廣弘明集 25.22

25.22

Monk Weixiu and others say: We respectfully receive the clear edict ordering monks to kneel and bow to sovereign and father. In principle we should comply and act accordingly, having no reason to resist the imperial command. However, the clear teachings of both Confucianism and Buddhism all present writings of correct remonstrance, and the broad dissemination of their transformations both accepts the words of ordinary people. We, the monks, have received the great favor of the state, which has granted us rituals outside the secular world; dwelling peacefully throughout the realm, we have been able to propagate the aspiration of transcending vulgarity. For this reason, sovereigns and kings since antiquity have equally respected this standard, revering their custom-altering rituals and preserving their tradition of resisting deference, which has caused scriptural teachings to spread and increase generation after generation, and master teachers to appear from time to time over great distances. From the Han to the Sui, travelers faced heavy obstacles; the style of the spiritual peaks was still suppressed, and the transformation of the fairy gardens was still sparse. It was never like the rise of the August Fortune, extending its boundaries beyond the seas: the five Indias stand alongside the Five Sacred Mountains, and the Divine Continent matches the great Xia in civilization. The mandate of the August Emissary has been exalted, and the roads of the light carriages have linked wheels; none fail to revere these sacred traces and establish their bequeathed legacy. Thus it is that foreign monks come in harmony, following one another without end. Now, if we return to bowing to sovereign and father, it would contradict the various sutras, immediately winning the reputation of shocking the worldly, or giving rise to hopes of slight and ruin. In the past, when Emperor Cheng of Jin was young, Yu Bing forged an edict; when Huan Xuan practiced deceit, Wang Mi spoke out in opposition. When Emperor Wu of Song in his late years was about to intensify tyrannical governance, he decreed that monks bow to the lord, but soon abolished it. This was truly because the matter was not a standard for ordering the state, and its principle exceeded the ritual of heavenly constants. Although rumors arose, they ultimately became entangled in manifest debate. Furthermore, when Helian Bobo commanded bowing, he incurred the wrath of high heaven; when Tuoba Tao carried out executions, he suffered the punishment of a lower affliction. These precedents have long been listed, completely encompassing what has been seen and heard. Receiving this, we are terrified and frantic, having nowhere to seek shelter. We fear that once the imperial decree is issued, it will circulate through ten thousand states, inevitably causing the entire realm to gaze toward it, only to propagate a reputation of departing from ritual; and in the distant future, generations may inherit the tradition of following this evil precedent. We humbly reflect that Your Majesty has revived the Three Jewels and compassionately gathered the four forms of birth, personally receiving the intent of the Buddha’s entrustment to encourage the reliance of the students. We, inwardly observing the correct teaching, strictly renounce the appearance of kneeling and bowing; outwardly receiving the clear edict, we are commanded to follow the respect of Confucian ritual. Looking up and down, we are in a dilemma, truly deep in shame and fear. If we do not make this plea, it would violate the duty of subjects and sons; if we obscure the Buddhist transformation, we would fall into the crime of deceiving the sovereign. We have respectfully compiled passages from various scriptures on not paying homage to the secular, presumptuously submitting them to the throne. We humbly hope that the Heavenly Compassion will deign to examine them; then the court deliberations will be harmonious, ultimately following the path of the Jin ministers, and the ordinary talk of dispensing with standards will entirely return to the regulations of the Qi empress. Desecrating your imperial majesty, we tremble with the deepest awe. Respectfully submitted.'