廣弘明集 12.13

12.13

It is also said that one wishes to have the saṃgha pay homage to the emperor and have this recorded in the court statutes. This view is the most deeply confused and inverted: having already fallen into a pit oneself, one leads others to plunge into a well, wishing for them to sink together—how could this be permissible? In the past, when Huan Xuan committed treasonous rebellion with insane insolence and unprincipled conduct, this proposal had already been raised. The court discussion did not follow it, stating: 'Śramaṇas and sons of Śākya shave their hair and dye their robes; they are permitted to be men beyond the realm and are not bound by the etiquette within the boundaries. Therefore, the kāṣāya bare at one shoulder is not a garment for court audiences, and the alms bowl and tin staff are hardly implements for imperial halls.' Yet Xuan was perverse and rebellious, obstinately adhering to it without repentance. He disgraced the Three Honoured Ones and cast into turbulence the seven ancestral temples; the people bore grievances and the spirits were enraged, with the masses rebelling and intimates forsaking him. His army was routed at Dongling, and his person perished at Xipu. With this overturned chariot serving as a clear mirror of warning, who would not take heed? The August Emperor of our Great Tang, an ordained sage uniquely brought forth into the world, has answered the era of auspicious brightness and met the fortune of flourishing assembly. He puts an end to mire and stops the coals of suffering, pulling forth the drowning and rescuing the submerged. He propagates the sacred teaching to instruct the populace, and bestows consummate benevolence to nurture all beings. The years are harmonious, harvests abundant, vital energy plentiful, and the times prosperous. How could anyone fully record his utmost virtue and profound merit? In addition, internally he cherishes the four faiths, and externally he reveres the Three Honoured Ones; he dismounts the imperial carriage to take refuge, and lowers his crowned tassels to dedicate merit. Thus the eight directions touch their brows to the earth and the myriad states submit to the courtly breeze. How could one place the blame upon those who have renounced the mundane world and make them observe the etiquette of householders? At present, Daoist priests don coarse serge, hold court tablets, and wear headdresses and headbands; since they already wear the vestments of ministers and officials, they must perform the etiquette of court audiences. In antiquity, the noble gentlemen under the Heavenly Master still paid homage to the emperor; now these base fellows of ghostly soldiers ought to kneel before the chancellors and ministers. It is proper to order the Daoist priests to follow their master's model, paying audience to the emperor and bowing before officials, and to have this recorded in the court statutes. Would that not be fitting?