大宋僧史略 2.18

2.18

When emperors hold sway over the realm, they must transform what people see and hear, either altering rites and music or changing official bureaux—interchangeably making the Master of Writing (nashiyan) the Chief of the Department of State Affairs (shangshu), or replacing the Commander-in-Chief (sima) with the Grand Commandant (taidui). What constancy is there? Taking this as the beginning: under the Qin system in Guanzhong, they established the Rectifier of the Saṃgha as the head of the lineage. When the Wei honoured the northern lands, they changed it to Controller of the Saṃgha to lead the black-robed assemblies. Although issuing a new title, it carried forward the former duties. In the Huangshi era of the Later Wei (396–398 CE), the śramaṇa Faguo of Zhao Commandery was pure and consummate in his precept practices, expounding and disseminating the canonical scriptures. Emperor Taizu summoned him to be Controller of Śramaṇas; his words were mostly agreeable and fitting, and the offerings bestowed on him were exceedingly generous. Emperor Taizong revered and trusted him even more than before. In the Yongxing era (409–413 CE), he was successively conferred the titles of General Assisting the State, Master of Yicheng, Marquis of Zhongxin, and further Duke of Ancheng, all of which he firmly declined. The conferring of secular official titles upon monks was first heard of here. When the emperor visited his residence, he disliked that the gate was too narrow to accommodate his imperial carriage, so he had it widened. He died at over eighty years of age. The emperor attended his mourning thrice and posthumously conferred on him the title of General of Venerable Longevity and Duke Huling of Zhao Commandery. (Today, conferring the title of General of Venerable Longevity all derives from the edicts of that time. Thus we know that the earlier 'Assisting the State' must have been a generalship, while 'Huling' was a two-character posthumous name.) Earlier, Faguo had first left home at the age of fourteen and had a son named Meng; an imperial edict ordered Meng to inherit the ranks bestowed on Faguo. The office of Controller of Śramaṇas began with Faguo. There was also the Kaśmīran śramaṇa Shixian, originally of royal lineage, who travelled east to the Liang lands and then came to the capital. Encountering the suppression of the Buddha's Dharma, he temporarily made a pretence of medical arts while maintaining the Way without alteration. On the day of its revival, he immediately became a śramaṇa again; along with five companions, the Wei emperor personally shaved their hair. An edict appointed Shixian as Controller of the Saṃgha. The office of Controller of the Saṃgha [under that name] began with Shixian. When the Sui revived the Buddhist Way, reforming the customs of the Zhou, they summoned the monk Sengmeng to reside at Daxingshan Temple as Grand Controller of the Sui State. Meng's secular surname was Duan, and he was a native of Jingyang; he lectured on the Prajñā, the Daśabhūmika, and so forth. (The Sui used the word 'Grand' to signify distinctiveness.) There was also the one called the Holy Śrāmaṇera, who originally held the office of State Chief of the Saṃgha in Luoyang (the 'Chief' was the Chief of Śramaṇas). Later summoned to Ye, having achieved merit in bringing peace and order, he was promoted to State Controller (Controller of the Saṃgha for the entire state). The Song followed the Tang system, abolishing the Controller and establishing the Registrar. (Only when palace women leave household life are they decreed to be appointed Nun Registrar or Nun Controller; some have ten-character master titles, and those compared with the titles of the two capitals and commanderies are very numerous.)