集沙門不應拜俗等事 3
English (machine translation) 3
- Language
- English
3.1
Compiled and recorded by the śramaṇa Shi Yancong of Hongfu Temple
3.2
Section Two: Deliberations on Not Bowing Under the Sacred Dynasty (Part One)
3.3
Deliberating on not bowing clarifies that śramaṇas should not bow to laypeople. The Sacred Sovereign, having deep regard for the Teaching of Names, ordered bowing to the ruler and parents. Concerned that this might depart from the open path, he permitted court deliberations to be convened. Consequently, outspoken scholars offered their counsels by the hundred, and ministers of the state vied with one another to present clear arguments.
3.4
Edict: / One Imperial Edict of the Present Sovereign Ordering Śramaṇas and Others to Pay Reverence by Bowing to the Ruler and Parents.
3.5
Memorial: / One Memorial Submitted by the Monk Weixiu and Others of Da Zhuangyan Temple on Śramaṇas Not Being Bound to Bow to Laypeople.
3.6
Petitions: / One Petition Submitted by the Monk Daoxuan and Others of Ximing Temple to Prince Xian of Pei, Governor of Yongzhou, Discussing the Matter of Śramaṇas Not Having to Bow to Laypeople; / One Petition Submitted to Lady Yang, Duchess of Rongguo, Requesting Discussion on the Matter of Śramaṇas Not Being Bound to Bow to Laypeople.
3.7
Statement: / One Statement Distributed Generally to All Officials Clarifying that Śramaṇas Are Not Bound to Pay Reverence by Bowing (including petition).
3.8
Deliberations on Not Bowing: / One Deliberation Statement by Kong Zhiyue, Erudite of the Bureau of Rites and Court of Imperial Sacrifices in the Central Chancellery, and Prince Bo of Longxi Commandery; / One Deliberation Statement from the Four Rightward Departments—Right Courageous Guard, Right Palace Gate Guard, Right Escort, and Office of the Palace Directorate—Requesting to Concur with the Bureau of Rites; / One Deliberation Statement by Dou Dexuan, Minister of Personnel, and Zhang Shanshou, Vice Minister; / One Deliberation Statement by Zheng Qintai, Vice Minister of War and Commandery Escort, and Qin Huaike, Supernumerary Gentleman; / One Deliberation Statement by Liu Xiangdao, Minister of Justice and Founding Marquis of Chengyang County; / One Deliberation Statement from the Court of the Imperial Clan Requesting to Concur with the Deliberation of the Ministry of Justice.
3.9
One Imperial Edict of the Present Sovereign Ordering Śramaṇas and Others to Pay Reverence by Bowing to the Ruler and Parents:
3.10
Imperial decree: The duties toward ruler and parents hold weight among the threefold teachings; the path of love and respect comes first among the hundred practices. Yet although the two gateways of Śākya and Lao transcend the ordinary realm in principle, their traces of reverence and filial piety correspond in practice with the Confucian ford. However, at the station of supreme honor, the etiquette of kneeling and prostrating has not been performed; following this precedent has lasted long, right down to the present day. The Song dynasty temporarily reformed this custom, but after a short while returned to following the old norms. We embody the heavenly constants to propagate filial piety; We rely on earthly propriety to proclaim rites. Encouraged by the Teaching of Names, this extends to both the absolute and the secular, so that the foundation of the Village of Lai may be accomplished, and the heaven-fashioned transformation of the joined rivers may be realized; the reason for entrusting the ruling monarchs to make decisions and regulations surely lies here. Now We wish to order Daoist priests, Daoist priestesses, monks, and nuns to pay reverence by bowing to the ruler, the empress, the crown prince, and their own parents. Fearing perhaps that this might violate their constant sentiments, let this be remitted to the competent officials for detailed deliberation and submitted in a memorial to the throne.
3.11
Announced on the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the second year of Longshuo (662 CE) by Subject Xu Jingzong, Grand Master of the Palace with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon, Right Grand Councilor, Guest of the Crown Prince, Supreme Pillar of State, and Founding Duke of Gaoyang Commandery.
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One Memorial Submitted by the Monk Weixiu and Others of Da Zhuangyan Temple on Śramaṇas Not Being Bound to Bow to Laypeople:
3.13
Monk Weixiu and others state: Prostrate, we have received the luminous edict ordering monks to bow and kneel to ruler and father. In righteousness, we ought to act in accordance with it, and in principle there should be no resisting the imperial decree. However, the clear teachings of both Confucianism and Buddhism all set forth texts of righteous admonition; their various transformations expand broadly, both advancing the counsels of the humble. We monks have borne the heavy favor of the state, being permitted the etiquette of those beyond the realm; residing peacefully throughout the realm, we have been able to propagate the aspiration to transcend worldly bounds. For this reason, sovereigns and kings since antiquity have all alike observed these norms, respecting the rituals of those who change mundane customs and maintaining intact the traces of those who treat each other as equals, thereby causing scriptural teachings to spread and grow more numerous generation after generation, and masters of the lineage to emerge from time to time over great distances. From the Han through to the Sui, travelers faced repeated obstacles; the winds of the numinous peaks were still obscured, and the influence of the immortal gardens was still sparse. This cannot compare to the rise of the Imperial Fortune, bordering beyond the seas, where the five Indias and the five sacred peaks anchor the world together, and the Divine Land equals Great Xia in culture. The missions of royal envoys have flourished, and the roads of light carriages have seen axle touching axle; none fail to revere these sacred traces and erect surviving monuments, so that Brahminic companions arrive in orderly processions without end. If we were now to revert to bowing to ruler and father, this would contradict the various sūtras, instantly provoking the reputation of shocking custom, or perhaps giving rise to the danger of slighting and reviling. In the past, when Emperor Cheng of the Jin was young, Yu Bing forged an edict; Huan Xuan feigned deceit, and Wang Mi raised his voice in protest. In the late years of Emperor Xiaowu of the Song, when he was about to multiply oppressive measures, he decreed that monks bow to the sovereign, but soon after it was suspended. This was truly because the matter is not a canon for administering the state, and the principle oversteps the etiquette of heavenly constants. Although rumors spread, it ultimately fell under open deliberation. Moreover, when Helian Bobo of the Xia decreed bowing, he drew down the wrath of High Heaven; when Tuoba Tao of the Northern Wei carried out slaughter, he incurred the chastisement of leprosy below. These examples have long been recorded and are fully available to sight and hearing. We monks revere your decree with trepidation, and having lost our place of refuge, we know not where to turn. We fear that once the silken cord of the edict is issued, it will circulate through all the ten thousand realms, inevitably causing the surrounding seas to look upon this trend and spread abroad the reputation of departing from propriety; and in the distant future, generations may carry on the tradition of following this bad precedent. Prostrate, we reflect that Your Majesty has revived the Three Jewels, compassionately gathers the four classes of living beings, personally received the entrustment of the Buddha, and encourages the charge given to practitioners. Internally, we monks comply with the correct teaching, resolutely cutting off the demeanor of kneeling and prostrating; externally, we receive the luminous edict, ordering us to conform to the reverence of Confucian propriety. Examining ourselves up and down, we find only fault, and our shame and fear are truly deep. If we do not submit our petition, we will fall short of the duty of ministers and subjects; yet if we obscure the Buddha's transformation, we will commit the crime of deceiving the sovereign. Respectfully arranging the passages from various sūtras on not bowing to laypeople, we presume to submit this tablet. Prostrate, we pray that Heavenly Compassion deign to illuminate and examine it, so that court deliberations may become harmonious, ultimately following the path of the Jin ministers, and setting aside ordinary talk, all may return to the standard of the Qi empress. Befouling your awe-inspiring majesty, our trembling and apprehension are profound indeed. Respectfully submitted on the twenty-first day of the fourth month of the second year of Longshuo.
