廣弘明集 7.27
English (machine translation) 7.27
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7.27
When Song said that he did not urge the erection of crooked-view saṅghārāmas, it was because they injure humans and beasts. If they are built, this goes contrary to the great compassion of all Buddhas. In antiquity King Aśoka built pagodas, employing myriad spirits in a single day. Today, building stupas exhausts wealth and lives over successive years. Moreover, blending earth into mud and firing bricks and tiles to completion creates a kalpa-ending fire for insects in the grass and brings about a flood disaster upon ants. Looking up to measure benevolence and compassion, this should never be permitted. This is truly an admonition. Therefore, when bhikṣus construct dwellings, they first eliminate obstacles and dangers; if it would harm life, it must by no means be done. Treasuring living things and giving rise to compassion is itself the pagoda of benevolence. The principle is extremely correct, yet in practice it is rarely carried out.
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- 廣弘明集 — Classical Chinese