北山錄 10.2.8

10.2.8

勅曰。 佛法弘大。 千古共崇。 豈有沈隱捨而不行。 自今已後。 王公已下并及黎庶。 並宜修事。 知朕意焉。 爰於二京各立一寺。 其餘州郡猶未通許。 四月八日。 詔。 佛教興來多歷年代。 論其至理。 實自難明。 但以世漸澆浮不依佛法。 致使清淨之法變成濁穢。 高祖武皇帝廢而不立。 正為如此。 朕今情存至道。 思弘善法。 方揀擇練行。 恭循此理。 令形服不改。 德行仍存。 敬設道場。 欲行善法。 王公已下。 並宜知悉。 至二十日。 詔選耆舊沙門懿德貞潔學業沖博一百二十人。 勿剪髮毀形。 於陟岵寺為國行道。 所資公給。 沙門任道林歷高祖天元二世。 諫奏有儀。 帝懿乃辯。 屢迴天睠。 大法紹復。 斯人有力矣（周武律德二年廢二教。 即陳宣帝大建五年也。 北齊後主武平四年也。 後梁明帝大定十二年癸巳之歲矣）隋文潛龍時。 有神尼智仙言曰。 佛法將滅。 一切神明今已西去。 兒當為普天慈父（即隋文帝）重興佛法。 一切神明還來至此。 靜帝沖幼。 以隋公輔政。 欲令沙門復舊未之能也。 洎革周命（周靜帝諱衍。 宣帝長子。 即位改元大定。 以隋公楊堅為丞相。 復佛道二教。 在位一年。 遜于隋居別宮。 奉為介國公。 食邑萬戶。 一切依周制。 開皇元年崩年。 九歲）乃令剃落。 如曇延．靈裕．慧遠等。 皆不失其人也。 國初高祖問群臣曰。 傅弈每云。 佛教無用。 朕欲從其所議。 卿等何如。 魏公裴寂進曰。 臣聞。 齊桓公與管仲．鮑叔．寗戚等飲酒而適。 桓公謂鮑叔曰。 為寡人祝之。 鮑叔奉酒而祝曰。 願吾君無忘出於莒（齊公孫無知亂小白奔莒。 齊人殺無知。 後鮑叔輔小白入立。 是為桓公也）願管仲無忘縛於魯（齊亂管仲與子糺奔魯。 國人納之。 值小白先入。 遂戰魯敗。 乃殺子糺。 而生縛管仲。 至鮑叔解之於境也）願寗戚無忘於飯牛（寗戚使車飯於牛下見桓公扣角而歌。 桓公乃用之）桓公避席而謝。 寡人與二三大夫曾無忘夫子之言。 則齊社稷不廢矣。 此言常思舊也。 陛下昔創義師。 志憑三寶。 云安九五。 誓啟玄門。 今陛下六合歸仁。 富有四海。 欲納弈之狂簡（傅弈也）而毀廢佛僧。 此則虧陛下之往信。 彰陛下之今過。 元元失望（元元黎遮也）理不可也。 是知文武之賢。 固天攸縱。 匪惟社稷之臣。 實亦法王之臣。 既作衛于王室。 亦屏藩於聖教也。 若夫長民者。 行著一鄉。 智効一官。 樹風聲之德表。 為蚩氓之効仰。 彼氓也何有知焉。 舉直錯諸枉彼民之謂直也。 舉枉錯諸直彼氓而謂之直也。 本無特鑒委化上流者。 安得不審其動也。 慎其詞也。 昭其信也。 禮云。 堯舜率天下以仁。 而民從之。 桀紂率天下以暴虐。 而民從之。 又曰。 下之事上也。 不從其所令。 而從其所化。 上好是物。 下必有甚者矣。 今庶口喋喋（音牒侫語也）病乎不信。 余心晦晦兼慍乎信何哉。 夫信有三者焉。 有智有愚有黨。 智則擇物。 人悅其鑒。 如舜舉皐陶。 湯舉伊尹。 仁者至。 不仁者遠矣。 愚與黨傷蠧哉。 愚不辨於牛馬。 於其所信。 如休猴而冠之（昔項羽屠咸陽。 焚燒宮闕。 三月火不滅。 而歸下邳。 秦之君子有言曰。 項籍之作。 猶沐猴而冠焉）慕像龍而懼其真龍（葉公食菜於葉。 姓沈。 名諸梁。 字子高。 好龍畫之。 門戶屏屋。 天為見真龍。 見之驚悸而卒也）以狂且為子都（子都有貌之美者也。 狂童也。 且語辭也。 詩云。 不見子都乃見狂且是也。 此詩剌鄭不賢之謂者也）以大天為羅漢（大天土火羅國僧。 造五逆者。 無憂供之。 以為羅漢）小人之幸。 君子之不幸（不應用而獲。 用謂之幸。 應用而不獲。

An edict stated: "The Buddha-dharma is vast and great, revered collectively throughout a thousand ages. How could it be suppressed, hidden, cast aside, and not practiced? From this day forward, all from princes and dukes down to the common populace should cultivate and serve it, and know our intention." Thereupon, a monastery was established in each of the two capitals, while throughout the remaining prefectures and commanderies it was not yet generally permitted. On the eighth day of the fourth month, an imperial edict stated: "The rise of Buddhism has spanned many eras. When discussing its ultimate principle, it is truly difficult to comprehend of oneself. It is merely that the world has gradually become frivolous and unstable, failing to abide by the Buddha-dharma, which caused the pure Dharma to turn into turbidity and defilement. Emperor Gaozu Wu abolished it and did not maintain it precisely for this reason. Now, our sentiment abides in the ultimate Way, wishing to propagate the good Dharma. We shall select those of practiced conduct to reverently follow this principle, allowing them to keep their bodily appearance and attire unchanged while their virtuous practice remains, respectfully establishing a bodhimaṇḍa with the wish to practice the good Dharma. All from princes and dukes down should be fully informed of this." On the twentieth day, an edict ordered the selection of one hundred and twenty senior, experienced śramaṇas of fine virtue, chastity, integrity, and profound, extensive learning, who were not to cut their hair or alter their appearance, to practice the Way for the state at Zhihu Monastery, with their provisions supplied by the state treasury. The śramaṇa Ren Daolin served through two generations—Gaozu and Tianyuan. His remonstrances and memorials were decorous, and the emperor admired his eloquence. He repeatedly turned the imperial regard, and the Great Dharma was