3.14
At that time, over two hundred monks from the capital went to Penglai Palace to present the memorial. The Left and Right Grand Councilors said upon their petition: 'The imperial edict ordered detailed deliberation on whether to bow or not; it is not yet decided, and you may wait until a later assembly.' The monks then withdrew. Thereupon they gathered in great numbers at Ximing Temple, deliberated together, and jointly presented petitions and statements to notify all the officials.
3.15
One Petition Submitted by the Monk Daoxuan and Others of Ximing Temple to Prince of Pei, Governor of Yongzhou, Discussing the Matter of Śramaṇas Not Having to Bow to Laypeople:
3.16
Monk Daoxuan and others petition: Since the tracks shifted from the Golden River and the transformation spread from the Jade Gate, through past sagacious rulers and eminent ministers, none failed to bow their heads to ask for the Way, turning toward it and knowing the ford. Thus monasteries faced one another in rows, and benevolent shrines were spread like chess pieces. Devas and humans looked up to the path of the field of merit; the seen and unseen harbored the etiquette of the correct path. Pure believers gathered like dense forests; noble guests gathered like clouds. This caused the teaching to divide into the three methods, providing the model of deportment for ten thousand ages, and ranks to open into the fourfold assembly, spreading the pure standards of the five vehicles. Recently, as the sea of Dharma is vast, categories of people mingle and are difficult to distinguish. Transgressions have become conspicuous, presumptuously defiling the imperial gaze, leading to the descent of an extraordinary edict commanding us to bow to ruler and parents. Yet deigning to show compassion, an open decree for court deliberation was granted. We monks, having received this clear command, weep with sorrow and emotion; this is truly because our practice has lacked luster in our time, thereby causing the Sovereign above to be burdened with concern. Furthermore, since the teaching of Dharma spread eastward, it has repeatedly undergone troughs and peaks: three times suppressed and abolished, five times subjected to prostrations—all were times that were not luminous and glorious, and all were rulers who were violent and tyrannical. Hence, the decrees they issued were not statecraft for governing the country, and departing from the constant, they incurred the censure of good historians. The matter and principle being difficult to reverse, they returned to following the old ford. Prostrate, we reflect that Your Highness oversees the capital region and controls the pivot of government; monastics and laypeople are revived, and manifold affairs are tranquilized. Now the Dharma gate is blocked and the voice of the teaching cannot be transmitted. At this moment of stilling obstacles and extricating from difficulties, this day of rescuing the drowning and supporting the imperiled, we monks cry out at the palace gates but can hardly reach them, gazing in vain toward the cranes of the ninefold palace, while the heavenly steps are rare to climb, leaving us anxious among a hundred worries. Therefore, we venture to declare our sincerity, opening our hearts in the hope of receiving grand favor and the bestowal of assistance and harmony from above. In this way, by revering and upholding the entrustment, the pure breeze will cover the nine divisions of the realm; the True and Image Teachings will rise again, and great blessings will illuminate the four seas. Unable to bear this extreme impasse, we have fully stated our petition. For the depth of this intrusion, we know only shame and apprehension. Respectfully petitioned on the twenty-fifth day of the fourth month.
