集沙門不應拜俗等事 4.37

4.37

We respectfully submit that the weight of the Three Bonds reaches its utmost righteousness in sovereign and father; what stands first among the hundred conducts truly relies on respect and love. Yet those in yellow caps and black robes equally share the grace of being nurtured and sustained; when having audience with the emperor or serving their parents, they suddenly fall short of the respect due from subjects and sons. Grounded in the doctrinal teachings, this rather disturbs the regular human relationships; loosening and revising this would, on the contrary, be thoroughly justifiable. However, the pivot of the Way is profound and abstruse, surpassing the bounds of names and words; the wheel of wisdom turns far and wide, transcending the manifestations of mental actions. Companions of walking meditation shelter at the White Horse [Temple] and dwell in dhyāna; those who cultivate their nature pause at the Green Ram [Shrine] to awaken their bond. Although their traces are bound by dependence, their beneficial traversing knows no shore. Truly one should value their Way and revere their teachings, honor their persons and distinguish their rites. Thus the perfected person Heshang personally caused the carriages of the Han monarch to detour; and Huiyuan of Mount Lu ultimately put an end to the deliberations of the Jin ministers. Moreover, worldly renunciation and political engagement have different aims; the manifest and the obscure pursue disparate paths. Feathered girdles and patched fields of robes are not attire for audience at court; crossing waters in a wooden bowl or carrying a chessboard—how could these be manners for attending on parents? The etiquette of offering homage has not yet achieved complete perfection. If it is held that although the Way is worthy of esteem, those who occupy it are not the right persons, then one ought to reinforce those dikes and barriers and scrutinize their vinaya conduct. One cannot bend the Way on account of the person; truly one can encourage the person through the Way. We humbly consider that the Royal House opened its auspicious fortune, originating from the virtue of "[Lord Lao] resembling a dragon"; the Imperial Abode embodies tranquility, always revering the wind of the Vulture Peak. Not altering previous standards will all the more glorify the principle of honoring the ancestors; if we chance to depart from the old regulations, we will neglect the etiquette of treating ministers as teachers. The heavenly benevolence has extended downward, condescending to command detailed deliberations; harboring our narrow views, we have presumed to offer unpolished words. As to whether they should be adopted or discarded, we dare not decide. Respectfully submitted.