弘明集 5.32

5.32

佛之為化雖誕以茫浩推乎視聽之外以敬為本。此出處不異。蓋所期者殊。非敬恭宜廢也。老子同王侯於三大原。其所重皆在於資生通運。豈獨以聖人在位。而比稱二儀哉。將以天地之大德曰生。通生理物存乎王者。故尊其神器而禮寔惟隆。豈是虛相崇重義存君御而已。沙門之所以生國存。亦日用於理命。豈有受其。德而遺其禮。沾其惠而廢其敬哉。于時朝士名賢答者甚眾。雖言未悟時。並互有其美。徒咸盡所懷而理蘊于情。遂令無上道服毀於塵俗。亮到之心屈乎人事。悲夫。斯乃交喪之所由。千載之否運。深懼大法之將淪。感前事之不忘。故著論五篇。究敘微意。豈曰淵壑之待晨露。蓋是申其罔極。亦庶後之君子。崇敬佛教者。或詳覽焉。

'Although the Buddha's transforming influence is vast and limitless, extending beyond what is seen and heard, it takes reverence as its foundation. In this, the recluses and the worldly do not differ; it is merely that their ultimate aspirations are distinct, and it is not that reverence and respect should be abandoned. Laozi ranked kings and lords together with the three great ones; tracing this back, what he valued lay entirely in supporting life and keeping fortunes flowing. How could it merely be that because the sage is on the throne, he is equated with heaven and earth? It is because the great virtue of heaven and earth is called life, and keeping life flowing and ordering things rests with the ruler. Therefore, the sacred vessel of rule is revered, and the rites are indeed exalted. How could it be empty adulation, merely an intention toward the ruler's governance? The reason śramaṇas are born and exist in the state also relies daily on his ordering of life. How could they receive his virtue yet omit his rites, benefit from his grace yet abandon their reverence?' At that time, many court officials and eminent worthies replied; although their words had not yet brought understanding to the times, they all had their respective merits. Yet they all merely exhausted what they harbored, while the underlying principle remained trapped in emotion. Consequently, the supreme garment of the Dao was defiled by the worldly dust, and minds of bright integrity were bowed to human affairs. How sorrowful! This is the source of mutual demise and the misfortune of a thousand years. Deeply fearing that the Great Dharma was about to submerge, and moved by the unforgettable events of the past, I have composed five treatises to investigate and expound this subtle purport. How could it be said that the deep abyss depends on the morning dew? It is merely to declare what is boundlessly profound, and also hoping that future gentlemen who revere and respect the Buddha's teachings might examine it thoroughly.