3.17
One Petition Submitted by the Monk Daoxuan and Others of Ximing Temple to Lady Yang, Duchess of Rongguo, Requesting Discussion on the Matter of Śramaṇas Not Being Bound to Bow to Laypeople (The Duchess was the mother of the Empress. She deeply revered the true transformation and broadly established gates of merit, creating images, copying sūtras, and erecting monasteries continuously, having free entry and exit in the imperial palace. Her glorious reputation was second to none. The monks went to her gate and delivered this letter):
3.18
Monk Daoxuan and others petition: Since the Three Jewels spread eastward over six hundred years ago, the four classes of laypeople have established the causes of taking refuge and observing precepts, and the five groups of monastics have opened the practice of the field of merit. A hundred kings have received the transformation of the Supreme Way; ten thousand ages have fanned the breeze of revering sagacity. Thus the surrounding seas know where to turn, and sentient beings dedicate their merit. However, since the Sun of Wisdom set more than a thousand years ago, correct practice is difficult to mount, and strict disciplines are easily transgressed. Consequently, weeds and tares foul the green field, and the young and robust harbor the signs of white heads; these are fully set forth in previous sūtras and known to eyes and ears. Moreover, while the sages remain hidden, ordinary monks show their capacity; if not for these in later ages to uphold the teaching, who would make it manifest? Therefore, metal, stone, clay, and silk represent the appearance of the true image; Dharma robes and shaved heads denote the form of the complete saṃgha. Relying on them, faith and disparagement divide into two karmic fruits; turning away from this to pursue cultivation is not the correct path. Furthermore, whether a monk is true or false, mature or raw, is difficult to know; the depth or shallowness of practice and virtue confuses the foolish and wise alike. Therefore, the sūtras explain common offerings as limitless as the sea, while the Vinaya institutes distinct rules as bordered as a shore. As the principal pathways have been set forth, they conform to the Teaching of Names, establishing the majestic deportment of transcending the mundane and ascending to the perfect virtue of proceeding toward truth. This truly causes devas and dragons to pay reverence, and the seen and unseen to turn their hearts, keeping propagation and protection in mind with merit flowing without end. Recently, as the times have suffered defilement and people have fallen into decline and deceit, there are those who falsely wear the robes to practice deceit, and companions who fraudulently enjoy favors by relying on vacuity. In conduct, they do nothing to move the mundane world; in the Way, they obscure the legal statutes. This was heard above and reached the imperial gaze, leading to the proclamation of bowing to ruler and parents; yet turning back His Heavenly Regard, the Sovereign deigned to decree court deliberation. We monks, examining ourselves internally, are so ashamed and fearful as if scorched and burned; looking at each other, we have lost our composure, not knowing where to turn. We reverently reflect that the Buddha's teaching was entrusted universally to the fourfold assembly, and who in the seen and unseen realms would dare harbor petty doubts? Your Ladyship has taken up this bequeathed charge, and moreover, embodying this correct goodness, taking veneration and construction as your aspiration, you set a model for the imperial apartments and make clear both monastics and laypeople. Now that the Three Jewels are sinking, their success and salvation depend on causes and conditions. We therefore venture to consult and explain, hoping you will deign to extend rescue. If we receive deliverance to uphold the teaching as of old, then the entrustment will have found its home and propagation and protection will be accomplished. Presuming to submit this tablet, our trembling and apprehension are profound indeed. Respectfully petitioned on the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month.
3.19
A memorial by the monk Daoxuan and others of Ximing Temple, narrating the rise and decline of Buddhism to submit to the chancellors and ministers:
3.20
The Liezi states: "In the time of King Mu of Zhou, a transformed person came from the extreme west. He could invert mountains and rivers, move cities and towns, and his thousands of changes and ten thousand transformations were inexhaustible. King Mu revered him as a spirit and esteemed him as a sage." This was the initial arrival of the Buddha's transforming influence.
3.21
The scripture catalogues of Zhu Shixing and Shi Dao'an state: In the time of the First Emperor of Qin, eighteen śramaṇas from the Western Regions came to convert the First Emperor. The First Emperor would not follow them and imprisoned them. At night, a sixteen-foot golden-vajra figure broke open the prison and released them. The First Emperor bowed his head and apologised to them.
3.22
The Book of Han states: "During the Yuanshou era of Emperor Wu, a golden figure over a zhang in height was captured beyond the Western Regions and set up in the Ganquan Palace. The Emperor took it to be a great deity, burning incense and bowing in worship to it. Later he dispatched Zhang Qian to Daxia to search for it, and [Zhang Qian] reported that there was the country of Shendu, which is Tianzhu (India). What they called fotu is the Buddha." This was when the name and appearance of the Buddha were first known.
3.23
Liu Xiang, Commissioner of Waterworks under Emperor Cheng, said: "When I examined the palace archives, I frequently saw Buddhist scriptures." This shows that they had already circulated under the Zhou and Qin, and the First Emperor did not burn them entirely. During the Yuanshou era of Emperor Ai, Jing Xian was sent to the country of the Da Yuezhi and returned having recited the Futu jing (Buddha Scripture). At that time, the practice of fasting and observing precepts gradually began in Han territory. Based on this, the Buddha-Dharma had been heard of before; having temporarily sunk into obscurity along the way, it was here revived once more.
3.24
During the Yongping era of Emperor Ming of the Later Han, the Emperor dreamt of a golden figure flying before the palace hall. He then dispatched Qin Jing and others to the Western Regions to seek the Buddha-Dharma. They subsequently obtained the Three Jewels, which were transmitted eastward to Luoyang. The painting of a standing image of Śākyamuni was the Buddha Jewel. The translation of the Sūtra of Forty-Two Sections was the Dharma Jewel. The arrival of [Kāśyapa-]Mātaṅga and Zhu [Falan] was the Saṃgha Jewel. A monastery was erected outside the west gate of Luoyang to ordain people and initiate transformation. Spreading from near to far, it was maintained across generations down to the end of the Han house. Under the Wei dynasty, throughout five rulers over forty-five years, respect grew ever deeper, and no mention was heard of bowing or suppression. Under the Wu house south of the Yangtze, through four rulers over fifty-nine years, Sun Quan first inaugurated the Buddha-Dharma: moved by auspicious signs, he founded a temple called Jianchu. Later, when Sun Hao ruled tyrannically and was on the verge of abolishing it, his ministers remonstrated and he desisted; he then summoned monks and received the five precepts.
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In Shu, under two rulers over forty-three years, amidst the military and state deliberations of the time, the Buddha-Dharma was neither faithfully accepted nor suppressed.
