I, Falin, merely presented one corner of the matter, to cause them to reflect thrice upon it. In the present age,

3.3

His Majesty is reverent and brilliant, turning his heart toward the path of awakening. Measuring the Bamboo Grove, he raises Buddhist sanctuaries; surpassing the Jetavana, he erects meditation niches. He creates images of the Asanga Honored One and delivers crowds that subdue demons. His benevolence extends to the shores of Ma and his teaching covers Longdui. Among all human beings, who is not soaked in his favor? How would I, Falin, dare to falsely set forth portents and omens to reproach the state? It was merely to counter that Zhongqing that I consequently composed this treatise." Li Wei and others further questioned the Dharma Master, saying: "Fascicle Eight of your treatise states: 'The falsity and error of Daoism truly has its reasons: the stag and the horse differ in form, yet the man of Qin made their appearances one; the qilin and the hornless roe differ in substance, yet the customs of Lu were confused by their likeness. Wishing to demonstrate this to later generations, I examine its falsehood.' But when the purple vapor hovered over the Pass, Yin Xi opened the profundity of the two chapters; when the green ox departed the frontier, Laozi expounded the subtlety of the double mystery. Therefore, Emperors Jing and Wen of the great Han cultivated it without indolence; our Emperor follows in their footsteps, personally practicing it. Now you slander and revile it as superficial and ostentatious, making it hard to emulate Yu's weeping; when examined, your deceit willfully incurs the net of Tang. In the present age,

3.4

The sacred emperor, with divine calculations, extends his four perceptions throughout the universe; with his imperial majesty and sagacious insight, he makes the two luminaries shine brightly across the eight directions. Yet all at once, you used the deer and horse to slander this prosperous era, and used the qilin and roebuck to satirize our wise ruler! How can this be tolerated? Who could endure it?'

The Dharma Master replied: 'Lin has heard that when the white horse turned eastward, the Tripiṭaka first arose; when the green ox departed to the west, the Two Chapters began from there. One expounds the profound and mysterious to transform the people; the other illuminates the double emptiness to save beings. This can be verified in charts and registers, clear as the palm of one's hand. Thus, the teachings proclaimed to reveal the tenets have reached this very generation. The translations of the Buddhist teachings have their eras clearly evident; the texts and histories are fully manifest, and the common people are not misled. As for the profound scriptures of the Daoists, this is not so. Only the Two Chapters of Laozi were personally expounded by Li Dan. All the other scriptures and teachings were fabricated through a mixture of worldly passions. Why is this? In the Former Han, Wang Bao fabricated the Dongxuan jing. In the Later Han, Zhang Ling fabricated the Lingbao jing as well as Daoist writings of petitions and offerings in twenty-four rolls. In the Wu, Ge Xiaoxian fabricated the Shangqing jing. In the Jin, the Daoist Wang Fu fabricated the Mingwei huahu jing. Furthermore, Bao Jing fabricated the Sanhuang jing, which was later changed into the Sanqing jing. In the Qi, the Daoist Chen Xianming fabricated the Zhen buxu jing in sixty-four rolls. In the Liang, Tao Hongjing fabricated the Daqing jing and Ritual of Petitions and Offerings in ten rolls. When Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou eradicated the two teachings, there was a former Daoist of Huazhou, Zhang Bin, who was appointed by decree as Inspector of that prefecture. The former Daoist of Chang'an, Jiao Zishun, also named Daokang, was selected and appointed Left Assistant of the Kaifu and Magistrate of Fufeng. The former Daoist Ma Yi and the Administrative Assistant of Yongzhou, Li Yun—these four persons, in the fifth year of Tianhe, at Shouzhen Monastery inside the old city of Huazhou, selected and extracted Buddhist sūtras and fabricated more than one thousand rolls of spurious Daoist scriptures. At that time, Suo Jiao, a man of Wannian County, mounted and bound them. Wherever Zhen Luan had laughed at them in his Xiaodao lun, they altered and eliminated everything. Recently, in the late years of Daye, there was Fu Huixiang, a Daoist of Wutong Abbey, who did not speak for three years; he thereupon changed the Nirvāṇa Sūtra into the Chang'an jing. At that time, under restrictive bond, he was not permitted to leave the city gate. His family saw that inside he wore yellow garments, and they seized him and handed him over to the garrison authority. The matter of his altering scriptures came to light; he was memorialized by the Minister of the Department of State Affairs Wei Wensheng and was executed outside the Jinguang Gate. Both ears and eyes witnessed this truth. Furthermore, Zhen Luan's Xiaodao lun says that Daoists falsely annotated three hundred and fifty rolls of the writings of the various philosophers to make Daoist scriptures. Moreover, checking the Xuandu Catalogue, they falsely took book titles from the Yiwen zhi and deceitfully annotated eight hundred and eighty-four rolls to make Daoist scriptures. Based on this, it is sufficient to prove their falsehood and error. Thus one knows that, generation after generation, forced interpretations and eccentric deviations have truly been numerous, and people's reckless forgeries have accumulated in profusion. Lin has also investigated: in the first year of Zhengguang of the Northern Wei, Emperor Ming summoned Jiang Bin, a Daoist of Qingtong Abbey, to debate with Śramaṇa Tanmozui of Rongjue Monastery. At that time, Bin falsely cited the Kaitian jing, claiming that it was fabricated by the Celestial Master Zhang Ling. The Emperor then decreed that the Grand Commandant and Prince of Danyang Xiao Zong, the Sanqi Changshi Wen Zisheng, and others—one hundred and seventy persons—should jointly deliberate. They said: "Laozi only wrote the five thousand characters; he hid in the West amid the drifting sands, and made no further statements. In our deliberation, Jiang Bin's crime warrants punishment for deluding the masses."

