辯偽錄 5

English (machine translation) 5

Language: English

5.1

Composed as a veritable record by imperial decree by the monk Xiangmai of Yunfeng Chan Monastery on Mount Daozhe of the Yuan.

5.2

Stele on the Imperial Edict Ordering the Burning of the Spurious Daoist Canons in the Various Circuits.

5.3

Composed by imperial decree by the Hanlin Academy officials Tang Fang, Yang Wenyu, Wang Gou, Li Qian, Yan Fu, Li Tao, Wang Pan, and others.

In the third month of the twenty-first year of Zhiyuan, an edict was dispatched sending the Grand Master of Virtuous Character, Commissioner of the Bureau of General Regulation, and concurrently Controller of the Office of the Commissioners for Universal Meritorious Deeds, Sanga, to instruct the Hanlin Academy: “Concerning the debate between the Buddhists and Daoists in the wuwu year, and the full account of the burning of the spurious scriptures of the Daoist Canon on the twentieth day of the tenth month of the eighteenth year of Zhiyuan, let these events be recorded hereafter.”

Your servant Pan and the others, having respectfully examined the record of events compiled by the Supreme Chief of the Buddhist Teaching, Qutugh Sayir, [find that] formerly, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong, Daoist practitioners produced a book entitled Scripture of Laozi Converting the Barbarians into Buddhas and the Eighty-One Transformations Diagram, carving printing blocks and distributing it everywhere. Its words were crude, absurd, and extravagant, aimed at disparaging the Buddhist teaching and exalting their own. The Kaśmīran Master Lanma and the Supreme Chief Fuyu of Shaolin memorialised this matter to the throne. At that time, His Majesty was residing in the princely mansion. Emperor Xianzong issued an edict commanding the two traditions, Buddhist and Daoist, to appear before His Majesty to debate and distinguish [truth from falsehood]. The two traditions entered into a mutual compact: if the Daoists won, the Buddhist monks would don topknots and become Daoists; if the Buddhists won, the Daoists would shave their heads and become monks.

A monk questioned a Daoist, saying: “Your book speaks of the Scripture of Converting the Barbarians into Buddhas. Now, what is the meaning of ‘Buddha’?”
The Daoist answered, saying: “ ‘Buddha’ means ‘awakened’ (jue). It means awakening to Heaven, awakening to Earth, awakening to yin, awakening to yang, awakening to benevolence, and awakening to righteousness.”
The monk said: “That is by no means the case. What is called ‘awakened’ means self-awakening, awakening others, and the complete perfection of awakened practice. Because the three awakenings are completely luminous, he is titled ‘Buddha’. How could it merely be awakening to Heaven, Earth, yin, yang, benevolence, and righteousness?”
His Majesty said to his attendants: “I also know in my heart that benevolence and righteousness are the words of Master Kong. To claim that a Buddha awakens to benevolence and righteousness is an erroneous assertion.”

The Daoists then brought forward the Records of the Grand Historian and various other books, wishing through prolix assertions to chance upon a victory. The Imperial Preceptor, the Wise and Penetrating Phags-pa, said: “What books are these?”
[They] said: “Books of the sovereigns and kings of previous dynasties.”
His Majesty said: “Now we are debating religious teachings; what use is there in dragging in the sovereigns and kings of previous dynasties?”
The Imperial Preceptor said: “My India also has historical records. Have you heard of them?”
[They] answered, saying: “Not yet.”
The Imperial Preceptor said: “I shall speak to you of King Bimbisāra of India praising the Buddha’s merits, saying: ‘In heaven above and earth below, none is like the Buddha; in the worlds of the ten directions, there is likewise none to compare. All that exists in the world I have fully seen; in everything, there is none like the Buddha.’ When these words were spoken, where was Laozi?” The Daoists were unable to answer.

The Imperial Preceptor further asked: “Do your Records of the Grand Historian contain the account of converting the barbarians?”
[They] said: “They do not.”
“If so, then what scripture did Laozi transmit?”
[They] said: “The Daodejing.”
“Besides this, what other scriptures are there?”
[They] said: “None.”
The Imperial Preceptor said: “Is the matter of converting the barbarians contained in the Daodejing?”
[They] said: “It is not.”
The Imperial Preceptor said: “Since it is not in the Records of the Grand Historian, and is not recorded in the Daodejing either, its falsity and preposterousness are evident.”

The Daoists were at a loss for words. Minister Yao Shu said: “The Daoists have lost.”
His Majesty ordered the penalty to be carried out according to the compact. He dispatched imperial envoys such as Toghon and Zhang Fan Ziying, seventeen persons in all, to go to Longguang Monastery to shave their heads and become monks. Forty-five spurious scriptures were burned. As for the two hundred and thirty-seven Buddhist monasteries throughout the realm that had been occupied by Daoists, all were thereupon ordered to be returned.

The Jixiang Abbey, occupied by the Daoist Superintendent Gan Zhiquan, was one of them; he occupied it and refused to surrender it. In the summer, the fourth month of the seventeenth year of Zhiyuan, the Buddhist monks again demanded its restitution. The Changchun Daoists plotted harm against the Controller of Monks, Guangyuan, gathering their disciples with weapons to seize and beat the Buddhist assembly, and burning their own granaries. They falsely accused Guangyuan of dispatching monks to set the fire, and claimed that over 3,900 dan of grain, and other goods in corresponding measure, had been burned. The matter reached the Central Secretariat, which exposed their false accusation. Gan Zhiquan and Wang Zhizhen confessed their guilt. An edict was issued dispatching Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs Bolad and various high officials to reinvestigate; there was no discrepancy in the testimonies. Zhiquan and Zhizhen were executed, and those sentenced to nose-cutting, foot-cutting, and banishment numbered ten in all. Furthermore, the grain and goods they had falsely claimed were ordered to be exacted according to that amount and given back to the Buddhist assembly.

At that time, there were those who reported that spurious Daoist scriptures were still extant, and this came to the hearing of the Crown Prince. In the ninth month of the eighteenth year, Toyin Xiao Yanchi of the Office of Universal Meritorious Deeds memorialised: “Many of the printing blocks and transformation diagrams of the spurious Daoist scriptures burned in former years have been concealed and not destroyed. The various books of their Daoist Canon all disparage the Buddhist teaching and plagiarise Buddhist words; they ought to be carefully scrutinized.”

Thereupon, the Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs was ordered, together with the former Vice Administrator of the Left in the Central Secretariat Wen Qian, Director of the Palace Library Youzhi, Supreme Chief of the Buddhist Teaching Qutugh Sayir, Chamberlain for Ceremonials Qutuq-yusu, Commissioner of the Bureau of Receptions in the Central Secretariat Dulu, the various monks of the Buddhist Registry and of the Scholastic and Chan traditions in the capital, and your servants and others, to proceed to the steps of the Wuji Hall of the Changchun Palace. There, with Zhang Zongyan, Celestial Master of Orthodox Unity; Qi Zhicheng, Head of the Quanzhen Teaching; and Li Dehe and Du Fuchun, Heads of the Great Dao Teaching; together with various Daoists, we investigated and verified the authentic and the spurious. We reviewed and examined them for two full decades of days. Although there were thousands of scrolls, when investigating their roots and branches, only the two sections of the Daode[jing] were written by Laozi; all the rest were fabricated and elaborated by the likes of Zhang Daoling of the Han, Kou Qianzhi of the Later Wei, Wu Yun and Du Guangting of the Tang, and Wang Qinruo of the Song. They conjured things out of thin air and erected fictions without foundation, disparaging the Buddhist teaching to arrogantly exalt themselves, yet coveting its words and stealing them for their own, borrowing yin-yang and numerological arts to show off their profundity, and gathering the diverse philosophers and medical recipes to boast of their breadth. They frequently altered titles, and their transmitted commentaries were corrupted and erroneous, losing their original truth. Moreover, they recorded talismans and incantations, falsely claiming that wearing them would cause merchants to double their profits, offspring to multiply, and married couples to be as harmonious as mated mandarin ducks, seeking through licentious talk to scheme for wealth. They even taught people that if one wore talismans on one’s arm without error, males would become rulers and ministers, females would become empresses and consorts, one would not drown when entering water, not burn when entering fire, and blades and swords could not harm them—such was their spuriousness, absurdity, and confused heterogeneity. Keeping them merely deludes and deceives the ignorant commoners; apart from the Daodejing, all should be burned.

Your servants unanimously memorialised this view. His Majesty said: “The transmission of errors and continuation of absurdities in Daoist scriptures has not been a matter of a single day. If we burn them precipitously, their followers might not be convinced in their hearts. Since they claim that water and fire cannot drown or burn them, we may provisionally test them on this point; after it proves unverified, it will not be too late to burn them.”

Thereupon, Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs Bolad, Acting Minister of Works Heli, Qoqsun, and others were commanded to instruct Zhang Zongyan, Qi Zhicheng, Li Dehe, Du Fuchun, and the others, requiring each to select one person to wear a talisman, enter fire, and test their arts personally. The four men memorialised, saying: “These are all absurd and extravagant claims. Were your servants to enter fire, we would surely turn to ashes and cinders. We truly dare not test this; we only beg that the Daoist Canon be burned, so that your servants may wash ourselves clean.”

His Majesty approved their memorial. Thereupon an edict was proclaimed to the realm: “Among the various Daoist scriptures, the two sections of the Daode[jing] may be retained; all other texts, printing blocks, and transformation diagrams are to be completely burned and destroyed. Those who conceal them shall be punished. The printing and distribution among the populace of the diverse philosophers, medical books, and the like are not included in this prohibition. Henceforth, Daoist practitioners must solely follow the law of Laozi; those who incline toward Buddhism may shave their heads and become monks, and those who do not wish to be either monks or Daoists are permitted to return to the laity.”

Thus, on the renzi day of the tenth month, the hundred officials were assembled at Minzhong Monastery, and the spurious scriptures and miscellaneous books of the Daoist Canon were completely burned. Envoys were dispatched to the various circuits to ensure compliance.

Your servant Pan and the others have heard that when Master Lao established his Way, he took purity and tranquility as its core, and non-action (wuwei) as its root. He dwelled in modesty and humility, humbling himself to place himself beneath others; there was no covetousness or love of contention in him. Afterwards, branches divided and sects separated, their followers growing increasingly numerous. Inheriting errors and fabricating falsehoods, they produced boastful fabrications by the hundreds: purity and tranquility transformed into defilement, and non-action transformed into leaving nothing [wicked] undone. Just like Wencheng and Wuli of the Han, who offered their lives in pursuit of immortality through elusive and absurd illusions, the deceit of silk writings in the ox’s belly, and the absurdity of creating gold; once exposed in a single day, they were executed by Emperor Wu. The followers of the Three Zhangs deluded the masses with demonic arts and instigated chaos throughout the realm, only to be destroyed by Huangfu Song and the Cao-Wei. Wang Zixi of the Song, residing in the Shangqing Baolu Abbey, committed adultery with Daoist nuns; Lin Lingsu called himself an immortal minister of the Divine Empyrean Purple Palace, but his prayers against the great deluge proved unverified, and both were executed or banished to death by Emperor Huizong. Coming down to recent years, there were also the two men ‘Master Hemp Quilt’ and ‘Iron Hat Li’, who entered and exited the gates of contemporary notables with treacherous schemes and secret plots, indulging in licentious and defiling deeds, and both suffered public execution. Down through successive dynasties, cases of this kind cannot be counted.

When we reflect upon the sources of disaster and chaos and the roots of treason, they invariably borrow talismans and registers to sanctify their teaching, and rely on spurious scriptures to startle the vulgar. Giving free rein to artful slander, they initiate bizarre manifestations, disparaging the Holy Teaching and pillaging the inner scriptures. Truly, they have already violated Master Lao’s prohibitions against contention and theft! When they fall into punitive execution, it is entirely because the evil sons bring stubborn destruction upon themselves from within; whom else could they blame?

