廣弘明集 4.12

4.12

The Emperor ordered the Grand Controller Master of the Law to contest against Xiu Jing. The Grand Controller said: 'The occult arts are trivial tricks which even mundane Ru scholars despise, how much more so those who have left household life! Nevertheless, when the heavenly command directs us to oppose him, how could we remain silent? We may order the monk sitting at the very lowest seat to confront him.' They immediately went to search for one. There was a monk named Fojun, also called Tanxian, of unknown origin. He wandered without fixed abode, and his eating and drinking were like those of commoners. Occasionally he would speak unrestrainedly, indicating profound and far-reaching awakening. The Grand Controller recognized his deep capacity and had privately befriended him. At that time renowned monks gathered in great numbers, and Xian took the lowest seat. He had drunk heavily, was thoroughly drunk, and sat nodding. The officers did not dare to summon him and reported the matter to the Grand Controller. The Grand Controller said: 'What the Daoist Libationers practice is the ordinary path; only an alcoholic monk is fit to speak with them. Have him supported and carried here.' Thereupon the entire assembly was apprehensive and fearful, but out of awe of the Grand Controller's authority, no one dared to remonstrate. So two men supported Xian onto the high seat. Once upon it, he stood up, smiled, and said: 'I have drunk heavily and am thoroughly drunk. In my ears I heard it said: "If a śramaṇa manifests one, I shall manifest two." Is this statement true or false?' The Daoists said: 'It is true.' Xian then stood on one foot and said: 'I have already manifested one. You gentlemen may manifest two.' None of them could respond. Xian said: 'Earlier, when your spells caused all those robes and utensils to fly and flutter, I intentionally opened the door to test your arts.' He ordered that the robe and bowl of Dhyāna Master Chou be brought and cast spells upon. All the Daoists roused their energies together and jointly chanted spells, but the items did not move at all. The Emperor ordered that the robe be taken; even ten men tugging and lifting it could not move it. Xian then ordered the robe to be placed on the crossbeams and ordered them to cast spells upon it again. There was no effect whatsoever. The Daoists looked at one another at their wit's end, yet they still held themselves high with verbal eloquence, saying: 'The Buddhist house styles itself "inner"; "inner" means small. It calls our Daoist house "outer"; "outer" means great.' Xian replied in response: 'If that is so, then the Son of Heaven, dwelling in the inner [palace], must certainly be small; the hundred officials, dwelling on the outer [perimeter], must certainly be great.' Jing and his subordinates kept their mouths closed and were speechless. Having visually verified the good and the bad, the Emperor issued an edict saying: 'The Dharma-gate is non-dual; the true lineage is one. In seeking its correct path, quiescence is the root. The Daoists who are Libationers are deceptive and false in the world; ordinary people have not awakened and still revere and honor them. Fermented yeast is their taste—where is their purity and vacuity? Dried venison is sweet to them—they are forever separated from benevolence and compassion. Above, they diverge from shrines of benevolence; below, they violate ritual canons. All of them must be banned and extinguished, no longer to be observed or served. Promulgate this command far and wide to let everyone know and hear of it.' As for those Daoists who submitted, they were all handed over to the Grand Controller of the Bureau of Buddhist Affairs, Master Shang, who tonsured them and allowed them to leave household life; those who had not generated the mind [for it] were ordered to dye [their clothes] and shave. On that day, more than one was beheaded. Those who claimed to be divine immortals were made to ascend the Sanjue Terrace and ordered to throw their bodies down to fly away; their corpses were all smashed to pieces upon the ground. Deceptions and falsehoods were thereby eradicated. This caused the realm of the Qi state to have no split allegiance. Down to the times of the Zhou and the beginning of the Sui, their arts gradually re-opened, down to the present in Dongchuan; this lineage is so minuscule that it is not worth disputing. The Emperor's taboo name was Yang, the second son of Gao Huan, Prime Minister of the Northern Wei. His elder brother of the principal wife, Cheng, was impatient and insolent, and was murdered by a slave. Yang succeeded to his position and took his place as Prime Minister. When the dynastic count of the Wei was about to end, Yang built an altar in the southern suburbs; the divination encountered the Great Transverse, the greatly auspicious hexagram of Emperor Wen of the Han. Thereupon he cast a golden image, which was successfully formed in a single casting. Wei Shou composed the abdication text, and the Wei Emperor signed it. He then accepted the abdication to become the Great Qi. In all his conduct, no one could fathom his folly or wisdom. He entrusted the administration to Vice-Director Yang Zunyan. The Emperor greatly erected Buddhist monasteries; monks and nuns overflowed all the prefectures. Winter and summer, offerings and the practice of the Way continued without cease. At that time Dhyāna Master Chou admonished the Emperor, saying: 'The Danapati governs the state with the scrutiny of a rākṣasa. Look into the water and you will see yourself.' The Emperor followed his advice and saw a host of rākṣasas behind him. Thereupon he ceased to eat meat. He banned falcons and hawks, dismissed their officials, and eliminated fishing, butchery, and all pungent and non-vegetarian foods, not allowing them into the markets. The Emperor constantly sat in dhyāna, not coming out for entire days. When bowing to the Buddha and circumambulating, his speed was like the wind. He received the precepts from the Grand Controller of the Bureau of Buddhist Affairs. He spread his hair upon the ground and ordered the Master to tread on the hair and confer them. Prior to this, while the Emperor was in Jinyang, he sent a man riding a camel, decreeing: 'Go to the temple and fetch the sūtra chests.' The messenger asked where it was. The Emperor said: 'Let the camel leave the city at will.' When he left, suddenly as if in a dream, he reached a mountain. Halfway up the mountain was a Buddhist monastery. A crowd of novices said from afar: 'Gao Yang's camel has arrived!' They led him to see an old monk. He bowed to him, and the monk said: 'How is Gao Yang doing as the Son of Heaven?' He replied: 'Sage and enlightened.' The monk said: 'What have you come for?' He replied: 'To fetch the sūtra chests.' The monk said: 'Yang is lazy at reciting sūtras in the monastery; order him to go north to the east end to be given them.' The messenger returned to report his mission. Earlier, when the Emperor reached the Buddhist monastery at Mujing in Gukou, there was a foolish man who had abandoned his body and could not speak. Suddenly he said to the Emperor: 'I am going; you come after.' That night the foolish man died, and the Emperor soon died in Jinyang.