廣弘明集 6.21

6.21

The Emperor's clan name was Liu; his taboo name was Jun. He was the third son of Emperor Wen. Punishing treason on his father's behalf, he beheaded his elder brother Liu Shao in the southern suburbs, along with his thirty-one sons. Establishing himself, he changed the era to Xiaojian. In the second year, he executed his uncle Yixuan. In the second year of Daming, he executed Wang Sengda and his son. When the Qiang man Gao She revolted, the matter implicated the śramaṇa Tanbiao. The Emperor issued an edict stating: 'The Buddha's Dharma has degenerated and śramaṇas are mixed and corrupt; far from being sufficient to support and aid the great teaching, they have solely become a refuge for criminals. Moreover, treacherous hearts frequently emerge and violent acts are repeatedly heard of, corrupting the Way, disordering customs, and provoking the wrath of both humans and spirits. Let them be handed over to the local authorities to be rigorously purged. Those who violate the laws hereafter shall be strictly executed and punished.' He then established various prohibitive articles, requiring all to return to secular life except those whose observance of precepts was refined and austere. Although the edict was stern, in the end it was not implemented. Prior to this, during the time of Emperor Cheng of the Jin, Yu Bing held exclusive power and wished to make śramaṇas pay homage to the ruler; He Chong, Wang Mi, and others disputed this with divergent arguments. When Huan Xuan usurped the throne, he revived the previous proposal, but neither came to fruition, fully detailed elsewhere. In the sixth year of Daming, Shizu ordered the officials to memorialize and deliberate to make monks pay homage. Having already practiced the cruelty of disemboweling and hacking, he whipped Yan Jun's face and beheaded him; people could not bear his cruelty. Moreover, monks paying homage was not a canon for statecraft, so it was not implemented either. In the eighth year of Daming, he passed away. His son Ziye was enthroned, but was soon overthrown by Emperor Ming. Yet Fu Yi described him as an emperor of lofty discernment—with such indiscriminate punishments, what discernment could be called lofty? In an instant, his lineage was extinguished, his person and reputation both destroyed; this can truly serve as a mirror for the Yin! Examining Xiao Zixian's account, it states: 'The House of Song claimed for itself the virtue of Water, but its transmission of fortune was crooked and unstable. Eight rulers occupied the throne, lasting five decades; four times the primary heir was cut off, and three times an era was styled a restoration. Within the palace, disasters and crises arose, and flesh and blood trampled upon each other—how can words express it?'