廣弘明集 11
English (machine translation) 11
- Language
- English
11.1
Compiled by the śramaṇa Shi Daoxuan of Ximing Temple in the Great Tang
11.2
"Discerning Delusions," Chapter 2, Part 7
11.3
Tang Memorial on Abolishing and Reducing Buddhist Monks, by Director of the Astrological Bureau Fu Yi;
Tang Admonition on Abolishing and Reducing Buddhist Monks (appended with a refutation of the previous memorial), by the śramaṇa Shi Falin;
Tang Treatise on Smashing Heterodoxy (with memorial), by the śramaṇa Shi Falin.
11.4
Eleven Articles on Reducing Temples and Stupas and Laicizing Monks and Nuns, Submitted by Subject Fu Yi, Director of the Astrological Bureau and Grand Master of Closing Court
11.5
Your subject [Fu] Yi states: I have heard that the governance of Fuxi, Shennong, Xuanyuan, and Zhuanxu harmonized with the ways of Li Lao (Critique: The *Classic of Poetry* says: "Superiors use moral influence to transform those below; those below use satirical criticism to remonstrate superiors." Laozi was a keeper of the archives under the Zhou, like the present-day secretarial officials. He was fundamentally not a Son of Heaven; what moral influence did he have that the sovereign rulers Fuxi and Shennong should unite with him in governance?), and that the administration of Yu, Xia, Tang, and the Ji family conformed to the teachings of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius (Critique: The Duke of Zhou and Confucius were both ministers of the state. They expounded the teachings of Yu and Xia to those above, and transformed the frivolous populace below. Neither was a king of men, nor could they make themselves heads of a teaching. How could the four rulers of Yu and Xia conform in reverse to the teachings of Zhou and Confucius?). Although sages appear earlier and later, their Way and virtue do not differ; rulers undergo dynastic changes, but their methods of governance remain the same. I have heard that an eighty-year-old elder clapped the soil and sang, and fifteen-year-old youths patted their bellies in joy. In plowing, people yielded field borders; on the roads, dropped items were not picked up. Filial sons maintained their families, and loyal ministers filled the state. If the sovereign faced peril, they gave their lives to avenge him (Critique: Since the state was entirely filled with loyal ministers, how could there be perils? The faction of Tian Chang and the Six Ministers should not have risen in rebellion), and if their parents were ill, they attended by their side for their whole lives. Was it not that the peers of Zeng Can and Minzi filled the schools like a forest, and the likes of Mo Di and Geng Gong came in succession to support and defend [the ruler]? (Critique: Across twenty-nine dynasties there was only one Zeng Can; before Emperor Gao of Han, only Minzi was praised. The claim that they 'filled schools like a forest' has no basis in fact; the memorial's assertion of 'support and defense' is utterly empty. This exaggerates matters excessively!) There were those who preserved the Way, harbored virtue, and had neither desire nor seeking (Critique: Zhouyu and Shuduan could not preserve the Way; Jie of Xia and Zhou of Yin engaged solely in greed and pursuit), who were 'apprehensive alike in favor and disgrace' while serving in the court ranks (Critique: Pan Chong, Yi, and Zhuo were never willing to be apprehensive; the Ji clan and Yang Huo also sat in the ranks of the court). Atop the cauldron of Mount Jing, they clutched the dragon and ascended; beside the altar of Goushi, they followed in riding the crane. The emissaries of the Queen Mother of the Jade Pool arrived at court bearing all rituals, and the deities of the Blue Sea and the Wuyi traversed the realm to visit the emperor. Why was this so? It was because at that time, all jointly revered the teachings of Li [Lao] and Confucius (Critique: The Yellow Emperor's ascension on the dragon occurred in the era of the Three Sovereigns. The Queen Mother of the Jade Pool was also in the time of King Mu of Zhou. Calculating this, it was before Li Lao had appeared and when Kong Qiu had made no name. They should not instead have revered Lao[zi]'s teaching and studied Confucius's books), and because there was no barbarian Buddha! (Critique: Since you claim there is no Buddha, neither can there be the Dao.) Since Han Emperor Ming slept at night and a golden man entered his dream, and Fu Yi replied to the edict defining him as a barbarian deity (Critique: If he had not come in the Zhou era, how would Fu Yi have known there was a Buddha? It was precisely because he had existed earlier that the Fu clan was able to know of him. Your ancestor spoke of the Buddha, yet you claim the opposite, that he does not exist. The heavy calamity of the five heinous sins will bring you eternal kalpas of suffering!), the Central Plains in the Later Han did not yet believe in him (Critique: These empty words are excessive), and among the barbarian captives of the Wei and Jin, only a small fraction believed (Critique: Rituals, music, robes, and caps were first perfected in the Jin dynasty. Since you slanderously call them 'barbarian captives', then who was in the Central Xia?). Fu Rong relied on a Buddhist vegetarian feast to raise a rebellion and fled to the east of the river; Lü Guang feigned an expedition against the barbarians to rebel against his sovereign and established himself in the western lands (Critique: People of that time envied Fu Rong and slandered him, claiming he was gathering crowds. When Lü Guang returned from his expedition, ruler Fu's state had fallen, so he settled west of the river and established hegemony in Liangzhou. This was in no way due to monks rebelling and settling in the western lands). From that time onward, the bewitching barbarians flourished ever more, and more than half the population became a mixture [of Chinese and barbarians]. (Admonition: Permeated by compassion, it appears in the evil world of the final kalpa; that those with the karmic affinity achieve liberation is precisely through this.) Within the gates of official families, they instead