破邪論 2.21

2.21

These śramaṇas either crossed over dangerous sands or drifted upon great waves, all able to abandon their lives to propagate the scriptures and forfeit their bodies to die for the Way. Some saved the world through spiritual powers; some enlightened people through extraordinary traces; some opened minds through wise understanding; some adapted transformations through spiritual resonance. When they rested in dhyāna and stilled their thoughts, their merits and virtues were like a forest; when their observance of the precepts was pure and lofty, they were purer than ice and frost. In planting and raising blessings and goodness, unseen protection could be beseeched; in chanting the words of the Dharma, both the unseen and manifest worlds partook in the celebration. Thereupon, the efficacy of the Three Baskets and the four Āgamas became widespread, and faith in the Vaipulya and Prajñā scriptures grew ever greater. But where spiritual transformation extends, no distance is too far to reach; the Pamir mountains and the river are like a single step, yet sight and sound have the limits of what can be seen and heard—how could this not be a matter of time? When the conditions and fortunes were about to resonate, the semblance teaching spread afar. Some called [the Buddha] the Great Spirit of the Western Regions; some named him the Master of the Stūpa. Thus, [Kāśyapa] Mātaṅga held his staff and arrived with decorum; Dharmaratna embraced the Way and descended with virtue. Master [Kumāra]jīva possessed profound scholarship that plumbed the depths, and his spiritual insight was abstruse and far-reaching. When he traveled to the central lands, he became thoroughly conversant in the regional languages. Three thousand disciples received his teachings, and eight talents entered his inner chamber. [Daosheng], [Seng]rong, [Seng]ying, [Hui]rui, [Seng]yan, [Hui]guan, [Dao]heng, and [Seng]zhao all grasped the meaning beyond words; their phrases were fragrant as orchids and cassia, and those who took up the brush to receive his dictation were indeed the right men for the task. In the Jin there was Dao'an, who enjoyed sole renown in his day; he drew his learning from [Fo]tudeng and transmitted his vocation to Huiyuan. His disciples flourished daily, and the age was not lacking in worthy men. It was enough to make Xie An of Chen commandery defer to his divine brilliance, and Xi Yu of Xiangyang submit to our 'Heaven-Filling' [Dao'an]. From the time Emperor Hui of Jin suffered exile and Emperor Huai was forced to migrate, the Jie barbarians unleashed their venom and raiders laid waste to the Central Plain. Liu Yao committed treason and rebellion before, and Shi Le usurped power with ferocious violence thereafter. Huaxia fell into pieces, and the people were cast into the mire and ashes. The holy master Fotudeng grieved over the slaughter that had just begun and lamented the endless executions and harm. Thereupon, he displayed spiritual transformations at Gebi and manifested prophecies in Xiang and Ye. Relying on secret dhāraṇīs to save those about to perish, and drawing on fragrant incense to deliver those facing mortal peril, he divined from bells and gazed into his palm, establishing good and bad fortune as he sat. In the end, he caused the two Shis to arouse the intention [for awakening] and the four classes of people to escape harm. (Deng's biography states: 'Deng was in the Han lands for twenty-five years. Throughout the commanderies and counties he traversed, he erected 893 Buddhist temples. He died at the age of one hundred and seventeen. This was during the time when the Shi clan was fierce, strong, oppressive, and unprincipled. If they had not lived in the same era as Deng, who could have spoken to them? The common people facing danger and ruin whose lives were preserved cannot be counted.') Later, Baizu was unharmed when facing the blade, and the bequeathed Dharma was thereby renewed; Zhishang divided his body within a circular chamber, and the sovereigns increased their faith because of it. All of this is detailed in the historical records—how could one fully elaborate it? Without exception, their merits extended to the future, transmitting the lamp for eternal kalpas. The discussants all said: 'Monks inherit and promote the holy lineage; the Buddha secretly protects the state and confers blessing upon the imperial foundation. There is certainly no principle by which they should be abolished!' Corresponding to our Great Tang possessing the realm, it meets the era of the twenty-eight [mansions] and rests upon the fortune of the nine and five. Its virtue in supporting the endangered and saving the world transcends Tang and Wu to stand uniquely high; its achievement in wiping out the ferocious and quelling chaos surpasses Han and Wei to be solely prominent. Vast and majestic, it is difficult to find words to