集沙門不應拜俗等事 5.3

5.3

As for 'Deliberations on Bowing', it clarifies whether śramaṇas should pay homage. In the past, when the August Awakened One governed the realm, he still opened the origins of faith and slander; how could it be that in the Semblance and Final ages alone, generous and comprehensive deliberations would not circulate? Recently, because the ocean of the Dharma is vast and spacious and its kinds are gathered together yet hard to distinguish, impurities in the profound path have reached the ears of the court. This has caused scholars who cling to the texts to abandon the Way and follow men; speaking comparatively, this cannot yet be called a great song of broad accommodation. Therefore, I have investigated past precedents and criticized them accordingly, hoping that gentlemen who revere the Buddha might examine them in detail.