集沙門不應拜俗等事 4.5

4.5

The Dharma is fundamentally tranquil and void, not existing in words and speech; the supreme Way is indistinct and silent, therefore it has no sound or doctrine. In the realm of the trichiliocosm, small wisdom cannot fathom its source; within the elusive and indistinct, great worthies cannot exhaust its principle. However, the two lineages of Śākya and Laozi possessed the stature of great sages; their light of wisdom transcends the dust, rising high above the material realm. They shorten the brushing of the rock by the three robes and condense the dipping of the four seas on a tip of hair. They speak of the principle of extinction and preach the doctrine of existence and non-existence. Their gates open up expedient means to expound the twelve links of dependent origination; their guidance takes many paths, narrating the vast discourses of the five thousand [words]. If one reverently conforms, one roams freely in the six perfections; if one neglects and becomes lax, one drifts endlessly in the ocean of suffering. Therefore, shaving off beard and hair, they become śramaṇas; removing plain garments, they fasten black robes. They hope to ascend to the other shore and depart from this ford of attachment. Fathers and mothers honor their demeanor; kings and marquises respect their precepts. Here, the path of ruler and parent is sundered, and they abandon the mundane and transcend the dust. They are not constrained by the three hundred rites; they have no longing for the rank of the five ranks of nobility. They should not be pressed with these vulgar instructions or exhorted with worldly manners, bowing their heads in private courtyards and prostrating in public halls. We request that the ancient customs be followed, which to our humble minds is appropriate. Respectfully submitted.