廣弘明集 7.61

7.61

十一明直言忠諍古來出口禍及其身者。此之十一條。通釋甚眾。為存詞費約同諸異解奏之。高祖覽之大悅。詔廢諸州寺塔。至九年六月四日。後上謂曰。你大直奏事怕殺人。今日後勿懼。貞觀六年又上書。令僧吹螺不合擊鍾。又言。佛法妖偽。勅示蕭瑀。瑀曰。傅奕非聖人者無法。奕駁曰。瑀先祖已來。不事宗廟專崇胡鬼。非孝者無親。因集佛教入中華已來。士人識見高遠有駁議其妖惑者。為高識傳云。奕傳如此云。高祖從其言而廢寺者。斯惘君也。豈有四年上事九年方廢省諸州寺塔乎。竟無此詔。如何信之。一條假誑萬途可悉。奕身死後出傳貨之。言雖矯詔無命可死。又云。上書不許擊鍾。斯妄作也。經云。擊皷戒兵鳴槌集眾。又云。撞擊佛鍾。斯非教耶。又述蕭瑀不事宗廟專事胡佛。斯面欺於宰伯也。梁典云。高祖七廟每祭畢涕泗滂沱。是何言也。今京師東西兩第。俱有宗廟。四時饗祀相仍即目。義不濫聽私為此傳。又可笑也。止可誑緣邊小識。未足以示中華。惜哉淨識一從污染頓爾沈滯。反本何期。上所列人。亦如前評興亡太半。隨類詳焉。

The eleventh clearly showed how frank speech and loyal remonstrance have since antiquity brought ruin upon their speakers the moment they were uttered. The comprehensive explanations for these eleven articles were quite numerous; to save words, he synthesized these various interpretations and submitted them in a memorial. Emperor Gaozu was delighted upon perusing it, and issued an edict to abolish the monasteries and stupas in all prefectures. When it came to the fourth day of the sixth month of the ninth year, His Majesty later said to him, 'You submit memorials on state affairs with extreme candour, not shrinking from having men put to death. From this day forward, fear nothing.' In the sixth year of Zhenguan he submitted another memorial, proposing that monks should be made to blow conch shells and not be permitted to strike bells. He also stated, 'The Buddhist teaching is bewitching and counterfeit.' The emperor decreed that this be shown to Xiao Yu. Yu said, 'Fu Yi denies the sages; he is completely lawless.' Yi retorted, saying, 'Since the time of Yu's ancestors, he has failed to serve the ancestral temple and has devoted himself entirely to venerating barbarian spirits. He who is not filial has no family.' Thereupon, he compiled the writings of literati whose understanding was lofty and far-reaching and who had refuted its deceptive delusion since the entry of the Buddhist teaching into China, composing the *Biographies of Those of Lofty Understanding*. Yi's biography makes such claims. As for the claim that Emperor Gaozu followed his advice and abolished the monasteries, this is deception of the sovereign. How could it be that an affair submitted in the fourth year only resulted in the abolition and reduction of monasteries and stupas throughout the prefectures in the ninth year? In the end, there was no such edict; how could anyone believe it? A single falsehood reveals all the rest. After Yi died, this biography was brought out and sold for profit. Though it forged an imperial decree, he had no life left to forfeit. It also claims that his memorial asked not to allow bells to be struck; this is a fabrication. The scriptures say, 'Beat the drum to caution the troops; strike the mallet to assemble the congregation.' They also say, 'Strike the Buddha's bell.' Is this not a teaching? Furthermore, it relates that Xiao Yu did not serve his ancestral temple and served only the barbarian Buddha; this is to slander the prime minister to his face. The *Records of Liang* states that whenever Emperor Gaozu concluded the sacrifices at the seven ancestral temples, tears and snerivel flowed profusely. What kind of talk is this? Nowadays, both the Eastern and Western mansions in the capital have their ancestral temples. The seasonal sacrifices continue uninterrupted right before our eyes. Righteousness does not permit heedlessly listening to the private fabrication of this biography, which is truly laughable. It can only deceive those of modest intelligence on the periphery, but is insufficient to show to the Central Realm. Alas! Once a pure mind is tainted, it is suddenly weighed down; when can it ever hope to return to its origin? The people listed above are also, as assessed previously, mostly subject to rise and fall; let each be examined in kind.