廣弘明集 26.48

26.48

弟子蕭衍。又復敬白。諸大德僧尼諸義學僧尼諸寺三官。北山蔣帝猶且去殺。若以不殺祈願輒得上教。若以殺祈願輒不得教想。今日大眾已應聞知。弟子已勒諸廟祀及以百姓凡諸群祀。若有祈報者皆不得薦生類。各盡誠心止修蔬供。蔣帝今日行菩薩道。諸出家人云何反食眾生行諸魔行。一日北山為蔣帝齋。所以皆請菜食僧者。正以幽靈悉能鑒見。若不菜食僧作菜食往。將恐蔣帝惡賤佛法怪望弟子。是諸法師當見此意。

Your disciple Xiao Yan again respectfully addresses you: All venerable monks and nuns, all doctrinal monks and nuns, and all three officers of the monasteries: Emperor Jiang of the Northern Mountain has already eliminated killing. If one prays with non-killing, one immediately obtains an auspicious response; if one prays with killing, one immediately fails to obtain a response. I imagine the great assembly today must have heard of this. Your disciple has already instructed all shrines and the common people that in all sacrifices, if there are prayers and thanksgiving, none may offer living beings; each must exhaust their sincerity and only present vegetarian offerings. Emperor Jiang today practices the bodhisattva path. Why do the renunciants, on the contrary, devour sentient beings and practice the deeds of māras? The other day, when a vegetarian feast was held for Emperor Jiang at the Northern Mountain, the reason why only vegetarian monks were invited was precisely because the hidden spirits can see everything clearly. If non-vegetarian monks were to pretend to eat vegetarian food and go there, I fear that Emperor Jiang would despise the Buddha-dharma and blame your disciple. All Dharma masters should perceive this intention.