廣弘明集 8.6

8.6

The emperor's personal name was Tao. He ascended the throne in the eighth year of the Taichang era of Emperor Mingyuan, at the age of eight. Being still tender and young, the governance he relied on rested solely on his grand ministers. At that time, the Minister over the Masses, Cui Hao, had a particular disbelief in Buddhism. Whenever the emperor consulted him on state affairs, he always harboured resentment and said, 'The Buddhist teaching is false and absurd, causing waste and harm to the world. The Huang-Lao way of the immortals may be preserved in the mind.' As Hao already had an elegant faith in the way of immortals, he transmitted the *Laozi* scripture to the emperor. Trusting and applying his words at face value, [the emperor] never gave them critical consideration; he immediately set up Daoist altars and summoned masters of esoteric arts from all around. At that time, the Buddhist Dharma was flourishing. Hao envied it inwardly and was constantly looking for flaws. It happened that Gai Wu rebelled in Xingcheng, and the Guanzhong region was thrown into turmoil. The emperor therefore went on a western punitive expedition, with Hao accompanying him at the time. Upon arriving in Chang'an, there was a monk who planted wheat within the temple grounds, and the imperial grooms pastured the horses there. The emperor entered to inspect the horses, and an attendant official went into an adjoining room where he saw bows and arrows. He came out and memorialized the matter. The emperor was enraged and said, 'These are not things to be used by a monk. He must be colluding with Gai Wu, plotting to harm others.' He ordered the relevant authorities to prosecute and execute the entire monastery. They inspected its assets and found goods deposited for safekeeping by governors, commandery protectors, and wealthy individuals, which numbered in the tens of thousands. An edict was then issued to burn and destroy the Buddha statues, ordering that this be held as an imperial precedent and that the four quarters follow the events of Chang'an in every respect. In the fifth year of the Taiping Zhenjun era, the emperor was twenty-nine years old, in the prime of his life and flourishing in military exploits. Cui Hao's nefarious stratagems followed one after another, fanning the flames alongside the masters of esoteric arts. Day after day [the emperor] climbed to the immortal lookouts, and the pure assembly of the Śākya gate was about to be annihilated. He issued another edict, saying: 'The foolish populace lacks discernment, believing in the counterfeit and being deluded by the uncanny; they privately keep shamans and sorcerers and conceal prognostic texts. The company of monks make false use of the absurdities of the Western Regions, giving rise to demonic portents from their idle seats. This is not the way to unify governance and transformation or spread genuine virtue throughout the realm. From princes and dukes down to the commoners, anyone who privately shelters monks must surrender them by the fifteenth day of the second month of this year. If they exceed this deadline and do not give them up, the monks shall be executed, and the families of those who harboured them shall be exterminated.' At that time, Crown Prince Gongzong supervised the realm; he had always revered the Buddhist Dharma, and repeatedly submitted memorials explaining that the execution of monks was arbitrary and excessive, and that the fault did not lie with the painted images: 'Now let their order be disbanded and the doors of all monasteries closed; when the world no longer cultivates and venerates them, the clay, wood, cinnabar, and verdigris will naturally perish.' He pleaded two or three times like this, but was not permitted. At that time, there was a monk named Xuan'gao, who was an outstanding master of the empty gate. Crown Prince Huang took him as his master and revered and served him like a Buddha. Cui Hao enjoyed imperial favour; fearing that Huang would assume the regency and that he himself might be endangered and banished, he secretly slandered him to the emperor: 'Huang has deviant intentions. If you do not plan ahead, regret will come too late. Furthermore, Huang has associated with Xuan'gao, who communicates with spirits and demons and excels at winning people's hearts. Can you not be suspicious?' The emperor initially did not heed this, but later imprisoned him. He then dreamed of his ancestor, who said, 'The Crown Prince has committed no crime.' He also questioned the civil and military officials, who all said, 'The Crown Prince is humane and filial, and has been unjustly disgraced and imprisoned.' The emperor then released Huang and restored the administration to him. Hao slandered him again, and the emperor believed it, imprisoning Huang until he died in confinement and strangling Gao south of the suburbs. Hao had his way at the court, and none of the lords dared utter a word. Thus, in the third month of the seventh year of the Taiping Zhenjun era, an edict was issued to sweep everything clean: all painted images and barbarian scriptures were to be smashed and burned, and monks, regardless of age, were to be buried alive. These were all outcomes brought about by Cui Hao's intentions. Later, when the emperor suffered from a pestilence and Hao's entire clan was exterminated, their long cries and deep laments were of no avail. The events are detailed in the earlier *Treatise on Buddhism and Daoism*.