廣弘明集 25.34

25.34

僧道宣等白朝宰群公。伏見詔書令僧致敬君父。事理深遠非淺情能測。夫以出家之迹列聖齊規。真俗之科百王同軌。干木在魏。高杭而謁文侯。子陵居漢。長揖而尋光武。彼稱小道尚懷高蹈之門。豈此沙門不垂閑放之美。但以三寶嚮位。用敷歸敬之儀。五眾陳誠。載啟福田之道。今削同儒禮。則佛非出俗之人。下拜君父。則僧非可敬之色。是則三寶通廢。歸戒絕於人倫。儒道是師孔經尊於釋典。在昔晉宋備有前規。八座詳議足為龜鏡。僧等荷國重寄開放出家。奉法行道仰承聖則。忽令致拜有累深經。俯仰栖遑罔知投庇。謹列內經及以故事。具舉如前。用簡朝議請垂詳採。敬白。至五月十五日。大集文武官僚九品以上并州縣官等千有餘人。總坐中臺都堂將議其事。時京邑西明寺沙門道宣。大莊嚴寺沙門威秀。大慈恩寺沙門靈會。弘福寺沙門會隱等三百餘人。并將經文及以前狀。陳其故事以申厥理。時司禮太常伯隴西郡王博謂諸沙門曰。勅令俗官詳議。師等可退。時群議紛紜不能畫一。隴西王曰。佛法傳通帝代既遠。下勅令拜君親又許朝議。今眾人立理未可通遵。司禮既曰職司。可先建議。同者署名。不同則止。時司禮大夫孔志。約執筆述狀如後。令主事大讀訖。遂依位署。人將太半。左肅機崔餘慶曰。勅令司別立議。未可輒承。司禮請散可各隨別狀送臺。時所送議文抑揚駁雜。今謹依所司上下區以別之。先列不拜之文。次陳兼拜之狀。後述致拜之議。善惡咸錄件之如左焉。

The monk Daoxuan and others address the court ministers and grand dukes: We humbly observe that the edict commands monks to pay homage to the ruler and fathers. The underlying principles of this matter are profound and far-reaching, not to be measured by shallow feelings. Now, the traces of leaving home follow the same rule as the ranks of sages; the regulations for the real and the conventional are the same path for a hundred kings. When Ganmu was in Wei, he held himself aloof and called upon Marquess Wen; when Ziling dwelt in Han, he bowed with folded hands and sought out Guangwu. Even those praised as following minor paths still cherished the path of lofty withdrawal; how could these śramaṇas not display the beauty of leisurely detachment? It is only that with the Three Jewels occupying the place of reverence, the rituals of taking refuge and veneration are thereby displayed; the Five Assemblies offer their sincerity, and the path of the field of merit is thereby opened. Now, to reduce them to conformity with Confucian rites would mean that the Buddha is not a person who transcended the mundane; to bow down to the ruler and fathers would mean that a monk is not an appearance worthy of reverence. If so, then the Three Jewels would all be abolished, and refuge and precepts would be severed from human relations; Confucianism and Daoism would become the teachers, and the Confucian scriptures would be esteemed above the Śākya canon. In the past, under the Jin and Song dynasties, precedents were fully established; the detailed deliberations of the Eight Ministries suffice as a clear mirror. We monks, having been entrusted with the state's grave responsibility and permitted to leave home, uphold the Dharma and practice the Way, reverently receiving the sacred guidelines. Suddenly being ordered to pay homage will bring distress to the profound scriptures; bowing and looking up in anxiety, we know not where to seek refuge. We have respectfully listed the internal scriptures and historical precedents, citing them fully as above, to submit for court deliberation, begging that you deign to examine and adopt them. Respectfully submitted. On the fifteenth day of the fifth month, a great assembly of civil and military officials of the ninth rank and above, together with prefectural and county officials, totaling over a thousand people, sat together in the Grand Hall of the Central Department to deliberate on the matter. At that time, Śramaṇa Daoxuan of Ximing Temple in the capital, Śramaṇa Weixiu of Dazhuangyan Temple, Śramaṇa Linghui of Dacien Temple, Śramaṇa Huiyin of Hongfu Temple, and others, more than three hundred people in total, took the scriptural passages and the earlier memorial, presenting their historical precedents to set forth their reasoning. At that time, the Director of Sacrificial Rites, Po, Prince of Longxi Commandery, said to the śramaṇas: 'The imperial decree ordered worldly officials to deliberate in detail; the masters may withdraw.' At that time, the various opinions were divided and could not be harmonized. The Prince of Longxi said: 'The transmission of the Buddha-Dharma across imperial reigns has been long. An edict was issued ordering homage to the ruler and parents, but also permitting court deliberation. Now that everyone has established their arguments, they cannot be universally followed. Since the Ministry of Rites is the office responsible, it may propose a draft first; those who agree may sign their names, and those who disagree need not.' At that time, Grandee of the Ministry of Rites Kong Zhiyue held the brush and drew up the memorial as follows below. He ordered the director of affairs to read it aloud, whereupon they signed according to their rank; those who signed were nearly a majority. Director of the Left Cui Yuqing said: 'The decree ordered the offices to establish deliberations separately; this cannot be adopted on one's own authority. The Ministry of Rites is requested to dismiss the assembly; each may submit their separate memorials to the Department.' At that time, the submitted memorials varied widely and were mixed in their affirmations and denials. Now, respectfully distinguishing them according to the rank of the responsible offices, I first present the texts against paying homage, next set forth the memorials for paying partial homage, and finally recount the deliberations for paying homage. Both the good and the bad are recorded, itemized as follows: