辯偽錄 4.2.5

4.2.5

The eight great kings vied to divide the śarīra. The five hundred arhats compiled the subtle words. The teaching filled the human and heavenly realms, and the Dharma flowed through the sandy realms. The breeze of non-action fanned forth; the transformation without words was carried out. Coming down to the semblance age, this culture did not perish: Aśvaghoṣa and Nāgārjuna continued its fine voice; Asanga and Vasubandhu spread its bequeathed beauty, spreading their fame across the four seas and soaring with fertile reality in the eight directions. Dharmaratna and Saṅghavarman brought the palm-leaf scriptures and transmitted them east; Huiyuan and Daolin proclaimed the profound breeze in the southern lands. Fotudeng illuminated a thousand leagues in his palm; Amogha defeated the hordes of villains from his seat. Dao'an of Wei annotated the scriptures and set the texts in order; Zhiyi of the Sui distinguished the lineages and established the canons, rescuing sentient beings from dire misery, releasing them from the hanging-upside-down peril, pulling them out of the ford of birth and death, and placing them high upon the shore of nirvāṇa. Majestic and vast, without virtue that could be named; brilliant and harmonious, relied upon by living beings. Wise rulers protected it from without, and great virtues maintained it from within; through the successive dynasties, emperors and kings looked up to and promoted the holy standard. Therefore, Emperor Ming of Han sent envoys to seek it in the west, painting images and translating scriptures; Emperor Ming of Jin recited the golden texts with his mouth and painted Buddhist images with his hands; Emperor Jianming ever pondered the flavor of the Dharma; Emperor Xiaowu received the precepts; Emperor Wen of Song received instruction from Guṇavarman; Emperor Wu of Qi revered and respected Sengyuan; Emperor Wu of Liang lectured on scriptures and held precepts; Emperor Xuan of Chen humbled his mind at Dharma assemblies; Emperor Xuanwu widely made offerings to the Buddhist sangha; Emperor Wenchang of Qi relied solely on the power of the Buddha; Emperor Wen of Sui knelt before Tanyan; Xuanzong annotated the true text of the Prajñā; Suzong chanted the precious scripture of the Humane Kings; Dezong and Xianzong welcomed the relics and made offerings to them; Xuanzong and Yizong reopened the road to awakening so that it flourished; during the contest between the Later Liang and Later Jin, the fine tradition was never halted; the blazing Song received the mandate, not forgetting the entrustment; the Great Liao devoted the whole realm to honoring the Buddha; the Jin dynasty honored Buddhism from beginning to end; the Great Yuan began its royal fortune, directing its mind toward the Dharma gate: Taizu first issued clear edicts to propagate and protect this Path; Taizong tested scripts, built monasteries, and carved additions to the Tripiṭaka; Güyük Khan ordered monks to attend his retinue and constantly chant Buddhist scriptures; Möngke Khan made offerings to monks, copied scriptures, and built high precious stūpas; the present Emperor has fed monks, established monasteries, cast statues, and smelted gold, donating immense precious wealth and chanting the unsurpassed canon, appointing Phags-pa as the Preceptor of the State—this is fully known to ear and eye, by no means empty decoration. There was none who did not construct giant halls to enshrine the images, build long corridors to house the followers, savor its Path and cleanse their spirits, honoring its people and renouncing their physical bodies. Not only did this bring brilliance to the imperial way, it also aided and assisted the imperial foundation, returning frivolous customs to the pure source, raising the common people to the realm of longevity. Families knew the suffering of accumulating evil; people were inspired to seek the path of good. Beginning with a surge across the court, it ended by flowing through the common men and women. If it were not the most marvelous, how could it endure so long? In ancient times, Gongsun Long was skilled in the discourse on hard and white, and the disciples of Tian Ba sat on the mound of rent and discussed the Millet and the Xia, refuting the Three Sovereigns and eradicating the Five Constants. With forced words and clever sophistry, they silenced a thousand people with their mouths, yet their teachings were not passed down to posterity because they had no real path to transmit. The Buddha was born in the Western Regions, and his teaching arose in the East; the reason worthy ministers and wise kings successively guarded and maintained it was that his Path was worthy of