Furthermore, the teaching of the Śākya is vast and supreme, beyond compare with any other doctrine. Through hundreds and thousands of generations, holy emperors and enlightened kings have without exception revered it. Eastward to the limits of Fusang, westward to the extremes of the Valley of Darkness, to icy heavens and cassia seas, mountains, rivers, and the great earth, insects, grasses, and trees, those born from womb, egg, moisture, or transformation, sentient and insentient across hundreds of thousands of kinds—all rely on the shade of the Buddha to live, breathe, move, and rest between Heaven and Earth. Therefore, in heaven above and earth below, only the Buddha is supreme, transcending beyond the realm of living beings and returning to the utmost unhindered reality. His wisdom encompasses the three realms; his spiritual wonder permeates all directions; his bounty reaches the great chiliocosm, yet his efficacy remains without contrivance. Such is his greatness! Wherever the raft of compassion reaches, none who drown are unrescued; wherever the Dharma rain moistens, all living beings are refreshed. Pitying the people of the world sinking in the illusory sea and overturning at the bewildered ford, tumbling through many lives and wandering through accumulated kalpas, he wishes to cause them to shed the mundane and aspire to the sacred, eliminating defilement and exalting truth. Thus his spiritual radiance breaks through the gate of deep darkness, and the Great Awakened One points out the path of non-arising. Such is his benevolence!

Who could have expected that wild schemes would suddenly manifest in jealous hostility? Though accumulated slander melts bones and the breath of the multitude moves mountains, the Dharma-body is perfectly complete and originally without the slightest blemish. It is like a blind person slandering the sun and moon: how could this impair the brightness of the sun and moon? Or a frog in a well belittling the rivers and oceans: how could this diminish the vastness of the rivers and oceans? It merely shows that they do not know their own measure!

We respectfully contemplate how our Holy Son of Heaven’s discernment transcends the four noble truths, and his Dao aspires to the three vehicles. He communes with the formless true emptiness and transmits the mind-seal of the Dharma King. Therefore, in his rites of veneration and sincerity of refuge, rectifying the hundred falsehoods to follow truth and dismissing the multitude of heterodoxies to return to orthodoxy, there is that which cannot but be rigorous! Moreover, when brush and ink encourage licentiousness, and sorcerous arts mislead the world, wantonly practicing deceit and agitating the ignorant masses, if a great reform were not enacted, then heterodox doctrines would run rampant and crooked ways would delude the multitude—how then could the realm and future generations be preserved?

In all the principles under Heaven, there are good and evil, orthodoxy and heterodoxy, truth and falsehood; they are constantly commingled in the same dwelling and proceed together in confusion. Were it not for one endowed with the capacities of a supreme sage and born with innate knowledge, whose wisdom surpasses ordinary beings and whose illumination clearly perceives all sentiments, how could one distinguish the purple that corrupts vermilion, or the licentious tunes that distort the elegant? From this it can be said: the merit of the Holy Son of Heaven in delivering the true plan and supporting the Great Dharma is supreme; measured against all sages, nothing can be added to it. Thereby he clears the ears and eyes of all living spirits and cuts away the overgrown weeds on the correct path, causing the light of prajñā to endure through boundless kalpas and fill worlds numerous as the sands of the Ganges, extending the Holy Longevity boundlessly, and perpetuating the blessings and fortune of the Crown Prince and the imperial destiny for hundreds of millions of years—how could there ever be an end to it? This truly deserves to be recorded. Your servant Pan and the others respectfully compose this text to bequeath to later generations, so that those who study the teachings of Master Lao may find in it something to take warning from.

5.5

The […] day of the third month of the twenty-first year of Zhiyuan.

5.6

In the imperial decree of the Emperor: The Central Secretariat recently received an accusation from the Daoist Master Wang Zhizhen and others of Changchun Temple, alleging that Buddhist Controller Yuan of Fengfu Monastery ordered the young monk Ma Jie to commit arson, burning down the granaries and chambers of said temple along with over 3,900 shi of grain, as well as oil, flour, salt, and meal. When the case was properly interrogated, it turned out originally that Superintendent Gan instructed Ma Jie to falsely point to Buddhist Controller Yuan as having ordered the arson; that Wang Zhizhen sent the Daoist acolyte Ping to seize Ma Jie as the arsonist; and that, fraudulently using the name of the Temple Administrator, Ping the Daoist acolyte instigated and coached the words of the accusers. It was also found under interrogation that the grain originally reported had not in fact been burned; they merely used this pretext to demand offerings of money and goods from various people. Each of them signed a confession of guilt. On the twenty-second day of the sixth month, Assistant Bureau Director Boro, Manager of Governmental Affairs Zhang, Right Vice Chancellor Zhang, Minister Jiao, Assistant Administrator Geng, Toyin-tori, Minister Ali, and other officials reverently received the imperial decree which stated: 'When Daoist masters and Buddhist monks contested monasteries, around five hundred Daoist masters gathered, holding staves and beating the monks. They have acted lawlessly outside their own teachings. Where is there any such precedent? Previously, in the territory of Jingzhao Prefecture, people gathered at the hermitage of Patriarch Wang with malicious intent. Now these Daoist masters have once again acted lawlessly in such a manner. These Daoist masters have confessed plainly. Let the two who were their leaders be executed. For the others, let their ears and noses be cut off; for others, let them be beaten; and let the rest be conscripted into the army. Thus let it be adjudicated.' Respect this. Aside from this, the list of persons already sentenced is set forth below, and the severed head of Superintendent Gan Zhiquan shall be hung perpetually on a pole at the front gate of said temple. It is fitting that an engraved stele be erected to make this known to all. Executed according to the penal code, two persons: Superintendent Gan Zhiquan, who instructed the false accusation of Buddhist Controller Yuan for arson; and Temple Administrator Wang Zhizhen, who falsely seized Ma Jie as the arsonist. Ears and noses cut off, one person: Superintendent Cai Zhixiang, who embellished and fabricated details of the accusation. Exiled to the distant frontiers, six persons: Yin Hetong and Chen Daoguang, who assembled the crowd to commit violence; Wang Zhiyu and Chen Zhiyong, who lodged the false accusation first at Shangdu; Lan Deyi, who drafted the accusation; and Li Dezhen, who falsely reported the burned grain. Sentenced and released, three persons: Superintendent Cai Zhixi, who dispatched Wang Zhizhen to lodge the accusation; and Associate Administrators Zhou Daoxuan and Jia Zhirou, co-accusers.

