廣弘明集 6.8

6.8

First, introducing the purification of the monastic assembly: Indeed, that weeds foul the green field and that the decline of youthful bloom leads to white hair are phenomena that certainly have their causes. Thus the faults of the Group of Six arose in Śrāvastī, and the corruption of the ten improprieties originated in Vaiśālī. The Great Sage thereupon established articles and rules, whereby the non-learners corrected offenses. Consequently, there were the seven expulsions to measure minor faults and the four rules to uproot major evils. Setting forth the mesh of the net, he revealed the three thousand [rules]; displaying the vinaya etiquette, he laid out the eighty thousand. Thus both the True and Semblance [Ages] were acclaimed as having the Way, and both inner and outer regarded them as stainless. Ever since the Dharma entered the royal courts, the punishment of the golden codes has not lapsed. Monks spread across seas and mountains, and the cracks that harbored corruption grew ever more apparent. Upholding governance to restrain them by law, the decorum of 'cooking a small fish' could be witnessed. Admonishing them according to capacity and time, the simile of grasping mud was closely matched. Who among humans is without fault? Admonitions of hanging pearls provide a crossing. Ugly traces are easily observed, yet those who cover their ears are hard to make see. Therefore, the two emperors of the Song and Tang, as well as worthies like Wang and Yan, observed the dullness and brightness of beings' nature and understood the simplicity and decadence of their karmic conditions. If they indulged the chaos and dissolution of the Buddhist school, the waters of the Zi and Mian would mingle in confusion; if they reprimanded the merits and demerits of the monastic followers, the Jing and Wei rivers would flow distinctly. They cast out greedy and rivalrous knaves and eliminated the monastic dregs who hoarded possessions; they preserved high moral character and extended profound kindness to gather people in. As for the governance of the Han, Wei, Qi, and Liang, the vast net of heaven was wide enough to let boat-swallowing fish slip through, whereas the overly inquisitive royal administration combined harshness and excess. Therefore, they broadly propagated the Buddhist Dharma to bring universal salvation across the Five Vehicles; thoroughly permeating their enlightened eras, they gradually transformed both the pure and the turbid, causing the turbid to recognize their refuge and renew themselves under great creation, and accommodating the pure so they realized the many ways of adapting to transformation. This was just like a general amnesty under heaven, by which fugitives changed their ways, or overlooking flaws to embrace the multitude, through which the common crowd turned toward good. Were Yao and Shun not sage rulers? Yet their transformation did not reach Danzhu. How could the founder of the Han have delighted in the steps of disorder? Yet he pardoned the rebellion of Guan Gao. In the gate of Confucius, although Jilu was eccentric, he nevertheless ascended the hall; among the Śākya clan, Devadatta was heterodox, yet he took part in the pure assembly. From this we know that the skillful path involves suppressing and elevating, its spiritual mechanism depending on expedient use: sometimes restraining, sometimes releasing, actions arise according to the times. Next, introducing the intention behind abolishing the Three Jewels: Preserving the body and keeping life is what living beings value; prizing wealth and cherishing food are what the vulgar crowd cherishes. Therefore, although the throne is called the Great Treasure, it cannot defeat the King of Death; and though one's strength may uproot green mountains, none can escape old age and sickness. This is the teaching of the Buddha. Thus the four mountains constantly press in, the royal throne is impermanent, the three marks continuously shift, and a lifespan has its fixed measure. This is the true record. Among the common people, there are prophetic omens transmitted, though it is unknown whence they came. Some say they were orally conferred; others recount talismans and charts. Falsely displayed and secretly spread, they were publicized among scholars and commoners. In my humble view, the Five Phases succeed one another, and of emperors there is only one; who would look upon or heed the rest of the ordinary folk? Before the Zhou founder, there were those who feared the color black, saying that a 'black person' would succeed to the heavenly throne. Therefore, Emperor Xuan of Northern Qi was panicked and wished to execute Dhyāna Master Chou. Chou inquired about the reason, and the emperor said that a black person would ascend the heavenly throne. Chou said, 'These are wild words! Nothing is blacker than lacquer—can lacquer do it?' Emperor Xuan misunderstood and personally killed his seventh brother, Huan; this is truly laughable. When Emperor Taizu of Northern Zhou first received the popular omen, [he thought], 'My name is Heitai, which can correspond to it.' After entering