廣弘明集 10.54

10.54

Your servant Guang further replies: To subject unprincipled, wealthy monks to taxation is reasonable; but to confiscate the temples of virtuous, poor monks is unjust. When Guan and Cai proved disloyal, the entire Ji clan was not slaughtered; when Bu Shang was narrow and stingy, the disciples of Confucius were not all dismissed at once. A boy herding horses first removes the horses that disrupt the herd; a youth grazing cattle cherishes and protects the cattle that guard the herd. Zhuangzi said: 'The Way is nowhere absent. Those who tally with it understand; those who encounter only oddities have not yet joined with the utmost Way.' It is simply this! Śākyamuni, the Duke of Zhou, Confucius, Yao, Shun, Laozi, and Zhuangzi—though the traces of their teachings differ, their fundamental aim is one. How could the era of knotted cords alone be called righteous governance, while the tonsured monks alone are called an expedient path? Such narrow adherence to rigid views is extreme! Where can the understanding of evening all things find a place? Laozi said: 'When the highest gentleman hears of the Way, he diligently practices it. When the middling gentleman hears of the Way, it seems now present, now lost. When the lowest gentleman hears of the Way, he laughs loudly and slanders it.' Yuansong is indeed the lowest gentleman in the Buddha's Dharma: he falsely adopted the appearance of the Dharma robes, yet did not recognize the jade of Jing; he misjudged the treasure of He; foul words issued from his deceptive mouth, and arrogance dripped from the tip of his brush. If there were any men of caliber left in the region west of the Pass, who would believe such absurd writings? I have seen travellers who fled over mountains and crossed the seas, and people of the eastern and northern barbarians, who formerly came out of longing for the good, but are now scattered and dispersed because the Dharma was destroyed. It can be said that when one loves profit and does not cherish scholars and the common people, the misfortune of estrangement and loss follows. However, while we have never heard of foreign goods and treasures being rejected, the instructions of a foreign master alone are treated with contempt. That the empire looks upon this with bewilderment arises precisely from this. Since my sincerity lies in being mindful of loyalty and trust, there are principles that should naturally be spoken of, and I had hoped to submit this petition earlier. But because the late emperor held a different understanding and accepted Yuansong's words, what is past cannot be undone and finished matters cannot be reproached. Three years have passed—a long time. Only after thrice thinking it over do I speak. If there is even one point worthy of being followed, I beg that the regulations be promptly amended.