廣弘明集 25.17

25.17

貞觀十一年駕巡洛邑。黃巾先有與僧論者。聞之於上。乃下詔云。老君垂範義在清虛。釋迦貽則理存因果。求其教也。汲引之迹殊途。求其宗也。弘益之風齊致。然大道之興肇於遂古。源出無名之始。事高有形之外。邁兩儀而運行。包萬物而亭育。故能經邦致治反樸還淳。至如佛教之興。基於西域。逮於後漢。方被中土。神變之理多方。報應之緣匪一。洎於近世崇信滋深。人冀當年之福。家懼來生之禍。由是滯俗者聞玄宗而大笑。好異者望真諦而爭歸。始波涌於閭里。終風靡於朝庭。遂使殊俗之典。欝為眾妙之先。諸華之教。翻居一乘之後。流遯忘返于茲累代。今鼎祚克昌。既憑上德之慶。天下大定。亦賴無為之功。宜有解張闡茲玄化。自今已後齋供行立。至於稱謂道士女官可在僧尼之前。庶敦反本之俗暢於九有。尊祖之風貽諸萬葉。時京邑僧徒各陳極諫。有司不納。沙門智實後生俊頴內外兼明。携諸夙老隨駕陳表。乃至關口。其表略云。僧某等言。某年迫桑榆。始逢太平之世。貌同蒲柳。方值聖明之君。竊聞父有諍子君有諍臣。某等雖預出家。仍在臣子之例。有犯無隱。敢不陳之。伏見詔書。國家本系出自柱下。尊祖之風形于前典。頒告天下無德而稱。令道士等在僧尼之上。奉以周旋豈敢拒詔。尋老君垂範治國治家。所佩服章亦無改異。不立館宇不領門人。處柱下以全真。隱龍德而養性。智者見之謂之智。愚者見之謂之愚。非魯司寇莫之能識。今之道士不遵其法。所著冠服並是黃巾之餘。本非老君之裔。行三張之穢術。棄五千之妙門。反同張陵漫行章句。從漢魏以來。常以鬼道化於浮俗。妄託老君之後。實是左道之苗。若位在僧之上。誠恐真偽同流有損國化。如不陳奏何以表臣子之情。謹錄道經及漢魏諸史佛先道後之事。如別所陳。伏願天慈曲垂聽覽。

In the eleventh year of the Zhenguan era (637 CE), the imperial entourage toured the city of Luoyang. Daoists had previously debated with Buddhist monks, and this was brought to the emperor's attention. He thereupon issued an edict saying: 'Laojun’s transmitted models held their purpose in clarity and vacuity; Śākyamuni’s bequeathed principles rested their logic on cause and effect. If we examine their teachings, their methods of guiding beings follow different paths; if we examine their purpose, their style of broadly benefiting beings reaches the same end. However, the rise of the Great Way originated in high antiquity, its source emerging from the beginning of the nameless, its operations transcending beyond the visible, surpassing the two forms [of Heaven and Earth] in its movement and encompassing the ten thousand things in its nurturing. Thus it can order the state and bring about governance, returning to simplicity and restoring purity. As for the rise of Buddhism, it was founded in the Western Regions; not until the Later Han did it reach the Central Lands. The principles of its divine transformations are manifold, and its conditions of retribution are more than one. Down to recent times, veneration and faith have grown increasingly deep: individuals hope for blessings in their current life, and households fear disasters in the life to come. Because of this, those steeped in vulgarity laugh loudly upon hearing the Mysterious School, while those fond of the novel vie to take refuge upon seeing the ultimate truth. First it surged like waves through neighborhoods, and finally it swept like the wind across the imperial court. Consequently, the scriptures of a foreign land have flourished to take precedence over all marvels, whereas the teachings of the various Hua peoples have conversely been placed behind the One Vehicle. Wandering adrift, people have forgotten to return for successive generations. Now that the imperial destiny is auspicious and prosperous, having already relied on the blessings of superior virtue, and all under Heaven is greatly settled, also depending on the merit of non-action, it is appropriate to readjust the strings and expound this mysterious transformation. From this time forward, in vegetarian feasts and offerings, walking and standing, and down to titles and appellations, Daoist priests and female practitioners may precede Buddhist monks and nuns. We hope to strengthen the custom of returning to the origin and disseminate it across the nine regions, and bequeath the tradition of honoring the ancestors to ten thousand generations.' At that time, the monastic community of the capital submitted extreme admonitions, but the authorities did not accept them. The śramaṇa Zhishi, a brilliant young talent who was clear-sighted in both internal and external learning, accompanied several elders to follow the imperial entourage and submit a memorial, reaching as far as the pass. Their memorial said in brief: 'The monk [Zhishi] and others state: Our years are approaching the mulberry and elm, only now encountering an age of great peace; our forms resemble willows and rushes, just now meeting a sage and enlightened ruler. We have heard that a father has sons who remonstrate, and a ruler has ministers who remonstrate. Although we have entered the household-renouncing life, we remain within the rank of subjects and sons; when an offense is committed, nothing should be hidden—how would we dare not state it? We have respectfully seen the edict stating that the state's ancestral lineage derives from the Pillar Clerk [Laozi], and that the practice of honoring ancestors was expressed in ancient classics; it was proclaimed to all under Heaven as an ineffable virtue, ordering that Daoist priests and others be ranked above monks and nuns. Serving to carry this out, how would we dare resist the edict? Yet upon examining how Laojun left his models to govern the state and order the family, the robes and emblems he wore were not changed or made unusual. He established no abbeys and led no disciples; dwelling as the Pillar Clerk, he preserved the true, and hiding his dragon-like virtue, he nourished his nature. When the wise see it, they call it wisdom; when the foolish see it, they call it folly; none could recognize him except the Minister of Justice of Lu [Confucius]. The Daoists of today do not follow his law. The caps and robes they wear are all the remnants of the Yellow Turbans; they are originally not the descendants of Laojun. Practicing the defiled arts of the Three Zhangs and discarding the wondrous gate of the five-thousand [characters], they conversely resemble Zhang Ling in freely practicing talismans and registers. Since the Han and Wei dynasties, they have constantly used the way of ghosts to transform vulgar folk, falsely claiming descent from Laojun when in reality they are the offshoots of heterodox paths. If their status is placed above monks, we truly fear that the true and the counterfeit will mingle together, harming the transformation of the state. If we do not submit this memorial, how could we express our feelings as subjects and sons? We have respectfully recorded the matters from the Daoist scriptures and the various histories of the Han and Wei where Buddhism comes before Daoism, as set forth in a separate presentation. We humbly hope that the Heavenly Compassion will condescendingly deign to hear and examine it.'