破邪論 1.17

1.17

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.'