高僧傳 6.74

6.74

Daoheng, Daobiao, and the others replied, saying: 'We have received the imperial decree of the twentieth day of the previous month ordering us to relinquish our Dharma robes. Hearing the command, our hearts were filled with grief, and our five emotions lost their composure. Our faculties are dim and limited, and our immersion in the Dharma is not yet deep; under our dark robes, we have vowed to bring our lives to completion. We have studied only the Buddhadharma and are unversed in worldly matters; turning away from our noble undertaking would be in vain, and we would ultimately achieve no exceptional merit. In antiquity, Guangwu was still able to indulge Yan Ling's inclinations, and Wei Wen accommodated Guan Ning's moral resolve; they suppressed the supreme ambitions of sovereigns to fulfill the humble aspirations of commoners. How much more so for Your Majesty, who governs the world by means of the Dao and simultaneously propagates the Three Jewels! We pray that you will look upon the true sentiments of your subjects and bestow a broad understanding that accords with the nature of things.'