廣弘明集 6.4

6.4

In the Tang dynasty there was the Grand Astrologer Fu Yi. His ancestral tradition followed Laozi, and he was suspicious and jealous of the Buddhist sangha. He secretly plotted to cut it down and eradicate it to satisfy his vulgar ambitions. At the beginning of the Wude era, he submitted a memorial setting forth his views in full detail. Because it was not in accord with statecraft, it was shelved at the time. Fu Yi could not contain his indignation, and so he cited twenty-five rulers and ministers from antiquity down to the present who had slandered the Buddhist Dharma. Arranging them into chapters and headings, he titled it Biographies of Men of High Discernment, comprising one slipcase in ten fascicles. He had copies made and sold in the marketplace, seeking to spread his defilement widely. He further embellished and embellished their accusations. As for Zhang Lu occupying Hanzhong and the Yellow Turbans rebelling across the realm—all of these were instances of rebellion within the school of Li [Laozi]—yet he covered them all up without revealing them. Can this be called a text of sound discussion? Indeed, when a wall is high it will surely collapse; when a tree stands out from the forest, it will be uprooted. Only because our [tradition] is pure and lofty do other traditions envy it; one need not find their vulgar pettiness strange. One never sees kitchen servants or menial slaves subjected to annoyance or humiliation. When it is clear that one has no cataracts in the eyes, why should they be purged? Therefore, following upon his assertions, I provide explanations in sequence. These are ancient precedents, clearly distinguished by nature; those without wide learning consider them novel notions. I briefly lay out the old explanations to sketch their origins and courses. By relying on this spiritual illumination, one may truly be called a man of high discernment. Moreover, Mr. Fu had meager understanding, and his abilities relied upon others. In compiling and recounting the events and the rise and fall of the times, more than half concerned slaughter, destruction, and burning, which can be termed unprincipled governance. The measures of weeding out and inspecting [the monastic community] are truly the foundation of royal transformation. Thus the monastic regulations and secular statutes became increasingly manifest across the dynasties. These were to prohibit wrongdoing; how could they constitute destruction and abolition? Mr. Fu indiscriminately included them under the category of abolition, which is like a man who splits hairs only to sink into the mire—most pitiable indeed! Fu Yi studied the Masters and Histories of the Zhou, his intention being eradication. Searching out and extolling those who discussed the Buddhist Dharma through successive dynasties, he could not distinguish between preservation and abolition. In treating the twenty-five persons in all, there were roughly two kinds: First, those who revered the Buddhist Dharma and feared it might contain depravity and corruption, hence requiring weeding out to ensure the preservation of the Dharma; second, those who hated and envied its flourishing prominence, endangering themselves to harbor resentment, hence demanding total destruction to vent their minds. First, fourteen rulers and ministers who preserved [the Dharma] are listed. Fu Yi's Biographies of Men of High Discernment indiscriminately categorized them as destroyers; when examined now, they were in fact people who caused it to flourish.