北山錄 7.3

7.3

為善天降之百祥。輔德也（皇天無親惟德是輔）為不善天降之百殃。糺淫也（淫過也。天者福善禍淫）故順理焉異類生愛。而況聖賢乎（如龍神欽伏等）逆理焉至親交兵。而況於鬼神乎。莊子云。為不善於顯明之中人得而誅之。為不善於幽闇之中鬼得而誅之。詩云。下民之𭒯。匪降自天。言由己也（禍本無門惟人自召）仲尼謂哀公曰。存亡禍福在己而已矣。周頌曰。畏天之威。于時保之。西域阿育王孫弗沙蜜多。下庭議曰。吾如何垂名於不朽。群臣曰。當如先王建八萬四千塔。不然反之。名雖好惡俱不朽也。王曰。我無威德以紹先王。當建後議。遂乃侮皇祖之訓。𤢕彛倫之紀（彛常倫理也。帝王日用常行之理也）焚法垢（音備）塔虔劉釋眾（䖍劉殺也）天愁人怨。靡奈其酷。雖有聖賢。不能違之。登彼南山。自求免害。息心之侶。血流成川（殘殺道人）梟首務賞。府無虛日。征賦由之竭矣（購有獲僧首級者賞之也）王益其怒。更施殲虐。率師至佛牙塔。死於頹山之下。漢桓靈世。範金為佛像。遭國亂流墜荒瘞。吳孫皓使衛兵治禁園。其有得者令置溷所。四月八日溺其頭（小便也）曰。為爾灌頂。君臣相與笑樂。俄爾遍體隆腫。隱處尤痛。毒痡五內。哀聲外揚。使卜覡。咸以坐犯大神。皓乃遍走群望有加而無瘳。宮人信佛者謂是佛也。皓乃迎像沐浴。夙夜夤畏（夤敬也）稽顙叩簀（簀床板顙額也。謂以額扣床也）陳罪責己。左右聞之。惻傷流涕。有頃疾間（小差）篤潔齋戒。後乃豫焉。偽夏赫連勃勃匈奴也。據朔漠。龍旌帝服。尊高己德。昧乎聖人之道。曰勃者佛也。吾為佛也。陳聖像於後坐。令沙門朝集為已致拜。天罰有罪。迅雷震而死也。故雷者靈物。憑陽氣以作威者也（王充論云。雷是陰陽之氣相攻射而擊損物。故陽氣極而生光等。然雷有神。為天之使。護淨嫉惡者也。憑陽氣而行。依雲雨而動。冬則藏蟄。以陽氣收藏故也）夫陰陽之氣。舒則安而靜。蓄則蒸而怒。有時嫉惡而震於土木。以警戒於人民。於其不忌則肆乎害也（肆放忌畏也。若於事無所畏忌。必速其害也）宋謝晦鎮荊州。患沙門僧昌於城內立塔。湫隘雉堞（音牒）躬役介夫。厚勞酒食。令肆其武勇。嚴鼓戒威。莫敢不前。撞擊陊（徒可反）壞（陊崩落也。又作褫。壞音怪。故壞也。無損而特毀之也）龕像摧隕。欻有暴風。連天雲霧作昏驍烈為之膽寒。晦蒙被塵土。以手拭去。膚隨指落。潰爛瘡痍。體無貌肌。竟以反而族誅也（謝晦。字宣明。陳郡陽夏人。美風姿。善談笑。宋文帝時。為領軍將軍荊州牧反召檀道濟討之。兵濱擒送鄴都斬於都市。周世宗。柴氏。以鎮州大悲菩薩銷鑄為周通元寶錢。後支體潰爛而崩。此亦其類也）故為罪大者為天下不吊（吊恤也）始濟其力將溢其禍。禍極則革之矣。初沙門法敏苦諫不納（諫謝晦也）其後為之著顯驗論。魏太武以穹廬之冑（穹廬蕃帳）因藉時運。奄有河洛（其本居鮮卑山下世為君長。稱拓拔氏。晉武時漸通中國。至懷敏為劉曜所害。初都雲中。後遷平城。又移鄴。至孝文帝遷河洛。遂改姓元氏也）崔皓執政愬（音素）緇衣於太武曰。佛化無益。有傷人民。不若黜廢。為國之大利也。他日凶謀既進。詔始誅長安沙門。焚破經像。唯留臺下四方如長安。異歲有後命所在有圖像沙門一切並除。自是不稔。崔皓轘（音患）其尸（轘車製也前文已解）太武遘厲疾。而法令寬弛（弛縱也）既絕又復也（至文成復興）夫治國者。以大臣為股肱。以嬖臣為耳目（幸而獲寵曰嬖）未有支竅邪而身不殘瘵。悲夫大命未傾。曾莫始悟。既傾而悟。方迷何別（傾危莫無也。始先方正也。至危而悟。與正而迷何別。唐武宗會昌五年。沙汰毀滅至六年。遍體惡瘡而崩。先是李德裕陳謀。後宣宗貶崖州而卒也）然有踐崔氏。太武興於無益之論（杜光庭造無佛論。竟以雙瞽而卒也）其意以畋獵飲酒聲色臺榭。克喪于家邦（只以此等為喪家邦。不以毀廢為喪。而便為之無益）而始為之益乎。曾子曰。人之好善。福雖未至。去禍遠矣。人之為惡。凶雖未至。去禍近矣。漢東平王曰。為善最樂。晉樂廣曰。名教中自有樂事。凡此至言。未甞非益。但非下士之所知也。嗟乃世無賢直使崔也。始縱皓妻郭氏誦般若經。皓取經灰之於廁。至是將刑檻車送城南。衛士十人。行溲其上（溲旋溺也）呼聲嗷嗷。曰斯投經之報也（出盧求金剛經驗也）論曰。邪見輕者。將死續善。善斯續矣（善者淨信心也。信為道元功德母。長養一切諸善法。緣力斷善者生地獄時續。因力斷善者死地獄時續）西域無垢稱論師。適眾賢塔前。告于幽靈。矢毀大乘（矢誓也）破天親論。言訖心狂舌出。於所終地。忽然而陷其坑。逮于今見者惴惴然（惴惴懼也）孰能無傷乎。沙門惠眺究小乘學。聲流江漢。聞像王哲講三論。謗言。三論明空。講者著空。尋則舌挺三尺。耳鼻灑血。精誠號悔七日。乃復有安慧。則晉永嘉中於洛陽以黃縑手寫大品一部為一卷凡十本。周仲智妻胡母氏（復姓）持一本過江陵。為隣火所逮。不遑取經。唯悲泣若疾火熸。於煨燼中得經。無一字虧損。崇邪者崩首而信。此經至梁武世猶藏于御閣。侯景之亂也亡所在矣。宋北本涅槃經（沮渠蒙遜譯也）創行南土。慧嚴．慧觀．謝靈運。以其品疎詞野。依泥洹本共加潤色。刪削解脫（即南本涅槃經）。嚴夜夢神人鎧仗惋赫色高聲勵將討其罪。乃驚悟而起悸（葵季反）汗恍惚。聚族會論。欲追復前本。識者止之曰。此蓋為欲誡後人耳。必若苟違。何容即時方感。嚴他日又夢曰。君以弘經精至。後必當見佛也。晉末洪豫鑄丈六像。未及開摸。會銅禁甚嚴。宋武時為相國。豫坐繫丞相府誦觀音經。夢像摩其頂問怖不。豫曰。自念必死。安得不怖。覩像胸前。銅色燋沸。殆臨刑。會監官牛奔車壞。更克日。有令從彭城來。原豫之罪（彭城宋武也原赦也）比開摸像胸如所夢焉（比及也。燋沸也）東魏高歡為丞相。有孫敬德者。兵家役人也。戍于邊鎮。造石觀音像。至誠無二。後敬德為他罪所累寘死刑。既迫于刑期。爽旦有僧告之曰。吾以經授汝。至日午但誦滿千遍則免矣。口受訖失僧所在。敬德念罹身禍。誠誦弗懈。纔畢其數。法官行刑。舉刃皆折。但聞硜然。如觸石之響。敬德被鞠（鞠窮問也）曰無乃像應歟。公傳往驗之。其頸果有數迹。高氏錄其經。而題之曰高王觀世音經也。孫卿云。報應之勢。各以類至。言可信矣。故古者旌德以沮惡。宣禍以弘善。使人不以惡為無傷而不去。不以善為無益而不為也。但業理在徐疾（順生順後為徐順現為疾也）報應期乎遠近。情慮生於篤薄。損益差於輕重。而吉凶之數屬若影響。故天網疎而不漏。陰府幽而甚明。于公高門而待封（于公定國致仕高其門謂人曰。吾曾掌獄無私。子孫必顯達）嚴母掃墓而待誅（嚴延年為河南尹酷法。其母日掃墓曰。我子酷法。吾將待其誅也）豈謬也哉。人亦有言曰。種植不見其長。有時而大砥礪。莫覩其虧終消厥厚是也（砥礪磨石也。人之為行。必自有報。善惡相符。猶如影響）。

When one does good, Heaven sends down a hundred blessings to assist virtue ("Imperial Heaven has no favorites; it aids only the virtuous"). When one does evil, Heaven sends down a hundred calamities to punish excess ("excess" means fault; Heaven blesses the good and brings calamity upon the licentious). Therefore, when one accords with principle, even alien species give rise to love—how much more so sages and worthies (such as the submission of dragon-spirits)! When one goes against principle, even the closest kin clash in arms—how much more so ghosts and spirits! Zhuangzi says: "If one does what is not good in the open, men will find and execute him; if one does what is not good in the dark, ghosts will find and execute