receive the perverse precepts of shaven-headed men; in the studies of Confucian scholars, they inversely preach the wild words of bewitching barbarians. (Admonition: Officials don the robes of forbearance; Confucian scholars value the discourse of the Golden Mouth.) Their melodies resemble vulgar ditties, hearing which makes one lose one's foundation; their stench is like an abalone market, passing which makes one lose all fragrance. (Critique: It is you who utter vulgar sounds and exude your abalone stench! Those who listen to them will surely know they lose their foundation, and can those who pass by not lose their fragrance? Spitting at heaven with an upturned face, you merely bring disgrace upon yourself. Truly, this saying is confirmed!) Moreover, they extensively erect saṅghārāmas, magnificent in more ways than one, (Admonition: They create karmic causes for rebirth in heaven and plant the roots for liberation from suffering) toiling artisans so that a clay barbarian can sit alone. (Admonition: They vie to use their hands to fashion the images of the Holy Honoured One.) They strike the great bells of China to summon false assemblies of foreign monks, (Admonition: They ring divine bells refined a hundred times to assemble the holy multitude of three thousand) agitating the ears and eyes of simple folk and soliciting wealth for private gain. (Admonition: They inspire the ears and eyes of faithful hearts and dispel the wealth of greed and delusion.) The silk gauze of needlewomen is cut to make banners for illicit sacrifices, and the gold and silver of skilled craftsmen are squandered to carve reliquary mounds for śarīra. (Admonition: The silk gauze of needlewomen is made into life-prolonging banners, and the gold and silver of skilled craftsmen erects stūpas for the dispersed relics.) Fine grains, flour, and rice are lavishly laid out for assemblies of monks and nuns; fragrant oil and wax candles uselessly illuminate the halls of barbarian spirits. (Admonition: Fine grains, rice, and flour are eagerly presented at assemblies of the field of merit; fragrant oil and wax candles seek to illuminate the halls of compassion.) Stripping the people's wealth and carving away the state's reserves, the noble ministers of the court have not had a single realization. How truly lamentable! (Critique: The court examines antiquity, renounces the worldly, and returns to the true; revering the lineage of the Śākya, it does not share perverse views.) Humbly I consider that
11.6
Your Majesty establishes the opening and closing of heaven's gate, renewing the precious throne, smoothing the obstructions and prosperities of the myriad things, and once again nurturing the black-haired people. Spread the non-action manner of Li Lao so that the people transform themselves; uphold the ritual of love and respect of Kong Qiu so that all under heaven practice filiality and compassion. Furthermore, the sūtras and teachings of the Buddha falsely proclaim sins and blessings, (Admonition: Investigating the origin of the teaching, it reveals the gate for people to cut off evil and opens the path for people to practice good) and soldiers and civilians fleeing corvée shave their hair to hide within them, failing to serve their two parents and exclusively practicing the ten evils. (Admonition: They renounce the affectionate love of their two parents to cultivate the benevolent manner of the ten virtues, bearing minor transgressions to achieve great compliance.) If they are not eliminated through the months and years, their treachery and deceit will grow even worse. I have examined the records and tallies from Baoxi down to Emperor Gao of Han: across twenty-nine dynasties and over four hundred rulers, one only hears of suburban sacrifices to the Lord on High, (Critique: The Round Altar and the southern suburbs do not escape the blame of killing living beings; how can they compare with the Buddhist precept where non-killing comes first? Weighing right and wrong, it can certainly be known!) with officials governing and people being examined; never has a temple hall or bronze image been seen to establish a society or pacify a state. I request that the perverse teaching of the barbarian Buddha be sent back to India, (Admonition: When conditions resonate, it flourishes; when the task is accomplished, it ceases. Coming and going, it responds to beings, concealing or revealing according to the time) and all śramaṇas be sent back to their home villages, so that the gangs evading their duties may all take pleasure in paying rent, and the groups dodging corvée may constantly rejoice in devoting their labor, rather than ordaining shaven-headed youngsters who make long bows without prostrating before the state. (Critique: Formerly, Yan Ziling did not bow to the Son of Heaven, and Zhao Yuanshu made a long bow to the Minister of Works; the canonical records praise their nobility. How much more so for the śramaṇa who is an otherworldly field of merit, and the son of Śākya who is a lofty gentleman beyond worldly things! To wish to make them pay homage and bow incurs deep harm; in principle, it cannot be allowed.) There will naturally be enough loyal ministers to stand night watch over the ancestral shrines. Then the Great Tang will be pacified, becoming the master of creation, and the common folk will be without troubles, becoming the people of Fuxi. (Critique: In the age of creation, people did not pay rent; the people of Fuxi patted their bellies and slept. When the sagely and enlightened is above, how could he believe the words of Cui Hao and Jiang Bin?) Your servant Yi is truly fearful and truly terrified, (Critique: Serving the ruler requires utmost loyalty, and words must be trustworthy. When a memorial is not true, the crime returns to oneself. Those who deceive the state must ultimately face the sword; how could mere fear and terror settle it?) and reverently presents eleven matters to benefit the state and profit the people as listed to the left. Respectfully submitted. (Critique: What you have memorialized damages the state and harms the people; it cannot be allowed!)
