弘明集 12.51

12.51

來示云。沙門雖意深於敬。而不以形屈為禮。難曰。沙門之敬。豈皆略形存心。懺悔禮拜亦篤於事。爰暨之師逮于上座與世人揖跪。但為小異其制耳。既不能忘形於彼。何為忽儀於此。且師之為理以資悟為德。君道通生則理宜在本。在三之義豈非情理之極哉。

Your letter says: 'Although the monks harbor deep reverence in their minds, they do not take physical bending as their ritual.' / I object: Regarding the reverence of monks, do they really omit physical form entirely and only preserve the mind? In repentance and prostration, they are also earnest in bodily practice. Reaching to their teachers and up to the senior elders, they bow and kneel before them just as worldly people do, differing only slightly in the details of their protocol. Since they cannot forget physical form toward them, why do they neglect ritual decorum toward the sovereign? Furthermore, as for the principle of a teacher, his virtue lies in aiding awakening; but the ruler's Dao fosters all life, so the principle ought to reside in the root. Is not the principle of serving the three rulers of life not the ultimate requirement of human feelings and reason?