3.5

'The Emperor said: "Since Jiang Bin has uttered demonic words, deliver him to prison to be beheaded." Furthermore, according to records: in the fourteenth year of Yongping of Emperor Ming of the Later Han, Chu Shanxin and other Daoists, numbering six hundred and ninety persons, heard that the Buddhadharma had entered Luoyang and requested a contest. They brought all their Daoist scriptures and books, altogether thirty-seven sections and seven hundred and forty-four rolls; among them, five hundred and nine rolls were Daoist scriptures, and the remaining two hundred and thirty-five rolls were writings of the various philosophers. Furthermore, according to records: the Jin dynasty Ge Hong's Shenxian zhuan says that the methods for crossing over the world and dispelling calamities possessed by Laozi's teachings are nine hundred and thirty rolls in all, with talismanic texts and the like in seventy rolls, totalling one thousand rolls. Furthermore, according to records: in the seventh year of Taishi of the Song dynasty, the Daoist Lu Xiujing replied to Emperor Ming that Daoist scriptures, books, medical prescriptions, mantras, talismans, diagrams, and so forth numbered one thousand two hundred and twenty-eight rolls in all, saying that one thousand and ninety rolls were already circulating in the world, while one hundred and thirty-eight rolls remained hidden in the celestial palace. According to the present Xuandu Scripture Catalogue, which relies on the catalogue submitted by Lu Xiujing of the Song, it now claims that there are six thousand three hundred and sixty-three rolls, stating that two thousand and forty rolls have existing texts, while four thousand three hundred and twenty-three rolls have no existing text seen. Examining these matters in detail, the facts are clearly known; the origins of their deception and falsehood are laid bare in the records and histories. If we rely on the deliberation of Xiao and Wen, there are only the two chapters of the Dao and De. If we take the verification of the Han Emperor, there should be over seven hundred rolls. Restricting ourselves to Ge Hong's account of the immortals, there are barely one thousand. According to the catalogue submitted by Lu Xiujing, it exceeds the former by ninety. Moreover, checking the Xuandu Scripture Catalogue, they have multiplied all the more. Since the earlier and later accounts do not agree, it is sufficient to know that their falsehood is obvious! They expanded the rolls and supplemented the chapters, relying on Buddhist sūtras and merely swapping the heads and tails; or they claimed they emerged naturally from famous mountains, or repeatedly declared they flew out from caves of the immortals. Why should only the yellow-collared [Daoists] know this, while the eminent and worthy never see it? Let me ask the Daoists of today to investigate the scriptures that appeared later: did Laozi state them separately, or did the Tianzun preach them again? Even if he preached them, there should be a time and place: which dynasty, which country, which year, which month? If there is evidence, they might be allowed to circulate; if they are reckless words, by principle they must be burned and cut away. Now the enlightened court governs the realm, succeeding the blind spots of a hundred kings; the sacred emperor ascends the hall, matching the destined cycle of a thousand years. He is just about to broadly promulgate the five instructions and extinguish monstrous and deceitful books, re-expounding the Nine Categories and propagating the teachings of the essential Way. How could Lin dare use the qilin and roebuck to satirize the sovereign, or the deer and horse to criticize the court? It is only that the ignorant Yellow Turbans confuse the true and false, and the Daoists of narrow vision do not distinguish right from wrong. Therefore, I borrowed the analogy of the men of Qin and compared them to the customs of Lu. If the hexagrams of Qian and Kun correspond to the dragon and the horse, could heaven and earth themselves jump and gallop? The principle is certainly not so; why am I blamed?'