11.7
Memorial of a Treatise Presented to the Prince of Qin
11.8
The śramaṇa Falin and others present this memorial: Lin has heard that when feelings are intense, the voice must be mournful; when principles are correct, words must be straightforward. Therefore, an impoverished son longs to convey his words, and a toiling laborer desires to sing of his affairs. Why is this? I have observed that in the final years of the Daye era, all under heaven fell into ruin and chaos; heaven and earth were gloomy and dark, and the four seas were boiling over. Waves surged, dust flew, hills burned, and the plains blazed. The five horses severed the route of crossing the river; the seven youths sang the song of leveling fortresses. Beacon fires sounded alarms from time to time, feathered dispatches raced competitively, border passes were full of anxiety, and the night-watch kettles never ceased. The Way declined and virtue was disordered; fortune was exhausted and numbers reached their limit. Transport logistics were truly burdensome; heads were counted and grain baskets collected. Piles of corpses lay like wild grass; shed blood flowed into rivers. The people could barely survive, and living things were deeply weary, having nowhere to plead and no place to cast their bones. The common folk suffered under inverted hanging, and the myriad states were distressed without a master. How could one foresee that the sound of the Dharma wheel would fall silent, and the true teaching would decline? His Sagely Majesty raised the mind of condolence for the customs of the world, and complied with the mandate of August Heaven; thereupon he raised the righteous banner and unified the realm. At that time, religious and secular relied on his grace; Chinese and foreigners were universally pleased. Thereupon he harmonized heaven and earth, brought communication to the eight winds, fathomed yin and yang, and balanced the four seasons. He harmonized the states and set human relations in order; his merits surpassed mending the heavens, and his spirit equaled establishing the cosmic order. He sent down clouds and rain to nurture life; he unveiled the sun and moon to shine down. He manifested it through sounds and lights, and recorded it with cultural artifacts; his grace moistened the reeds on the path, and his transformation reached the insects and fish. Just as he was about to restate the Nine Categories and once again spread the Five Teachings, resurrecting the learning of the Stone Canal and disseminating the custom of the schools, inheriting from Xuanyuan and Fuxi from afar and matching Wen and Jing in the recent past—with his meritorious work ever-flourishing, so that people danced with their hands and stamped with their feet without realizing it—I have observed the matters submitted by Fu Yi. Before finishing reading it, my five viscera tore apart; when I had just completed reading it, my six emotions fractured. Alas! Perverse words bewilder what is correct, and māra's eloquence encroaches upon the true. It should not even be heard by the most foolish, let alone offend the Heavenly Hearing above! However, Yi occupies an important post of the time and enjoys the renown of public regard; how can he act contrary to human feelings and stir up evil without cause? Furthermore, his written words are shallow and crude, and the principles of the matters are unexplained, disgracing the canons and models of the former kings and injuring the manners and norms of human relations. Why is this? When a person speaks, the words must hit the mark. The Master said: 'If a single word is reasonable, all under heaven will submit to him; if a single deed runs contrary to the regular order, his wife and children will turn against him.' Looking at what Yi has submitted, surveying its general outline and probing it from beginning to end, it deceives the imperial court in many points and defames the sages most acutely. Yi's intention here was originally to promote himself through this means, shamelessly seeking advancement. He is truly incapable of benefiting the state and profiting the people; in the end, he is merely deluding and trifling with the court and the realm. Yet,
11.9
Your Majesty has responded to Heaven and conformed to the seasons, holding the charts and receiving the mandates, meeting the hearts of the ten thousand states, and bearing the blessings of the One Man. Your strength in upholding the endangered and saving the world, your merit in subduing the vicious and pacifying distress, already overshadow past kings in awe and surpass former emperors in renown. Furthermore, you turn your mind to the triratna and pay heed to the fields of merit, so that among all who have left the household, there is none who does not gratefully cherish the celestial benevolence. It is merely because monks like us have failed to observe and uphold the precepts and conduct so as to repay the state's grace, and ignorant fools have violated rules and committed offenses, that Fu Yi has been brought to utter these wicked words. We beat our breasts and stamp our feet in agonizing heartbreak, with nowhere to cast our bodies. Now, if monks and nuns have committed crimes, they willingly accept the ultimate punishment; but we resent that Yi lightly insults the sage, his words being fiercely venomous. We deeply fear that those of false views will, on this basis, practice wrongdoing. Consider that in the Spring and Autumn Annals, in the seventh year of Duke Zhuang of Lu, in the fourth month of summer, 'the constant stars were not seen, and the night was bright as day'—this was indeed the auspicious response at the time of the Buddha's birth. Furthermore, the Buddha possesses the two bodies of truth and response, the two wisdoms of the expedient and the real, the three vidyās, the eight liberations, the five eyes, and the six supernormal powers. His spirit is called inconceivable; His Dharma is termed the cessation of the tracks of mental activity. His Way: it conveys the multitude of sages into nirvāṇa. His power: it rescues lowly worldlings from the sea of suffering. Since the third year of the Yongping era of Emperor Ming of the Later Han, when he dreamed of the golden man, the image teaching flowed east, and its wondrous auguries have not been single; they are fully recorded in the various