廣弘明集 7.18

7.18

Ji said: 'Your Majesty believes that cause and effect have a definite term, and that retribution has no delayed karma; therefore, you revere the semblance Dharma and make offerings and alms ever more lavishly. You exhaust the people and fell timber, burning and digging up mole crickets and ants, and harming the harmonious qi—how is this mindful of the Great Enlightened One's compassion? If barbarian ghosts can indeed bring blessings, we might abolish Confucianism and Daoism; if shaven-headed Śākyan disciples can truly avert calamity, we might cast aside weapons of war. Yet now [the realm] doubles the guards to prepare for unforeseen events and beats the clappers to contest empty territory. To kill mole crickets and ants to build merit already contravenes the Buddhist scriptures; to revere bewitching evils and practice flattering sacrifices further blemishes the moral teachings. Even a five-foot herdsboy knows not to doubt [this]; the sovereign of the four seas by principle should not have second or third thoughts about his virtue. For Your Majesty's sake, this is the fifth reason your servant does not accept [it].'