宋高僧傳 25.57

25.57

通曰：「此二王先已熟天竺曲韻，故聞山響及經偈，乃有傳授之說也。今之歌讚，附麗淫哇之曲，惉懘之音，加釀瓌辭，包藏密呪，敷為梵奏，此實新聲也。如今啟夾，或曰開題，秖知逐句隨行，那辨真經偽造？豈分支品，未鑒別生。『能』顯既知，『所』詮須體，當聞捨筏，適足歸宗。達其『阿』字之門，圖其法身之體，此讀誦之至也。其有難通『帚』字，多遊族家，急令口誦於一經。且為身參於五眾，賴能暗誦，免呼粥飯之僧；如偶澄清，緩裹歸家之幞。」

Master Tong said: "These two princes had previously already mastered the winding melodies of India; thus when they heard the mountain echoes and scripture gāthās, there was the account of their transmitting it. Present-day songs and eulogies attach to licentious melodies and decadent tones, embellished with flamboyant words and concealing secret mantras, spread out as Sanskrit performances; these are truly new tunes. Nowadays, when opening a case or expounding a title, people only know how to follow the lines sentence by sentence; how can they distinguish genuine scriptures from forgeries? How could they tell apart the branches of texts, without discerning separate derivations? Once the 'means of expression' is understood, the 'expressed meaning' must be realized; one should know to abandon the raft when it is just sufficient to return to the source. Attaining the gate of the syllable 'A' and visualizing the substance of the Dharmakāya—this is the utmost of intoning and reciting. As for those who have difficulty comprehending even the word 'broom' and frequently visit clan families, they should urgently be made to recite one sūtra by mouth. For the time being they take part among the five assemblies of the saṅgha; relying on their ability to recite from memory, they avoid being called 'congee-and-rice monks'; and if by chance they clarify their minds, they need not hastily pack their bags to return home."