集古今佛道論衡 3.23

3.23

貞觀十四年。先有黃巾西華觀秦世英者。挾方術以自媚。因程器於儲兩。素嫉釋宗。陰上法琳所造之論云。此辯正但欲謗訕皇宗罪當誷上　太宗聞之。便下　勅沙汰僧尼貌減年齒。使御史韋悰。將軍于伯億并寺省州縣官人日別鴻臚檢閱情狀。見有眾僧宜依遺教。仍追訪琳身據法推勘。琳扼腕奮發追徵未及。即詣公庭輕生答對不懼性命乃縶之縲紲。下詔問曰。周之宗盟異姓為後。尊祖重親寔由先古。何為追逐其短。首鼠兩端。廣引形似之言。備陳不遜之喻。爬毀我祖禰。謗讟我先人。如此要君罪有不恕。琳答曰。文王大聖周公大賢。追遠慎終昊天靡答。孝悌之至通於神明。雖有宗周義不爭長。何者皇天無親竟由輔德。古人黨理而不黨親。不自我先不自我後。雖親有罪必罰。雖疎有功必賞。賞罰理當。故天下和平。老子習訓道宗德教。加於百姓恕己謙光。仁風刑于四海。又云。吾師名佛。佛者覺一切人也。乾竺古皇西昇逝矣。討尋老教始末可追日授中經示誨弟子言。吾師者善入泥洹綿綿常存。吾今逝矣。今劉李所述謗滅老氏之師世莫能知。所以著茲辯正論有八卷。略對道士六十餘條。並陳史籍前言實非謗毀家國。自後二十餘列。具狀奏聞　勅云。汝所著辯正論。信毀交報篇曰。有念觀音臨刃不傷。且赦七日令爾念之。試及刑期能無傷不。琳外纏桎梏內迫刑期。氷炭交懷惟祈顯應。恰至限滿忽神思彯勇。橫逸胸懷頓亡死畏立待追對。須臾勅至云。今赦期已滿。即事加刑。有何所念。念有靈不。琳答曰。自隋季擾攘四海沸騰。役毒流行干戈競起。興師相伐各擅兵威。臣佞君荒不為正治。遏絕王路固執一隅。自皇王弔伐載清海陸。斯寔觀音之力。咸資勢至之功。比德連衡道齊上聖。救橫死於　帝庭。免淫刑於都市。琳於七日已來。不念觀音惟念陛下。又　勅治書侍御韋悰問琳。有詔令念觀音。何因不念。乃云惟念陛下。琳答。伏承觀音聖鑒塵形六道。上天下地皆為師範。然唐光宅四海九夷奉職八表刑清。君聖臣賢不為枉濫。今　陛下子育恒品如經即是觀音。既其靈鑒相符。所以惟念　陛下。且琳所著辯正論。爰與書史符同。一句參差任從斧鉞　陛下若順忠順正。琳則不損一毛　陛下若刑濫無辜。琳則有伏屍之痛。以狀奏聞。遂不加罪。下　勅。徙於益部僧寺。於時朝庭上下知英構扇御史韋悰審英飾詐疑陽庶俗。乃奏彈曰。竊以大道欝興。沖虛之迹斯闡。玄風既播。無為之教寔隆。未有身預黃冠志同凡素者也。道士秦英頗學醫方薄閑呪禁。親戚寄命羸疾投身。姦婬其妻禽獸不若。情違正教心類豺狼。逞貪競之懷。恣邪穢之行。家藏妻子門有姬童。乘肥衣輕出入衢路。揚眉奮袂無憚憲章。健羨未忘觀繳在慮。斯原不殄至教式虧。請寘嚴科以懲婬侈。有　勅。追入大理。竟以狂狷被誅。公私同知賊惡。怪其死晚。可謂賊夫人之子。於斯見矣。

