廣弘明集 6.38

6.38

A native of Kuaiji. Under Emperor Ming of the Song, he served as a Secretariat Drafter. He was skilled in demeanor and uprightly offered blunt admonitions. The emperor was fond of chess and neglected administrative affairs considerably. Yuan said, 'Yao used this to instruct Danzhu; it is not what a ruler of men should be fond of.' The emperor was enraged and ordered him dragged down from the hall. Initially, [Yuan] showed no fear. Two or three days later, he was summoned back again. Emperor Ming used his former residence to establish the Xianggong Temple, its construction grand and magnificent. Yuan said, 'Digging and excavating for this temple injures ants; burning bricks and tiles scorches insects. The bitter toil of corvée wears down the strength of the common people. Selling wives and bartering children, their weeping and groaning fill the roads. If the Buddha is omniscient, he will lament their guilt; if the Buddha is not omniscient, what benefit is there in building it?' Offending the imperial will, he was dispatched to govern Jin'an. This was truly the original intent of great compassion, which attained the bequest of the Buddha; yet [Fu] Yi called it a censure and dismissal [of Buddhism]—was this not contrary to [Yuan's] intention?