3.6

Wei and the others investigated and verified this in detail, and on the fifteenth day of the eleventh month, they drew up a complete memorial and presented it to the throne.

3.7

The Emperor thereupon personally descended to question him, saying: 'We originally descend from Lao Dan. In the Eastern Zhou, he concealed his virtue; his later descendants carried on the lineage, arising from Longxi. He expounded the Great Way as the origin of the Way, defying tracking whether following or welcoming; he spoke of Supreme Virtue as the mother of virtue, impossible to know whether looking or listening. Encompassing the Four Symbols, he moves with them; embracing the Two Principles, he nurtures through them. Since he cannot be designated in words, he is truly used daily without people knowing. This is why We revere our ancestral traditions, placing them high above the Ekayāna, and esteem our fundamental transformation, surpassing the hundred schools. Why do you deceitfully criticize the master and disciple, and recklessly fabricate who came first and last? If you have nothing to say, you shall die; if you have an explanation, you shall live!'

The Dharma Master replied: 'Lin has heard that Shi Jing said in reply to Marquis Wen: "A ruler like Yao or Shun only fears having no words spoken; a ruler like Jie or Zhou only fears having words spoken." Furthermore, Dongfang Shuo replied to Emperor Wu: "Your subject will speak if he lives, and will speak if he dies." Lin now belongs to a ruler like Yao and Shun; how could I have nothing to say? Lin has heard that "Tuoba Dashe" translates into the language of Tang as the Li clan. Your Majesty's Li is the sprout of this line; it is not the lineage of the Keeper of the Archives in Longxi. I respectfully submit: the Li of Lao Dan was born of a herdsman's mother; if we go by Longxi, they are all descendants of slaves. Why is this? The Dunhuang Shilu says: "In the thirty-ninth year of King Huan, he visited the Xianyu Pavilion and discussed antiquity and the present with his ministers through the night. The King asked: 'What kind of man was the father of Lao Dan?' Tuosui, the Grand Administrator of Tianshui, replied: 'The father of Lao Dan was surnamed Han, named Qian, and courtesy-named Yuanbei. He was crippled, lame, and base, born without ears, blind in one eye, destitute, and begging for loans. At the age of seventy-two, he had no wife. He then illicitly united in the fields with an old female slave named Jingfu in the household of his neighbour, the Yishou clan; she became pregnant and gave birth to Laozi.'" Furthermore, Wang Jian's Baijia pu says: "The surname Li is the descendant of the ancestor Gaoyao, who was Shun's Minister of Justice (Dali); he therefore took it as a surname, and it was thus called the Li surname. The flourishing of the Li clan began with Dan; because he was born beneath a plum tree (li), he was called the Li surname. In the time of Emperor Cheng of the Han, there was Li Yin, who was executed for unbending defiance and defaming his superior. His clan was relocated to Zhangye, and he died suddenly on the road. His slaves took his seals and ribbons, usurped Liang identities, and obtained official posts. The so-called Li of Longxi began from this." Furthermore, Laozi says: "I dare not take the lead in the world," and therefore set forth the teachings of the five thousand characters. He also says: "He does not compete with things, dwelling where the multitude detests." Since he stays with things without competing and does not take the lead, he pardons himself and defers to others, keeping to the female and preserving weakness. Laozi's Xisheng jing also says: "In Qianzhu (India) there is the Master Guhuang; he is my teacher. Continuing endlessly, he eternally abides; I now depart!" Furthermore, the Fuzi says: "The teacher of Laozi was named Śākyamuni." The Yin Xi neizhuan says: "Laozi said: 'The King wishes to leave household life; my teacher is named Buddha, who awakens all people. Today he accepts the heavenly emperor's invitation to eat; when he returns, he will confer the precepts simultaneously upon the King and all his ministers.'" I humbly consider that the Tuoba of the Northern Wei were divine lords of the northern Dai, and their lineage of Dashe was connected to the Yin Mountains. The Noble Seed Sūtra says: "Trading gold for brass, exchanging silk for rough hemp garments, is like giving away a precious woman to mate with a female slave."