3.26
The Sima house of the Jin established rule in the east and west for twelve rulers over one hundred fifty-six years. The four emperors of the Western Jin revered and trusted it to the utmost, and no dissenting opinion was heard. Only in the sixth year of the Xiankang era under Emperor Cheng of the Eastern Jin, after Prime Minister Wang Dao and Grand Commandant Yu Liang passed away, Yu Bing assisted in government while the emperor was young and issued an edict on the emperor's behalf ordering monks to pay homage. At that time, Prefect of the Masters of Writing He Chong, Master of Writing Xie Guang, and others proposed that it was improper to bow. The debate went back and forth three times, and the matter was finally dropped. Sixty-two years later, in the Yuanxing era of Emperor An, Grand Commandant Huan Xuan, wielding an authority that shook the sovereign, issued a decree ordering them to bow. Prefect of the Masters of Writing Huan Qian, Palace Secretariat Wang Mi, and others resisted and remonstrated: "Now, although the śramaṇa's reverence is profound in intent, he does not take physical bending as propriety. His traces reside throughout the land, but his aspirations transcend worldly bounds. For this reason, none among the rulers of foreign lands failed to humble their etiquette (as in King Aśoka's bowing to monks). It is truly because where the Way resides, it is noble, and it is not made light or heavy on account of persons (as when King Wen of Wei bowed from his chariot to Duan Ganmu, and Emperor Guangwu of Han accommodated Yan Ziling). When we examine the eastward transmission of the Great Dharma, it has indeed been long. Although customs have shifted and regimes have changed, the propagation of it has remained unaltered. How could this be, if not because this matchless transformation has daily utility in cultivating virtue, and this pure and restrained manner poses no harm to great peace?" Xuan also sent a letter to Dharma Master Huiyuan of Mount Lu, stating that Laozi placed kings and marquises on par with the Three Greats. Huiyuan replied that the etiquette beyond the realm is not subordinate to the rites of the Chinese realms, and he authored the Treatise on Why Śramaṇas Do Not Pay Homage to Rulers in five chapters, whereupon the matter ceased. When Emperor An was restored to power, he resumed venerating and believing in it, down to Emperor Gong.
3.27
Under the Song of the Liu house, throughout eight rulers over five decades (sixty years), although in the sixth year of Daming under Emperor Xiaowu bowing to the sovereign was temporarily instituted, it was soon returned to the earlier governance.
3.28
Across the three dynasties of the Qi, Liang, and Chen, for more than one hundred ten years, supreme reverence was uniform, and faith and respect grew ever deeper.
3.29
Under the Wei house of the Central Plains, through ten or more rulers over one hundred fifty-five years, the Buddha-Dharma flourished widely, as fully documented in the fine history by Wei Shou. Only in the seventh year of the Taiping Zhenjun era of Emperor Taiwu did he heed slander and destroy the Dharma; after five years he was stricken with leprosy and died, whereupon the Buddha-Dharma was revived again, lasting down to Emperor Jing. Since the Jin lost control of the Central Plains and the regions south of the Yangtze, emperors declared themselves across sixteen kingdoms (namely, the Five Liang, Four Yan, Three Qin, Two Zhao, Xia, and Shu); none of these illegitimate regimes fell short in their faith in the Dharma. Only Helian Bobo, who occupied Xia Prefecture, was ferociously cruel and insatiable, taking delight in killing: he wore an image on his back and ordered monks to bow to it. Later he was struck dead by thunder, and his realm was soon swallowed up by the Northern Dai. The carving and mutilation of his wife and children are fully described in Xiao Zixian's Book of Qi.
3.30
The Northern Qi was based at Ye; across six emperors over twenty-eight years, their faith and esteem surpassed earlier times, and the state had no competing allegiance. Under the Yuwen Zhou house, through five emperors over twenty-five years, Emperor Wu initially placed faith and esteem in the Buddha-Dharma; later he accepted the proposal of Zhang Bin, received Daoist teachings, and intended to abolish Buddhism. Dharma Master Tan'an composed the Treatise on the Two Teachings to resist this. The treatise said: "The teachings of the Nine Schools halt their instruction at the person, and are called external teachings. The teachings of the Three Vehicles quiet the delusions of the mind, and are called inner teachings. Laozi is not the lord of a teaching, but is subsumed under the Qian hexagram of the Book of Changes." When the Emperor heard this, because the reasons for preserving or abolishing them conflicted, he ended up eliminating both. Before five years had passed, his life ended and the regime fell.
3.31
The Sui house received the mandate; through two emperors over thirty-seven years, Emperor Wen revered and believed, repeatedly reviving the Buddha-Dharma. Pagodas were erected throughout more than one hundred prefectures within the seas, all manifesting auspicious omens as fully recorded in illustrations and biographies. When Emperor Yang succeeded to the throne, he reformed the previous dynasty's ways; although he ordered them to pay homage, the monks never yielded after all. Since the eastward transmission of the great transformation over six hundred years ago, it has suffered eradication three times and five times been ordered to pay homage. This both violates the canons of governing the state and is not the governance of a glorious and enlightened reign. The cruelty of dismembering and decapitating fell upon chaotic dynasties; the etiquette of suppressing and curbing was promoted in eras of ruin. Therefore, when circumstances and principles departed from the norm, they soon returned to the old track. Truly, the Three Jewels are the foundation of refuge and precepts, and the five assemblies occupy the position of the field of merit. Although faith and slander take turns to appear, and calamities and blame come and go, this is merely because humans have their declines and rises; as for the Way, it has never known waxing or waning. For this reason, more than a thousand great sages appear in the grand period of the Bhadrakalpa, with a lifespan of sixty thousand years, to sustain the correct Dharma of the Śākya teaching. How much more so when the sixteen venerable ones carry out transformation in the three continents, and nine hundred million worthy of offerings protect the fourfold assembly! Based on this narration, the destined era is not yet ended; how could arbitrary judgment equate it to the Confucian canons? Furthermore, the Gu hexagram of the Book of Changes states not to serve kings and marquises, and the 'Conduct of the Scholar' in the Rites states that one does not act as a subject to the Son of Heaven. Even among the four ranks of laypeople, there are still those who do not bend; how much less should those who abandon the secular to follow the Way be held to the etiquette of subjects and concubines! Furthermore, to the Sovereign on High of Vast Heaven and the spiritual deities of mountains and rivers, none among the rulers of men fails to bow down when offering sacrifices. Now the monks receive the Buddha's precepts, and their forms are equipped with the Buddha's deportment. The eight classes of devas and nāgas venerate their Way and submit to their appearance; none among them fails to bow down to the monks. Thus unseen blessings and manifest proofs, and variegated auspicious signs, are heard of throughout earlier biographies. How could this be equated to Master Lao placing kings and marquises on par with the Three Greats? Thus, in the śramaṇa's dwelling of life, wealth and sex are disregarded, glory and stipend hold no sway; he views the worldly times like floating clouds and understands physical life to be like a mirage. For this reason he is called a renunciant (pravrajita). Therefore, renunciation does not preserve the etiquette of householders, and leaving the secular does not partake in the decorum of dwelling in the secular. Its Way is manifest, an excellent canon unaltered through a hundred generations. Its scope is exceedingly broad, so it is only briefly narrated here.
