[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [集沙門不應拜俗等事](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2108) › 2.48 # 集沙門不應拜俗等事 2.48 集沙門不應拜俗等事 2.48 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [2.48](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2108.2.48) 主人曰。客但知其一。未曉其二。請息攀緣少加聽採。吾聞鬼者歸也。死之所入。神者靈也。形之所宗。鬼劣於人唯祇惡趣。神勝於色普該情道。心有靈智。稱之曰神。隱而難知。謂為不測。銓其體用或動或靜。品其性欲有陰有陽。周易之旨。蓋此之故。殊塗類於一氣。微言闕於六識。設教之漸斷可知焉。鬼報冥通潛來密去。標以神號特用茲耳。甞試言之。受父母之遺。稟乾坤之分。可以存乎氣。可以立乎形。至若已之神道。必是我之心業。未曾感之於乾坤得之於父母。識含胎藏彌亘虛空。意帶熏習漫盈世界。去而復生。如火焰之連出。來而更逝。若水波之續轉。根之莫見其始。究之豈覿其終。濁之則為凡。澄之則為聖。神理幽細固難詳矣。神之最高謂之大覺。思議所弗得名相孰能窮。真身本無遷謝。生盲自不瞻覩。託想追於舊蹤。傾心翫於遺法。若欲荷傳持之任。啟要妙之門。賴此僧徒膺茲佛付。假慈雲為內影。憑帝威為外力。玄風遠及。至於是乎。教通三世眾別四部。二從於道二守於俗。從道則服像尊儀。守俗則務典供事。像尊謂比丘比丘尼也。典供謂優婆塞優婆夷也。所像者尊則未參神位。所典者供則下預臣班。原典供之人。同主祭之役。吾非當職子何錯引。由子切言發吾深趣。理既明矣。勿復惑諸在宋之季。暫行此抑彼亦乖真不煩涉論。邊鄙風俗未見其美忽遣同之可怪之極。 > The host said: "The guest only knows the first part, not yet understanding the second. Please rest your conditioned grasping and listen a little. I have heard that 'ghost' (gui) means 'returning' (gui)—that into which death enters; 'spirit' (shen) means 'spiritual efficacy' (ling)—that which physical form takes as sovereign. Ghosts are inferior to humans, belonging only to the evil destinies; spirits surpass physical matter, universally covering conscious beings. When the mind possesses spiritual wisdom, it is called 'spirit'; hidden and hard to know, it is termed 'unfathomable'. Evaluating their substance and function, some are active and some are still; cataloging their natures and desires, there are yin and yang. The purport of the Book of Changes is indeed due to this. The diverse paths are classed under a single qi, and subtle words are deficient in explaining the six consciousnesses. The gradual nature of establishing teachings can clearly be known from this. The retributions of ghosts possess unseen clairvoyance, secretly coming and quietly going; they are designated with the title of 'spirit' solely on this account. Let us test this in discourse: receiving the heritage of father and mother and endowed with the portions of qian and kun, these can preserve the qi and establish the physical form. As for one's own spiritual path, it is surely the karma of one's own mind; it was never influenced by qian and kun, nor obtained from father and mother. The consciousness containing the womb-treasury spans across empty space; the mind bearing perfumed impressions overflows the world. Departing and being reborn again, it is like a succession of flames; arriving and departing once more, it is like the continuous rolling of water waves. Tracing its roots, one cannot see its beginning; investigating it, how could one perceive its end? Muddied, it becomes ordinary; clarified, it becomes sage. The spiritual principle is profound and subtle, certainly difficult to examine in full. The highest of spirits is called the Great Awakened One: what thought and deliberation cannot reach, what name or characteristic could exhaust? His true body fundamentally knows no passing away, yet the congenitally blind naturally do not behold it. Relying on contemplation, they pursue former traces; dedicating their minds, they take pleasure in the bequeathed teachings. If one wishes to shoulder the responsibility of transmission and uphold it, opening the portal of the profound and wondrous, one relies on these monastic disciples to receive this entrustment from the Buddha. Availing themselves of the cloud of compassion as internal shadow, and relying on imperial majesty as external force, the profound wind extends far, reaching even unto this. The teaching spans the three times, and the assembly is divided into four parts: two follow the Way, and two maintain the mundane. Following the Way, they model their attire after venerable decorum; maintaining the mundane, they take charge of offerings and service. 'Modeling after the venerable' refers to bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs; 'taking charge of offerings' refers to upāsakas and upāsikās. Those who model after the venerable do not join the ranks of sacrificial spirits; those who take charge of offerings descend to participate in the ranks of subjects. Those who originally took charge of offerings were on par with the duties of sacrificial officiants. I am not such a functionary, so why do you cite this mistakenly? It is because of your pressing words that my profound meaning has been revealed. Now that the principle is clear, do not be confused again. At the end of the Song, this suppression was briefly implemented; that also went contrary to the truth, so there is no need to engage in discussing it. One has never seen the customs of a frontier borderland to be beautiful; that you suddenly dispatch us to conform to them is strange in the extreme!" > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 2.47](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2108.2.47) - [Next: 2.49](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2108.2.49) - [Up: 2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2108.2) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2108~en-mt.2.48) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2108.2.48](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2108.2.48) · Pramāṇa