集沙門不應拜俗等事 1.20

1.20

夫萬方殊俗神道難辯。有自來矣。達觀傍通誠當無怪。況阿跪拜之禮。何必尚然。當復原先王所以尚之之意。豈直好此屈折而坐遘槃辟哉。固不然矣。因父子之敬。建君臣之序。制法度崇禮秩。豈徒然哉。良有以矣。既其有以。將何以易之。然則名禮之設。其無情乎。且今果將有佛耶。將無佛耶。有佛耶。其道固弘。無佛耶。義將何取繼其信。然將是方外之事。方外之事。豈方內所體。而當矯形骸違常務。易禮典棄名教。是吾所甚疑也。名教有由來。百代所不廢。昧旦丕顯後世猶殆。殆之為弊其故難尋。而今當遠慕茫昧依俙未分棄禮於一朝。廢教於當世。使夫凡流傲逸憲度。又是吾之所甚疑也。縱其信然。縱其有之。吾將通之於神明。得之於胸懷耳。軌憲宏模。固不可廢之於正朝矣。凡此等類皆晉民也。論其材智又常人也。而當因所說之難辯假服飾以凌度。抗殊俗之傲禮。直形骸於萬乘。又是吾所弗取也。諸君並國器也。悟言則當測幽微。論治則當重國典。苟其不然。吾將何述焉。

The myriad regions have diverse customs, and the spiritual ways are difficult to discern; they have their origins. Those who take an expansive view and understand broadly should indeed find nothing strange in this. Moreover, regarding the etiquette of bending down, kneeling, and prostrating, why must it be exalted in this way? One must return to the original intent behind why the former kings exalted it: did they merely take pleasure in these bowings and kneelings and casually devise bending and prostrating? It was certainly not so! Based on the reverence between father and son, they established the hierarchy between ruler and minister; they instituted laws and regulations and exalted ritual ranks. How could this be in vain? There is truly a reason for it! Since there is a reason, how can it be altered? If so, could the institution of names and rites be devoid of human feeling? Furthermore, is there ultimately a Buddha now, or is there no Buddha? If there is a Buddha, his Way is certainly vast; if there is no Buddha, on what principle can one rely? Even if one believes it to be so, it belongs to affairs beyond the realm. Can affairs beyond the realm be embodied within the realm? That one should distort bodily demeanor, depart from ordinary duties, alter ritual texts, and discard the Teaching of Names is what I deeply doubt. The Teaching of Names has its origin; it has not been discarded through a hundred generations. Even when made exceedingly illustrious from early dawn, later generations still fell into peril; the causes of such perils and abuses are difficult to trace. Yet now, in distant longing for what is vast, indistinct, and unresolved, to discard rites in a single morning and abolish teaching in the present age, allowing ordinary folk to arrogantly flout constitutional ordinances, is also what I deeply doubt. Even if it is true, and even if it exists, I would merely comprehend it in the spiritual realm and keep it within the chest. But the grand norms of the laws and regulations must not be discarded in the imperial court! All people of this kind are subjects of the Jin; in evaluating their talents and wisdom, they are merely ordinary men. That they should, based on what is difficult to discern in their doctrines, adopt special attire to transcend standards, maintaining the haughty rituals of unusual customs and straightening their bodies before the sovereign of ten thousand chariots, is also what I cannot accept. You gentlemen are all pillars of the state. When discoursing, you should fathom what is profound; when discussing governance, you should esteem the national statutes. If not so, what would there be for me to transmit?