3.32
Now we cite Buddhist sūtras and treatises to clarify that the śramaṇa does not pay reverence to the secular. The second fascicle of the Brahmājāla Sūtra states: "The rule for renunciants is that they do not bow down to the king of the state, their father and mother, or their six relations; nor do they revere and serve ghosts and spirits."
3.33
The sixth fascicle of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: "Renunciants do not bow in reverence to laypeople." The Four-Part Vinaya states: "The Buddha instructed the monks to bow down to one another according to seniority; they should not bow down to any white-robed layperson."
3.34
The fifty-third fascicle of the Sūtra of the Buddha's Past Practices states: "King Śuddhodana, together with all his retinue and the hundred officials, having bowed to the Buddha in order, the Buddha said: 'The King may now bow to Upāli and the other monks.' The King, hearing the Buddha's teaching, immediately arose from his seat and bowed his head to the five hundred newly ordained monks, paying homage in order." The Satyaka-nirgrantha Sūtra states: "If one slanders the Dharma of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, or the Mahāyāna Dharma, defaming and obstructing it, one commits a fundamental offense." (Now the monks, relying on the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna scriptures, do not bow to ruler or parents, which is following the Buddha's instruction. If they were now completely to violate the Buddha's teaching by bowing and kneeling to secular people, they would disbelieve the Buddha's words and commit a fundamental offense.) "Moreover, if one slanders [the Dharma by denying] that there is retribution for good and evil karmas, has no fear of future rebirths, acts thus oneself and teaches others to do so, firmly holding to it without abandoning it, this is called a fundamental grave offense. Great King, if you commit this offense and do not repent of it yourself, your good roots will be burned away and you will endure the suffering of the Avīci Hell. Because the King commits this grave unwholesome karma, those of brahma-conduct, arhats, and all the ṛṣis and sages will leave the country and depart. The gods will weep, and the good ghosts and spirits will not protect his state. Ministers and counsellors will contend and harm each other, and brigands will arise on all four sides. The heavenly king will not descend, the dragon kings will remain hidden, flood and drought will be irregular, and death will be countless. The people of the time will not understand this fault, but will resent the heavens and complain to the ghosts and spirits. Therefore, a Dharma-practicing king, to rescue them from such suffering, does not commit this fault." It is extensively as stated in the sūtra. There are further treatise passages, which are mostly not recorded here.
3.35
The monk Daoxuan and others address the chancellors and dukes of the court: We respectfully observe the imperial edict ordering monks to pay homage to ruler and father. The principles and realities involved are profound and far-reaching, not to be fathomed by shallow sentiments. Now, the path of renunciation shares the standard of all sages; the divisions between the ultimate and conventional are the common track of a hundred kings. Duan Ganmu in Wei stood proudly and met Marquis Wen; Yan Ziling under the Han made a deep bow with clasped hands and sought Guangwu. If those who practiced the lesser way still maintained a stance of high detachment, how could these śramaṇas fail to partake of the beauty of leisurely freedom? It is only that the Three Jewels face the place of honor to unfold the etiquette of taking refuge and revering, while the five assemblies offer sincerity to open up the way of the field of merit. If they are now reduced to conformity with Confucian propriety, then the Buddha was not a person who transcended the secular; if they bow down to ruler and father, then the monk is not a figure worthy of respect. If so, then the Three Jewels are entirely discarded, taking refuge and precepts are severed from human relations, Confucianism and Daoism become the teachers, and the scriptures of Confucius are honored above the Buddhist canon. In the past, the Jin and Song fully established earlier precedents; the detailed deliberations of the Eight Ministries are sufficient as a mirror. We monks have borne the state's heavy entrustment, being permitted to go forth from the household, uphold the Dharma, practice the Way, and respectfully receive the sage rules. Suddenly being ordered to pay homage brings blemish upon the profound scriptures; pacing back and forth in distress, we know not where to seek shelter. We respectfully set forth the inner scriptures and historical precedents, citing them in full as above, to present to the court deliberations. We request that you graciously examine and adopt them. Respectfully submitted.
3.36
On the fifteenth day of the fifth month, a grand assembly was convened of more than a thousand civil and military officials of the ninth rank and above, together with officials of the prefectures and counties, all seated in the Capital Hall of the Department of State Affairs (Zhongtai) to deliberate on this matter. At that time, Śramaṇa Daoxuan of Ximing Temple in the capital, Śramaṇa Weixiu of Dazhuangyan Temple, Śramaṇa Linghui of Dacien Temple, and Śramaṇa Huiyin of Hongfu Temple, amounting to more than three hundred men, brought canonical scriptures and their previous memorials, laying out the precedents to expound their principles. Then the Grand Master of Rites of the Bureau of Rites (Sili taichangbo), Bo, Prince of Longxi Commandery, addressed the śramaṇas, saying, "The edict commands the lay officials to deliberate in detail; the reverend masters may withdraw." At that time, the multitude's opinions were confused and divided, unable to reach uniformity. The Prince of Longxi said, "The transmission of the Buddha's Dharma through imperial reigns has long been established. An edict has now been handed down commanding bowing to ruler and parents, yet court deliberation has also been permitted. As the reasons advanced by the assembly cannot yet be universally accepted, the Bureau of Rites, being the office responsible, may formulate a proposal first. Those who agree may sign their names; those who disagree need not." Thereupon, Grandee Kong Zhiyue of the Bureau of Rites took up his brush and composed a memorial as follows, ordering a director to read it aloud. Thereupon, following their ranks, most of the officials signed their names. Left Attendant-in-Chief Cui Yuqing said, "The edict commanded each department to formulate its own memorial separately; one cannot arbitrarily follow the Bureau of Rites and ask to disperse. Each may submit its separate memorial to the Department." At that time, the submitted memorials varied widely, praising and criticizing, varied and discordant. Now, carefully classifying and distinguishing them according to the offices high and low, I first set forth the texts against bowing, next present the memorials for partial bowing, and finally recount the arguments for rendering full homage. Both the good and the bad are fully recorded, listed item by item as follows.
