廣弘明集 7.27

7.27

嵩云不勸立曲見伽藍者。以損傷人畜故也。若作則乖諸佛大慈。昔育王造塔。一日而役萬神。今造浮圖。累年而損財命。況復和土作泥塼瓦成日。為草蟲而作火劫。助螻蟻而起水災。仰度仁慈未應垂許。斯誠誡也。故比丘造房先除妨難。有損命者必不得為。重物起慈即為仁塔。理極正矣。事罕行之。

When Song said that he did not urge the erection of crooked-view saṅghārāmas, it was because they injure humans and beasts. If they are built, this goes contrary to the great compassion of all Buddhas. In antiquity King Aśoka built pagodas, employing myriad spirits in a single day. Today, building stupas exhausts wealth and lives over successive years. Moreover, blending earth into mud and firing bricks and tiles to completion creates a kalpa-ending fire for insects in the grass and brings about a flood disaster upon ants. Looking up to measure benevolence and compassion, this should never be permitted. This is truly an admonition. Therefore, when bhikṣus construct dwellings, they first eliminate obstacles and dangers; if it would harm life, it must by no means be done. Treasuring living things and giving rise to compassion is itself the pagoda of benevolence. The principle is extremely correct, yet in practice it is rarely carried out.