廣弘明集 25.14

25.14

From the Chancellery: Śākyamuni expounded his teaching with purity and clarity as foremost, distancing oneself from dust and defilement and severing greed and desire. It is by this that he propagated superior works, cultivated good roots, and guided the foolish and deluded to serve as a bridge and raft for all classes of people. Therefore, he expounded the scriptural teachings to regulate and discipline his disciples, subduing body and mind and abandoning all taints and attachments. Clothing and food were all provided by the four assemblies. Since the True Enlightened One passed into extinction and the semblance dharma prevailed, in later ages it has gradually declined, degenerating into deficiency and corruption. Thus there are lowly and vulgar fellows who seek their own high status, and lazy, idle men who merely evade corvée labor, falsely shaving their heads and borrowing the title of renouncers, harboring insatiable desires and seeking gain without cease. They enter and exit alleys and neighborhoods, frequenting markets and bazaars, driving livestock and accumulating wealth; they engage in plowing and weaving for a livelihood and make commerce their profession, behaving identically to registered households and leaving tracks indistinguishable from commoners. Moving forward, they violate the texts of the monastic discipline; stepping back, they lack the instruction of the ritual classics. They go so far as to personally commit robbery and burrow through walls, contriving monstrous falsehoods and associating with the powerful and treacherous, repeatedly falling into the net of the law and plunging themselves into severe punishments, defiling the True Suchness and destroying the wondrous Dharma. This is like weeds polluting fine sprouts, or silt muddying clear water. Furthermore, the grounds of a saṅghārāma were originally called 'pure dwellings'; places for lodging the mind ought, in principle, to value seclusion and tranquility. In recent times, many temples and cloisters have been built without seeking quiet and spacious lands, converging solely on noisy and bustling quarters, constructing crooked structures with conflicting eaves, harboring fugitives and enticing the wicked. Some are close to butcheries or market taverns, where dust fills the rooms and the smell of mutton and fish permeates the roads, merely fostering minds of disrespect and failing the purpose of reverent worship. Moreover, when Laozi bestowed his transformation, he originally valued emptiness and vacuity, nourishing his aspirations in non-action and casting his feelings beyond material things; preserving the true and maintaining oneness—this is called the Mysterious Gate. Hurrying about worldly affairs runs completely contrary to his fundamental aim. Having answered the timely mandate to govern the universe and cause the religious teachings to flourish, We deeply reflect on the benefits, and our intention lies in protection and maintenance. We wish to distinguish jade from stone and discriminate fragrant angelica from foul weed, so that the wondrous Way may long endure and the field of merit remain eternally firm. Correcting the roots and clarifying the source, it is appropriate to proceed with a purge. As for all monks, nuns, Daoist priests, and Daoist female practitioners: those who practice with refined diligence and observe the monastic discipline shall all be ordered to reside in major temples and abbeys, and the officials shall provide them with clothing and food so that they lack nothing. Those who are unable to be diligent and whose discipline and practice are deficient, being unworthy of offerings, shall all be ordered to leave the clergy and each return to their native places. The responsible authorities shall clearly establish regulations and ensure they strictly accord with the teachings of the law; all matters contrary to the regulations shall be entirely halted.