5.7

The above is made known to all people for their information.

5.8

Stele erected in the sixth month of the seventeenth year of Zhiyuan [1280].

5.9

An imperial decree ordered that the apocryphal scriptures of the Daoist Canon be burned at Daminzhong Monastery in Dadu; with the exception of the Daodejing, all were to be destroyed by fire. Thereupon, [the monk] was commanded to offer incense, apply the torch, and express gratitude for the imperial favor. Offering incense, he said: 'The Son of Heaven with the heart of a Buddha pities living beings, / Fearing they might fall into the three wretched destinies and the pit of false views. / Herein there is no partiality or bias whatsoever; / Amidst this, the vermilion and purple must be clearly distinguished. Therefore it is said that the sage’s discernment is impartial, and the heavenly workings cannot be fathomed. Having come to praise his virtue, how dare I not repay his favor? This incense is offered solely to pray for the longevity of the Great Yuan’s ruler, our present Emperor: may his sacred person live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years! We humbly pray that the golden wheel and the wheel of the Dharma turn together, his blessings surpassing three asaṃkhyeyas; that the sun of Shun and the sun of the Buddha shine equally bright, his lifespan extending for a hundred million kalpas.' Next, raising the torch, he said: 'I recall back in the days of Emperor Ming, / How blazing flames were used to discern beauty from ugliness. / The Son of Heaven of the Great Yuan continues the Grand Norm; / Who does not know that he manifests the orthodox and destroys the heterodox? Alas, the Daoist religion has secretly undermined Buddhist scriptures from antiquity to the present, fabricating falsehoods and forging texts, stealing expressions and lines from Buddhist sūtras, plotting to put their names upon palm-leaf manuscripts, slandering the Tathāgata, and falsely accusing the former sages. How can their vile phrases and wicked words be described? Such baseless, wild talk is indeed difficult to recount fully. It began with Zhang Ling’s fabrications: not following the mysterious words of Laozi, he erroneously made manuals for sacrificial offerings and compiled the Lingbao scriptures, falsely claiming to have obtained them from the void and lying that Taishang personally transmitted them; he used the ghostly methods of the Three Zhangs to delude fools, and established talismans of the five movements to beguile and seduce common women. Viewed in this light, Ge Xiaoxian sought profundities in vain; Tao Hongjing merely recited superficial rhetoric; Du Guangting stole skillfully out in broad daylight, no different from a bandit; and Lu Xiujing was attractive on the outside but weak within, just like a persuasive rhetorician. If one did not suffer bitterness and refuse to yield, how could one bear to speak of their merits and faults? Bao Jing being executed was still light, but Wang Fu receiving retribution was not slight. Fu Yi and Jiang Bin are not worth recording; the likes of Zhang Shengji do not merit discussion. Kou Qianzhi’s tongue chattered incessantly, harming others to benefit himself; Lin Lingsu’s schemes were flattering and deceitful, ruining the state and destroying families. Slandering others’ ancestors surely brings a moment of disgrace; destroying the virtuous and good must incur retribution across three lives. Cause and effect do not err; retribution is exact. Alas, how sorrowful that Falin met with misfortune and was exiled; how lamentable that Daoshi, though appearing again, found it hard to endure! This caused the sons of the Śākya to grieve; fortunately, august Heaven opened its eyes. We respectfully reflect that our Great Yuan’s ruler, His Sacred and Brilliant Majesty the Emperor, eradicates the heterodox and returns to the orthodox, discarding the false and preserving the true, fearing that living beings might forever sink into the ford of delusion and enabling all the myriad people to ascend the path of awakening. The injustice has now been cleared; thanking the imperial grace, even crushing our bones and bodies could not repay it.' Thereupon, drawing a circle with the torch, he said: 'Everyone, take the spiritual writings of the Three Caverns: can they realize this fire-light samādhi or not? If you understand right here: "Having the Scripture of the Northern Dipper in the house only brings unease to the family." But if not: after this, once the ashes have flown and the smoke is extinguished, let them seek the Heavenly Worthy wherever they will! Open your eyes quickly and see!'

5.10

The twentieth day of the tenth month of the eighteenth year of Zhiyuan [1281].

5.11

Linquan Lun of Bao'en Chan Monastery in Dadu,

5.12

Elder Jixiang applied the fire in accordance with the imperial decree.

