弘明集 12.87

12.87

沙門不敬王者。既是情所不了。於理又是所未諭。一代大事不可命其體不允近。八座書今示君。君可述所以不敬意也。此便當行之事。一二令詳遣想。君必有以釋其所疑耳。王領軍大有任此意。近亦同遊謝中。面共諮之。所據理殊未釋所疑也。今郭江州取君答。可旨付之。

That śramaṇas do not pay homage to rulers is something that feelings cannot comprehend, and in terms of principle, it is not understood either. A great matter of an entire epoch cannot be allowed to have its substance inappropriate. Recently, the letter from the Eight Ministers is now shown to you, Sir; you may state the reasons why they do not pay homage. This is a matter that should be implemented immediately, and I have given instructions for it to be dispatched in detail. I expect you will certainly be able to resolve my doubts. General of the Army Wang is very much in favor of this idea; recently we also toured the Xie estate together and consulted on it face to face, but the principles he relied upon were far from resolving my doubts. Now Regional Inspector of Jiangzhou Guo will collect your reply; you may hand it over directly to him.