3.37
Deliberations that Śramaṇas Should Not Bow to Laypeople: Thirty-two Memorials in All
3.38
One Memorial of Deliberation by Grand Master of Rites of the Bureau of Rites of the Department of State Affairs, Bo, Prince of Longxi, Grandee Kong Zhiyue, and Others
3.39
We venture to consider that though the multitude of office-holders maintain the principle of respecting superiors, when serving as teachers, there remains the principle of declining vassalage. How much more so does the Dharma handed down by the Buddha transcend worldly bounds! Shaving the hair is akin to self-mutilation; holding the pewter staff is utterly unlike wearing hairpin and tassel. Renunciation is not a realm of physical nourishment to parents; leaving the dust behind is hardly an arena for registering one's name in state service. Deep is its merit in salvation, and supreme is its path of veneration. Why must one breach that profound gateway to drag them into the Confucian rut, having them don Śākyamuni's robes yet perform Confucius's prostrations, dwell on the worldly path yet receive Dharma honors, preserve its teachings yet destroy its Way, and seek its blessings while bending their bodies? We have scrutinized this repeatedly and consider it contrary to universal principle. Moreover, as for the teachings of the Dao, though they preserve the hair and skin, their renunciation and transcendence of the worldly return to the same principle. Furthermore, they anciently marked the heavenly framework and vastly initiated the imperial foundation; by principle they are invested with solemnity, and in model they accord with holding one's pursuit aloft. Both should follow old precedents without blemishing the constant statutes. If one must innovate changes, we fear this would not be following antiquity. Although reverence for ruler and parents deeply concerns the imperial mind, the Dharma of the Way is hard to diminish, and thus still engages the sagely contemplation. Having received the edict soliciting humble opinions, we dare to exhaust our sincere, dust-like dedication. Fearing it may not meet with your approval, we are deeply awed and trembling. Respectfully submitted.
3.40
One Memorial of Deliberation by Grand Master of Personnel of the Bureau of Personnel, Dou Dexuan, Vice Master Zhang Xianshou, and Others
3.41
Taking form from the two qi, the severe father is called the greatest in veneration; utilizing the five materials, the chief sovereign is marked by the nobility of modeling himself upon Heaven. As for the etiquette of raising [hands], kneeling, and bowing, those who undergo moral transformation join in observing it; as for the methods of serving with toil and providing nourishment, all who possess life jointly record them. For all who exist beneath ruler and father, the principle transcends words and names. Yet the two gateways of Laozi and Śākyamuni leave the dust behind and cast off worldly ways; the single purport of vacuity and non-being departs from existence to merge with emptiness. Auspicious signs appeared at Vaiśālī, expounding verses of compassion; purple vapor floated over Hangu Pass, opening chapters on the Way and Virtue. Dwelling between the tree and the wild goose, the preservation of life occupies their care; having ended the marks of form and sound, quiescent cessation is their mind. Those who hold fast to ritual and tread upon propriety cannot exhaust their subtle essentials; those who cherish loyalty and practice filial piety have yet to gauge their surging waves. The principle exists prior to the Supreme Ultimate; the affair arises beyond living beings. Therefore, to venerate their Way, one makes their dress distinct; to esteem their teaching, one alters their ritual. From recent antiquity down to the latter age, though changes and continuities have temporarily differed, this Way has never fallen. When sorrow enveloped the twin trees and lamentation knotted in three cries, to guard against later generations undermining the tradition, they made agreements with the Confucian lineage to restrain the Dharma. Thus one should certainly support and complete the old teachings; why should one fashion new rites? Truly, it is fitting to bend the majesty of the imperial throne to extend the purport beyond the realm, to relinquish the weight of venerated relatives to indulge their wandering within the ring. By our humble consideration, following the old [precedents] is proper. Respectfully submitted.
