辯正論 1.21

1.21

淨土經云。八王者。謂八節日也。言天王所奏文書一歲八出。故稱八王。此日最急。言歲終事畢考課結定。上言天帝三十二臣四鎮司命司錄閻羅所司神明聽察。疏記罪福不問尊卑。一月六奏。六齋日是。一歲三覆。即三長齋月也。今人左右肩上有左右契。左神男右神女。男神疏善女神疏惡。先前一日夜半上天。校定罪福各自求功。爭了罪福毛髮不差。如來大悲為拔彼苦。勸修齋戒令其得樂。余今明以語子。子當回也無違。勿為下士自取笑也。宋典云。文帝以元嘉中。問何侍中曰。范泰謝靈運云。六經本是濟俗。若性靈真要則以佛經為指南。文帝又云。如其率土之濱皆純此化。吾坐致太平矣。尚之對曰。臣聞自渡江已來。王導周顗宰輔之冠蓋。王濛謝尚人倫之羽儀。郄超王謐等。或號絕倫或稱獨步。略數十人靡非時俊。清信之士無乏於時。竊謂釋氏之化無所不可。何者夫百家之鄉十人持五戒則十人淳謹。千室之邑百人修十善則百人和厚。傳此風訓已遍㝢內。編戶千萬則仁人百萬。夫能行一善則去一惡。去一惡則息一刑。一刑息於家則萬刑息於國。陛下所謂坐致太平也（凡人一日受八戒。則一日不殺生。而一日無殺罪。一日不偷盜。則一日無盜罪。一日敬三寶。則一日為善人。一日事二親。則一日為孝子。一日不妄語。則一日不失信。一日不綺語。則一日不失禮。一日不兩舌。則一日兄弟睦。一日不惡罵。則一日室家和。一身一日尚獲此功。況一月至十月。一年至十年。自作教他展轉相續。從一人以至百人。從一郡以至百郡。小善則閭閻士女。大善則卿相王公。校而言之。足以立身輔化匡國保家。若以此立身。無身不立。以此匡國無國不匡。乃得聖之遠圖。豈輔治之洪範也）公子曰。周孔設教。必導之以德齊之以刑。故有五刑之屬三千之罪。民猶罕遵法度多陷刑網。若依佛語護戒捨刑則日長姦盜。若存公用罰又偏負大慈。進退兩楹幸聞厥中。

The Pure Land Sūtra states: 'The eight kings refer to the eight nodal days. It means that the documents submitted by the Heavenly Kings are dispatched eight times a year, hence they are called the eight kings. These days are the most urgent. It means that at the year's end when affairs are concluded, the examinations and assessments are finalized and reported upward to the Heavenly Thearch, the thirty-two ministers, the Four Garrisons, the Overseer of Destinies, the Overseer of Records, and the spirits and deities under King Yama's authority, who listen and investigate, recording sins and blessings without asking whether one is noble or base. Once a month there are six reports—these are the six fasting days. Once a year there are three reviews—these are the three months of long fasts. Now, upon a person's left and right shoulders are the Left and Right tallies: the left spirit is male and the right spirit is female. The male spirit records good deeds, and the female spirit records evil deeds. At midnight prior to the preceding day, they ascend to heaven to check and determine sins and blessings, each seeking their own merits, contending over and clarifying sins and blessings without an error of a hair's breadth. The Tathāgata in his great compassion, in order to pull them out of those sufferings, encouraged the cultivation of fasts and precepts to enable them to attain bliss. I now tell you clearly: you should return to it without deviation, and not act as an inferior scholar, bringing ridicule upon yourself.' The Song Chronicles state: 'Emperor Wen, during the Yuanjia era, asked Attendant Officer He: "Fan Tai and Xie Lingyun stated that the Six Classics were originally meant to save the conventional world; but regarding the true essence of human nature and spirit, one takes the Buddhist sūtras as the guide." Emperor Wen further said: "If all within the bounds of the realm were completely transformed by this, I could achieve Great Peace just by sitting back!" Shangzhi replied: "Your servant has heard that ever since the crossing of the Yangtze, Wang Dao and Zhou Yi were the foremost leaders among prime ministers; Wang Meng and Xie Shang were models among men; and Xi Chao, Wang Mi, and their peers were either acclaimed as peerless or praised as unmatched. Among several score of such individuals, none were not talents of their era, and pure-faith laymen were never lacking in those times. I humbly submit that the transformation wrought by the Buddha's teachings is universally applicable. Why is this? In a township of a hundred families, if ten people uphold the five precepts, then ten people will be honest and prudent. In a city of a thousand households, if a hundred people cultivate the ten good deeds, then a hundred people will be harmonious and kind. When this custom and instruction spread across the entire realm, among tens of millions of registered households there will be millions of benevolent people. For every single good one is able to perform, one evil is eliminated; when one evil is eliminated, one punishment is halted; when one punishment is halted in a family, ten thousand punishments will be halted in the state. This is precisely what Your Majesty meant by achieving Great Peace just by sitting back!"' (If an ordinary person receives the eight precepts for one day, then for one day they do not take life, and for one day there is no sin of killing. If for one day they do not steal, then for one day there is no sin of theft. If for one day they revere the Three Jewels, then for one day they are a good person. If for one day they serve their two parents, then for one day they are a filial child. If for one day they do not speak falsely, then for one day they do not breach trustworthiness. If for one day they do not utter frivolous speech, then for one day they do not violate propriety. If for one day they do not speak with a double tongue, then for one day brothers are harmonious. If for one day they do not curse maliciously, then for one day the household is peaceful. If one person for a single day still obtains such merit, how much more so from one month to ten months, from one year to ten years, doing it oneself and teaching others in continuous succession, from one person up to a hundred persons, and from one commandery up to a hundred commanderies! The minor good benefits the common men and women in the lanes; the major good benefits the ministers, chancellors, kings, and dukes. Considering it comparatively, it is sufficient to establish one's character, assist in governance, rectify the state, and protect the family. If one establishes oneself by this, there is no character that will not be established; if one rectifies the state by this, there is no state that will not be rectified. This is truly obtaining the far-reaching plan of the sages—how could it merely be a grand model to assist in governing?) The Young Gentleman said: 'When the Duke of Zhou and Confucius established their teachings, they necessarily guided by virtue and regulated by punishment; hence there were the three thousand crimes belonging to the five punishments. Yet the people still rarely complied with the laws and regulations, and many fell into the net of punishments. If, in accordance with the Buddha's words, one guards the precepts and abandons punishments, then villainy and theft will grow daily. But if one preserves the public good and uses penalties, one on the other hand betrays great compassion. Wavering between these two pillars, I would be fortunate to hear the middle way between them.'