histories of Han and Wei, and the books of Yao and Shi. As for the likes of Dao'an and Daoli, the company of Fotudeng and Kumārajīva, all possessed exalted conduct and profound understanding, being famous monks of their age; all were recognized by rulers and kings, and revered by the noble and preeminent. For more than five hundred years since, temples and pagodas have spread throughout the nine provinces, and monks and nuns have filled the Three Auxiliaries. This has all been due to the contemporary monarchs' reverent faith, with court and countryside submitting their hearts. That the image teaching has flourished and continued down to the present without cessation is truly due to carrying the strength of human kings. In the world, between lord and minister, father and son, people still say that grace and favor are hard to repay, as boundless as the vast heavens; how much more so is the Buddha the transcendent compassionate father of sentient beings, and the excellent physician for both ordinary and holy! To desire to suppress and humiliate Him, to convict and insult Him, is impossible. Respectfully examining it: the Tathāgata's wisdom transcends being and non-being—how could the Three Sovereigns fathom it? His power encompasses creation—He cannot be compared to the Two Modes. Formerly, Pi, the Grand Minister of Wu, asked Kong Qiu: 'Is the Master a sage?' Confucius replied: 'Qiu has broad knowledge and a strong memory; I am not a sage.' He asked again: 'Were the Three Kings sages?' He replied: 'The Three Kings were good at employing wisdom and courage; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu.' He asked again: 'Were the Five Emperors sages?' He replied: 'The Five Emperors were good at employing benevolence and trustworthiness; whether they were sages is likewise not known to Qiu.' He asked again: 'Were the Three Sovereigns sages?' He replied: 'The Three Sovereigns were good at employing the seasons; whether they were sages is likewise not known to Qiu.' The Grand Minister was greatly astonished and said: 'If so, then who is a sage?' The Master's countenance changed, and after a moment he said: 'Among the people of the west there is a sage: he does not govern, yet there is no disorder; he does not speak, yet he is naturally believed; he does not transform, yet [the Way] naturally proceeds. How vast! The people cannot find a name for him.' If the Three Kings and Five Emperors were definitely great sages, how could Kong Qiu have concealed it and not spoken? That would be the fault of hiding sages. Appraising it by this, the Buddha is acknowledged as the Great Sage. The Laozi xisheng jing says: 'My master transformed and journeyed to India, well entering nirvāṇa.' The Fuzi says: 'The master of Laozi was named Śākyamuni.' Directly consulting the classics and books of Confucius and Laozi, textual witnesses to their honoring the Buddha as master are not few. How could Yi alone slander Him? Formerly, Gongsun Long wrote the treatise On Hard and White, blaming the Three Sovereigns and censuring the Five Emperors; down to this day, when people read it, they still gnash their teeth, regarding it as a warning from the past. How truly lamentable!
11.10
Our Sovereign is supremely sage and reverently luminous; he is just about to release the horses and rest the oxen, bow at village gates and raise mounds over tombs, revitalizing the traditions of sovereigns and kings, and opening the teachings of Śākya and Lao. Wild and simplistic doctrines are all the more fit to be burned. If it is said that where emperors and kings have no Buddha, there is great order and long reigns, but where there is a Buddha, there is oppressive governance and short-lived dynastic fortune: consider that the sole rules of Yao and Shun did not reach their sons and grandsons; the royal governance of the Xia, Yin, Zhou, and Qin changed many times; internal strifes arose within palace walls and rebellious disorders succeeded one another. At that time there was no Buddha; by what cause were their dynastic fortunes short? It is only that Lin happens to dwell in the age of Yao, enjoying daily life without realizing it; seeing unsuitable matters from without, I fear that foreign states hearing of it from afar will say that China is without knowledge. The Master said: 'When one's words fill the world, there is no slip of the tongue; when one's actions fill the world, there is no resentment or malice.' The speaker desires that he himself be free from guilt; the listener finds it sufficient for self-admonition. Fu Yi has uttered insolent words; all who hear them are alarmed. They defile the national ethos and especially harm Chinese customs. I respectfully record my sincere feelings and presume to report them for your hearing. Humbly I reflect:
11.11
Your Highness the Prince: endowed by Heaven with heroic spirit, naturally precocious, of surpassing demeanor and expansive capacity; finding joy in doing good, you surpass that Prince of Dongping; taking pleasure in warmth and easy accessibility, you rival that Prince of Western Chu. Moreover, you regulate the hundred magistrates and bring order to the six directives; your virtue has already drawn up the nets, and your benevolence has torn through the snares. You open a mansion on the broad avenues to seat the guests of Xun Qing; you construct a garden of tall bamboo to banquet cultured and refined visitors. There are none whose poems do not exhaust the evoking of emotion, and whose rhapsodies do not exhaust the depiction of things. Truly, your praise is manifested in court and countryside, and your excellence runs through former heroes. However, Lin and the others look within ourselves and find deficiencies, of little use in square or round matters. Reflecting on Fu Yi's extreme folly, we are ashamed at the rebuke of 'common monks' and 'bald fellows.' This is the utmost evil; no crime is greater. Since the times of Zunlu and Hexu, after heaven and earth were opened, there has never been one as mad and perverse as Yi. Unable to endure the utmost heartbreak and marrow-cutting pain, I respectfully record the harmful points raised by Yi, and presume to state humble words, itemizing the responses as follows. Sullied before your awesome majesty, I humbly add to my dread and devastation. Respectfully presented.