extol! Moreover, [the Emperor] directs his mind to the Buddhadharma and deigns to turn his attention to the mysterious portal. He makes images, copies scriptures, ordains monks, and establishes temples. With every kind of merit and virtue, everywhere he acts as dānapati, benefiting both Chinese and barbarians and drawing forward the people and the worthy. He is about to revive the manners of the August Sovereigns of antiquity and open the path of right awakening, disregarding the Five Thearchs and striding past the Three Kings, bringing about supreme peace in governance and perpetually exalting genuine transformation. The filthy words set forth by the wrong views above are truly what Heaven and Earth cannot tolerate and what human morality collectively rejects. I fear they will defile the sacred gaze and are unworthy of contemplation. Prostrating, I reflect that Your Majesty spreads all-embracing grace and bestows nurturing benevolence. I beg that you examine what is rebellious and compliant, and deliberate on the true and the false. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: 'After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, the Dharma is entrusted to kings.' Your Majesty's presence as sovereign is precisely the time for this entrustment. I prostrate and pray that you block these heterodox discourses, so that the semblance teaching may flourish and spread." When gentlemen of broad learning and monks of right view heard this, they gripped their wrists, clapped their hands, opened their eyes wide, and composed this treatise. Mencius had a saying: "How could I be fond of debate? I have no other choice!" Now, when falsehood is shown as truth and factual records are confounded with fabrications, the worldly do not awaken, right and wrong are not determined, red and purple are mixed together, and tiles and jade are jumbled up. To speak of it from the emotions—how could my heart bear it? Confucius also said: "The poets were distressed by it and could not remain silent; I am distressed by it and cannot stay subdued." It was on this account that they composed treatises. When jade is confused with stone, people cannot tell them apart; right turns into wrong and emptiness is converted into reality—how could one not speak? In investigating the descent of the spirits of kings, sometimes a shooting star pierces the moon, sometimes a long rainbow encircles lightning, sometimes a red sparrow holds a document in its beak, or a white spirit weeps at night. Bearing the qi of clouds and dragons and containing extraordinary signs, these all have their heavenly mandate and do not depend on humans. Someone asked: "Why did the Zhou exceed its allotted calendar, while the Qin failed to reach its appointed span?" I answer: "The unseen principle is difficult to fathom, and human feelings are easily deluded. Examining where their purposes lead, I shall elaborate it in brief. Why? In antiquity, Duke Jing of Song cultivated virtue, and the Mars planet receded at once; Ding Lan was devotedly filial, and the wooden mother's countenance relaxed. As long as one is singularly dedicated, auspicious omens can be brought about; if one can truly purify oneself, disasters and calamities will vanish of their own accord. How true these words are! Looking at the reigns of Wen, Wu, Cheng, and Kang, their way of governance was exalted and peaceful. This was because it was sustained by accumulated goodness, and blessings were concentrated upon future generations; hence they exceeded their calendar. The First Emperor was on the throne; he burned the books, buried the scholars alive, and acted with harsh cruelty toward all under heaven. Coming to the Second Generation, the executions and slaughters were even worse; the living people took fright, with nowhere to put their hands and feet. High Heaven sent down disasters; therefore, it did not reach its appointed span. The Book of Changes says: 'A family that accumulates unrighteousness will surely have an excess of calamity.' This is what it refers to. Hence, we know that the principle of rising and falling has nothing to do with mere strength and capability; all receive their prior causes, and it is largely due to karmic actions. This serves as clear proof! Recently, Emperor Wu of the Zhou had distorted views; he destroyed temples and abolished monks, and in the turn of a heel, his descendants were eradicated. I observe that when Emperor Wen of the Sui was newly born, a divine nun nurtured him; later, Chan Master Bao observed him and saw that he was destined to be a hegemonic ruler. When he ascended the throne, he universally revived the Buddhadharma and ordained monks and nuns on a grand scale. The fourfold assembly was numerous and the three trainings were flourishing; with peaceful minds they practiced the Way to repay the benevolence of the state. Thereupon, shields and spears