3.8

'Your Majesty is such a person. Casting aside the northern Dai and claiming Longxi—Your Majesty is that very matter! Furthermore, Laozi was born at the end of the Zhou royal line, whereas the Śākya was born at the beginning of the flourishing Zhou; they were separated by more than ten kings, spanning more than two hundred years. Thus the relationship of teacher and disciple is proven, and who came first and last is evident. Checking the scrolls, it is distinct; in the texts, it is directly indicated. We prostrate ourselves: Your Majesty loves life and detests killing, extending your benevolence down to insects and fish; rescuing the drowning and saving those from fire, your transforming influence reaches even the aquatic weeds and reeds. You equal the era of the Three Sovereigns, teaching without executing; you are the same as the time of the Five Thearchs, taking the lead without arraying armies in battle.'

3.9

'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.'

3.10

'Your Majesty's Dao is broad, generous, and gloriously great, your kindness covers the eight directions; your virtue covers all universally and equitably, opening the nets on three sides. You receive loyal words as if you could not catch up, suspending the five perceptions in diligent care; you follow good remonstrance as easily as flowing water, sitting within the ninefold palace with solemn reverence.'

3.11

'If Your Majesty now unleashes your thunderous wrath, Lin gladly accepts the pulverising of his bones and the reduction of his body to ashes; if you deign to bestow the grace of rain and dew, I hope to preserve my skeleton intact.'

Concerning the debates and responses from this point onward, the biography has more than two hundred items; upon searching and inquiring, they were not known, so they are omitted and not recorded. On the twentieth day, he again descended.

3.12

An imperial decree was issued: "In the chapter 'Mutual Retribution of Faith and Slander' of your Bianzheng lun, you stated that those who mindfully recite Guanyin will not be harmed when facing a blade. Since there is such spiritual potency, I now grant you a reprieve of seven days; do you mindfully recite him! When the time for execution arrives, we shall see whether you are severed or not." As the Dharma Master was bound in chains and pressed by the deadline of execution, conflicting passions churned in his breast, having nowhere to turn for help. When the night of the sixth day came, he paced back and forth in distress, hesitating and lost in deep reflection. Walking beneath the bright moon, bewildered, he lamented that this fleeting life is like a lodging, and unknowingly wept in secret. He then expressed his feelings, saying: "A grassy life is like hanging dew; a slight life resembles tumbling tumbleweed. What I lament is that the moon of tomorrow night / will be difficult to share with the ancients." The Dharma Master then wiped his tears, spoke boldly, and sighed looking up to heaven: "In ancient times, Zou Yan was imprisoned in Qi, and Prince Dan of Yan was held hostage in the state of Qin; their sincerity moved summer skies to drop frost, and crows' heads to turn white. How could it be that for me alone, Lin, there is uniquely no omen of response?" When he finished speaking, suddenly a divine man over ten feet tall, dressed in plain white clothing and cap, leaped over the wall and arrived. He said to the Dharma Master: "Since you are able to sacrifice your body for the sake of the Way and re-tie the collapsed net, the unseen protections are indeed manifold. Fortunately, do not trouble yourself with worry." Having finished speaking, he vanished. The Dharma Master thereupon reverently bowed with his five limbs and silently recited the Three Honored Ones. His thoughts then soared, his mind relaxed, and he was completely free of fear. At dawn on the seventh day,

