廣弘明集 6.13

6.13

The Emperor's clan name was Tuoba. His taboo name was Fuli, and later his name was Tao. He was of a separate branch of the Xianbei Hu. During the disorders of the Western Jin, there was Tuoba Lu, who held the northern lands. The Jin then enfeoffed him as King of Dai. Lu's grandson Shiyijian (some say Gui) saw his tribal groups flourish even further, with a multitude of one hundred thousand. To the north he adjoined Yunzhong and to the west he held Mount Yin. Yunzhong is four thousand li south of the Han frontier. In the early Taiyuan era of Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin, he moved south three hundred li to the east of the northern commandery, making Pingcheng his capital for more than twenty years. Following Chinese ways, he built palaces and revered the Dharma of the Buddha. He occupied the throne for thirty-four years. Reaching the Long'an era of the Jin emperor, the third ruler, Tuoba Tao, was enthroned. At that time he was eight years old, still in tender youth. He placed complete trust in the Minister over the Masses, Cui Hao. Hao particularly disbelieved in the Buddha, his sentiments giving weight to the immortal arts of Laozi. He presented the Daodejing to the Emperor and bade him recite and savour it, whereupon the Emperor came to esteem it. In the second year of his reign, he summoned masters of methods from throughout the realm. There was a Daoist master named Kou Qianzhi, a prominent figure in the Daoist fold. He claimed of himself that atop Mount Songgao he met a Heavenly Worthy flying down, who summoned Qianzhi and conferred on him the title of Celestial Master, ordering him to attend upon the Perfect Lord of Great Peace and erect a Heavenly Palace of the Wheel of Tranquility, whereby the Dao of immortality could be attained. When the gathered ministers heard this, they disregarded it, but Hao placed deep faith in it. From this, the Emperor established a Daoist ritual precinct in the suburbs of Pingcheng, two hundred paces square, soaring and lofty with multiple storeys, and fully furnished with lavish rites, just as detailed in the 'Treatise on Buddhism and Daoism'. Later he changed his reign title to Taiping Zhenjun (Perfect Lord of Great Peace) to fulfill Kou Qianzhi's Daoist mandate. Because Gai Wu rose in revolt, there were śramaṇas in the Guanzhong region who stored bows and arrows. Hao then presented the argument that they were colluding with Wu. Thereupon, he executed the śramaṇas of Chang'an and burned and destroyed the Buddha images; it was the same throughout the four directions, sparing only those under the imperial court. By the seventh year of the Zhenjun era, he utterly swept everything away, burying monks alive and smashing images, considering that he had attained his ambition. Tainted by slander, he secretly murdered the Crown Prince. When evil illness afflicted his person, only then did he execute Cui Hao's entire clan, but what use was lamentation then? Not long after, he was murdered by the eunuch Zong Qing and perished. His grandson succeeded to the throne, immediately reopened the Buddha's Dharma, and the realm was greatly illuminated.