廣弘明集 28.105

28.105

門下昔歲周道既衰。群兇鼎沸。鄴城之地寔為禍始。或驅逼良善。或同惡相濟。四海之內過半豺狼。兆庶之廣咸憂吞噬。朕出車練卒。盪滌妖醜。誠有倒戈。不無困戰。將士奮發肆其威武。如火燎毛殆無遺燼。于時朕在廊廟任當朝宰。德慚動物民陷網羅。空切罪己之誠。唯增見辜之泣。然兵者凶器。戰實危機。節義之徒輕生忘死。干戈之下又聞徂落。興言震悼日久逾深。永念群生蹈兵刃之苦。有懷至道興度脫之業。物我同遇觀智俱愍。思建福田神功祐助。庶望死事之臣。菩提增長。悖逆之侶。從闇入明。並究苦空咸拔生死。鯨鯢之觀。化為微妙之臺。龍蛇之野。永作頗梨之鏡。無邊有性盡入法門。可於相州戰地。建伽藍一所立碑紀事。其營構制度置僧多少。寺之名目有司詳議以聞。

From the Chancellery: In past years, as the way of the Zhou waned, the villainous multitude seethed like a boiling cauldron. The land of the city of Ye was indeed the origin of the calamity. Some coerced the good and upright; others joined in iniquity to succour each other. Within the four seas, more than half were jackals and wolves; across the vast populace, all feared being swallowed up. We dispatched chariots and drilled soldiers to sweep clean the monstrous and ugly. Truly, some turned their weapons around, yet there was no lack of desperate combat. Officers and men surged forth and unleashed their martial might; like fire singeing hair, scarcely any ash was left. At that time, We were in the imperial halls, charged with the office of prime minister. Our virtue fell short of moving creatures; the people fell into snares and nets. In vain did Our sincere wish to blame Ourself press upon Us; it only increased Our tears over seeing the suffering of the innocent. Yet weapons are instruments of ill omen, and warfare is truly a critical danger. Those of integrity and duty held life lightly and forgot death; beneath shields and spears, their demise was heard again and again. Uttering these words, Our shock and sorrow grow ever deeper with the passing days. Constantly pondering the pain of all living beings treading upon blade and spear, We harbour a yearning for the Supreme Way and initiate an undertaking for their deliverance. When self and other meet in common affliction, contemplating wisdom pities both equally. We desire to plant a field of merit, seeking divine potency to assist and protect, in the hope that ministers who died for the state may increase in bodhi, and comrades in rebellion may pass from darkness into light; that all may fathom suffering and emptiness and be plucked from birth and death. May the sight of piled-up corpses be transformed into a terrace of subtle wonder; may the fields of dragons and serpents forever become a mirror of crystal. May the boundless sentient beings all enter the Dharma-gate. On the battlegrounds of Xiangzhou, let one saṅghārāma be erected and a stele set up to record these events. As for its architectural scale and regulations, the number of monks to be installed, and the title and appellation of the monastery, let the relevant offices deliberate in detail and present their report.