3.13

an imperial decree dispatched Liu Dewei and others to question the Dharma Master, saying: "The term of reprieve is now complete, and the time of execution has arrived. From reciting Guanyin recently, what spiritual response have you had?" The Dharma Master replied: "Since the end of the Sui dynasty fell into turmoil and the four seas boiled over, pestilence spread and arms were raised in rivalry. Armies were mobilized to attack one another, each wielding military might. Ministers were sycophantic, the ruler dissipated, failing to administer governance and transformation; the royal roads were blocked, and each clung stubbornly to his own corner. Our Emperor aroused a mind of condolence and chastisement, ruling heaven and establishing the supreme pole, pardoning executions in the capital markets—this, indeed, is Guanyin; delivering those from untimely death in the imperial court—how is this different from Mahāsthāmaprāpta? Evaluating merit and comparing virtue, the supreme sage equals their Path. Over the past seven days, Lin has only mindfully recited

3.14

Your Majesty." Liu Dewei and the others questioned the Dharma Master again, saying: "Previously we received

3.15

the imperial decree instructing the master to chant and mindfully recite Guanyin. Why did you not recite him, but rather say that you only recited

3.16

Your Majesty?" The Dharma Master replied: "Lin has heard that Guanyin's holy discernment manifests forms throughout the six realms, serving as a model both above in heaven and below on earth. However, our Emperor's literary brilliance and wisdom shine upon the realm within the seas; the nine barbarian tribes render service, and across the eight borders punishments are clear. The ruler is sage and the ministers worthy, committing no wrongful abuses. Now,

3.17

Your Majesty nurtures the multitudes of beings like a father; according to the scripture, this is Guanyin. Since the spiritual response conforms thus, I have therefore only mindfully recited

3.18

Your Majesty. Furthermore, what Lin composed in the Bianzheng conforms completely with the canonical books and histories; if a single sentence is mistaken, I willingly accept the axe and halberd.

3.19

If Your Majesty accords with loyalty and accords with correctness, Lin will not lose a single hair.

3.20

If Your Majesty punishes an innocent person unlawfully, Lin will suffer the grief of a corpse laid low." Liu Dewei and the others recorded the statement and memorialized it to

3.21

the Emperor. The Emperor was pleased. He then summoned the Dharma Master and asked him, saying: "I have recently examined the master's writings; they completely ruin the teachings of Laozi. When speaking of Buddhist principles, one is deeply moved and sighs, 'How fine!' Yet that Buddhism is inferior and Daoism superior, I do not yet understand now. That the Buddha is great and the Dao is small, it is not that I am blind to this. You should fully express your mind and compare their superiority and inferiority; I await to hear your fine discourse to relieve my troubled mind." The Dharma Master memorialized in person, saying: "I humbly receive

3.22

the sagely will, which is vast and broad, its principles deep and profound. Though one bears heaven on one's head, one cannot measure its height—to compare with this is impossible; though one treads upon the earth, none knows its thickness—to match this is beyond comparison. I humbly reflect that

