續集古今佛道論衡 1.17

1.17

On the ninth day of the first month, Zhu Shanxin, a Daoist master of the Southern Peak from Wuqiu County, Yuzhang Commandery, in the region of Yangzhou, acted as the leader of the petition. Six hundred and ninety Daoists, including Zhu Shanxin, disciples of the Taishang Three Caverns from the monasteries of the Five Sacred Peaks and eighteen mountains, presented this memorial on pain of death: 'Your servants have heard that the Taishang is formless and nameless, boundless and supreme, the primal head of the unvacuous Great Dao of spontaneity. Ever since creation, the teachings of the Dao arose from it; it is the honored of non-action, the father of spontaneity. It was revered alike in high antiquity, unchanging throughout the hundred kings. Now Your Majesty's dao surpasses Fuxi, and your virtue exceeds Yao and Shun; your radiant grace covers the four seas, and the eight outer regions submit to your benevolence. Your servants have privily learned that Your Majesty has abandoned the root to pursue the branches, seeking teachings from the Western Regions. When your servants observe that which is served in the Western Regions, they are indeed barbarian masters, and what they preach does not accord with the Central Realm. Moreover, you have invited barbarian men of the Way and ordered their language translated to resemble Chinese speech. Your servants have reflected: although Your Majesty has obtained translations of these words, we fear they are not the Great Dao. If you do not believe us, we pray Your Majesty pardon your servants' crime and permit a trial by ordeal. Among your servants, the Daoist masters of the Five Sacred Peaks and various mountains, many are intelligent and wise, broadly versed in the scriptures. From the Primal Sovereign onward, we fully understand the scriptures and practices of the Taishang; we clearly comprehend all the talismans and incantations of Great Emptiness. Some swallow talismans and ingest qi; some summon and command ghosts and spirits; some enter fire without being burned; some walk on water without drowning; some ascend to heaven in broad daylight; some conceal their forms in the earth. As for medical arts and magical methods, there is none we cannot do. We pray Your Majesty allow your servants to compete and compare. First, the Sage Sovereign's mind will be set at ease; second, truth and falsehood may be distinguished; third, the Great Dao will have its rightful place; fourth, Chinese customs will not be thrown into disorder. If your servants are inferior in the comparison, we submit to Your Majesty's severe sentence. If your servants prevail in the comparison, we beg that the false and deceitful be eliminated. Your servants are truly terrified and fearful, and submit this on pain of death, on pain of death, for your consideration.' Emperor Ming had also received the two śramaṇas, Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna, who expounded the Dharma; they clearly elucidated the characteristics of phenomena, and [the Emperor's] mind was filled with great faith and reverence. Having received the Daoists' memorial, he immediately dispatched Song Xiang, the Prefect of the Masters of Writing, to lead the Daoist masters before the Changle Palace. The Emperor addressed the Daoist masters, saying, 'Venerable sirs, do not delude yourselves.