弘明集 14.5

14.5

又五岳真神則精之候。上法琁璣下承乾坤。稟道清虛無音無響。敬之不以歡。慢之不以慼。千譽萬毀神無增損。而汝矯稱假託生人因虛動氣殺害在口。順之則賜恩。違之則有禍。進退諂偽永無賢軌。毀辱真神。非其道也。故黃羅子經玄中記曰。夫自稱山嶽神者必是蟒蛇。自稱江海神者必是黿鼉魚鱉。自稱天地父母神者必是猫狸野獸。自稱將軍神者必是熊羆虎豹。自稱仕人神者必是猨猴㹢玃。自稱宅舍神者必是犬羊猪犢。門戶井竈破器之屬。鬼魅假形皆稱為神。驚恐萬姓。淫鬼之氣。此皆經之所載。傳之明驗也。自汝妖祥漸踰六載。招來四遠靡不響應。送疾而往者如小水歸海。獲死而還者哀呼盈路。重者先亡便云算盡。輕者易降自稱其福。若使重患難濟則汝無恩。中容之疾非汝所救。二者無効。焉可奉事。乃令群民投心歸命。既無良醫善藥。非散髮之能降。經旬歷月曾無影報。以此推之。有何證驗。又國大元桓王及封錫。六國之懿節。三台之輔光。讚皇家黎無慈悅。天禍謬加體嬰微疾。謂汝之祇能感靈德。故宣德信命詣汝神殿。獻薦三牲加贈珍異。若汝聖道通乾致妙者。何不上啟九皇下諮后土。參集百靈顯彰妙術。使國良輔消疾獲安。既無響應。乃奄薨遐。驗此虛妄焉足奉哉。

Furthermore, the true spirits of the Five Peaks are the auguries of quintessential energy. Above, they model themselves on the armillary sphere; below, they support Heaven and Earth. Endowed with the Dao of clear emptiness, they are without voice or sound. Honoring them does not make them pleased; slighting them does not make them sorrowful. Amidst a thousand praises or ten thousand slanders, the spirits neither gain nor lose. Yet you make fraudulent claims and falsely attach yourselves to living humans; stirring up qi out of emptiness, slaughter and harm flow from your mouths. If people obey you, you bestow favors; if they disobey you, misfortune strikes. Advancing or retreating, you are fawning and deceitful, forever lacking the tracks of the worthy. You dishonor the true spirits; this is not their Dao! Thus the Xuanzhong ji of the Huangluozi jing says: 'Those who call themselves mountain peak spirits are surely pythons and snakes. Those who call themselves river and sea spirits are surely giant turtles, alligators, fish, and softshell turtles. Those who call themselves spirits of Heaven, Earth, father, or mother are surely wildcats, foxes, and wild beasts. Those who call themselves general spirits are surely brown bears, black bears, tigers, and leopards. Those who call themselves scholar-official spirits are surely monkeys, macaques, and apes. Those who call themselves house spirits are surely dogs, sheep, pigs, and calves. Things like doors, windows, wells, stoves, and broken vessels, and the false forms assumed by ghosts and sprites—all are called spirits. They terrify the myriad people; they are the qi of illicit spirits.' These are recorded in the scriptures, clear verifications handed down through the ages! Since your evil omens gradually began more than six years ago, they have summoned people from all directions, none of whom failed to respond. Those who travel to you bringing illnesses are like small streams flowing to the ocean; those who receive death and return fill the roads with wailing. When severe cases die early, you promptly claim their lifespans were exhausted; when mild cases are easily resolved, you credit your own blessings. If severe afflictions are hard to relieve, then you have no kindness to offer; moderate ailments are not what you can cure. Neither shows efficacy—how can you be served? Yet you cause the multitude of people to devote their hearts and take refuge, though you have neither good doctors nor fine medicines; nor can you descend through [shamans with] disheveled hair. Months and weeks pass without the slightest sign of retribution. Deducing from this: what proof or verification is there? Furthermore, the Great Yuan Huan Prince and the granted enfeoffments—the admirable standards of the six states, the auxiliary radiance of the three stellar platforms, assisting the imperial house so that the black-haired people were joyous—when heavenly misfortune errantly struck and his body suffered a slight ailment, he thought your divinity could be moved by numinous virtue. Therefore, demonstrating virtue and relying on faith, he dispatched an envoy to your spirit shrine, offering the three sacrificial animals and presenting additional rare treasures. If your sagely Dao reached to Heaven and attained the marvelous, why did you not petition the Nine Sovereigns above and consult Empress Earth below, gather all the spirits, and openly manifest subtle arts to make this fine minister of the state dispel his disease and attain peace? Since there was no response, he suddenly passed away. With this proof of your falsehood, how could you be worthy of being served?!