3.23

Your Majesty, without doubting whether great or small, has turned your heavenly gaze upon me, equaling Duke Huan of Qi's respect for the arts of rustic men, matching King Zhao of Yan's treating Guo Wei's talent as a master. How would I dare not exhaust my words to lay out the good and the bad? Lin has heard that the wondrously awakened eternal body is fundamentally without forms or marks; for the sake of sentient beings, his traces take on physical forms and deportment. His resonance is like a great bell, depending on the magnitude of the strike; his response is like a bright mirror, following the myriad things in their beauty or ugliness. Yet because the Way surpasses the two sections and its principles exceed the hundred schools, the canonical records are before our eyes, and one may speak of them in brief. Thus Zhang Yan, Grand Tutor of the Later Han, said to Chu Shanxin, a Daoist of the Southern Marchmount: 'The teaching of the Western Regions was spoken by the Dharma King; it delivers across the six realms and universally nourishes sentient beings. You should discard the false and return to the real, exerting your mind to follow and study it. If you do not revere it, you may be said to spend a hundred years in vain, passing away without merit. If you are negligent and do not revere it, you may also focus your mind on Huang-Lao. Although Huang-Lao does not have the measure of the Dharma King, it is still the compilation of ancient sages; although similar to the various philosophers, its words and deeds are very profound, entrusting one's nature to non-action, being the storehouse of Dao and virtue. Formerly, Emperor Xiaojing practiced it constantly without fatigue, and Daoist learning flourished from this. Possessing the greatest merits among the hundred schools, it may be compared as next to the Buddhist scriptures. As for Mao Chengzi, Liezi, Zhuangzi, Huizi, and others, they all studied natural spontaneity and roamed free beyond the dust; they are also next after Huang-Lao. You may admire them.' Furthermore, Kan Ze, Minister of the Secretariat of Wu, answered Sun Quan, the Lord of Wu, saying: 'Your subject knows with certainty that the Buddha is the unsurpassed Dharma King, the refuge of all sages. His teaching encompasses all, pitying and embracing the myriad kinds; deep like a vast sea, it does not reject fine streams; bright as the sun and moon, it does not disdain stars or candles. Meeting what it touches, it transforms; encountering things, it carries them across; in heaven and among humans, he is sovereign and venerable. Even if heaven has the merit of universally covering, and earth has the power of universally sustaining, these were all established by the Buddhas, causing them to be so. Your subject has also privately observed that Confucius of Lu was of outstanding talent and sagely virtue that stood apart from the crowd; the world called him the Uncrowned King, who crafted the classics, instructing and encouraging the end of the Zhou, extending his teachings to the final ages; the style of the master of Ruists has nourished the ancient and modern. There were also recluses, such as Xu Chengzi, Guangchengzi, Yuanyangzi, Juanzi, Huizi, and Zhuangzi. The texts of the masters of the hundred schools all cultivated immortality for their own amusement, giving free rein to themselves in mountains and valleys; giving license to their minds, their learning returned to indifference, their conduct running contrary to the norms of human relations and the hierarchy of elder and younger, nor was it the style of bringing peace to the world and transforming people. Therefore, ancients regarded them as falling into stagnation—surely this is what it means! When it came to Emperor Jing of the Han, examining the hundred schools, because the substance of meaning in the Huangzi and Laozi was vast and deep, clear and penetrative within and without, he changed their designation from "masters" to "classics," and first established Daoist studies,

3.24

issuing an imperial decree to instruct the court and commoners to recite them. If one compares the two schools of Confucius and Laozi with the Buddha's Dharma, the distance is great indeed! Why is this so? When Confucius and Laozi established teachings, they took heaven as the model to regulate applications, not daring to oppose heaven; when the Buddhas established teachings, heavenly principles were put into practice, and they dared not oppose the Buddha. Speaking from this, it is truly clear that they are not comparable.' The Lord of Wu approved this, and thereupon said to Kan Ze: 'You are broadly learned, profoundly proficient, and have examined everything. You should be promoted to Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, concurrent with your previous positions as Palace Attendant and Minister of the Secretariat.' Moreover, Emperor Wu of the Liang wrote in his poem 'Gathering the Three Teachings': 'In early years I studied Zhou and Confucius; / coming of age, I exhausted the Six Classics. / In middle age I again observed Daoist books, / of the named and the nameless. / In late years I opened the Buddhist scrolls, / like the sun outshining the multitude of stars.' Furthermore, it is recorded that Yan Zhitui, Grand Master for Splendid Happiness of the Song, said: 'The matters of the three periods of time in the Buddhist school are trustworthy and have evidence; the ten thousand practices return to emptiness, and the thousand gates enter into goodness. How could it merely be the breadth of the Nine Classics and the hundred schools? Clearly it is beyond what Yao, Shun, Zhou, Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi could reach.' Furthermore, the Master Mou's treatise states: 'The transformative teachings of Yao, Shun, the Duke of Zhou, Confucius, and Laozi, compared to the Buddha, are like white deer compared to the qilins.' Furthermore, Wang Bao of the Northern Zhou stated in his Court Admonitions: 'The principles of the Daoist school demolish the limbs and extinguish perception, abandon righteousness and sever benevolence, departing from form and discarding wisdom; this is a teaching within the realm. The teaching of the Śākyan lineage sees suffering, abandons its arising, realizes its cessation, and cultivates the path, clarifying causes and discerning effects, transforming the ordinary into the sagely; this is the ultimate of teachings.' Furthermore, the present Director of the Palace Library, Yu Shinan, also stated in his Diwang luelun: 'The principle of Laozi is that the valley spirit does not die, and the mysterious female endures forever; seeing long and living long, riding dragons and harnessing cranes; this is a teaching within the world. The Dharma of the Śākyan lineage does not stagnate in emptiness or existence, and forgets both self and others, transcending birth and death to return to quietude and cessation; this is a discourse beyond forms.' Now, the traces of superiority and inferiority are indeed as set forth in these instructions and admonitions, yet the advent of great and small rests with