carried forward and restored; this man indeed had great power in it. (Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou abolished the two teachings in the second year of Jiande, which corresponds to the fifth year of Dajian of Emperor Xuan of the Chen, the fourth year of Wuping of the Latter Ruler of the Northern Qi, and the guisi year, the twelfth year of Dading of Emperor Ming of the Later Liang.) When Emperor Wen of the Sui was still a hidden dragon, there was a spiritual nun, Zhixian, who said: "The Buddha-dharma is about to perish, and all spiritual luminaries have now departed to the west. My son will become the compassionate father of all under Heaven (namely Emperor Wen of the Sui), re-establishing the Buddha-dharma, and all spiritual luminaries will return here." Emperor Jing was tender and young; using the Duke of Sui to assist the government, he wished to have the śramaṇas restored to their former status, but was not yet able to do so. When the Zhou mandate was changed, (Emperor Jing of the Zhou was named Yan, the eldest son of Emperor Xuan. Upon ascending the throne, he changed the reign title to Dading and appointed the Duke of Sui, Yang Jian, as prime minister, restoring the two teachings of Buddhism and Daoism. After reigning for one year, he abdicated to the Sui and resided in a separate palace, being honored as the Duke of Jie with a fief of ten thousand households, everything according to Zhou regulations. He died in the first year of Kaihuang at the age of nine,) he then ordered them to shave their heads. Figures such as Tanyan, Lingyu, and Huiyuan were all rightly suited to their role. At the beginning of our dynasty, Gaozu asked his ministers: "Fu Yi constantly says that Buddhism is useless. We wish to follow his proposal; what do you lords think?" Pei Ji, Duke of Wei, stepped forward and said: "Your servant has heard that Duke Huan of Qi drank wine and made merry with Guan Zhong, Bao Shu, Ning Qi, and others. Duke Huan said to Bao Shu: 'Offer a toast for us.' Bao Shu raised the wine and toasted: 'May my lord not forget his exile in Ju! (When Gongsun Wuzhi of Qi rebelled, Xiaobai fled to Ju. The people of Qi killed Wuzhi. Later, Bao Shu assisted Xiaobai to enter and take the throne; this was Duke Huan.) May Guan Zhong not forget being bound in Lu! (During the disorder in Qi, Guan Zhong and Prince Jiu fled to Lu, and the state accepted them. Xiaobai arrived first, and in the ensuing battle Lu was defeated; Lu then killed Prince Jiu and bound Guan Zhong alive, until Bao Shu freed him at the border.) May Ning Qi not forget feeding his ox!' (Ning Qi was a cart-driver who was feeding his ox beneath a cart; seeing Duke Huan, he tapped the ox's horns and sang, whereupon Duke Huan employed him.) Duke Huan stepped away from his seat and thanked him: 'If we and our few ministers never forget the master's words, then the altars of soil and grain of Qi will not fall into ruin.' This means one should constantly remember the past. Formerly, when Your Majesty first raised the righteous army, your aspirations relied on the Three Jewels; you said that when firmly set upon the throne of nine-and-five, you vowed to open the gate of the mysterious. Now Your Majesty has brought benevolence to the six directions and possesses wealth within the four seas; yet you wish to adopt the rash impetuosity of [Fu] Yi (Fu Yi) and abolish the Buddhas and the