3.42
One Memorial of Deliberation by Vice Master of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Commandant of the Army Zheng Qintai, Supernumerary Gentleman Qin Huaike, and Others
3.43
Your servants have heard that when the three disasters transform into fire, the six perfections become ever more steadfast; when the two words become the classic, a hundred generations look up to them. For this reason, the white curl manifest its mark, expounding the One Vehicle across myriad kalpas; the purple vapor drifted in shadow, harmonizing the myriad diversities into a single uniformity. Then there is the ford of Confucianism, which sets a different wheel on a different track: it displays the endowment of heaven and earth, yin and yang, and solemnizes the harmony of ruler and minister, father and son. Thus we know that following the name to demand the reality, rectifying the traces and uprighting the form, instruction begins at the Village of Que; purifying the mind and striving in practice, cultivating the future and repenting the past, transformation gradually advances by the Lian River. Buddhism serves as the inner defense, admirably providing restraint from within the palace; Confucianism serves as the outer check, but cannot encompass the spiritual terrace. Separately, there is the mysterious school's pure model that stirs and sweeps over the wind and things: the soaring peng and the carefree quail, the fleeting chun tree and the short-lived fungus—acting through non-action and attending to nothing, what gain or what loss is there? Thus, the two teachings of Daoism and Buddhism both constitute the Three Jewels: Buddhism takes the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha as its core purport, while Daoism takes the Dao, Scriptures, and Masters as its principle. How could it be merely that the nourishment of life has something to rely upon and the cultivation of nature is broadly aided? Truly it is also the foundation of governing the state, enriching renown and deepening moral transformation. Yet bhikṣus may not have comprehended, and Daoist gentlemen have many eccentricities: relying on leaving the world, they are fleeting and unrestrained; taking pride and arrogance, they are boastful and extravagant. Dwelling in the lowly status of common men, they stiffen their bodies before the lord of ten thousand chariots; forgetting the kindness of parental upbringing, they do not bow down before the three greats. This is indeed what ruler and father should reform, and what ministers and sons understand. However, to issue imperial edicts to alter their defects suddenly—though practicing filial piety and abiding in loyalty, boldly arguing for changing course—one must also examine antiquity, cherish the Way, and take into account the sentiments of the multitude. The valley that holds an echo does not obliterate sound; the mountain that gathers dust does not reject fine grains. One must gather the songs of the people of the carriages to offer up the opinions of the grass-cutters. Why is this? The Scribe of the Pillar traveled west more than a thousand years ago; the Dharma stream flowed east for some six hundred years. Although changing through marketplaces and courts, the matter has suffered neither loss nor gain. Only Yu Bing demanded the bowing of śramaṇas, and Huan Xuan deliberated on the etiquette of bhikṣus. Fortunately, He Chong submitted a memorial, and Huiyuan presented a letter; the matter ultimately was not put into practice, and the Way in the end did not fall. Thus, the Great Changes was ordered by the three sages, and the Gu hexagram's image "does not serve kings and princes"; the Great Rites fill heaven and earth, and the Confucian Conduct "does not act as a subject to the Son of Heaven." There was also Yan Ling who sat casually before Guangwu, and Yafu who gave a deep bow to Han Wendi. How could wearing armor be called offending the imperial dragon-scales? An old friend is not caught in the worldly net. Regarding the past, how could the way of the teacher precede it? How could the Dharma companions be placed behind military attire? Above, there are the True Sovereigns of the Nine Heavens and the Bodhisattvas of the Ten Stages; below, there are the Four Whiteheads of Mount Shang and the Eight Immortals of Huainan. Some paid homage and had audience by following the wind; some traveled and dwelt by riding the clouds. A single principle runs through them all; they cannot be bent. In a hamlet of ten households with loyalty and faithfulness, could there be no such men? When the five punishments are instituted, those bound in the three wooden instruments do not bow; how could those endowed with the five virtues and wearing the three robes bow? If guilt is not rebuked for lack of reverence, virtue is truly sufficient to receive forbearance. Now, among all sentient beings and the classes of living things, there is none who does not dedicate his body to render loyalty, yet these do not serve the king as subjects; there is none who does not exhaust his strength to follow filial piety, yet these do not show reverence to their parents. Although the simplified three chapters of law and the light three-foot statutes consider that having any one of these faults is among the greatest of the three thousand crimes, why are they not subjected to severe execution or placed under immense blame? Is it not because Daoism and Buddhism have systems different from Yao and Confucius, and bodily harm runs directly contrary to ritual propriety? The lotus is not of the color of bureaucratic cords; the palm-leaf manuscript is different from the purport of carved jade tablets. People consider binding the belt as the regular standard, while the Daoist wears a cap without a belt; people consider binding the hair as an ornament of beauty, while the Buddhist shaves it off and leaves no adornment. Leaving one's country is not considered disloyalty; renouncing one's family is not considered unfilial. Leaving the dust and defilement, they sever love for ruler and parents; casting off desires, they abandon attachment to wife and children. Principle indeed differs among the varieties of things, and cannot be measured and restrained by ordinary paths. In life, nothing is heavier than parents, yet a son does not thank them; in giving, nothing is thicker than heaven and earth, yet creatures do not requite them. The kindness of ruler and parents is an affair transcending names and images; how could a kowtow or prostration repay one ten-thousandth of it? As for the renunciation of worldly life regarding ruler and father, can it be said that there is entirely no repayment? In a single thought, they surely take the human king as the foremost of their vows; in the Four Truths, they bring vast benefit to their parents. Just as they dispel kalpas of dust and forever transcend birth and death, how could this be compared merely to bending the knee to exhaust loyalty or pleasing parents to achieve pure filial piety? If one must enclose them within the worldly realm and place them in the Confucian marketplace, bending their appearance and lowering their etiquette, then since nothing is more unfilial than ending one's lineage, why not regulate them by marriage? Since nothing is more disloyal than declining vassalage, why not command them to style themselves as subjects and concubines? To make the kāṣāya a court dress and to rush forward bowing while calling oneself "impoverished man of the Way" would lose both forms of decorum and confuse both names and titles. We deeply fear that the benefit of a single kneeling will add nothing to the dignity of the lord of ten thousand chariots, while the toil of a single bowing will visibly manifest the fall of the three robes. Then would not doing what should not be done be truly so? A king treats the Three Elders as if having no father, and treats the Five Experienced Ones as if having no elder brother; the honor of the ruler of men also has that which it reveres. The reverence shown to the Dharma robe is not reverence for the person. If one bends their rules, one debases their Way; if rules can be debased, then the Way is impaired. How could that compare to preserving reverence in oneself and preserving the Way in things? When reverence is preserved, oneself is at ease; when the Way exists, things are venerated. To venerate the Way is the means to revere things; to revere things is the means to venerate oneself. Moreover, form is like the body, and the Way is like the shadow; the body is like the sound, and the Way is like the echo. When the form moves, the shadow follows; when the sound is raised, the echo responds. When the Way is esteemed, the body is favored; when the body declines, the Way ceases. How could one cause the Way residing in the body to bend before a body outside the Way? How could one cause a person beyond the realm to preserve the reverence within the body? Furthermore, they preserve oneness and dwell in the Way, not mingling with worldly dust. If they could bow, this would mean the worldly is the Way and the Way can be worldly; if the worldly also mingles with the Way, then one would become two, and the Way would not operate solely. How then could one demarcate the constant realms of the Way and the world, and preserve the ultimate sincerity of devoted oneness? According to the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya, revering the kāṣāya is like revering a Buddha stūpa. It calls the kāṣāya the robe of the field of merit; the robe is named "emaciating" because it can emaciate afflictions; the armor is named "forbearance" because it can subjugate the demon armies. It is also compared to the lotus unstained by mire, and serves as the banner-mark of all Buddhas. Thus, the meaning of the kāṣāya is supreme indeed.
