弘明集 12.108

12.108

隆安三年四月五日。京邑沙門等頓首白。夫標極有宗則仰之者至。理契神冥則沐浴彌深。故尼父素室顏氏流漣。豈不以道隆德盛直往忘反者哉。貧道等雖人凡行薄。奉修三寶。愛自天至。信不待習。但日損功德撫心增愾。賴聖主哲王復躬弘其道。得使山居者騁業。城傍者閑通。緣皇澤曠灑朽幹蒙榮。然沙門之於世也。猶虛舟之寄大壑耳。其來不以事退亦乘閑。四海之內竟自無宅。邦亂則振錫孤遊。道洽則欣然俱萃。所以自遠而至。良有以也。將振宏綱於季世。展誠心於百代。而頃頻被州符求抄名籍。煎切甚急。未悟高旨。野人易懼抱憂實深。遂使禪人失靜勤士廢行。喪精絕氣達旦不寐。索然不知何以自安。伏願明公扇唐風於上位。待白足於其下。使懷道獲濟有志俱全。則身亡體盡畢命此矣。天聽殊邈。或未具簡。謹以上聞。伏追悚息。

On the fifth day of the fourth month of the third year of the Long'an reign period [399 CE], the śramaṇas of the capital and others bow their heads and address [Your Excellency]: When a supreme principle is made manifest and has an ultimate master, then those who look up to it do so with utmost devotion; when principle tallies and spirit is merged, then the immersion is all the deeper. Therefore, at the plain house of the Father of the Ni [Mount] (Confucius), the Yan clan shed flowing tears. Was it not because the Dao was exalted and virtue was abundant that they proceeded straight ahead, forgetting to turn back? Although we, poor monks, are ordinary men whose conduct is deficient, in reverently practicing the Three Jewels our love comes naturally from heaven, and our faith did not wait upon study. Yet as we daily diminish our merit and virtue, we stroke our chests and sigh with increasing anguish. We rely upon the sagely lord and wise king to personally promote his Dao once more, allowing those who dwell in the mountains to gallop ahead in their vocation, and those beside the city walls to live in leisure and unobstructed ease. Through the vast sprinkling of imperial grace, even withered trunks receive lush prosperity. However, the relation of śramaṇas to the secular world is like that of an empty boat moored in a vast ravine: they come without regard to mundane affairs, and they retreat by availing themselves of leisure; within the four seas, they ultimately have no dwelling of their own. When the state is in turmoil, they shake their khakkhara and travel alone; when the Dao permeates, they gather together joyfully. That they have arrived from afar has a genuine reason. They intend to shake up the great guidelines in this degenerate age and unfold their sincere hearts for a hundred generations. Yet recently, we have repeatedly received prefectural directives demanding registers of names, pressing and urgent in the extreme. Not comprehending your lofty intention, we rustic men are easily frightened, and our harbored anxieties are truly profound. As a result, practitioners of dhyāna have lost their stillness, and diligent strivers have abandoned their practice; we have lost our spirit and depleted our breath, staying awake until dawn, desolate and not knowing how to find peace. We prostrately hope that the illustrious duke will fan the winds of the Tang (Emperor Yao) from above and await the white-footed ones below, so that those who cherish the Dao may find deliverance and those with aspiration may be kept whole; then, even if our bodies perish and our forms expire, we shall dedicate our lives right here. Since the celestial hearing is so distant, our situation may not have been fully presented. We respectfully submit this for your hearing, and prostrately await your response with trembling breath.