大宋僧史略 3.54

3.54

右（梵安）等。伏為先與廬山東林太平興龍禪寺住持寶覺圓通法濟大師法道同呈劄子。乞依祖宗法改正國忌行香僧道班次。累蒙省部并大常寺取會照。使文字供報前去具申朝廷並已圓備。至今未蒙頒行改正等。伏見三朝訓鑒車駕祈求。先入僧寺。及紹興勅條已作僧道。呼仰詳前項。國朝訓勅正與大宋僧史略同。然今道士冒占日久。習已成風。全不遵依祖宗成憲。竊見釋教藏經所載。近年災變毫髮不差。蓋緣道士乘勢起請蠧壞祖宗所定福基。殘害佛法。事體非一。致得天垂災變禍亂縱橫。誤國至此。猶未悛革。謹具狀。披告參政相公。參政相公。僕射相公。伏乞鈞慈。特賜敷奏。早行改正。庶得誡諭道徒。遵依舊制。仰迴天意。俯順民心。為國攘災。又安天下。未敢專擅。伏候鈞旨。

We, Fan’an and others, prostrating ourselves: previously, together with Fadao, abbot of Taiping Xinglong Chan Monastery on Mount Donglin in Jiangzhou, Great Master Baojue Yuantong Faji, we submitted a joint petition requesting that, according to the laws of the ancestors, the court precedence of monks and Daoists during the national memorial day offering of incense be corrected. Repeatedly receiving orders from the ministries and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to consult and verify precedents, the official documents were submitted to the imperial court and are all complete. Yet to date, we have not received the promulgation of the correction. We humbly observe that according to the ancestral instructions of the three reigns, whenever the imperial carriage went out to pray, it first entered a Buddhist monastery; and the Shaoxing regulatory articles already refer to them as “monks and Daoists.” Examining the aforementioned matters, the instructions and edicts of our dynasty are precisely in accord with the Brief History of the Saṃgha Compiled under the Great Song. Yet now Daoist priests have usurped precedence for a long time, and custom has made it habitual, so that they completely disregard the ancestral models. We respectfully note that recent disasters recorded in the Buddhist canon have occurred without the slightest discrepancy. This was because the Daoist priests took advantage of their influence to submit petitions, undermining the foundations of blessing established by the ancestors and inflicting harm on the Buddha-Dharma in more ways than one, causing Heaven to send down disasters and calamities, and disorder to run rampant. Having misled the state to this point, they still have not reformed. Respectfully presenting this petition, we make our plea to the Vice Grand Councilors and the Prime Minister. We prostrate ourselves to beg for your official compassion to specially present a memorial to the throne, so that the correction may be carried out promptly, in order to admonish the Daoist followers to abide by the old system, looking upward to turn back Heaven’s intent, and looking downward to accord with the hearts of the people, warding off disasters for the state and bringing peace to all under Heaven. Not daring to act on our own authority, we prostratingly await your official decision.