08wei shou on buddhism

8/9/2019 08Wei Shou on Buddhism

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preserved it to us only as quoted by later historians. Therefore,

of the three biographies of Wei Shou which are to be found in the

Dynastic Histories shit 104, Pei Ch'i shzc 37, and Pei shih 56)I use more particularly that of the Pei also the other two are

useful for textual comparisons.

Our author's ancestry is traced back to a certain Wei Wu-chih

flJ Ql (unknown elsewhere) of the Former Han, but we receive

no information beyond names until he reaches his grandfather,

Wei Yiieh¡It,

andespecially

his father Wei Tzu-chienT

The former was prefect of Chi-yin (in western Shantung),

probably in the third quarter of the fifth century (he married the

daughter of Li IIsiao-po who died in 457, v. 1Yei shu 53,

and Pei slzila 33. The latter held several important positions as

governor of province in the last years of the Northern Wei, and

died in 533 at the real age of 59 or 62, our sources varying.

That the family was Buddhist we know from two facts: Tzii-ellien

had as house-guest the monk T'an-ts'an (unknown elsewhere),

and Shou's childhood style was Fo-chu ? J? (Buddha-

helper, or The-Buddha-helps[-him]).

Wei Shou, the second son of Wei TZL1-chien, was a native of

Hsia-ch'il ? ? in the prefecture of Chii-lu in the south

central part of the modern Hopei. Born in 506 (he died in 572),

his whole life was passed in an atmosphere quite similar to that

which exists in China today: a period of transition, of banditry

and guerilla warfare, such as has marked the beginning and end

of every Chinese dynasty. Having received the Chinese boy's usual

education, he entei'ed, inevitably, the government service and, becauseof his literary capacities, held important posts in the imperial

secretariat, where he remained, even when his own official position

as governor of a province should have demanded his presence else-


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where, to write his History of the Wei, a welcome task to which

he was enjoined by the emperor of' the Northern Ch'i.

Three events may be mentioned to show that Wei Shou wasa man of genuine independance of mind: (1) Kao Lung-chih ?j

was named general director of the composition of the

IlTei shu, but our author (for the statement seems to have belonged

to his autobiography) immediately dots the i for us by saying

that he merely signed his name to it. Such frankness strikes me

as ratherextraordinary. (2)

Onpresentation

of thecompleted

history there arose a whirlwind of protest, probably due to an

only too just estimate on the part of our author of the generations

which had preceded him, and popular protest forced two revisions

of the work. This seldom happens to an insipid dispenser of

meaningless phrases. (3) He dared break with the usual list of

essays which formed by tradition an indispensable part of a

complete dynastic history. It is to this break with tradition that

we owe the essay of which a portion is here translated, A?z

on Buddhism and Taoism j$ £ , which forms the 114th and

last chapter of his history. In the memorial accompanying the

presentation of the essays, Wei Shou calls attention to what he

has done and justifics his action by reminding us of the important

role which these two doctrines had played under the dynasty which

he was treating. The importance of such a step cannot be over-

estimated, and its revolutionary character will strike home to anyone

who realizes in the slightest degree the part which tradition has

played in the Middle Kingdom. We must not expect too much


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from Wei Shou's account; we must bear in mind that his is not

a systematic treatise on the subject, it is merely an essay in which

he has probably mentioned all that seemed to him particularlyimportant. (For instance, if we are not surprised at the absence

of the name of Bodhidharma, we have some reason for surprise

when we notice that a man of the importance of Bodhiruci does

not appear.) He has, of course, given most of his space to the

events of the dynasty which he is treating, and it is of particular

interest toget

at least aglimpse,

no matter howmeager,

of some

of the details governing the relationship between the doctrine and

the state.