3.25

Your Majesty. Why is this? Before the edict was issued, the Buddha was great and the Dao was small; after the edict was issued, the Dao was great and the Buddha was small. Great and small, superior and inferior—is this not what is meant? I humbly reflect that

3.26

Your Majesty's supreme virtue reaches the divine, spreading clouds and rain over the black-robed sangha; your Way borders on the ultimate sage, casting the sun and moon upon the Mysterious Gate. You have personally lowered your virtuous voice to inquire of one mediocre and base. Yet Lin, reverently receiving your inquiry, has dared to set forth old precedents; that I have defiled your awe-inspiring majesty makes me tremble with fear all the more." The Emperor examined the Dharma Master's response, marveled at it, and released him. At that time, the legal officials presented a petition, saying: "The law cannot be abolished; the state has standard punishments. Those who criticize the imperial carriage commit a crime deserving the death penalty."

3.27

The Emperor said: "Although Falin defamed my ancestors, it was not without canonical basis. We specially pardon his capital offense and banish him to Yibu to be a monk." The Dharma Master, seeing that he was exiled, was displeased in his mind, and therefore composed the piece 'Lamenting Qu Yuan' to express his intent. Its words were: "How obscure and dim is the Way of Heaven! / It disrupts the orderly constellations. / Causing the loyal and upright Qu Yuan / to be exiled and driven out. / The slanderous and flatterers comply with intentions, / their positions eminent, their names renowned; / those of straightforward speech without evasions / subsequently meet with calamity. / The jade of He is discarded in mountains and marshes, / while stones of Yan are prized as treasures. / Xi Shi is spurned and unfavored, / while Mo Mu is shown affection. / Touching my heart, I reflect on Qu Yuan, / broadly learned and of wide knowledge; / the ruler did not perceive his loyalty and uprightness, / driving him away to leave the state. / Listening to the delusion of slander and flattery, / he dimmed his own virtue. / The fragrant herbs of Yan and Su are cast into the wilderness, / while coarse weeds are planted. / The shrike cries and shrieks in the ruler's forest, / while the phoenix and luan fold their wings. / Jackals and wolves block the road in rampage, / while the qilin and roe deer hide in concealment. / The phoenix still knows to cherish virtue, / soaring high upon seeing overturned nests; / the qilin still delights in possessing the Way, / galloping away upon beholding lack of benevolence. / When loyal admonitions were not accepted, / Jizi feigned madness; / Du Bo was sincere and upright, / yet met with blame and suffered calamity. / Bi Gan was upright and had his heart cut out; / Wu Zixu was loyal and had his eyes gouged out. / How painful that the pure and clean Qu Yuan / sank into the Miluo and never returned!" At that time, among the monks of the capital there were rumors circulating against the Dharma Master, saying that he was unable to quiet his thoughts and clarify his spirit to seek the essential path of transcendence, but recklessly composed the Poxie lun and Bianzheng lun, offending and disturbing the imperial court, causing the sovereign to harbor anger and suspicion against the teachings of Śākya and overturn them. "If what you set forth was truly appropriate, why would you be exiled to Jiannan? If you had merit with respect to the Buddha's Dharma, why would it fall into decay like this?" Hearing this, the Dharma Master said to a few friends: "Lin has heard: when the ruler is troubled, the minister is humiliated; when the ruler is humiliated, the minister dies. Fu Yi said that monks are bald louts and the Buddha is a foreign ghost. If such words can be tolerated, what cannot be borne? At that time, great virtuous ones were numerous like clouds, and famous monks poured like rain; yet even if they cited the four Āgamas and the eight piṭakas, they had no means to put brush to paper; though they understood the nine divisions and the three vehicles in vain, where could they place their words? Lin then, without measuring my own shallow inadequacy, vowed to re-tie the collapsed net. Therefore, I gathered from the ancient classics and searched among the philosophers and anthologies, enlightening those who had not yet understood and crushing those perverse words, so that the flatterer Fu had no words to say, and Li and Liu fell silent. Truly do I know that an inch may have its length, and a foot may have its shortness; using a pearl to shoot at an owl is not as good as using a mud pellet."