gradually ceased, and day by day they approached abundance and joy. Auspicious omens and spiritual responses were recorded continuously in the histories. The four seas had no waves, and the six directions celebrated together. Later, he performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices at Mount Dai, bringing about supreme peace in the age. By the time of Emperor Yang, he eliminated temples and stūpas and banished monks and nuns. He built lavishly and extravagantly, exceeding moderation in all things. To the edges of heaven and beyond the seas, he led military campaigns in person. Calamities befell the innocent, and disasters struck his own life and realm. This can be verified before our very eyes; why wait for the future?" The treatise says: The Lunheng states: "Vulgar Confucians like to praise antiquity and disparage the present; when speaking of omens, they enrich the past and slight the present. They do not criticize the empty beauty of antiquity, yet they blame the factual discussions of the present; they believe the false words of the distant past, while ignoring the actual events of recent times. Not knowing the essentials of 'pointing and horses', they dispute over the discourses of the Confucians and Mohists. An illness that has entered the vitals is indeed hard to cure!" How great it is! As a teaching, the doctrine of the Śākya clan encompasses the three times and embraces the four streams. It is comparable to the myriad forms arrayed in empty space, or likened to the eight rivers returning to the vast ocean. As for extensively searching through the philosophers and histories, or gazing far into the scriptures and proclamations: the rites of the Six Ancestors and the Seven Temples; the ceremonies of the Five Sacred Peaks and the Four Views; the texts of the cinnabar cases and golden tablets; the records of famous mountains and stone chambers; the documents of jade seals and purple mud; the writings of the Cloud Terrace and the Qilin Pavilion; since the clear was separated from the turbid; after the bird scripts and insect traces; the distant ages of Hexu and Lilu; before the Heavenly Sovereign and Human Thearch; where the handle of the Dipper points; what the wheel-crow shines upon; the distant expanse of the terrestrial chariot; the far reaches of heaven's corners; the spirits that mended with the turtle and snapped the pillars; the marvels of chiseling mountains and cutting through oceans; the way of establishing merit and establishing virtue; the words of the single yin and single yang; the foundations of grain and medicine; the beginnings of robes and dwellings; the rites of joining the mysterious and sacrificing to the Yellow [Thearch]; the instructions of establishing etiquette and composing music; the principles of the abdication of Yao and Shun; the might of Tang's punitive expeditions and Wu's attacks; the elder of the Golden Coffer and the falling rain; the old man who wept for the qilin and grieved for the phoenix—none of these fail to reach the utmost within the universe, yet their principles are exhausted within the mundane realm! How could they know that the upper realms are entangled with the calamity of the two kinds of death, and the lower directions harbor the anxieties of the three miserable destinies? One is tossed and submerged in the ocean of suffering, and the river of craving is long and distant. Therefore, the Great Compassionate One appeared in the world to guide those born blind: he opened the gates of the eightfold noble path and uncovered the roads of the five vehicles; he proclaimed the purport of the patience-garment and the precept-pearl, and initiated the regulations of the prātimokṣa. Thereupon, he caused bodies to be given to flying birds and forms to be cast to wild beasts; rows of state capitals were compared to casting off worn slippers; lovely maidens with alluring glances were discarded like discarded dust. He truly wished to eliminate these four serpents and extinguish these eight sufferings, forever severing birth, aging, sickness, and death, with no more meeting the hated or parting from the loved, and once and for all ending the receipt of forms, bidding eternal farewell to this vessel of poison. How much more so the precious hall of a thousand blossoms, nearby called the heavenly palace, or the jewel pavilions of the six directions, far off called the pure land! With eight rows of jade trees and four pillars of golden towers, fragrant meals of a hundred flavors and light garments of three zhu, they lightly soar in resplendence without needing the wind of Liezi, and sing and laugh harmoniously without depending on the playing of Shi Xiao! Therefore, we know that the carriages of jade and wheels of jasper are ashamed of their luster before the Purple Chamber; the dark frost and crimson snow blush at their brilliance before the Jade Capital!