Guanzhong, he changed [his attire] to black, and court insignia and common clothing alike conformed to it. He ordered the monks to wear yellow to accord with the prophetic apocrypha. Emperor Wu had heroic vision and initially paid no heed to it. But when Zhang Bin established hegemony and Wei Yuansong composed his poem, valuing Daoism and doubting Buddhism, the emperor was on the verge of abolishing [Buddhism] and elevating [Daoism]. There was a Dhyāna Master Shi, who was the hope of the Buddhist school and was also respected by the emperor. The emperor secretly asked him who would receive the future turn of fortune. Shi said, 'This is not something a monk knows.' The emperor said, 'According to the omens transmitted, they say a black person should obtain it. Monks mostly wear black, so I harbor some suspicions.' Shi said, 'A monk is but a single individual; who would support him? It is definitely not a monk.' The emperor said, 'If a monk will not obtain it, who is the black one?' Shi said, 'Your Majesty, as a great man, how can you rely on and believe wild rumors? If outsiders hear this, how can they call you a supreme sage? There are many black things: old crows are black, and black soybeans are black. Such things are not few; can they obtain it too?' When the emperor heard of people with the surname Wu ('Crow') or Dou ('Bean'), he used trumped-up charges to execute them. In his original disposition, his suspicions lay with the Buddhists, so he promptly eradicated them. Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei was originally from the northern tribal lands and had no literary learning. Ascending the throne at the age of eight, he placed absolute trust in Cui Hao. Thus both emperors favored their own persons and believed in slander and prophetic omens; they trampled upon the Buddhist teaching and brought calamity upon themselves. Yet shortly after, it was revived again. Its revival came from the opportune time and was not dependent on human power. Therefore, the scriptures and commentaries say: 'The Buddha's teaching will endure far into the future, ending only at the age of sixty thousand years; the small sages who preserve it have their merit in the nine hundred million non-learners.' It cannot be eliminated! Those worthies from Cai Mo down who submitted memorials all harbored private grievances and had rifts with monks. Giving vent to their rage, they disregarded themselves, so how much more would they disregard the Buddhist Dharma? They exhausted their brushes in writing down accusations and stretched the law to ensnare them in penal nets, using 'bald thieves' to alarm ears and eyes and 'sorcerous barbarians' to sway kings and ministers. Furthermore, statutory articles and codes are not as tight as congealed fat; in the vast heavenly net, there are bound to be those who fall through the mesh. To call them thieves places them under the statutes for robbery; to describe them as sorcerous subjects them to the death penalty. Their memorials abundantly speak of 'sorcerous thieves,' yet one knows not who these 'sorcerous thieves' are. These may be termed anonymous letters, fit only to be thrown into the fire! If investigated, their groundless traces would expose themselves. Although there were ten worthies who submitted memorials across the eras, Xun Ji was the only one who had some talent and utility; as for the rest who followed in writing, they are not worth being heard by others. Fu Yi came later and considered himself outstanding, yet his words had no classical authority and his talent was empty and deficient. Calling rubble a treasure, he is despised by both the worthy and the foolish. Moreover, having no family background in Daoism, he arose from poverty and turned to monks to beg for loans. Not getting what he desired, he harbored resentment and grudge—this was indeed his original motive. At the beginning of the Wude era, he came west to enter the capital and turned to the Daoist Wang Kui. Kui was the hope of the Daoist community and known throughout the metropolis. Seeing that he was cold and hungry, Kui invited him to reside in his private residence. Kui was a cultured man and treated him as an honored guest. Within a few days, [Fu Yi] seduced his wife, entering the hall to feast and converse, without even avoiding others. Kui had an elder brother's son who was a monk, whose temple was near Kui's residence. When he went to visit, he saw this. Fu Yi became furious. The monk then informed Kui. Kui initially did not believe it, saying, 'Fu Yi is a poor scholar; I took him into my house. How could he do anything improper?' The monk said, 'If uncle has doubts, you can go and take a look.' Going together to the house, it was indeed as he had said. Kui held his breath and turned back. Kui had a son-in-law who was a garrison commander, who often spoke of this. Having stolen another's wife, the sorceries transmitted by Fu Yi are countless. Just as recorded in the Mingbao ji by Tang Lin, Vice Minister of Personnel of the Tang, [Fu Yi's] spirit became a mud person—and how appropriate that was! It is revealed elsewhere.