集沙門不應拜俗等事 5.72

5.72

We humbly consider: when the mysterious breeze first stirred, none was earlier than Boyang. Embracing all mysteries yet remaining humble, he nested loftily beyond material things, leading the multitude of beings to the Way and Virtue. Prior to the Ancestor of Emperors, he declared the method of being a filial son; presenting words of counsel to Confucius, he further exalted the propriety of serving a ruler when undertaking government in the official ranks. His spiritual potency functioned without name, and his utmost transformation flowed forth beyond fathom. Truly, it is the person who can broaden the Way—is it not exemplified here? Furthermore, their way differs from Mount Kongtong, and their persons are not those of Mount Gushi; yet they presumptuously compare themselves to the virtue of Heshang [Gong] while failing to abide by the rules of the Keeper of the Archives, idly discoursing on texts that catch at shadows, while arrogating to themselves the homage offered downwind. Puffed up with arrogance and falsehood toward family and state, they sever loyalty and filial piety toward ruler and parents; their brazen faces show not the slightest shame. When the green ox traveled west, crossing the shifting sands to convert the barbarians—(Criticism says: The Weilüe's 'Account of the Western Regions' states: In the realm of Lin'er there was a divine man named Shalü. Old in years and white of hair, his appearance resembled Laozi. He constantly taught people to practice the Buddha [way]. To those who suffered calamities or lacked sons, he exhorted them to observe the Buddhist vegetarian fast and precepts, ordering them to renounce wealth to atone for their faults. At that time, the King of Lin'er had long lacked a crown prince; thereupon he made offerings to the Buddha. His consort Moyā dreamed of a white elephant and became pregnant. When the crown prince was born, he emerged from her right side, naturally possessing a topknot, and upon falling to the ground he was able to walk seven paces. His form resembled the Buddha. Because they obtained a child by making offerings to the Buddha, they therefore named the crown prince Fotu. In the Yuanshou era of Emperor Ai of the Western Han, Qin Jing was sent as an envoy to the Yuezhi, and the king ordered the crown prince to orally transmit [the texts] to Jing. Therefore the Buddhist scriptures and teachings were already circulating early in the Western Han; sixty-three years later, Emperor Ming only then was moved by the auspicious dream. Qin Jing's transmission of the scriptures does not say that Laozi converted the barbarians to become the Buddha, or that the sūtras were spoken by Lao. The Miscellaneous Records of the Jin Dynasty states: The Daoist Wang Fu repeatedly engaged in debates with the śramaṇa Bo Yuan, and Wang was repeatedly refuted. He thereupon altered the 'Account of the Western Regions' into the Scripture of the Conversion of Barbarians through Luminous Majesty, labelling that Shalü as Laozi, cleverly disguising it to deceive and mislead people in the world, claiming that [Yin] Xi and [Li] Dan converted the barbarians to become the Buddha, and that the Buddha originated from this. Pei Ziye's Gaoseng zhuan states: In the time of Emperor Hui of the Jin, the śramaṇa Bo Yuan, styled Fazhu, often debated orthodoxy and heterodoxy upon the request of Libationer Wang Fu—another source says the Daoist Master Ji. Fu was repeatedly refuted. Unable to contain his rage, he relied on the 'Account of the Western Regions' to fabricate the Huahu jing in order to slander the Buddha-Dharma. It was subsequently circulated in the world, and people did not know [the truth]. The blame had its retribution, bringing calamity upon him for successive years. The Youming lu states: When Li Tong of Licheng died and returned, he said he saw the śramaṇa Fazhu expounding the Śūraṅgama-sūtra for King Yama; he also saw the Daoist Wang Fu, his body bound in chains and shackles, begging Fazhu for repentance, but Fazhu refused to approach him. Having betrayed the sage, only upon death did he think of repentance. Furthermore, examining Yuan Hong's Hou Han ji and Huangfu Mi's Gaoshi zhuan and the like, none contains any text stating that Laozi converted the barbarians to become the Buddha. Nowadays in the imperial court, there are many gentlemen of broad erudition; how could one plug one's ears to steal a bell, or point at a deer and call it a horse? Truly it can be called nihilistic chatter that vainly deafens people's ears!)—then there was the white horse coming to the east, crossing the Onion Ranges to enter the dream of the Han [emperor]. Widely disseminating the palm-leaf scriptures, it is likened to the wondrous lotus; its practice takes universal reverence as foremost, and its teaching takes 'Never Slighting' as fundamental. (This matter is criticized as in the memorial of the Left Guard of Chongye.) Although their attire and appearance differ, they equally tend toward the unconditioned. Within the four corners of the land, one has never heard of a son without a father; under the vast expanse of heaven, one has never seen a subject without a ruler. During the Zhenguan era, precedence was already established; that reverence should be fully paid and homage offered can be decisively known. (Criticism says: The Zhenguan edict was originally based on what the imperial lineage revered; it contained no text at all ordering them to bow down, but merely spoke of precedence. Now, to use this as an analogy to dispatch them to pay homage is to forcibly attach meaning to the imperial edict; what transgression could be graver than thus distorting the imperial intent?) Across successive dynasties, [abuses] grew all the more numerous, and yet none had ever awakened to it beforehand! (Criticism says: Since Buddhism entered the Han, more than six hundred years have passed. Among them, in the Jin dynasty Yu Bing, the false Chu's Huan Xuan, Helian, Song Wudi, the Xiao Qi, and the Sui dynasty rulers, all sought to restrain monks to bow down, but all considered the matter impermissible and uniformly followed the ancient precedents. Yet to say 'across successive dynasties [abuses] grew all the more numerous, and yet none had ever awakened to it beforehand'—is this not to openly deceive the imperial mind and falsely disparage the host of illustrious heroes?) Your Majesty mounts the Qian trigram and drives the course of change, eclipsing the Five Emperors and ascending above the Three Sovereigns. You shake loose and restore the fallen order of a thousand ages, and knit together the severed bond of the myriad states. How could this merely transform the chanting of the 'Lishou' ode, taking filial service to fathers to serve the ruler? You are on the verge of changing the customs of Tianzhu, modeling [the empire] from the family to regulate the state. Respectfully submitted.