him." The *Book of Odes* says: "The afflictions of the common people do not descend from Heaven"—meaning they arise from oneself ("Calamity originally has no gate; only humans invite it upon themselves"). Zhongni told Duke Ai: "Survival and ruin, calamity and fortune, depend on oneself alone." The *Zhou Eulogies* say: "In awe of the majesty of Heaven, he thus preserves it." In the Western Regions, King Aśoka's grandson Puṣyamitra held court to deliberate, saying: "How may I transmit my name to immortality?" His ministers said: "You should, like the former king, build eighty-four thousand stūpas. If not, do the opposite; whether good or bad, your name will equally be immortal." The king said: "I lack the majestic virtue to succeed the former king; I shall adopt the latter proposal." Thereupon he flouted the teachings of his imperial ancestor and violated the order of regular human relations ("constant" means regular; "relations" means principles; the daily conduct and principles of emperors and kings). He burned Dharma-relic stūpas and slaughtered the followers of Śākya ("slaughtered" means killed). Heaven sorrowed and men resented, but none could withstand his cruelty. Though there were sages and worthies, they could not avert it; they climbed Mount Nanshan to seek escape from harm for themselves. Of the company of those who set their minds at rest, their blood flowed in streams (the massacre of men of the Way). Heads were exposed as rewards were sought; in the state treasury there was not an empty day, and tax revenues were exhausted because of it (bounties were awarded to those who took monks' heads). The king's fury only increased, and he further inflicted slaughter and cruelty. Leading his troops, he reached the Buddha's Tooth Relic Stūpa and died beneath a collapsing mountain. During the Han reigns of Huandi and Lingdi, metal was cast into a Buddha image; during national upheaval, it was lost and buried in the wilderness. Sun Hao of Wu sent his guards to clear the imperial pleasure park; those who found it were ordered to place it in a latrine. On the eighth day of the fourth month, he urinated on its head, saying, "I bestow the consecration upon you," and the ruler and his ministers made merry together. Soon his whole body broke out in swellings, with the hidden parts being exceedingly painful. The agony racked his five viscera, and his cries of sorrow could be heard far and wide. He had diviners cast lots, and all held that he had offended a great spirit. Hao then visited all the mountains and rivers to sacrifice, but the affliction only worsened without healing. A palace woman who believed in the Buddha said it was the Buddha. Hao then welcomed the image, bathed it, and was reverent and fearful day and night ("reverent" means respectful). Knocking his brow against the bedstead ("bedstead" is the bed-plank; "brow" is the forehead; meaning he struck the bed with his forehead), he confessed his crimes and reproached himself. When his attendants heard it, they wept with sorrow. Soon the illness abated (improved slightly). He practiced the purification rites and abstinences with devotion and purity, and subsequently recovered. Helian Bobo of the illegitimate Xia was a Xiongnu. Holding the northern wilderness, with dragon banners and imperial robes, he aggrandized his own virtue and was blind to the Way of the sages, saying: "'Bo' means Buddha; I am the