5.13

Collection of the Empty Bell Answering the Strike

5.14

Composed by Elder Ruyi of the Yuan by imperial decree

5.15

Ruyi's Reply to Shi Jie's 'Account of Anomalies'

5.16

Shi Jie of the Song dynasty, whose courtesy name was Shoudao, composed his "Account of Strange Anomalies" (Guai shuo) to slander and disparage the Buddha and Laozi, blinding people's eyes and ears. A man of penetrating understanding is not deluded by it; it merely dupes fools. He said: "The Central Plains is what the Sages governed, where the four classes of commoners normally abide, and where official robes and caps gather. Yet the Śākyas shave their hair and fold their lapels to the left; they are neither literati nor farmers, and half of them act like barbarians. In the Central Plains, this is strange! The Central Plains is governed by virtue and the Way, where rites and music are dispensed, and over which the five constant virtues are spread. Yet unrestrained and non-canonical teachings circulate, and it is full of bewitching falsity and illusion. This is truly strange!" He also said: "When a ruler sees a single solar eclipse, a single falling star, unseasonable wind and rain, or herbs and trees failing to sprout, he regards it as an anomaly of heaven and earth. Yet those [monks] destroy the way of ruler and minister, sever the affection of father and son, abandon virtue and the Way, violate rites and music, tear apart the five constant virtues, displace the four classes of commoners, ruin the robes and caps of the Central Plains, and discard the sacrifices to ancestors; far from recognizing this as strange, people venerate them even more! When people of today see a single fox bewitching, a single owl crying, wild magpies chattering, or a field pheasant entering [a house], they take it as an anomaly; yet when people separate from father and son and practice the ways of barbarian ghosts for more than a thousand years, is it not, conversely, taken to be an anomaly?"
I respond to him, saying: It is ordinary human nature to cherish sameness and abhor difference. Failing to fathom the deep spring of the Way while debating differences in appearance and dress is to know jade from stone only in name—to know stone but not jade! When a Sage appears in the world, his benefit and succor are exceedingly deep; because capacities differ, the teachings set forth are also different. Either he clarifies the instruction within the phenomenal realm, speaking of the five vehicles; or he expounds the spirit beyond forms, uniquely marking the single ultimate. To refute naturalism, he speaks of cause and effect, arising through the assembly of conditions; for those fixated on existence, he expounds true emptiness, that all phenomena lack self-nature. Dispensing medicine according to the sickness, he therefore has many expedients; when one ultimately returns to the source, not a single dharma is preserved. Yet stubborn men and ignorant vulgar folk recklessly wag their tongues, failing to grasp right and wrong, and rashly raise debates, not reflecting that what is shared is the Way, while what differs is only dress! Furthermore, what Confucius discussed as benevolence and righteousness is what the Buddhist school calls compassion and love; what Laozi termed profound mystery is what the Buddhist school calls emptiness and quiescence. The ultimate principle is not different; it only slightly alters in expression. Moreover, when Yu entered the Country of the Naked, he took off his robes and cap to comply with their customs; when Taibo fled to Wu, he tattooed his body and cut his hair to accord with their rites. How could this be an anomaly? Altering customs in order to harmonize with the Way—thus casting aside the splendid dress of ruler and minister—is not a violation of ritual. Forsaking family in order to discard entanglements—thus renouncing love for wife and child—is not contempt for worldly ways. Ziling dealt on equal terms with Emperor Guangwu, and was all the more revered; untrammeled recluses do not serve kings and marquises, exalting their aspirations. Failing to understand the root, he erroneously decries it as barbarian; this is just like King Ling of Chu reviling Heaven—how could Heaven be angered? Zigong praised Heaven—how could Heaven be pleased? Heaven is not touched by pleasure or anger, while reviling or praising only brings disgrace upon oneself.
The Sage is in Heaven and seeks nothing from the world; he merely left his canonical teachings to spread throughout the Divine Continent. The transformation without words acts of itself, and the wind of non-action sways all of its own accord. Buddhist monasteries are scattered like stars and saṅghārāmas arrayed like chessboards; images are installed to pacify people, offering flowers and libating water. Kings and marquises pay deep respect, and scholars and commoners revere them. If there were no great efficacy, who would be willing to venerate and uphold them? Furthermore, from the Han until now, the years have been so many; the rulers, ministers, scholars, and commoners have been so numerous; heaven, earth, and spiritual beings have been so efficacious. Can they be deceived? It is definitively not false!