3.44
Now, if one damages these Buddhist stūpas and destroys those forms of banners, this will lightly regard forbearance and further degrade the field of merit. To employ perilous suspicion in this manner will ultimately confuse what should be rejected and what should be chosen. If they take off their robes and bow, then transcending vulgar customs would not conform to the etiquette of the Zhangfu cap; if they straighten their robes and scurry forward [to pay court], then black robes differ from the statutes of audience with the sovereign. Therefore, they meditate in the secluded realm of Śrāvastī and withdraw their steps from the precincts of exalted gates; by principle they are cut off from court audiences, and in practice they are estranged from glorious receptions. Can it not be said that we venerate their Way, and for that reason invite them to come? Having invited them, what purpose is served by abasing them? Mount Lu is where the Way and virtue dwell, and is not within the scope of screening and selection; the sweet pear tree was where disputes were settled, thereby giving rise to the grace of 'do not cut it down.' If mountains and trees, lacking minds, yet preserve things by virtue, and the Dharma and the Way are bountiful, how could one revere the Way yet neglect the person? The saying goes: 'Man can magnify the Way'; thus the Way also relies on man to be practiced. Even though a royal emissary is of humble rank, his position is above the feudal lords; how can one further abase the etiquette of those who practice the Way? If one deems both [religions] to be deceitful, one may suppress them altogether. The method of suppressing them means weeding and mowing them down; in that case, what is stripped away would be great indeed—how could it stop merely at making them submit and yield? If one deems both to be of substantial aid, then they ought to be venerated. The method of venerating them means honoring and prizing them; how could one honor and prize their Way yet make them perform deferential bowing? If one takes gold and kingfisher feathers as a true likeness, one does not add veneration because of the gold and kingfisher feathers; if one takes straw dogs to honor an image, one does not add contempt because of the straw dogs. Reverence ultimately rests on the Way; lightness and gravity do not depend on material things. Just as things cannot alter the Way, so too the Way constantly accords with things. A śramaṇa wears his robes horizontally across the body and takes the Dharma robes to be noble; everyone respects their Dharma robes, so how could it depend merely on the person? The precedent of not bowing holds a meaning elevated in the scriptures and vinaya; the Dharma was entrusted to kings, and its affairs depend on their upholding and protecting it. The Dharma is constant; that which is constantly practiced should not be changed. Altering a single corner may corrupt a thousand gates. If one opens it, there will be the means to protect the Dharma; if one obstructs it, there will be the anxiety of the Dharma falling into ruin. Rather than letting it fall into ruin, how could it not be better to protect it? Why must one bend the demeanor of monks and require them to bow and scrape in their Dharma robes, causing those from ten thousand realms who have taken refuge to harbor grievances within their minds? The saying goes: 'Accord with what benefits the people and benefit them.' Then the method of benefiting them can also accord with their subtle attainments to benefit them. Coming down to the present, the sunlight shines from above and the imperial fortune is revered; the seas connect with the Heavenly River, and branches link to the jeweled edifice. Relying on the unsurpassed Way, You have expanded an endless enterprise. Even when respecting other clans and families, one still reveres antiquity; how could the divine foundation and spiritual lineage abase the Way today? This is the first great impossibility. In the eastern land of the Yuezhi, this precious throne awaited; the profound waves of the waters of samādhi and the Dharma clouds provide colorful moisture, elevating the joy of liberation and expounding the blessings of the eternally abiding. Former kings and past emperors still followed it; with a sage ruler and loyal ministers, why should there be this change? In this foolish minister's thousand considerations, there is not one gain out of ten thousand. If this innovation is created without benefiting the future, causing the slightest flaw across kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, then even if all across the land people shattered their heads and all sentient beings ground their bones to dust, how could they block the blame of harboring dissimulation or expiate the crime of disloyalty? This is the second great impossibility. The reasons this minister is so anxious in this matter, so sincere in his petty devotion, scratching his head, holding his heart, pouring out his liver and gall, is that he humbly hopes the Sage Court will re-exalt the supreme teaching to be ever springlike; may the wheel of the Dharma turn forever in the Garden of Amrapālī, may the hearts of hundreds of its followers rejoice, and may the imperial myriad-year fortune shine far into the distance. Then, though dying, it would be as living, morning or evening would suffice. I privately reflect that the imperial edict's intentions are subtle and delicate, its meaning difficult to discern with certainty. If the celestial mind has already decided, the people can only be made to follow; if the sagely consideration searches widely, who would not exhaust his thoughts? How is this minister, with his mediocrity and ignorance, worthy to offer words? If one considers the two teachings non-existent, then they have been venerated in the sagely destiny, and since the Sage venerates them, they are not non-existent. If one considers the two teachings existent, then in this enlightened era they are being expunged, and if the era expunges them, I fear they will not exist. This is why I hesitate at the crossroad, with the two sides warring within me. The Way should preserve its traces, yet the principle is not yet satisfying to the heart. How could a tube peer at the sky, or a frog measure the ocean? The principle lies beyond all hope; the matter transcends knowledge and intellect. Since keeping lead in hand, setting aside the brush, tapping silence, and extinguishing sound, I wished to offer words as a bird roosts, or blow stolen notes amidst the pipes, joining the worldly in their deaf listening and matching the blind in their sightless gaze. Although I have emptied my heart and mind, it will ultimately not reach what is heard and seen. It is only because the eight winds blow from afar, the ten thousand pipes all offer their sound, the two luminaries rise in brightness, and a thousand forms do not hide their shadows. Here I look up at the brightness, hoping for the compass to turn; turning toward the sun like a sunflower, I offer a trickle of dew from the post-station. With face blushing like a hot broth in summer, treading on thin ice in spring, my fear is extreme, and awe and dread mix together. Respectfully submitted.
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- 集沙門不應拜俗等事 — Classical Chinese