大宋僧史略 3.50

3.50

We, Fadao and others, prostrating ourselves, observe that the Brief History of the Saṃgha Compiled under the Great Song records the order of precedence for monks and Daoists: whenever there is a morning assembly, monks come first and Daoists follow; when standing together in the palace courtyard, monks stand on the east and Daoists on the west; whenever there is a suburban sacrifice to Heaven, Daoists stand on the left and monks on the right. This has long been an established system, emerging from the ancestral models of the current dynasty to serve as an unalterable rule for myriad generations. Recently, following the Chongning and Daguan eras, Daoist priests usurped honorary official ranks; people such as Wang Zixi, Lin Lingsu, and Wang Chongdao were very numerous in receiving the equivalent status of the Two Secretariats. Because of this, they submitted petitions, routinely taking precedence over the monastic ranks, taking advantage of their influence to undermine the foundations of blessing established by the ancestors, in more ways than one. According to what is recorded in the Buddhist teachings, the recent calamities that brought the state into decline and plunged the people into misery also stemmed from this. Misleading the state and deceiving the sovereign—nothing surpasses this. We humbly note that since the Jingkang and Jianyan eras, all the honorary offices granted to Daoist priests have already been rescinded and annulled. Since they no longer hold official rank or privilege, in their court precedence they should naturally abide by the old system of the ancestors. At present, Daoist priests throughout the empire, on every occasion of the national memorial day offering of incense, or whenever they enter monasteries for visits or gatherings, do not mend their old ways, but arrogantly compete for precedence and usurp the higher seats in every instance, completely violating the protocol between hosts and guests, greatly harming public morals and instruction, which is profoundly improper. We prostrate ourselves in the hope that the court will issue clear instructions, specially granting a correction: that henceforth, in offering incense, standing in court ranks, and at gatherings in all places, all may be requested to abide by the established laws of the ancestors; and we further request that this be promulgated throughout the empire to rectify customs, so that ritual rules may be observed and public morals and instruction may not be impaired.