Generally, in the way of being human, one should recognize one's own capacity. Shi Jie was merely an ordinary scholar whose wisdom was equal to a mustard seed. Taking what he himself could not comprehend, he rashly disparaged the Sages, like the quail laughing at the Kun-fish and the Peng-bird, or the morning mushroom belittling the pine and cedar! The fire-proof cloth of Emperor Wen of Wei becomes brighter the more it enters fire; the Kunwu sword becomes sharper the more it cuts jade. How can one, having not seen it, immediately condemn it as error? Shi Jie's wisdom was lesser than Sun Chuo's; Shi Jie's talent was shallower than Prince Zhaoming's; Shi Jie's treatises could hardly match Wang Tong's; Shi Jie's prose could rarely equal Liu Zihou's; Shi Jie's rank and prestige were as far from Wei Zheng's as earth from heaven; Shi Jie's learning was as a puddle to Su Shi's ocean; Shi Jie's deliberations, compared to Lu Zhi's, were as a common beast to a qilin; Shi Jie's poetry, trying to reach Du Fu's, was as iron to gold! All the noble gentlemen above believed in the Buddha. Which of their talents and capacities did you surpass? Yet you recklessly demoted, refuted, mocked, and denounced the Great Sage! The Buddha is like the sun and moon—who can surpass them? Of old, Tian Ba, through aggressive sophistry, overcame men's mouths but did not convince their hearts; with his mouth he reviled the Three Sovereigns and sitting down condemned the Five Emperors. Hearing of it to this day, people still gnash their teeth. How much more so with the Buddha, whose six supernatural knowledges are suspended like a mirror, matchless throughout ten thousand ages! Yet out of envy of Sages and jealousy of the worthy, slave-like lips and maidservant-like tongues freely spew from his mouth; mostly this shows he did not know his own measure.
In the *Liutie* is recorded the handwritten prayer of Yu Shinan for feeding a thousand monks, which states: 'Disciple Yu Shinan bows his head in reverent homage to the Three Jewels of the ten directions. In my early years, I once suffered a severe illness; at that time I turned my mind and vowed to entrust myself to the Buddha's power, promising that on the day of recovery I would respectfully offer a vegetarian feast for a thousand monks. Today, in the place of the Way, I respectfully offer vegetarian food to one hundred monks. Assembled through the power of this vow, I hope that in life after life and birth after birth I may always be free from illness and distress, and that this may extend to the parents of seven lifetimes and to karmic foes and kin across the six paths, all sharing in this present vow.'
Furthermore, reading the imperial annals, I obtained Shinan's historical deliberation debating the event in the third year of the Jiande era of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, Yuwen Yong, when Buddhism and Daoism were abolished. An enquirer asked: 'Was Yong's abolition of the two teachings right or wrong?' The master said: 'It was wrong. Please let me discuss it. The teaching of the Śākyas does not stagnate in emptiness or existence, and forgets both self and others; it cuts off the root of birth and death, removes the burden of great peril, and with honor and gain unentangled, returns to quiescence and extinction. This is a discourse beyond forms. The meaning of Laozi is that the valley spirit never dies, the mysterious female endures forever, the subtle and the wondrous share the same mystery, and one mounts dragons and rides cranes. This is a teaching within the phenomenal realm. As for overcoming cruelty, doing away with slaughter, stopping contention, and exalting benevolence, both teachings are beneficial to the kingly transformation and do not violate the ancient canons and plans. Even if people have shortcomings, why cast out the teaching? Now, because followers of the Sangha violate the precepts or Daoist masters transgress their scriptures, to immediately say their teachings can be discarded and their paths extinguished—how is that different from discarding Yao because of Taowu, or banishing Yu out of resentment for the Youmiao? Seeing the Huzi Dike overflow, to immediately dam the source of the Yellow River; or beholding Mount Kunlun ablaze, to promptly throw away the burning-mirror? Never considering that the virtue of water flowing downward is exceedingly deep in its benefit and relief, and the utility of transforming foul odors is vast in its efficacy! A frog in a well gazing at the ocean mostly does not know itself; a cicada and a turtle-dove fluttering among elms are ashamed to encounter the wings of the Peng-bird. Confined by small capacity, darkened to the great expanse, wandering in the long night of saṃsāra, they bring upon themselves the suffering of drowning, and mislead later generations—truly lamentable!'
When I read this text, I knew Shinan was truly an extraordinary man! Emperor Taizong of Tang once praised Shinan for having four supreme qualities: first, virtuous conduct; second, loyalty and trustworthiness; third, literary composition; fourth, calligraphy. One who possesses extraordinary conduct must have extraordinary capability; one who possesses extraordinary capability must have extraordinary talent. Looking at Shinan's character: in serving the ruler he was loyal and generous; with friends he was upright and sincere; his virtue surpassed worldly bounds, and his learning exhausted all that a man could know. He plumbed the profound tenets of Śākya and Lao, and penetrated the mysterious purport of the Sages. His calligraphy was supreme for a whole era, and his conduct spanned the four subjects of learning. He ascended to the Yingzhou Isle of the Hanlin Academy and dominated the elegant mats of the literary arena. He believed in the Buddha with devout reverence, and honored and served Buddhist monks; taking Master Lin of Xiangyang as his teacher, he formed a bond as close as gold and orchids. How could he be compared with Han Yu or Shi Jie, who stubborny sought fame, viewing the sky from the bottom of a well, and uttering blind words to deny the Sages? They do not enter the discussions of men of penetrating understanding, but illegitimately mingle among the ranks of petty, uncultivated scholars. 'The lowest fools do not change'—these words are verified here!