11.12
Yi says: 'Within the seas, those who are diligent in serving the king are few, while those who delight in private gain are many. Outwardly they serve the barbarian Buddha, while inwardly giving birth to false views. They shave off hair and skin, change their garments, leave the gates of ministers and sons, and enter the households of monks and nuns. Standing, they are received at the royal court; sitting, they look upon those under their knees. Disloyal and unfilial, they gather in adjoining chambers. Furthermore, the Buddha was in the Western Regions; His words were bewitching and the road is far. He abandoned kin and chased wealth, feared the strong and slighted the old, valued the wealthy and powerful while looking down on the poor and weak, loved the young and fair while despising the elderly. He used illusion and bewilderment as arts and skills, and deceit and imposture as his doctrine. The Buddha was indeed a family ghost of a single surname; being a ghost, he does not encompass other clans. How can living Chinese be driven to serve a dead barbarian, despising this bright pearl and valuing that fish eye, abandoning a strict father while revering another person? Where has it ever happened that kneeling to ten mud barbarians makes one a minister, or placing a bowl of leftover rice makes one an emperor? Based on the Buddha's false doctrines, it is contrary to human sentiment. Furthermore, the Buddha was facetious; His grand words did not reach those of Dan and Meng; His extravagance and fabrications bore offenses deeper than Jie and Zhou. Entering a household, He ruined the household; entering a state, He ruined the state.' We respond: Those who leave the household inwardly bid farewell to their dear kin, and outwardly relinquish official glory; their intention seeks unsurpassed bodhi, and their vow is to emerge from the bitter sea of birth and death. Therefore they discard court robes and don the robe of the field of merit, practicing the Way to repay the four favors, and establishing virtue to assist the three modes of existence. This is its grand purpose. If it is said that the Buddha is a barbarian ghost and monks are bald fellows: examining the classics and books of Confucius and Laozi, and internal and external historical records since the Han and Wei, we briefly cite passages where Confucius and Laozi revered the Buddha as master, with textual witnesses as follows, to reply to this perverse person, hoping he will confess his crime. The Daoist Falun jing says: 'If you see a śramaṇa, reflect with boundless thought: may I quickly leave the household to practice the Buddha's truth.'
11.13
It also says: 'If you see a Buddhist stupa, reflect with boundless thought: may all beings universally enter the Dharma gate.'
11.14
The Supreme Pure Demon-Dispelling Treasure-Truth Mind-Settling Wisdom Original Vow Great Precepts Superior Chapter Scripture, in its forty-nine vows, says: 'If you see a bhikṣuṇī, you should vow that all beings clearly understand the Dharma measures and attain the Way like the Buddha.'
11.15
Laozi's Shengxuan jing says: 'The Heavenly Worthy told Daoling to go to the eastern direction, approach the Buddha, and receive the Dharma.'
11.16
The Separate Biography of the Daoist Zhang Ling says: 'Ling, in the Huming Mountains, made offerings to a golden image and recited Buddhist scriptures.' The Shengxuan jing also says: 'The Tathāgata of the eastern direction dispatched the Mahāsattva Shansheng to go to the Supreme One and say: "The Tathāgata has heard that you are preaching the Dharma for Zhang Ling; therefore he sent me to come look at you." He said to Zhang Ling: "Follow me to the Buddha's place; I shall cause you to see what you have never seen and hear what you have never heard." Ling then bowed to the Mahāsattva and followed him to the Buddha's place.'
11.17
The Laozi xisheng jing says: 'My master transformed and journeyed to India, well entering nirvāṇa.' The Great Precept Scripture on Wisdom Contemplating the Body says: 'Students of the Dao should remember to travel to the Great Brahmā Flowing Shadow Palace and pay homage to the Buddha.'
11.18
The Shengxuan jing says: 'If there is a śramaṇa who wishes to come listen to scriptures and observe the retreat, the host of the offering must not calculate the expense of food and drink to block and refuse him; he should usher him to the high seat, with the Daoist scripture master naturally below him.' The Shengxuan jing also says: 'When Daoists arrange an offering feast, if a monk comes, he may be ushered to the high seat, and good offerings should be laid out, with the Daoist scripture master naturally below him. If a nun comes to hear the Dharma, she should be settled in a secure place and ushered to a high seat; the host of the offering should make offerings according to the Dharma and must not bar her.'
11.19
The Huahu jing says: 'We wish to pick udumbara flowers, / We wish to burn sandalwood incense, / To make offerings to the bodies of a thousand Buddhas, / And bow our heads in homage to Dīpaṃkara.' It also says: 'Why was the Buddha born so late? / Why was His nirvāṇa so early? / Not seeing Śākyamuni, / In our hearts we are ever grieved.'
11.20
The Lingbao xiaomo anzhi jing says: 'The Dao considers the retreat foremost; / Through diligent practice, one will become a Buddha.' (New editions all change this to: 'Through diligent practice, one ascends to the Golden Gate.') / 'Therefore the great Dharma bridge is established / To deliver universally all beings and things.'
11.21
The Laozi daquan pusa jing says: 'Laozi was the Bodhisattva Kāśyapa, transforming and wandering in Cīnasthāna.'
11.22
The Lingbao falun jing says: 'When the Immortal Lord Ge had been born only a few days, a foreign śramaṇa saw the Immortal Lord, bowed in homage, held him in his arms, and said to the Immortal Lord's parents: "This child is Bodhisattva Shansi from the west; he has now come to the land of Han to teach and transform sentient beings, and will wander in the way of immortals and ascend to heaven in broad daylight." The Immortal Lord himself said to his disciples: "My master's family name was Boyuezong, and his style was Weinahe; he was a man of the Western Regions."'
