廣弘明集 24.31

24.31

Inquiry: We have heard that by single-mindedly refining the nine liquors, the crane soars into the realm of Xuanzhou; by striving hard for six years, the burden is laid down at the ford of affliction. Some focus on arts of spirits and ghosts and expound the methods of corpse-deliverance; others explain the essentials of conditioned arising and reveal the way to nirvāṇa. Thus, the Grand One proclaimed teachings that culminate in light levitation, while the Tathāgata realized the principle that returns to tranquil extinction. From the time the Ancestral Dragon (First Emperor of Qin) concealed his traces and Liu Zhuang (Emperor Ming of Han) was moved by a dream, following these traditions they grew divergent and widespread. People have even abandoned kin, discarded burdens, left their state, and forgotten their families. Hostels fill the mountain wilds, and monasteries pervade the prefectures and commanderies. If gold could be transformed, the Prince of Huainan should not have been executed. If spiritual might is sovereign, how could Aṅgulimāla become a fish? If riding dragons is not real, why was there the yearning of grasping the whiskers at Mount Jing? If controlling elephants is empty, why did the Chan and Luo Rivers awaken to the marvel of the nocturnal light? Regarding the truth of these distinctions, We are genuinely perplexed. Now the crowd of black-robed [monks] equals half of the common populace, while the followers in yellow robes exceed the registered households. Therefore, state provisions are rendered insufficient because of this, and royal revenues are exhausted thereby. We wish to select the correct path and eliminate the heterodox arts: first, to enrich the state; second, to leave the populace free of confusion. Moreover, their accumulated rivalry has a long history and has been practiced for ages; to purge them abruptly midway is truly difficult. As for the ascendancy and decline of the two schools, and the lengths of their two paths, you may directly state their merits and flaws; do not waver in your speech.