集沙門不應拜俗等事 5.19

5.19

I venture to consider: Among the gravest of the three thousand punishments, none is worse than coercing the sovereign and having no superior; (Critique: Śramaṇas enter the Way by receiving imperial grace; this is not called coercing the sovereign.)
among the extremities of the five punishments, none is worse than unfiliality and having no parents. (Critique: When parents release them to enter renunciation, how can this be unfilial?)
Therefore, rebelling against virtue and rebelling against propriety are the fundamental source of great disorder; (Critique: Monks act in every movement according to scriptural teachings; they do not rebel against virtue and propriety.)
reverence alone and loyalty alone are the correct path for ordering the state. (Critique: Although monks bodily omit serving parents, internally they cherish filial reverence; though their ritual diverges from serving the ruler, in their hearts they harbor indebtedness and loyalty.)
Now, the teaching of Lord Lao is empty and tranquil, relying on yielding weakness to achieve wholeness; the Buddhist scriptures are harmonious and serene, with Sadāparibhūta practicing universal reverence. (This matter is as critiqued in the Left Guard of Terror deliberation.)
We have never heard of arrogance toward sovereign and parents or boastful pride before the multitudes (Critique: Śramaṇas possess in their bodies the Buddha's precepts and embody the Buddha's deportment; humans and devas naturally revere them—how is this boastful pride?)
being that by which pure customs are encouraged or the state and family are brought to peace. If Daoist priests, Daoist priestesses, monks, and nuns are now ordered to respectfully bow to sovereign and parents, it causes no loss to Daoism or Buddhism, (Critique: A sūtra says: 'Bowing to a sovereign harms the sovereign; bowing to parents harms the parents.' If performing reverence violates the teaching, who can say there is no loss?)
while returning to the righteous law of the worldly king, greatly reforming former abuses and thoroughly eliminating moral decay. (Critique: Taking compliance with the Dharma as moral decay, and using violation of the teaching as reform and elimination—this can truly be called turning one's head toward the dark while going to Yue; the further one goes, the more one deviates from the Way.)
This will cause them forever to recognize the path of compliance and further understand the gravity of inborn nature. Respectfully deliberated.