集沙門不應拜俗等事 4.35

4.35

臣玄策言。臣聞。百王布軌。但禮制於寰中。大覺垂教。乃津梁於域外。莫不資真人以易俗。賴高僧而移風。遂得謐四海之波濤。脫三界之塵累。故漢帝不屈於河上。輪王遍禮於沙彌。此則道俗殊塗。豈得內外同貫。教許黃冠之輩。遊一道於寰中。緇衣之徒。駕五乘於方外。因循既久助化益深。草偃風行其來尚矣。臣聞。聖人無常師。以主善者為師。聖人無常心。以百姓心為心。兆庶曩昔敬信歸依。今議令拜君父。寔乖主善百姓之心。況袈裟異華俗之服。髠削非章甫之儀。崇之則福生。卑之則罪積。共知拜君無益於國。拜父不利於親。臣如寢默不言。豈得為忠為孝。臣望隨舊軌請不改張同　太宗文皇帝故事。依前不拜。謹議。

Your servant [Wang] Xuance states: Your servant has heard that the hundreds of kings laid down their standards, yet their ritual regulations reached only within the realm; the Great Awakened One promulgated his teachings, and they serve as a ford and bridge beyond the borders. None did not rely on perfected persons to alter customs, or depend on eminent monks to transform folkways. Thus the waves of the four seas were calmed, and the dust and entanglements of the three realms were shed. Therefore the Han emperor did not bend [the Master] Heshang [Gong], and the cakravartin bowed everywhere to novice monks. This shows that the path of the Way and that of the mundane are different tracks; how could the inner and outer be placed on the same thread? The teachings permit those with yellow caps to roam along the One Way within the realm, and those in black robes to ride the five vehicles beyond worldly bounds. Having been followed for a long time, their aid to transformation has grown ever deeper; the grass bending as the wind blows has a long history indeed. Your servant has heard that the sage has no constant teacher, but takes whoever masters goodness as his teacher; the sage has no constant heart-mind, but takes the heart-mind of the common people as his heart-mind. In the past, the myriad commoners reverently had faith and took refuge; now it is deliberated to command [monastics] to bow to sovereign and father, which truly runs contrary to the mind of those who master goodness and of the common people. Furthermore, the kāṣāya differs from the attire of Chinese mundane customs, and shaving the hair is not the etiquette of wearing the Zhangfu cap. Honoring them gives rise to merit; debasing them accumulates offense. All know that bowing to the sovereign brings no benefit to the state, and bowing to the father brings no advantage to the parents. If your servant remained silent and did not speak, how could I be loyal and filial? Your servant hopes that we will follow the old regulations and requests that they not be altered, aligning with the precedent of Emperor Wen, Taizong, and maintaining as before that they do not bow. Respectfully submitted.