Buddha!" He set sacred images behind his throne and ordered the śramaṇas to assemble at court to bow down to him. Heaven punished his crime, and he was struck dead by a sudden bolt of thunder. Indeed, thunder is a numinous thing; relying on yang qi, it displays majesty (Wang Chong's treatise says: "Thunder is the qi of yin and yang clashing and striking objects, so the climax of yang qi generates light," etc. However, thunder has a spirit; it is an emissary of Heaven that protects purity and hates evil. It acts relying on yang qi and moves in accordance with clouds and rain; in winter it hibernates because yang qi is gathered and stored). As for the qi of yin and yang: when it expands, it is peaceful and calm; when pent up, it seethes and rages. At times, hating evil, it strikes earth and trees to warn the people; when people have no fear, its harm is given free rein ("unleashed" means loose; "fear" means awe; if in all matters one has no fear, harm will surely hasten upon him). When Xie Hui of the Song dynasty was garrisoning Jingzhou, he was vexed that the śramaṇa Sengchang had erected a stūpa inside the city that was cramped and crowded up against the parapets. He personally conscripted armored soldiers, treated them generously with wine and food, and ordered them to display their martial courage. With solemn drums inspiring awe, none dared not advance. Striking and tearing it down ("collapsing" means falling down; also written as dismantle; "breaking down" means to damage deliberately; destroying it without any prior damage), the shrine and images were crushed and felled. Suddenly a violent wind arose, and clouds and mist connected to heaven brought darkness; the fierce soldiers turned pale with fear. Hui was covered with dust and dirt; when he wiped it away with his hand, skin fell off with his fingers, turning into festering sores until his body had no intact flesh. In the end, he was executed with his whole clan for rebelling (Xie Hui, styled Xuanming, was a man of Yangxia in Chen commandery. He had a fine appearance and was skilled in pleasant conversation. In the time of Emperor Wen of Song, as General of the Army and governor of Jingzhou, he rebelled; Tan Daoji was summoned to suppress him, and he was captured by the troops, sent to the capital of Ye, and beheaded in the city market. Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou, of the Chai clan, melted down the Great Compassion Bodhisattva of Zhenzhou to mint the Zhou-tong-yuan-bao coins; later his limbs festered and he died; this is of the same kind). Therefore, for those whose crimes are great, the world does not pity them ("pity" means to commiserate); at first their strength may sustain them, but their calamity will overflow; when calamity reaches the extreme, a reckoning comes. Earlier, the śramaṇa Famin had bitterly remonstrated with him, but was ignored (he remonstrated with Xie Hui); later, on this account, he wrote the *Treatise on Visible Verifications*. Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei, as an offspring of the yurt ("yurt" means barbarian tent), took advantage of the times to encompass the Yellow River and Luo River regions (they originally lived beneath Mount Xianbei and were hereditary rulers, styled the Tuoba clan. In the time of Emperor Wu of Jin they gradually communicated with the Central Plains. By the time of Huimin, they were harmed by Liu Yao. They first had their capital at Yunzhong, then moved to Pingcheng, then to Ye; when Emperor Xiaowen moved to Heluo, they changed their surname to Yuan). When Cui Hao held the government, he slandered the black-robed [clergy] to Taiwu, saying: "Buddhist teachings are of no benefit and harm the people; it would be better to abolish them, which will be of great benefit to the state." Later, when the sinister plot had progressed, an edict first ordered the execution of the śramaṇas of Chang'an and the burning of scriptures and images, sparing only the imperial palace, while the four quarters followed Chang'an. In another year, a subsequent decree ordered that wherever there were images or śramaṇas, all were to be eliminated without exception. Before the year was out, Cui Hao had his body torn apart by chariots ("torn apart by chariots" refers to the chariot execution, explained earlier). Taiwu contracted a severe disease, and the laws were relaxed ("relaxed" means made lenient); having been severed, [the Dharma] was restored again (by Emperor Wencheng it was revived). Now, those who govern a state use great ministers as their arms and legs, and use favored ministers as their ears and eyes ("favored" refers to receiving favor by fortune). There has never been a case where the limbs and apertures were corrupt and the body was not afflicted with debilitating illness. How sad that before the great mandate collapses, they never realize it beforehand; to realize it only after it has collapsed—how is that different from being truly deluded? ("Collapsed" means ruined; "never" means not; "beforehand" means earlier; "truly" means just; to realize only at the brink of ruin, how is that different from remaining deluded when on the correct path? In the fifth year of Huichang of Emperor Wuzong of Tang, the persecution and destruction occurred; by the sixth year, he died with malignant ulcers over his entire body. Earlier, Li Deyu presented the plot; later, Emperor Xuanzong exiled him to Yazhou, where he died). Yet there are those who tread in Cui's footsteps, and Taiwu set forth the argument of "no benefit" (Du Guangting composed the *Treatise on the Non-existence of the Buddha*, and in the end died blind in both eyes). Their meaning was that hunting, drinking wine, songs, women, terraces, and pavilions can destroy the house and the state (they only consider these things to ruin the house and state, not considering destruction and abolition as ruin, and therefore deem [Buddhism] of no benefit); do they then consider these to be of benefit? Zengzi said: "When a man loves good, although good fortune has not yet arrived, calamity is far away from him. When a man does evil, although misfortune has not yet arrived, calamity is close to him." King of Dongping of the Han said: "Doing good is the greatest joy." Yue Guang of the Jin said: "Within the teachings of names there is naturally joyful business." All these utmost words are never without benefit, but they are not what inferior scholars can understand. Alas, there were no worthy and upright men in the world, which allowed Cui [Hao] to give free rein [to evil]! Hao's wife, Lady Guo, recited the *Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra*; Hao took the scripture and burned it to ashes in the latrine. When he was about to be executed, he was sent to the south of the city in a barred cart. Ten guards urinated upon