5.17

Stele Inscription for the Stūpa of Efficacious Transcendence of the Śākyamuni Relics, Specially Built by Imperial Decree

5.18

Composed by Elder Ruyi of the Yuan by imperial decree

5.19

I have heard that through three [asaṃkhyeya] kalpas of refined practice, the pure, real dharmakāya is verified; through the cultivation of the six perfections as causes, the wondrous awakening of perfect interfusion bears fruit. Unborn and unceasing, he cuts off the coming and going of the three times; neither dim nor bright, he leaves behind the traces of the hundred negations. Yet, because his true compassion transforms beings and his past vows are now fulfilled, the phoenix soared over Kapilavastu, and the dragon took flight by the tree of awakening. The signless manifested signs, suddenly displaying bodies in hundreds of millions; the eternal name is not a name, transmitting responses throughout the trichiliocosm. Defeating the ten armies upon the seat [of awakening], his voice shook the nine heavens; assembling the holy ones at the bodhimaṇḍa, his light streamed across ten thousand lands. Guiding the three wheels, he responded to spiritual resonance, reaching near and far alike; setting forth the four unhindered pratisaṃvids, he expounded the principles, embracing both the noble and the ordinary. His teachings opened the twelve divisions; his gates laid bare eighty-four thousand [dharma-doors]. Concealing the sheath and bridle of the ten knowledges, he knew the future and held the past; employing the divine mirror of the six supernatural knowledges, he penetrated the ancient and unfolded the present. Bearing the ten epithets, he was revered as the supreme one; striding alone across the trailokya, his wisdom plumbed the ultimate reality. The ten holy ones rejoiced to have heard it in the morning; its wondrousness reaching the supreme mystery, the six teachers gladly died in the evening. Pulling [beings] out of the burning house's fever of afflictions, he led them to the coolness of liberation. Without need for Fu Yue's torrential rain, he ferried across the four modes of birth within the six paths; without relying on the light of Xihe, he dispelled the heavy darkness of the seven destinies. Clouds of compassion shaded the heaven of the peak of existence; rain of Dharma moistened boundless realms. Myriad spirits stood guard as attendants, like the multitude of stars circumambulating the Northern Pole; the five Indias inclined their hearts toward him, like the hundred rivers paying homage to the Eastern Sea. How could he merely nurture Yu, rear Xia, fashion Yin, and mold Zhou? He truly suppressed the nine schools and encompassed the myriad phenomena. Even if the Duke of Zhou instituted rituals and composed music, Zhongni praised the Changes and edited the Classic of Documents, Zhuangzi and Laozi discoursed on the mystery, Mencius and Yang Xiong disputed the Dao, Zhang Hua was vast in knowledge of things, Wang Bi penetrated the subtleties, Guo Pu was erudite, Zuo Ci performed divine transformations, Dongshu and Liu Xiang were treasuries of gold and jade, Sima Qian and Ban Gu embroidered the river and heavens—they merely galloped within the mundane realm; their words did not attain the Great Way. Fit to be eminent worthies in governing the age, it was difficult for them to serve as masters of the teaching that transcends the world. If his principle did not encompass what is beyond forms, and his Dao did not transcend the mundane world, eclipsing the multitude of sages without shame, and standing preeminent atop the hundred schools, how could he sum up these myriad wonders and synthesize this grand completion? When his conditions for transformation were about to expire, his final testament was earnest: he entrusted the True Dharma to Ānanda and transmitted the mind-seal to Kāśyapa. Thereafter, he shook his robes between the twin trees and slipped off his shoes by the golden river, transcending the cage of the two kinds of death, sinking serenely into the perfect quiescence of the three dots. Yet his great compassion was unstinting, and his care to benefit beings ran deep. Pulverizing his adamantine, indestructible body, he left behind the spirit-permeated bones of the śarīra. Its color held the brilliance of clear jade; its hardness matched true gold. Dragon kings and heavenly emperors each divided them to erect [shrines] in their own palaces; India and Jambudvīpa vied to raise and honor them in jeweled stūpas. A hundred years later, reverent veneration became still more exalted: the wheel-turning king Aśoka governed Jambudvīpa and broadly erected eighty-four thousand open stūpas. From then on, miraculous traces spread throughout the five Indias, and holy transformation extended across the four seas. When Emperor Ming of Han dreamed at night, the sound of the teaching was clearly proclaimed. Sanskrit palm leaves were translated in the Orchid Terrace chamber, and the golden countenance was painted atop the Xianshijie Mausoleum. At first it surged like waves through the imperial annals; in the end, it swept through the lanes and hamlets like the wind. Hence the King of Wu founded [a stūpa] at the Jianchu [Monastery], and the Sui rulers made them flourish in the capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang. In imperial capitals and dynastic seats, saṅghārāmas spread like chessboard pieces; on fertile plains and famous mountains, stūpas were laid out like stars. In every case, golden plates shone against the sun, vying in height with the immortals' palms; jeweled bells swayed in the wind, chiming in unison with heavenly sounds. Layered eaves soared majestically, vaulting upward into the Great Clear; clustered brackets lined up in rows, turning laterally beside the sun and moon. Vermilion pillars ranked like wild geese; dark azure tiles parted like mandarin ducks. Golden dragons coiled upon flowered beams; jade phoenixes soared across embroidered doors. Suddenly it seemed to have emanated from a dragon palace; dazingly one wondered if it had moved down from the heavens. All of these arose from faithful hearts, not from deception and wanton contrivance. Our Great Yuan came to possess all under heaven: taking Yao as model, Shun as ancestor, following Yu's footsteps, and founding upon Tang's basis. Its sagely Dao harmonizes with the golden wheel; its illustrious virtue shines upon the jade calendar. Responding to Heaven and accomplishing revolution, it achieved such martial merit; its heroic renown shook the hundred barbarians, and its awe-inspiring prestige pressed upon the myriad states. The eight wildernesses offered tribute, and the nine regions came as guests. Carrying forward the grand plan of the four sages, it was favored with the destined fortunes of a thousand years, drafting far-reaching measures for billions of beings and expanding the great guidelines across successive ages. Integrating the martial and the civil, instituting rituals and composing music, establishing the capital and settling the cauldrons, erecting the palace gates and constructing royal halls—it considered that without immense splendor, there is no way to manifest majesty, and without grand might, there is no way to awe all under heaven. Thereupon, the Changhe Gate was thrown open and the primordial hall was built; magnificent pavilions were raised, and the Zichen Palace was framed. Adorned with red and blue paints, enriched with intricate brocade and silk patterns, golden inscriptions and jade plinths shed radiance above and below; algal ceiling struts and carved rafters scattered luster all around. Practicing Shang Rong's Great Model, displaying the awe-inspiring ceremonies of measured paces, setting forth bells and drums to feast princes and nobles, assembling the hundred officials to receive the myriad states at court—how grand, how abundant, how solemn, how brilliant! Truly the magnificent ritual of the Son of Heaven. In the intervals of attending to governance, he turned his mind to the Buddhist fold, observing the established precedents of the imperial ancestors and issuing gentle edicts of broad benevolence. All sons of the Buddha attained quietude and peace. He