11.23
The Scripture of the Immortal Inquiring into the Difficulties of the Multitude of Sages says: 'The Immortal Lord Ge told his disciples: "Formerly, I, together with four people—Shi Daozheng, Zhu Fakai, Zhang Tai, and Zheng Siyuan—made vows at the same time. Daozheng and Fakai, the two of them, vowed to become śramaṇas; Zhang Tai and Zheng Siyuan vowed to become Daoists."' The Diary of the Immortal Lord's Daily Life says: 'At that time he was born in the house of Minister Ge. The Minister was over eighty years old when he first had this single son. At that time there was a śramaṇa who called himself a monk from India, buying large amounts of incense in the market. The people in the market were surprised and questioned the monk, who said: "Last night I dreamed that Bodhisattva Shansi descended to be born in the house of Minister Ge; I will use this incense to bathe him." When the time of birth came, the monk arrived, burned incense, circumambulated him to the right seven times, paid homage with reverence, bathed him, and ceased.' The Immortal Lord's Inquiring Scripture, Upper Fascicle says: 'Speaking with śramaṇas and Daoists, one's intention is then directed toward the Way.' The Chapter on Comparing Merits in the Superior Precepts Scripture says: 'Giving to Buddhist stupas and temples brings a thousandfold retribution; bestowing upon śramaṇas brings a hundredfold retribution.' The Shengxuan neijiao jing says: 'There are also people who, in ordinary times, are unwilling to create merit; seeing śramaṇas and Daoists preaching the Dharma and encouraging goodness, they have no intention at all of following it,' and so forth.
11.24
The Daoist Master Tao the Recluse: Text for Paying Homage to the Buddha, one fascicle.
11.25
The Scripture of the Original Vows and Original Precepts of Wisdom, Superior Chapter, says: 'Donating to Buddhist monks mid-day meals and to stupas and temples: from one coin upward, all receive twenty-four thousandfold [recompense]. The effort is small and the reward is great; generation after generation one will be worthy and wise, with fine treasures never failing, and seven generations of ancestors will all be able to enter immeasurable Buddha-lands.'
11.26
The Scripture of the Immortal Lord's Inquiries says: 'There are also ordinary people who practice this merit and vow to become śramaṇas, Daoists, or great erudites; upon their next birth they become śramaṇas, broadly studying the Buddhadharma and becoming Dharma masters for the multitude.'
11.27
Furthermore, there was a man who saw śramaṇas and Daoists practicing the quiet retreat and reciting scriptures, and thereupon laughed and said: 'Facing empty space they chant scriptures; what do they hope for? With empty bellies they eat once at noon; these are merely sinners.' The Daoist then instructed him with a compassionate heart, yet he still held to his view without letting go; upon death he entered hell to suffer the examinations and torments of the five sufferings.
11.28
The Scripture of the Immortal Lord's Inquiries says: 'The Five Classics are the occupation of Confucian worldlings; Daoism and Buddhism each praise their teachings, whose great return is goodness.'
11.29
The Wonderful Scripture on Turning the Wheel of the Law of Exhortation and Admonition of the Supreme Numinous Treasure of True Unity says: 'I have observed the heavens successively since immeasurable eons ago, and have seen Daoist masters, common men, and common women who have already attained the unexcelled, truly authentic Dao, spontaneous as sublime immortals and perfected beings. The Buddhas of the ten directions all accepted diligent, bitter cultivation in seeking the Dao in former lifetimes, in numbers beyond reckoning.'
11.30
The Wonderful Scripture on Turning the Wheel of the Law says: 'The Dao said: "Now, those who turn the wheel without annihilation, who succeed in returning to birth among humans as persons of great wisdom and clarity, have from immeasurable eons ago studied and already become perfected beings, sublime immortals, spontaneous [transcendents]. As for the Buddhas of the ten directions, none have not attained it through their conduct and karmic practice."'
11.31
The above records the texts of Daoist scriptures revering and praising the Buddha as given before.
11.32
According to the Account of Anomalies from the Book of Zhou: On the eighth day of the fourth month in the twenty-fourth year of King Zhao of Zhou's accession, the jiayin year, the rivers, springs, and pools suddenly flooded, and well waters all overflowed. Palaces, dwellings, mountains, rivers, and the great earth all shook. That night, an atmosphere of five-colored light pierced through into the Taiwei enclosure, and all across the western region became completely bluish-red. King Zhao of Zhou asked the Grand Astrologer Su You, 'What omen is this?' You replied, 'A great sage has been born in the western regions; therefore this auspicious sign has appeared.' King Zhao said, 'How will it affect All Under Heaven?' You said, 'At present there is no effect. Beyond a thousand years, the sound of his teaching will reach this land.' King Zhao thereupon sent men to engrave a stone to record it, burying it in front of the celestial shrine in the southern suburbs. At this time, the Buddha was first born in the royal palace. In the thirty-second year of King Mu's accession, he repeatedly saw an atmosphere of light in the west. Having previously heard of Su You's record, he knew that a sage was abiding in the world in the west. King Mu did not comprehend its principle, and fearing it was unsuited to the way of Zhou, he thereupon went west with State Chancellor Marquis Lü to assemble the feudal lords at Mount Tu in order to ward off the anomalous light. At this time, the Buddha had already long been abiding in the world. When it reached the fifty-second year of King Mu, the renshen year, at dawn on the fifteenth day of the second month, a violent wind suddenly arose, tearing off and damaging houses, and snapping and breaking trees. The mountains, rivers, and the great earth all shook. After noon, the sky grew overcast and clouds turned black; in the west were twelve streaks of white rainbow running through from south to north, persisting through the night without extinguishing. King Mu asked the Grand Astrologer Hu Duo, 'What sign is this?' He replied, 'A great sage in the west has entered extinction; signs of decline are merely appearing.' King Mu was greatly pleased and said, 'We have always feared him; now that he has already entered extinction, what sorrow have We?' At this time, the Buddha entered nirvāṇa.
11.33
The Historical Records state: Grand Minister Pi of Wu asked Confucius, 'Who is a sage?' Confucius said, 'Among the people of the western regions there is a sage: he does not govern, yet there is no disorder; he does not speak, yet he is naturally trusted; he does not transform, yet it moves on its own. Vast and boundless, the people can find no name for him!'
