廣弘明集 25.17

25.17

In the eleventh year of the Zhenguan era (637 CE), the imperial entourage toured the city of Luoyang. Daoists had previously debated with Buddhist monks, and this was brought to the emperor's attention. He thereupon issued an edict saying: 'Laojun’s transmitted models held their purpose in clarity and vacuity; Śākyamuni’s bequeathed principles rested their logic on cause and effect. If we examine their teachings, their methods of guiding beings follow different paths; if we examine their purpose, their style of broadly benefiting beings reaches the same end. However, the rise of the Great Way originated in high antiquity, its source emerging from the beginning of the nameless, its operations transcending beyond the visible, surpassing the two forms [of Heaven and Earth] in its movement and encompassing the ten thousand things in its nurturing. Thus it can order the state and bring about governance, returning to simplicity and restoring purity. As for the rise of Buddhism, it was founded in the Western Regions; not until the Later Han did it reach the Central Lands. The principles of its divine transformations are manifold, and its conditions of retribution are more than one. Down to recent times, veneration and faith have grown increasingly deep: individuals hope for blessings in their current life, and households fear disasters in the life to come. Because of this, those steeped in vulgarity laugh loudly upon hearing the Mysterious School, while those fond of the novel vie to take refuge upon seeing the ultimate truth. First it surged like waves through neighborhoods, and finally it swept like the wind across the imperial court. Consequently, the scriptures of a foreign land have flourished to take precedence over all marvels, whereas the teachings of the various Hua peoples have conversely been placed behind the One Vehicle. Wandering adrift, people have forgotten to return for successive generations. Now that the imperial destiny is auspicious and prosperous, having already relied on the blessings of superior virtue, and all under Heaven is greatly settled, also depending on the merit of non-action, it is appropriate to readjust the strings and expound this mysterious transformation. From this time forward, in vegetarian feasts and offerings, walking and standing, and down to titles and appellations, Daoist priests and female practitioners may precede Buddhist monks and nuns. We hope to strengthen the custom of returning to the origin and disseminate it across the nine regions, and bequeath the tradition of honoring the ancestors to ten thousand generations.' At that time, the monastic community of the capital submitted extreme admonitions, but the authorities did not accept them. The śramaṇa Zhishi, a brilliant young talent who was clear-sighted in both internal and external learning, accompanied several elders to follow the imperial entourage and submit a memorial, reaching as far as the pass. Their memorial said in brief: 'The monk [Zhishi] and others state: Our years are approaching the mulberry and elm, only now encountering an age of great peace; our forms resemble willows and rushes, just now meeting a sage and enlightened ruler. We have heard that a father has sons who remonstrate, and a ruler has ministers who remonstrate. Although we have entered the household-renouncing life, we remain within the rank of subjects and sons; when an offense is committed, nothing should be hidden—how would we dare not state it? We have respectfully seen the edict stating that the state's ancestral lineage derives from the Pillar Clerk [Laozi], and that the practice of honoring ancestors was expressed in ancient classics; it was proclaimed to all under Heaven as an ineffable virtue, ordering that Daoist priests and others be ranked above monks and nuns. Serving to carry this out, how would we dare resist the edict? Yet upon examining how Laojun left his models to govern the state and order the family, the robes and emblems he wore were not changed or made unusual. He established no abbeys and led no disciples; dwelling as the Pillar Clerk, he preserved the true, and hiding his dragon-like virtue, he nourished his nature. When the wise see it, they call it wisdom; when the foolish see it, they call it folly; none could recognize him except the Minister of Justice of Lu [Confucius]. The Daoists of today do not follow his law. The caps and robes they wear are all the remnants of the Yellow Turbans; they are originally not the descendants of Laojun. Practicing the defiled arts of the Three Zhangs and discarding the wondrous gate of the five-thousand [characters], they conversely resemble Zhang Ling in freely practicing talismans and registers. Since the Han and Wei dynasties, they have constantly used the way of ghosts to transform vulgar folk, falsely claiming descent from Laojun when in reality they are the offshoots of heterodox paths. If their status is placed above monks, we truly fear that the true and the counterfeit will mingle together, harming the transformation of the state. If we do not submit this memorial, how could we express our feelings as subjects and sons? We have respectfully recorded the matters from the Daoist scriptures and the various histories of the Han and Wei where Buddhism comes before Daoism, as set forth in a separate presentation. We humbly hope that the Heavenly Compassion will condescendingly deign to hear and examine it.'