集沙門不應拜俗等事 4.52

4.52

We venture to observe: Laixiang set forth models and was truly the ultimate man of the Eastern land; the Jeta Grove expounded the Dharma and was indeed the supreme sage of the Western regions. Both were able to sever affection, endure love, cut off dust, and leave the worldly. Propriety is the thinning of loyalty and good faith, whereas they soared upward surpassing the Dao and Virtue; form is empty of the true mark, and they left behind the physical body to probe the profound and obscure. Therefore earlier kings treated them as beyond the realm, and later emperors permitted them not to serve as subjects. Long-held custom has become ordinary practice, and its origins go far back. To alter and create anew all of a sudden would, we fear, conflict with what is seen and heard. Furthermore, the black-robed ones are not an assembly for making bows, and the yellow-capped ones are different from companions who turn and bend in ceremony. Even if men are not of quintessential inspiration and cannot emulate the profound style, yet when the root is established the Dao grows, and we may hope that they will gradually sustain the true teaching. If they drift and sink along with the common crowd, bowing and looking up in accordance with the times, we fear the legacy of Vulture Peak will be impaired and the style of Mount Ci will decline. To alter the Way to follow the Ruists—we do not see this as permissible. To follow past practice and make no change—we privately deem this to be fitting. Respectfully deliberated.