破邪論 1.17

1.17

仙公請問上品經云。與沙門道士言則志於道。上品大戒經校量功德品云。施佛塔廟得千倍報。布施沙門得百倍報　昇玄內教經云。或復有人。平常之時不肯作福。見沙門道士說法勸善。了無從意　智慧本願大戒上品經曰。施散佛僧中食塔寺一錢已上。皆二萬四千倍報功多報多。世世賢明翫好不絕。七祖皆得入無量佛國。仙公請問經下云。復有凡人行是功德。願為沙門道士。大博至後生便為沙門。大學佛經為眾法師。復有一人。見沙門道士齋靜讀經乃笑之曰。彼向空吟經欲何希耶。虛腹日中一食。此罪人耳。道士乃慈心喻之。故執意不釋。死入地獄考毒五苦　仙公請問經云。高上老子曰。上古之時。人民純樸各懷道德。虛心玄寂無為為事。此風既散。百競煙起萬流分析。姦巧互攻愚智相陵。鬼神執威。眾聖並出制作教化。唯令民修善自守。是以有五經儒俗之業道佛各歎其教大歸善也　太上靈寶洞玄真一勸誡法輪妙經云。吾歷觀諸天。從無數劫來。見諸道士百姓子男女人已得無上正真之道。高仙真人自然十方佛。皆受前世勤苦。求道不可稱計　法輪妙經云。道言夫輪轉不滅得還生人中大智慧明達者。從無數劫學已成真人。高仙自然十方佛者。莫不從行業所致制身定志坐禪思微。

The Xian'gong qingwen shangpin jing states: 'When speaking with śramaṇas and Daoists, have one's mind set upon the Dao.' The 'Chapter on Comparing Merits' in the Shangpin dajie jing states: 'Donating to a stupa or temple of the Buddha yields a thousandfold reward; making donations to a śramaṇa yields a hundredfold reward.' The Shengxuan neijiao jing states: 'Or there may be people who are ordinarily unwilling to cultivate merit, and upon seeing śramaṇas and Daoists preaching the Dharma and encouraging goodness, have absolutely no intention of following them.' The Zhihui benyuan dajie shangpin jing states: 'Giving money of one coin or more for the midday meal of Buddhas and monks, or for stupas and temples, will all receive a reward twenty-four thousand times over; the more merit, the more the reward. Generation after generation they will be worthy and wise, with fine treasures never failing, and seven generations of ancestors will all be able to enter immeasurable Buddha-lands.' The latter section of the Xian'gong qingwen jing states: 'Further, there are ordinary people who perform this merit and vow to become śramaṇas or Daoists. Becoming greatly learned, they then become śramaṇas in subsequent lives, widely studying Buddhist sutras to become Dharma masters of the assembly. There was another person who, seeing a śramaṇa or Daoist observing quiet fasting and reading scriptures, mocked them, saying: "What do they hope to gain by chanting scriptures into empty space? Emptying their stomachs and eating only one meal a day at noon—these are just sinners!" The Daoist admonished him with a compassionate mind, but he still clung to his view without letting go; upon death, he entered hell to suffer the examinations and poisons of the five pains.' The Xian'gong qingwen jing states: 'The High and Supreme Laozi said: "In high antiquity, the people were pure and simple, each harboring the Dao and virtue, with empty minds and mysterious stillness, taking non-action as their practice. Once this ethos dispersed, a hundred rivalries arose like smoke, and ten thousand streams branched apart. Cunning and craft attacked one another; the foolish and the wise encroached on each other. Ghosts and spirits exercised their terrors, and numerous sages appeared together, establishing systems and teachings solely to cause the people to cultivate goodness and guard themselves. Therefore, there are the five classics and the endeavors of Confucian secularity, while Daoism and Buddhism each praise their teachings, the ultimate return of which is goodness."' The Taishang lingbao dongxuan zhenyi quanji falun miaojing states: 'I have observed the heavens successively, and from countless eons past, I have seen the Daoists, sons, and daughters of the common people who have attained the unsurpassed, correct, and true Dao, high immortals, perfected beings, and spontaneous Buddhas of the ten directions; all have endured diligence and suffering in prior lives, seeking the Dao beyond measure.' The Falun miaojing states: 'The Dao states that those who turn in transmigration without extinction and are able to be reborn among humans with great wisdom and clarity, having practiced for countless eons and already become perfected beings, high immortals, and spontaneous Buddhas of the ten directions—there are none whose attainment was not brought about by their deeds and karmic practice, restraining the body, fixing the will, sitting in dhyāna, and contemplating the subtle.'