In the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, there was previously Qin Shiying, a Yellow Turban [Daoist] of the Xihua Abbey, who ingratiated himself by means of occult arts and displayed his abilities to the Crown Prince. Having long harboured jealousy toward the Buddhist lineage, he secretly submitted the treatise composed by Falin, stating: “This *Bian zheng [lun]* only seeks to slander the imperial lineage, a crime of deceiving the sovereign.” When Taizong heard of it, he immediately issued an imperial edict to weed out monks and nuns, and to investigate any reduction of ages on registrations. He dispatched the Attendant Censor Wei Cong and General Yu Boyi, together with officials from the ministries, departments, prefectures, and counties, to the Court of State Ceremonial each day to inspect their conditions; and that any assembly of monks found should act in accordance with the bequeathed teachings. He also ordered that Falin be pursued and summoned to be interrogated according to the law. Falin gripped his wrists in resolute passion; before the summons could even reach him, he went directly to the public court, holding life light, and answered without fear for his life, whereupon they bound him in chains. [The emperor] issued an imperial edict interrogating him: “In the ancestral covenant of the Zhou, those of different surnames were ranked behind; honouring ancestors and esteeming kin truly originates in ancient times. Why do you pursue their faults, wavering indecisively, citing a wide array of superficial words, and fully setting forth disrespectful analogies, clawing at and ruining my ancestors and slandering my forebears? Such coercing of the ruler is an unpardonable crime!” Falin answered: “King Wen was a great sage, and the Duke of Zhou was a great worthy. In tracing back the distant and carefully attending to the funeral rites of parents, even August Heaven could not requite them; the utmost filial piety and fraternal love communicate with the luminous spirits. Though the ancestral Zhou existed, in principle they did not vie for precedence. Why? August Heaven has no partiality; in the end it only supports virtue. The ancients sided with principle, not with kin; they did not start before themselves, nor end behind themselves. Though kin, if they had crimes, they were surely punished; though distant, if they had merit, they were surely rewarded. When reward and punishment conform to principle, all under Heaven is peaceful and harmonious. Laozi practiced instruction in the ancestral Dao and the teachings of virtue, extending them to the common people, forgiving others, and being modest and brilliant; his benevolent wind served as a model for the four seas. He also said: ‘My master's name is Buddha; a Buddha is one who awakens all people. He was the ancient sovereign of Dry India, who ascended westwards and passed away.’ When investigating Laozi's teaching, its beginning and end can be traced. In the *Sutra of Daily Transmission* he instructed his disciples, saying: ‘My master entered well into nirvāṇa, continuously and perpetually enduring. I now depart.’ Nowadays, what Liu and Li describe slanders and destroys the master of Laozi, yet the world cannot recognize it. This is why I composed this *Bian zheng lun* in eight fascicles, summarily responding to the Daoists in over sixty items, all citing historical records and earlier sayings; it was truly not to slander or ruin the state and the imperial family.” He then set forth over twenty items in succession, fully reporting them in a memorial. An imperial edict said: “The *Bian zheng lun* you composed states in the chapter ‘Reciprocal Retribution for Faith and Slander’ that if one is mindful of Guanyin, when approaching the blade one will not be harmed. We shall pardon you for seven days and command you to recite it, to test whether you can be unharmed when the execution date arrives.” Externally entangled in fetters and internally pressed by the date of execution, with ice and coals clashing in his bosom, Falin only prayed for a manifest response. Just as the deadline expired, his mind and spirit suddenly became bold and resolute, surging across his breast; he completely lost all fear of death and stood awaiting the summoned cross-examination. Moments later the imperial edict arrived, saying: “Today the period of pardon has expired, and the execution is to be carried out immediately. What were you mindful of? Was the mindfulness efficacious or not?” Falin replied: “Ever since the turmoil of the late Sui, the four seas boiled over; the plague of corvée spread widely, and shields and spears rose in competition. Armies were mobilized to attack one another, each presuming upon their military might; ministers were flattering and the ruler was dissolute, failing to practice upright government, obstructing the royal roads and stubbornly clinging to single corners. Ever since the August Sovereign conducted punitive expeditions to console the people, he has continuously purified the seas and lands. This is truly the power of Guanyin, all aided by the merit of Mahāsthāmaprāpta. Your virtue is continuous and balanced, your Dao equals that of the supreme sages; you rescue from untimely death at the imperial court and pardon excessive punishments in the capital markets. For the past seven days, I, Falin, have not been mindful of Guanyin; I have only been mindful of Your Majesty.” Furthermore, an imperial edict instructed Wei Cong, the Vice Director of the Palace Bureau of Censors, to ask Falin: “An edict ordered you to be mindful of Guanyin. For what reason were you not mindful of him, but said instead that you were only mindful of His Majesty?” Falin answered: “I humbly understand that Guanyin's sacred insight manifests in forms within the six paths of existence; above in heaven and below on earth, he serves as a teacher and model to all. Now, the Tang dynasty magnificently houses the four seas, the nine barbarian tribes render their duties, and within the eight regions punishments are clear and just. The ruler is sage and the ministers are worthy; there is no wrongful excess. Now Your Majesty nurtures ordinary beings as your children; according to the sutras, this is precisely Guanyin. Since your numinous mirror tallies with his, I was therefore only mindful of Your Majesty. Moreover, the *Bian zheng lun* written by me, Falin, tallies with the records and histories; if there is even one discrepancy, I submit to the axe. If Your Majesty accords with loyalty and righteousness, Falin will not lose a single hair; if Your Majesty metes out excessive punishment to the innocent, Falin will suffer the pain of lying dead.” When this was memorialized, they ultimately did not impose punishment. An imperial edict was issued banishing him to a Buddhist monastery in the region of Yizhou. At that time, both above and below in the court, all knew that Qin Shiying had fabricated the agitation. The Censor Wei Cong, having investigated that Qin Shiying disguised deceit and hypocritically deceived ordinary folk, submitted an impeachment memorial: “I have observed that when the Great Dao flourished, the traces of empty quietude were elucidated; when the profound wind was broadcast, the teaching of non-action truly prospered. Never was there one whose person wore the yellow crown while his intentions were identical with ordinary laymen. The Daoist Qin Ying has studied medical formulas somewhat and is slightly versed in incantations; relatives entrusted their lives to him, and the emaciated and sick committed their bodies to his care. Yet he committed adultery with their wives, acting worse than birds and beasts; his sentiments violate the orthodox teaching, and his mind resembles wolves and jackals. Giving rein to his grasping and competitive heart, he indulged in heterodox and defiled deeds; at home he conceals a wife and children, and at his gate are concubines and young boys. Riding fat horses and wearing light furs, he traverses the thoroughfares; raising his eyebrows and shaking his sleeves, he has no fear of the penal codes. His strong covetousness is not yet forgotten, and he fears the bird-netting arrow. If this root is not destroyed, the utmost teaching will decline. I request that severe penal statutes be applied to punish his licentiousness and extravagance.” An imperial edict ordered him to be summoned to the Court of Judicial Review; in the end, he was executed for his madness and recklessness. Both public and private knew of his villainy and wickedness, marveling only that he died so late. One may indeed say: ‘He would ruin another's son’—this was manifested right here.”