3.28

Although the imperial decree banishes me to Yi Prefecture, how could this be deemed a punishment for a crime? As for me, the Buddha-Dharma is now peaceful and calm. How can this be called an overthrow? Formerly Qu Yuan was slandered and banished; was Qu Yuan not loyal? When Bian He presented the jade disc, he suffered punishment; who said it had a blemish? This is merely a matter of whether the rulers of the age employ one or not. Although Qu Yuan underwent banishment, his 'Encountering Sorrow' circulated widely; although Bian He was indeed subjected to punishment, [his jade] worth several cities was still treasured. Yet when clear water and round grains go forth, how could there be no regret? The people of the world do not know me! Having spoken, his tears fell in several streams. He then composed a poem, saying: / 'I maintain the integrity of Qu Yuan, / And do not study the chapter of the Old Fisherman. / When asked about tumbling like tumbleweed, / I reply that I am straight as a bowstring.' / Then choking back his tears and suppressing his voice, he sobbed and said: 'I, Lin, have met with misfortune and am now banished south. I only hope that the reverend masters will look after me by sending letters, and occasionally inquire whether I am alive or dead.' At that time, monastics and laypeople saw him off, crowding the suburban roads. They revered him as a brilliant spirit. Walking beside his carriage, he slowly departed. The Dharma Master took leave of his friends and also made a poem, saying: / 'Unexpectedly brought under an uncommitted crime, / Parted from friends and parted from kin. / Mountains and rivers separated by ten thousand li, / Only now exhausting this seven-foot body. / My roaming soul departs forever from Chu, / My divided thoughts alone remain in Qin. / Were it not for those who understand me, / Who would pity a man parted in death?' / In the summer, the sixth month, on a dingmao day, he arrived at Bodhi Monastery at Bailao Pass. Afflicted by severe dysentery, he could not be saved. Facing the end, he sighed, saying: 'The foam-and-illusion body of a great man is truly of no use. Contemplating these vile impurities, it is deeply repulsive! Originally I hoped to sacrifice my life for the Way to establish myself, but I could not fulfill my intent. Weeping for the qilin and grieving for the phoenix, how can I be without a sorrowful mind?' Having spoken, he died. That was on the twenty-third day of the seventh month in the autumn of the fourteenth year of Zhenguan [640 CE]. His spring and autumn were sixty-nine. Monastics and laypeople were shattered with grief as if mourning a parent. Thereupon they buried him on the summit of the Eastern Mountain and erected a high white stupa. Wayfarers coming and going never failed to lament; men of letters who visited and learned of it wept immediately. The Dharma Master's literary arts and scholarship were abundant and comprehensive, thoroughly covering ancient classics and silk scrolls. The world called him a Forest of Words; the age praised him as a Sea of Learning. Whether chanting before the wind and under the moon, or penning verses on spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, his depicting of things and expressing of feelings were exceedingly splendid and elegant. The former Director of the Palace Library, Yu Shinan, whose renown transcended antiquity and whose virtue surpassed the present age, collected the Dharma Master's writings and wrote a preface for them as follows:

First 28 of 31 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

唐護法沙門法琳別傳 — Classical Chinese