11.34
The above records the texts of Confucian books praising and extolling the Buddha as given before.
11.35
[Fu] Yi said: 'Let monks and nuns aged sixty and below be selected and made into commoners, and then the military will be strong and the population numerous.'
11.36
[Fu] Yi said: 'Monasteries are numerous and the assemblies of monks are many, causing extreme waste and expense. Let all of these monasteries be granted to destitute orphans and elders, impoverished commoners, and homeless righteous gentlemen. In a prefecture of thirty thousand households, let only one monastery be established, with a thatched hall and an earthen stūpa to enshrine scriptures and images, and dispatch two foreign monks to transmit and demonstrate the foreign teachings.'
11.37
[Fu] Yi said: 'The barbarians of the Western Regions were born out of foul mud, so they readily occupy themselves with mud and brick. Even today they are hairy and rank, with human faces and beasts' hearts—owl-like men of the path, with the four colors of donkeys and mules, an evil breed of greed and rebellion. The Buddha was born in the western regions; this is not the orthodox custom of the Central Kingdom, but rather the perverse qi of specters and goblins.'
11.38
[Fu] Yi said: 'For fifteen generations after Baoxi, fathers and sons, rulers and ministers, established loyalty and filial piety, upheld the Way and practiced virtue; born and raised in the Divine Land, they attained the orthodox qi of Huaxia, and the people were all simple and pure, because there was no Buddha in the world.'
11.39
[Fu] Yi said: 'Qin arose from Qin Zhong, lasting thirty-five generations and six hundred and thirty-eight years.'
11.40
[Fu] Yi said: 'When emperors and kings had no Buddha, there was great governance and long reigns; when there was a Buddha, there was tyrannical rule and short-lived dynastic fortune. From Baoxi onward for twenty-nine generations, there was no Buddhadharma; rulers were enlightened and ministers loyal, and the dynastic fortunes lasted long.'
11.41
[Fu] Yi said: 'Before there was a Buddha, the people were pure and harmonious, and the world had no usurpation or rebellion.'
11.42
[Fu] Yi said: 'The Buddha's coming to the Han land has brought harm and no benefit.'
11.43
[Fu] Yi said: 'During the Jianwu era of Zhao, the man of the path Zhang Guang rebelled; under Emperor Wu of Liang, Sengguang rebelled. How much more so now with two hundred thousand monks and nuns; they must be abolished and dismissed early.'
11.44
The first reply, on the matter of abolishing and dismissing monks and nuns:
11.45
It is answered: External traces are easy to inspect, but true and false are difficult to discern. Unless one has associated with them long, it cannot yet be known. Formerly, Master [Hui]yuan's letter answering Huan Xuan stated: 'What is described in the scriptures and teachings generally has three categories: the first is subtle entry through dhyāna-contemplation; the second is chanting and savoring the bequeathed scriptures; the third is establishing works of merit. Yet there are persons who establish merit but do not preserve the prohibitions and precepts, and whose traces are not those of an āraṇyaka; there are those who can recite numerous scripture texts, chanting without end, yet cannot fluently expound the doctrine; and there are those advanced in years who, though having none of the three categories to record, are upright and steadfast in nature and do not commit major transgressions. Appraising them by these standards, choosing and rejecting is hard to distinguish.' According to the Scripture on the Merit of Leaving Home: 'Ordaining one person to leave home surpasses erecting a jeweled stūpa reaching up to the Brahmā heaven.' Why? A person can propagate the Way, benefiting oneself and benefiting others; purifying oneself and establishing oneself, one bridges seven generations. We request that those who are guilty be severely penalized according to law, while those who are faultless practice the Way for the state.
11.46
The first reply, on destroying monasteries and giving them to the people, and using thatched halls to enshrine images:
11.47
It is answered: The Dharma has flowed into the Han land for more than five hundred years; monasteries, monks, and nuns have existed across successive generations. The niches, stūpas, halls, and shrines were all initiated and built by previous dynasties; the rooms, dwellings, gates, and corridors were all erected out of faithful devotion. Whether for living and deceased parents, or for rebirth across seven generations, they sought future superior recompense and planted present fields of merit. All proceeded from their good intentions, not from quotas established by the Buddha and the Saṅgha. The Documents say: 'Do not destroy what has been successfully completed.' Thus Zichan did not destroy the shrine of Boyi, and the Master called him a benevolent man. How much more so is the Buddha a fertile field for the three realms and a father and mother to the four forms of birth! He can only be made offerings to, not destroyed and eradicated. Although the Buddha has left the world, the Dharma was entrusted to human kings. Prostrating, we contemplate that
11.48
Your Majesty, recreating the living people and re-elevating the Buddha-Way, is none other than the great dānapati of the Tathāgata. We request that you follow the transformation of the Yongping reign under Han Emperor Ming, and draw near to the time of the Kaihuang reign under Emperor Wen [of Sui].
