廣弘明集 16.34

16.34

此州伽藍支提基列。雖多設莊嚴盛修供具。觀其外迹必備華侈。在乎意地實有未弘。何者。凡鑄金刻玉鏤漆圖瓦。蓋所以仰傳應身遠注靈覺。羨龍瓶之始晨。追鵠林之餘慕。故祭神如在。敬神之道既極。去聖茲遠。懷聖之理必深。此土諸寺止乎應生之日則暫列形像。自斯已後封以篋笥。乃至葉服離身尋炎去頂。或十尊五聖共處一厨。或大士如來俱藏一櫃。信可謂心與事背貌是情非。增上意多精進心少。昔塔裏紅函止傳舍利。象頭白繖非謂全身。夫以畫像追陳。尚使吏民識敬。鎔金圖範。終令越主懷思。匹以龍阿尚能躍鞘。方之虎兕猶稱出匣。況復最大圓慈無上善聚。聞名去煩見形入道。而可慢此雕香蘊斯木櫁。緘匿玉毫封印金掌。既殊羅閱久入四天。又異祇洹掩戶三月。寶殿空臨瓊階虛敞。密帷不開。非仲舒之曲學。紅壁長掩。似邠卿之避讎。且廣廈雲垂崇甍鳥跂。若施之玉座飾以金鈿。必不塵靄輪姿翳點月面。瑠璃密窓。自可輕風難入。龍鬚細網。足使飛燕不過。兼得虔敬之理必崇。接足之心彌重。可即宣勒永使准行。

In this province, monasteries and caityas stand in rows on their foundations. Although many decorations are provided and offerings are lavishly prepared, when one observes their external appearance, they are invariably luxurious and extravagant, yet in the realm of mind there is truly something not yet broadened. Why is this? In casting gold, carving jade, incising lacquer, and painting tiles, one's purpose is to reverently transmit the responsive body and direct one's thoughts from afar to the miraculous awakening, yearning for the first dawn at the Kundika Dragon and pursuing the lingering longing for the Crane Forest. Therefore, 'Sacrifice to the spirits as if they were present.' When the way of revering the spirits is carried to the utmost, then the further we are from the Sage, the deeper the principle of cherishing the Sage must be. The various monasteries of this land merely display images temporarily on the day of his responsive birth; from then on, they lock them away in boxes and hampers. They even take the leaf garments from their bodies, and straightaway remove the flames from their crowns. Sometimes ten Honoured Ones and five Sages dwell together in a single cupboard; sometimes Great Beings and Tathāgatas are hidden together in one chest. Truly it may be said that their minds are contrary to their deeds, their outward appearance is right but their feeling is wrong; prideful thoughts abound, while the mind of vigor is slight. In ancient times, the red casket within the stupa merely transmitted relics; the white parasol at the Elephant Head did not signify the whole body. Now, pursuing the past through painted portraits can still cause officials and commoners to know reverence; casting statues in gold will ultimately make the King of Yue cherish memories. By analogy, the Longquan sword can still leap from its scabbard; likened to tigers and wild oxen, they are still spoken of as escaping their cage. How much more so for the Greatest and Perfectly Compassionate, the Unsurpassed Mass of Goodness! Hearing his name dispels affliction; seeing his form leads one onto the Path. How could one treat this carved incense with neglect, or stow this wooden image away, concealing the jade ūrṇā and sealing up the golden palms? This is neither like Rājagṛha, where he entered the Four Deva Realms for a long time, nor like the Jetavana, where he closed the door for three months. The jeweled hall is visited in vain, the jade stairs are open to emptiness; the dense curtains are not opened, yet this is not Dong Zhongshu's crooked scholarship; the red walls are kept shut, seeming like Shaobing avoiding his enemy. Moreover, the vast halls have clouds hanging over them, and the lofty eaves rise like perching birds. If they are placed upon jade thrones and adorned with golden ornaments, no dust or haze will surely obscure the wheel-like countenance, nor speckle the moon-like face. Dense lapis lazuli windows will naturally keep gentle breezes from entering; fine dragon-whisker screens will suffice to keep flying swallows from passing through. In addition, the principle of reverent respect will surely be exalted, and the mind of bowing to the feet will be even deeper. Let an instruction be issued immediately, making this an everlasting model to follow.