廣弘明集 13.137

13.137

內箴曰。夫澄神反性。入道之要門。絕情棄欲。登聖之遐本。故云道高者尚德弘者賞。以道傳神以德授聖。神聖相傳是謂良嗣。塞道之源伐德之根。此謂無後。非云棄欲為無後也。子不聞乎。昔何尚之言。釋氏之化無所不可。諒入道之教源。誠濟俗之稱首。夫行一善則去一惡。去一惡則息一刑。一刑息於家。則萬刑息於國。故知五戒十善為正治之本矣。又五戒修而惡趣減。十善暢而人天滋。人天滋則正化隆。惡趣衰而災害殄（正法念經云。人不持戒。諸天減少。阿脩羅盛。善龍無力。惡龍有力。惡龍有力則降霜雹。非時暴風疾雨。五穀不登。疾疫競起。人民飢饉。互相殘害。若人持戒多。諸天增足威光。脩羅減少惡龍無力善龍有力。善龍有力風雨順時。四氣和暢甘雨時降。穀稔豐登人民安樂。兵戎戢息疾疫不行）猶屏薪去草。益重而難彰。絕焰息煨。績微而易顯。且強骨弱氣。李叟之至談。實髓愛精。仙家之奧旨。今反謂婬欲為妙訓。妻子為化源。宗老而毀其言。斆仙而棄其術。且愛犬馬者貴其識恩。嫉梟鏡者惡其反噬。爾則警夜代勞功劣於犬馬。逆鱗反舌釁深於梟鏡雄虺。九首不其然乎。載鬼一車吁可畏也。且運祚脩短雖曰天命。興替延促抑亦人符。故堯舜禹湯咸享嘉壽。桀紂幽厲無終永年。姬發履道而齡長。嬴政刑淫而祚短（陳思論。昔堯舜禹湯文武周召太公。並享百年之壽。七聖三賢並行道脩政。聖治天下不足損神。賢宰一國不足勞思。是以各盡其天年。桀放鳴條紂死牧野。犬戎殺幽厲王不終周祚八百秦滅於二世。此時本無佛僧也）謨誥在目非曰虛談。豈無佛而祚延。有佛而運局。談何容易談何容易。惜哉吾子自貽伊戚良足歎矣。昏若夜遊。爾盲五也。

The internal refutation says: Calming the spirit and returning to one's original nature is the essential gateway for entering the Way; cutting off passions and abandoning desire is the far-reaching root for ascending to sagehood. Therefore it is said: 'Those whose Way is lofty are venerated; those whose virtue is vast are rewarded.' Transmitting the spirit through the Way and conferring sagehood through virtue—transmitting spirit and sagehood successively is what is called having good heirs. To block the source of the Way and fell the root of virtue is what is called having no posterity; it does not mean that renouncing desire constitutes having no posterity. Have you not heard? In the past He Shangzhi said: 'The transformation wrought by the Buddha's teaching is everywhere applicable; it is truly the doctrinal source for entering the Way, and genuinely the foremost among methods for rescuing the world.' Practicing one good deed removes one evil; removing one evil halts one punishment; when one punishment halts in a family, ten thousand punishments halt in the state. Thus we know that the five precepts and ten virtuous deeds are the root of upright governance. Furthermore, when the five precepts are cultivated, the evil destinies diminish; when the ten virtuous deeds spread, humans and devas multiply. When humans and devas multiply, upright transformation flourishes; when the evil destinies decline, disasters and calamities are eradicated—(The *Saddharma-smṛty-upasthāna Sūtra* states: 'When people do not keep the precepts, the devas decrease and the asuras flourish; the good nāgas lack strength, and the evil nāgas possess strength. When evil nāgas possess strength, they bring down frost and hail, untimely violent winds and torrential rains, the five grains do not ripen, epidemics arise together, and the people suffer famine and slaughter one another. If many people keep the precepts, the devas increase in majestic radiance, the asuras decrease, evil nāgas lack strength, and good nāgas possess strength. When good nāgas possess strength, wind and rain come at proper seasons, the four seasonal energies are harmonious, sweet rain falls in due time, the harvest of grain is bountiful, the people are peaceful and happy, military weapons are laid to rest, and epidemics do not occur.')—just like removing firewood and clearing weeds: the benefit is weighty yet difficult to discern; or like extinguishing a flame and putting out embers: the achievement is subtle yet easy to display. Moreover, 'strengthening the bones and weakening the ambition' was the ultimate teaching of the venerable Li [Laozi]; replenishing the marrow and cherishing the essence is the profound purport of the immortals. Today, you contrarily claim that sexual lust is a sublime instruction and that wife and children are the source of transformation! You venerate Laozi while denigrating his words; you imitate immortals while abandoning their arts. Furthermore, those who care for dogs and horses value their recognition of kindness; those who detest owl-birds and jing-beasts loathe their turning back to devour [their parents]. As for you, in watching the night and toiling on behalf of others, your merit is inferior to that of dogs and horses; in scaling backward scales and reversing tongues, your transgression is deeper than that of owl-birds, jing-beasts, and nine-headed venomous serpents! Is this not so? A carriage laden with ghosts—alas, how terrifying! Furthermore, although the length of a dynastic fortune is said to be the mandate of Heaven, the prolongation or shortening of rise and fall also matches human deeds. Thus Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang all enjoyed auspicious longevity, while Jie, Zhou, You, and Li never completed their natural spans. Ji Fa walked in the Way and had a long life; Ying Zheng indulged in severe punishments and his fortune was brief—(The Prince of Chensi's treatise says: 'In ancient times, Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, the Duke of Zhou, the Duke of Shao, and Taigong all enjoyed a lifespan of a hundred years. The seven sages and three worthies all practiced the Way and cultivated governance; for a sage to govern the world was not enough to diminish his spirit, and for a worthy to govern a state was not enough to exhaust his thoughts; therefore each fulfilled his natural years. Jie was exiled to Mingtiao; Zhou died at Muye; the Quanrong killed King You; King Li did not complete his span; the Zhou fortune lasted eight hundred years; Qin was destroyed in the second generation. At this time there were originally no Buddhas or monks.')—the imperial counsels and announcements are before our eyes, not empty talk. How could it be that without a Buddha dynastic fortune is prolonged, and with a Buddha it is restricted? How easy it is to talk! How easy it is to talk! Alas, my friend, you bring this sorrow upon yourself; it is truly lamentable. Wandering in confusion as if walking by night—this is your fifth blindness.