repeatedly summoned eminent monks to lecture and discourse on the profound and obscure; with sincere heart for the Buddha's Dharma, he recited the golden words of the hundredfold canons; probing into what had never been heard before, he listened to the wondrous principles of the triyāna. Ever pondering that now the new capital was established, it was proper to divine for eternal years, and that to make merit the foundation nothing excelled the raising of a stūpa, hoping for the divine dragons' protection and fostering the endurance of the altars of the soil and grain, he selected a site within the forbidden gardens at the southwest corner of the capital city. The ground rose and undulated gently, spacious, elevated, dry, and flat. Polishing jade and chiseling stone, he erected this jeweled stūpa. Formerly, north of Tongxuan Gate in the old capital, there was the Yong'an Temple; its halls were completely ruined, with only the stūpa remaining. Examining its name plaque, it was the 'Stūpa of Śākyamuni's Śarīra'; inspecting its stone inscription, it was built on the fifteenth day of the third month of the second year of Shouchang of the Great Liao by the Master of Exoteric and Esoteric Interpenetration, Daocheng. Inside were twenty śarīra precept-beads, two thousand small fragrant clay stūpas, five copies of dhāraṇī scriptures such as the Pure Light without Defilement, with crystal rollers. Because it had suffered the fires of war, it was desolate and overgrown. Yet on clear nights, it repeatedly emitted divine light; nearby residents were alarmed, suspecting it was a fire, but when they approached and looked up, there was no smoke or flame. Only then did they recognize the awe-inspiring spirit of the śarīra, and people began to revere and worship it. The Palace Attendant Tule reported this auspicious omen, and His Majesty, having heard of it, believed it. Desiring to increase its great splendor, he ordered the old stūpa opened and unsealed for a close inspection. There were indeed small fragrant clay stūpas; opening the stone casket beneath, there was an iron stūpa inside, which held a bronze vase filled with fragrant water, gleaming pure and fresh white, like jade nectar. The śarīra were hard and round, dazzling like golden millet grains. In front, two dragon kings knelt in protection; upon a desk, the five scriptures lay intact without harm. Gold, pearls, the seven treasures, and ten kinds of rare fruits were arranged as offerings. At the bottom of the vase was found a bronze coin cast with the four characters 'Zhiyuan Tongbao.' Thus it was known that the Sage instituted the Dharma as preordained in the unseen world, awaiting its time to manifest and reveal the heavenly will. On the twenty-fifth day of the third month of the eighth year of Zhiyuan, the Emperor and Empress inspected it and held it in still higher reverence. Thereupon they welcomed the śarīra and erected this jeweled stūpa, taking the form of a kuṇḍikā and displaying the design of a dhātu. Their wondrous achievement exhausted singular craftsmanship, deeply plumbing the art of the chisel. Fine jade banded it above, and stone formed the lower part to symbolize the Dharma. Models were designed and carved with birds and beasts; the corners hung with jade pestles; the tiers were laid with stone balustrades; eaves were hung with flower garlands and draped with netting of pearls; precious bells met the wind and chimed in melody; golden disks faced the sun and shed radiance. Towering high into the distance, it reflected upon the Purple Palace; perilous and solitary, it climbed above into the blue skies. Such ingenuity of design was rare in ancient or modern times. Then there was the Imperial Preceptor Yilinzhen, a man of Tubo. Intelligent and divinely discerning, his capacity and vision were profound. There was no exoteric or esoteric teaching he did not master; he clearly awakened to both the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna. Superior conditions converged, and his virtue met the Emperor's mind. Constantly mindful that the imperial house, with faith in the Buddha, had erected this spiritual achievement, and that benefiting the state and pacifying the people required reliance on divine dhāraṇīs, he arranged and adorned the installation of the Tathāgata's body, speech, and mind karma from top to bottom, all around, in an orderly sequence according to the esoteric teachings. First, for the support of the body: beneath the base of the stūpa, a stone casket was first laid out, engraved with the Buddhas of the Five Directions; white jade stone images were sequentially erected and displayed. Beside them were placed the wheels and images of the eight great ghost kings and eight ghost mothers to secure its base. Next, upon the stone Sumeru throne, statues were carved of the protective deities, the god governing wealth, the eight great devas, the eight great Brahmā kings, the Four Kings, the nine planets, and the devas and dragons guarding the ten directions. Afterward, upon the body of the vase, painted and printed icons of all the holy ones were installed: namely, the Buddhas of the ten directions, the Tamers of the three times, the Mother of the Buddhas Prajñā, Sitātapatrā Buddha, the Victorious and Pure Light without Defilement, Mārīcī, Vajravidāraṇa, Amoghapāśa, the Wrathful King Acala, Vajrapāṇi Bodhisattva, and Mañjuśrī Qin-yin, encircled systematically. Second, as for the dhāraṇīs supporting speech: namely, the Uṣṇīṣavimala, the Secret Karaṇḍamudrā, the Bodhimaṇḍa-alaṅkāra, the Garaṣapaṇi, the Banner-Crown Array, the Mahāpratisarā Vast Pavilion, the Three-Phrase Dhāraṇī, the Heart of Prajñā Sūtra, the verse 'All phenomena arise from causes and conditions,' and other such great scriptures over a hundred in number. Of each, more than a hundred thousand copies were produced, clamped and encased in iron bands, and neatly and compactly layered. Third, regarding the matters supporting mind: on the outside of the vase body, the Buddhas of the Five Directions were carved to signify the Dharma: in the east, a single pestle; in the south, a jewel; in the west, a lotus; in the north, a crossed pestle; and in the four intermediate directions, the implements held by the four great heavenly mothers. Furthermore, taking genuine yellow-rich earth from beneath the vajrāsana where the Buddha attained enlightenment in the Western Region, as well as earth from famous mountains and sacred traces in this region, such as Wutai and the Mount Tai of the east and west; perfumes such as camphor, aloeswood, purple and white sandalwood, storax, and saffron; and gold, silver, pearls, coral, and the seven treasures, they were pounded together with fragrant clay to form one thousand and eight small fragrant stūpas. Furthermore, blending benzoin, guggulu, white mastic, frankincense, tulasi, spikenard, and other perfumes with fragrant clay, they stamped out one hundred and thirty thousand small fragrant stūpas. All these were placed inside the stūpa, just as the Three Jewels abide constantly without perish. Thus, the divine merit and sagely virtue are difficult to measure in the realm of space; protecting the state and shielding the people resides herein. Quietly reflecting upon ancient and modern worthies and sages: only their empty names are recorded, yet when examining their miraculous traces, all is dark without trace. The Yellow Emperor's tomb at Mount Qiao vainly buried his robes and cap; Shun of Yu's tumulus at Cangwu was left with the Shao music in vain; Fuxi left only the eight trigrams, and Yu merely set forth the nine divisions. How could one ever hear of an imperishable true essence? How could one see adamantine, steadfast bones? How could they compare to Śākyamuni's śarīra, whose divine transformations are boundless? The more it is refined, the purer it becomes; the more it is hammered, the firmer it grows. Firm as gold, moist as jade, transmitted constantly through the ages, reverently honored across successive dynasties by sagely emperors and enlightened kings. Thus Emperor Taizong of the Tang had a eulogy saying:

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辯偽錄 — Classical Chinese