廣弘明集 6.9

6.9

In the eighth year of the Daye era of the Sui, when the Son of Heaven was in Liaodong, there was a man named Wang Wentong from Wang Fort east of the suburbs. He had long had a dispute with monks over the profits of a water mill. Having received an imperial edict to inspect military provisions, he forged an imperial decree to assemble the monks, placed the three wooden shackles on them, tortured them to confess to rebellion, and ordered them to implicate local citizens as co-conspirators. He then slaughtered the monastic followers in Hejian commandery, killing nearly one thousand monastics and laypeople. The dispatches were circulated as far as Puzhou, and the reputation of his cruelty spread throughout the empire. At that time, Dou Qing was the governor of Hedong and reported the matter to the throne. The emperor was greatly enraged and had him executed at Hejian. Before the execution could be carried out, the common people sliced his flesh and ate it raw, down to the ground. Through this example of rebellion described below, the rebellion against the monks also corresponds. These slanders and destructions of the Buddhist Dharma initially arose from monks because of old grudges; without considering falling into drowning for many kalpas, they sought a moment's pleasure. Vented among emperors and ministers, these were not matters of state memorials. Meddling in matters outside one's station, they incurred the previous faults: vainly raising the axe, in the end they fell into having their chests ground down. Therefore, I, the compiler, narrate them following the biographies, hoping to serve as a mirror for future generations.