廣弘明集 6.38

6.38

會稽人。仕宋明帝為中書。善容止直忤言。帝好奕頗廢政事。愿曰。堯以此教丹朱。非人主所好。帝怒令曳下殿。初無懼色。二三日復召來明帝以所居故第起湘宮寺。製置宏壯。愿曰。此寺穿掘傷螻蟻。塼瓦焚虫豸。勞役之苦百姓筋力。販妻貿子呼嗟滿路。佛若有知。念其有罪。佛若無知。作之何益。忤旨出守晉安。此寔大慈之本懷。得佛之遺寄。而奕謂為除彈匪其意乎。

A native of Kuaiji. Under Emperor Ming of the Song, he served as a Secretariat Drafter. He was skilled in demeanor and uprightly offered blunt admonitions. The emperor was fond of chess and neglected administrative affairs considerably. Yuan said, 'Yao used this to instruct Danzhu; it is not what a ruler of men should be fond of.' The emperor was enraged and ordered him dragged down from the hall. Initially, [Yuan] showed no fear. Two or three days later, he was summoned back again. Emperor Ming used his former residence to establish the Xianggong Temple, its construction grand and magnificent. Yuan said, 'Digging and excavating for this temple injures ants; burning bricks and tiles scorches insects. The bitter toil of corvée wears down the strength of the common people. Selling wives and bartering children, their weeping and groaning fill the roads. If the Buddha is omniscient, he will lament their guilt; if the Buddha is not omniscient, what benefit is there in building it?' Offending the imperial will, he was dispatched to govern Jin'an. This was truly the original intent of great compassion, which attained the bequest of the Buddha; yet [Fu] Yi called it a censure and dismissal [of Buddhism]—was this not contrary to [Yuan's] intention?