him as they walked ("urinated" means passed water); he wailed and howled, saying, "This is the retribution for throwing the scripture into the latrine!" (From Lu Qiu's *Experiences of the Diamond Sūtra*). The treatise says: For those whose wrong views are light, as death approaches their good [roots] resume, and thus the good resumes (the "good" refers to pure faith; faith is the source of the Way and the mother of merit, nurturing all good dharmas; those who sever good roots through external conditions resume them when born in hell; those who sever them through internal causes resume them when dying in hell). In the Western Regions, the master of treatises Vimalamitra came before the stūpa of Saṅghabhadra and declared to the spirit of the deceased, swearing to destroy the Mahāyāna ("swearing" means vowing) and refute Vasubandhu's treatises. As soon as he finished speaking, his mind went mad and his tongue protruded; at the place where he perished, a pit suddenly sank open. To this day, those who see it tremble with fear; who could fail to be grieved? The śramaṇa Huitiao thoroughly investigated Hīnayāna learning and his fame spread across the Jiang and Han rivers. Hearing Master Xiangwang Zhe lecture on the Three Treatises, he slandered them, saying, "The Three Treatises expound emptiness; the lecturer is attached to emptiness." Immediately his tongue extended three feet, and blood spurted from his ears and nose. Sincerity and weeping repentance for seven days restored him. There was also Anhui: in the Yongjia reign of the Jin, in Luoyang, he personally copied one copy of the *Larger Prajñāpāramitā* on yellow silk into one scroll, ten copies in all. Zhou Zhongzhi's wife, Lady Humu (a compound surname), carried one copy across Jiangling; caught in a fire from a neighboring house, she had no time to save the scripture and could only weep bitterly. When the raging fire died down, she found the scripture amidst the ashes, without a single character damaged. Those who venerated heterodoxy touched their foreheads to the ground and believed. This scripture was still preserved in the imperial pavilions during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang; in the rebellion of Hou Jing it was lost. When the northern edition of the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* of the Song (translated by Juqu Mengxun) first circulated in the southern lands, Huiyan, Huiguan, and Xie Lingyun, considering its chapters disjointed and its phrasing unrefined, polished it together based on the *Nihuans* text, editing out redundancies (this is the southern edition of the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra*). Yan dreamed at night of a spirit in armor, brandishing weapons with a fierce expression and a stern voice, about to punish his crime. He woke up startled, trembling with sweat and in a daze. Gathering the assembly to discuss it, he wished to restore the former version. A knowledgeable person stopped him, saying: "This was probably meant as a warning for future generations; if it were truly an infraction, how could the response have waited until now?" On another day, Yan dreamed again [that the spirit] said: "Because you promoted the scripture with utmost devotion, you will surely see the Buddha in the future." At the end of the Jin, Hongyu cast a sixteen-foot image. Before he could open the mold, copper prohibitions became very