廣弘明集 25.58

25.58

Your servant says: Your servant has heard that where the Buddhist transformation is relied upon, it is precious to all beings, precisely because it pulls them out of the sunken darkness of the six paths of existence and rescues deluded consciousness onto the three vehicles. Its virtue is vast and its merit is great. Thus, the Buddha is the Lord of the Dharma, the refuge of both the unseen and visible realms; the Dharma is the good medicine, through which afflictions and delusions are cleansed; the Saṅgha is the seed of the Buddha, propagating and spreading to future eras. Consequently, heroic rulers of successive eras have valued virtue and provided protection, while pure, faithful, and wise individuals have allowed their sons and daughters to be ordained to carry on the lineage. Thus monks and nuns spread throughout the land, setting an example and guiding endlessly. We humbly reflect that Your Majesty benevolently saves the nine realms of existence and widely opens the One Vehicle; the way of love and respect has been successfully elevated, and the accomplishment of governance reaches ever further. Recently an imperial edict was received commanding monks to kneel and bow to their parents; this is indeed exalting the beginning of filial piety and spreading the source of respect. Yet the Buddha has an established teaching: those who leave home do not bow to their parents. This is meant to distinguish the different paths of the secular and the clerical, so that taking refuge and receiving the precepts may be entered upon; leaving home and staying in society are completely different, and through this, the absolute and the conventional diverge. Is there anyone who has not received the Buddha's precepts in mind and embodied the Buddha's deportment in form? The net of the Dharma is distinct, and the forms of reverence are entirely separated. Even in the spirit of lofty detachment, rulers of men have retained the practice of offering reciprocal courtesy; how could mere subjects in turn receive the ritual of prostration? Parents would be left uneasy and perplexed, finding no peace of mind. Our wish is that the state have no dual forms of reverence, and that the path outside the worldly realm be broadly opened. If monks uphold the esoteric teachings, they will be able to establish themselves and practice the Way. We cannot bear our utmost private sentiments, and respectfully submit this memorial. Profaning Your Majesty's august dignity, we are filled with mounting trepidation. Respectfully spoken. Submitted by Feng Shende, Editorial Attendant of the Eastern Chancellery.