emulation. Therefore, the monk Dadian said to Han Yu: 'From the Han until now, the dynasties have been this long; rulers, ministers, scholars, and commoners have been this many; heaven, earth, and the spirits have been this bright; yet the teachings of the Buddha have operated among them, and people have revered and believed in them, none daring to debate and discard them. This must be something that can match Heaven and Earth without shame, and face the hundred sages without blushing; the subtle truth resides within it, and only then could it reach this state. Why do you not think deeply on this?' This is indeed a solid discourse. The Daoists of today exclusively embellish deceit and force, blocking other gates from heaven, casually pursuing their treacherous hearts to shroud the path of awakening. Not grateful for the vast and broad grace of the state, they further indulge their private opinions and extensively compose slanderous texts. Their words contain no explanation for entering sagehood; their texts hold deception that confuses truth. Stealing the holy teachings of the Buddha, they falsely compose forged books, indulging their madness without thinking of tumbling down. Seeing the Lotus teaching, they claim to be within the lotus; seeing the Golden Radiance, they claim to sit upon the blazing flames. Utterly deluded regarding the ultimate truth, they cleverly patch together scripture names; their vile words resemble the cry of owls, their violence exceeds the biting of wolves. With rebellious words and corrupted virtues, through sorcery and deception they mislead the people, sullying the statutes and harming social mores. If not cut off, the evil seeds will sprout again. We respectfully look up to the present Emperor: his virtue harmonizes with Yu of Xia, his enterprise expands upon Wen of Zhou; continuing the grand design of the Three and Five, securing the precious position of the Nine and Five. His spiritual mind is clear within, his wise discernment bright without; one with virtue, though an enemy, is sure to be ennobled; one without merit, though the closest kin, is decisively punished. Brightly perceiving in all directions, obscure grievances are fully redressed; his majesty shakes the nine regions, and treacherous evil is subdued. Grasping the real truth of the monks, he saw through the empty claims of the Daoists, summoning both gates to debate and analyze their traditions. Yet the Daoists wished to show off fish eyes to seize the black dragon's pearl, being dazzled by water in a hoof-print to compete with the vast ocean. When the outlines were casually raised, their tongues were tied and they were speechless; when testing the source of their school, they came holding jade in submission. The commander fled the battlefield: Li Haoran was first defeated at the front; the sub-commanders turned their halberds: Zhang Zhijing kept his silence behind. Though they advanced like ducks and lined up like cranes, they ultimately crumbled like broken tiles and collapsed earth. Plucking off the star crowns, their faces showed shame; shedding the cloud cloaks, their hearts felt guilt. The Buddha's truth and Daoism's falsehood were thus revealed. The treacherous evils of foul years were exposed this morning. Thereupon clouds gathered and mats rolled up, leaves fell and branches snapped—like the blazing sun melting fragile ice, like a great furnace burning light feathers. How could a mantis blocking a chariot wheel be up to the task? An earthworm exerting its might ultimately ends in minced dust. In ancient times, Emperor Ming tested the truth and falsehood, and the philosophical writings all burned in the fire; the present Emperor dispelled the evil vapor, and the Daoist scriptures all turned to smoke and ash. The conversion of the barbarians beyond the border fell into emptiness; the slanderous tracts and perverse falsehoods dispersed with the wind. Fei Shucai at that time died of resentment; Li Zhichang's gall broke and he passed away earlier. The spiritual power of answering five thousand daily calls—where is it today? The miraculous transformations of flying talismans and raising corpses—not heard of at this juncture. The superior arts of hiding heaven and concealing earth have not the slightest proof; the secret arts of moving mountains and pulling the Big Dipper show not the faintest sign. The ordinary fellows of the streets laugh till they double over; the leaders following the phoenix feel ashamed. One public disgrace, hard to erase for a thousand years; though their clever words were like reed pipes, they ended up with thick faces of shame. Thus the Sage Emperor cast his favor, and the court ministers changed their views.