strict; when Emperor Wu of Song was the Chancellor of State, Yu was implicated and imprisoned in the Chancellor's office, where he recited the *Avalokiteśvara Sūtra*. In a dream, the image rubbed his crown and asked if he was afraid. Yu said: "Thinking that I will surely die, how could I not be afraid?" He saw on the chest of the image the color of copper scorched and bubbling. When the execution was imminent, the supervising official's ox bolted and the carriage broke down, so another day was set; an order then arrived from Pengcheng pardoning Yu's crime (Pengcheng refers to Emperor Wu of Song; "pardoned" means amnestied). When the mold was opened, the image's chest was just as in the dream ("when" means reaching the time; scorched and bubbling). When Gao Huan of the Eastern Wei was Chancellor of State, there was a man named Sun Jingde, a military servant who was garrisoned at a frontier outpost. He made a stone image of Avalokiteśvara with wholehearted devotion. Later, Jingde was implicated in someone else's crime and sentenced to death. As the execution date approached, at dawn a monk told him: "I will impart a scripture to you; if you recite it a full thousand times by midday, you will be spared." After reciting it orally, he lost sight of the monk. Jingde, mindful of the disaster threatening his life, recited it sincerely without slacking. Just as he finished the count, the executioner swung his blade, which shattered completely, only a ringing sound being heard, as if striking stone. When interrogated ("interrogated" means thoroughly questioned), Jingde said: "Could it not be the response of the image?" The Duke sent someone to verify it, and on its neck there were indeed several blade marks. The Gao clan recorded its text and titled it the *Gao Wang Guanshiyin jing*. Xunzi said: "The force of retribution arrives according to its kind." His words are indeed trustworthy! Therefore, the ancients manifested virtue to discourage evil, and proclaimed calamity to propagate good, so that people would not fail to abandon evil thinking it harmless, nor fail to practice good thinking it of no benefit. It is only that the principle of karma may be slow or swift (accords with next life or subsequent lives is slow; accords with present life is swift); karmic retribution is destined for the distant or the near; thoughts arise from depth or shallowness; loss and benefit differ in weight. Yet the tallies of fortune and misfortune follow each other like shadows and echoes. Therefore, the net of Heaven is wide, yet nothing escapes; the unseen realm is obscure, yet brilliantly clear. Lord Yu heightened his gate to await enfiefment (Lord Yu Dingguo, when retiring, heightened his gate and told people: "I once administered justice impartially; my descendants will surely attain distinction"); Mother Yan swept the tombs to await execution (Yan Yannian was Governor of Henan and was cruel with the law; his mother swept the tombs daily, saying: "My son is cruel with the law; I shall await his execution"). How could this be false? People also have a saying: "In planting, one does not see the growth, yet in time it becomes great; on the whetstone, one does not see the wear, yet in the end it wears away its thickness"—this is precisely it ("whetstone" is a sharpening stone; in what a person does, there must naturally be retribution; good and evil correspond just like shadow and echo).