saṅgha. This would undermine Your Majesty's former faith and make manifest Your Majesty's present error. The common people will be disappointed, (yuanyuan means the multitude of common people,) and in principle it is unacceptable." From this we know that the worthy of civil and martial realms are surely sent by Heaven; they are not only ministers of the altars of soil and grain, but truly ministers of the Dharma King as well. Having served as defenders of the royal house, they also serve as a screen and shield for the sacred teaching. As for those who govern the people: their conduct is manifest in a single village, their wisdom serves in a single office; they establish a standard of virtue through their reputation and become models for the simple folk to look up to. What knowledge do those folk possess? If you promote the upright and place them above the crooked, those people will consider that to be upright. If you promote the crooked and place them above the upright, those folk will also consider that to be upright. Having no special discernment of their own, they entrust their transformation to those above; how could [rulers] not scrutinize their actions, be cautious in their speech, and clarify their trustworthiness? The Classic of Rites says: "Yao and Shun led all under Heaven with benevolence, and the people followed them; Jie and Zhou led all under Heaven with cruelty, and the people followed them." It also says: "Those below in serving those above do not follow what they command, but follow what they transform them by. When those above have a fondness for something, those below will surely take it to extremes." Now, the mouths of the multitude chatter garrulously, (die is pronounced die, meaning artful words,) ailing from lack of faith; yet my heart is gloomy and doubly indignant at what they do believe. Why is this? Belief has three kinds: there is the wise, the foolish, and the partisan. The wise choose their objects, and people delight in their discernment, just as Shun raised Gaoyao and Tang raised Yiyin—the benevolent arrived, and the unbenevolent kept their distance. The foolish and the partisan cause harm and decay! The foolish cannot distinguish between cattle and horses; regarding what they believe, it is like washing a monkey and putting a cap on it, (anciently, Xiang Yu slaughtered Xianyang and burned the palaces; the fire did not go out for three months, and he returned to Xiapi. A gentleman of Qin said: "Xiang Ji's actions are just like washing a monkey and putting a cap on it,") or admiring a depicted dragon while fearing a real one, (Lord Ye ate vegetables in Ye; his surname was Shen, personal name Zhiliang, style Zigao. He loved dragons and painted them on doors, windows, and screens; Heaven caused a real dragon to appear, and seeing it, he died of fright and palpitation,) mistaking a madman for Zidu, (Zidu was a handsome man; kuang means a wild youth, qie is a grammatical particle. The Book of Songs says: "Instead of seeing Zidu, I see a mad youth." This poem satirizes Zheng's lack of worthiness,) or regarding Mahādeva as an arhat. (Mahādeva was a monk of the Tukhāra country who committed the five heinous sins; Aśoka made offerings to him, taking him for an arhat.) This is the good fortune of petty men, and the misfortune of gentlemen. (To be employed when one should not be is called good fortune; to be worthy of employment but not obtain