11.49
The first reply, on the claim that 'barbarians of the Western Regions have human faces and beasts' hearts, are an evil breed of greed and rebellion, and the Buddha was born in the western regions, representing the perverse qi of specters and goblins':
11.50
It is answered: According to the Historical Records, the Diwang jian mulu, Tao Yinju's Chronicles, and other texts: The Baoxi clan had a serpent's body and a human head; the Dating clan had a human body and an ox's head; the Nüwa clan also had a serpent's body and a human head; and Qin Zhong's [descendant] Da Yan had a bird's body and a human face. Yu of Xia was born among the Western Qiang; King Wen was also born among the Western Qiang. Jiandi swallowed a swallow's egg and gave birth to Xie; Boyu emerged by cutting open his mother's chest and back; Yi Yin was entrusted to birth from a hollow mulberry tree; and the Yuan clan rulers of Wei were also born among foreign barbarians. Yet all answered the luminous mandate of Heaven: some faced south and styled themselves rulers, while others reigned over the myriad states. Though their birthplaces may have been remote and lowly, and their appearances crude and coarse, each wielded Heaven's majesty and harbored sage-virtue within. Laozi was also borne by a shepherd woman and born among the lowly commoners; how could one hold that because his origin was humble, he was no sage? The Master said: 'If a gentleman dwells there, what uncouthness can there be?' How true these words are! All declare: 'Where there is the Way, there is nobility; how could one distinguish high from low?' Thus we know that the sage's responses have no fixed direction, manifesting according to the capacity [of beings]. Looking into Śākyamuni's ancestry, he was the grandson of a thousand generations of wheel-turning kings and the crown prince of a kṣatriya king. When the prophesied omens foretold his coming and things were moved, his form manifested in the center of the trichiliocosm, in the great land of Jambudvīpa in the south. In conferring teachings and establishing methods, his sole foundation was benefiting sentient beings. If one claims that being born among the Qiang and barbarians or emerging from foreign tribes makes one evil, then Taihao and Wenming were not sages, and Laozi and King Wen are not worthy of reverence. According to the 'Treatise on Geography' and the 'Account of the Western Regions', the 'Western Barbarians' are merely thirty-six states east of the Congling mountains, having nothing to do with India, the land of the Buddha's birth. If he knew this and spoke falsely, how profound is his offense! If he did not know and prated recklessly, even in death he bears remaining blame.
11.51
The first reply, on the claim that 'for twenty-nine generations after Baoxi, fathers and sons, rulers and ministers established loyalty and filial piety, upheld the Way and practiced virtue, and received the orthodox qi of Huaxia': It is answered: The Historical Records, the Huainanzi, and other texts state: In the time of the Yellow Emperor, Chiyou had a bronze head and an iron forehead; he caused chaos throughout the world and fought with the Yellow Emperor at Banquan so that the Emperor ascended the throne. Chiyou rebelled against the mandate, and they fought again in the wilderness of Zhuolu, undergoing fifty-two battles in all. In the time of Zhuanxu, the Three Miao were executed at Dongting on the left and Pengli on the right. The Bamboo Annals from the Ji Tomb state that Shun imprisoned Yao at Pingyang and took his imperial throne; today there is still seen the City of Yao's Imprisonment. Shun also fought with the Youmiao on the shores of the Dan River. Yao shot upward at the nine suns, bringing down the feathers of their crows (the Chuci says: 'Ten suns came out in turn, melting metal and scorching stone'); he shot arrows tied to cords at the Great Wind at Qingqiu, severed the Long Serpent at Dongting, slaughtered the Giant Boar at the Great Marsh, and killed the Nine-Headed Monster at the Xionghuang Waters. The Documents say: 'The floodwaters surged to the heavens, embracing the mountains and overtopping the hills; the black-haired people were distressed and famished, and the common people were sinking in distress.' In Yu's time, the common people each harbored their own minds, and Boguzi withdrew to farm in the wilderness. The Three Miao did not cultivate virtuous governance, and Yu personally destroyed them. As for the dwelling of Jie of Xia: to the left were the Yellow River and the Ji, to the right was Mount Taihua, Yique lay to the south, and Yangchang backed it to the north; yet he burned the imperial maps, killed Longfeng, imprisoned Cheng Tang, and indulged Moxi; he conducted governance [without benevolence, and Tang exiled and destroyed him]. Tang carried out nine punitive expeditions in all, with twenty-seven battles; there was a great drought for seven years, the Yellow and Luo Rivers dried up, and metal melted and stones softened. Gaozong campaigned against the Guifang for three years. Xin, King Zhou of Yin, was deluded by Daji; he gave free rein to the harm of the ten evils and spread the punishments of the five cruelties, cutting open the heart of a worthy man and slicing open the belly of a pregnant woman, imprisoning King Wen and confining Jizi. King Wu of Zhou campaigned against Zhou at Muye, where blood flowed so deep as to float pestles; he executed him at the Deer Terrace. The King personally shot Zhou with arrows, and with his own hands hung his head on the banner of the Great White Star; yet Boyi and Shuqi condemned him and would not eat his grain. Confucius said: 'The Wu music is completely beautiful, but not completely good.' In the era of King Wu, the Three Overseers rebelled; in the days of King Cheng, the Two Uncles spread slander. When King Xuan campaigned in the sixth month, the Odes said: 'We severely attacked the Xianyun, reaching as far as Taiyuan.' In 'Plucking the Fern', sending troops on border garrison, it says: 'In the north there is the calamity of the Xianyun, in the west there is the trouble of the Kunyi.' 'Plucking the Sowthistle' also says: 'King Xuan campaigned in the south.'
11.52
It is answered: All that was mentioned above belongs to the times of the Three Sovereigns and the Three Kings. If they truly could uphold the Way, practice virtue, harbor loyalty, and render filial piety, and there being no Buddha then was sufficient for peace and tranquility, why then did successive generations raise armies and never cease weapons and armor, to the point that venom afflicted the common people and disaster reached the innocent, turning into an age like that of Yao, Shi, Murong, and the Yongjia turmoil? How could it be called a time of vast, uninhibited non-action? How completely erroneous is such a lapse of speech born of perverse views!
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- 廣弘明集 — Classical Chinese