By the title given to his essay Wei Shou acknowledges the

close relationship between Chinese Buddhism and Taoism and their

mutual debt to one another. At the same time, I think we may

judge of the importance which he assigned to them respectively

by the relative space assigned to each: 250 columns to Buddhism;

82 columns to Taoism. Furthermore, at the end of his essay he

makes the telling remark that "the Taoist practitioners seldom

reach a high degree of excellence, and, moreover, they do not

possess capacities tha,t one can respect." I regret that, altho my

translation for the whole essay is complete, the more abundant and

detailed documentation needed for the few columns on Taoism forces

me to withhold its publication to a later date.

Since our primary interest at this time is to learn what Wei

Shou has to say, it would have overbalanced our translation to

have given to many of our meager notes the development which

they demand and merit: that must be left for future articles and

for that comprehensive history of Chinese Buddhism which it shall

someday be the task of some philologist to compile. VVe must con-

sider our present duty done, when we have indicated as precisely

as possible where more information can be obtained, and when we


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have called attention to problems which need further investigation.

The index to the names of the monks mentioned in the text will

facilitate any consultation of our notes for references.The basic text for our translation is that contained in the

vVei sku as published by the T'u shu chi ch'eng n III ii

company. In addition, imei Shou's essay has been preserved in

part in the second chapter of the Hun,q min,q chi (KHMC)

11 ? fl. jfi, a Buddhist miscellany compiled in 664 A.D. by

the monk Tao-hsÜan Withoutany

mention of itsname,

it has been drawn upon widely by the 51st and 53rd chapters

of the encyclopedia T8'é lit ?/?7«? 7C tli,

which was completed in 1013, beforc the editing of the Wei shu.

In the encyclopedia T'ai yÜ lan , completed

in 983, I have noted but one negligible quotation.

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN NOTES.

Bagchi, Le Canon Bouddhique en Chine, tome 1.

BB: Bibliotheca Buddhica.

Beal, A Catena of Buddhist Scriptures from the Chinese.

BEFEO: Bulletin de 1'Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient.

CII: Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum.

Chavannes, Documents sur les Tou-kiue.

Chavannes, Mission Ar cheologique dans la Chine Septentrionale.

CS: Chin shu Histories.

CSTCC: Ch'u san tsang chi chi äB Taisho 55.

ERE: Hasting's Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics.

Giles, A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.

Histories: My references are to the T'u shu chi ch'eng iii

edition.

HKSC : Hsii Kao seng chuan 1W, Taisho 50.


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1-ching: I have used the lithograph edition of the Sung pen shih

san ching chu shu fu chiao chi

pub. in 1887 by the 1To wanghsien kuan

#§íw g¡.

JA : Journal Asiatique.

Kern, Manual of Indian Buddhism, quoted as Kern.

Kern, Histoire du Bouddhisme dans l'Inde.

KHMO: Kuang Ilung ming chi jfi, Taish6 52.

KSC : Kaoseng

chuanf$ ,

Taisho 50.

Legge, The Chinese Classics.

LTCKP: Li tai chih kuan piao (Kuang ya shu

chii ed.)-

LTSPC : Li tai san pao chi Taisho 49.

LYCLC: Lo-yang ch'ieh-lan chi Taisho 51.

Maspcro: Sur la Date et l'Autlienticit6 du Fou fa tsang yin yuan

tchouan ft *i, in Melanges d'Indianisme offerts

par ses 616ves à M. Sylvain L6vi, Paris 1911, pp. 129-149.

M"SOS: Mittheilungen des Seminars fur orient. Sprachen.

NS: Nan shih #j j@ ; v. Histories.

PS: Pei shih 4L jlj ; v. Histories.

Sakaki, The Mahavyutpatti,

SBE: Sacred Books of the East.

SHTC : Shan hsi t'ung chih flJ Q§ Kuang-hsii % ed.

SS: Sung shu £ @ ; v. Histories.

Taisho, The latest Japanese edition of the Chinese Tripitaka,

Taisho Issai-kyo'

TCKM : T'ung chien kang The Yfi p'i

wood-block ed.

TCTC : Tzu chih t'ung chien 3ií §Q , Kuang-hsu imitation

Sung ed. of the Hu-pei Ch'ung w6n shu chii

- ffij .

'


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TFYK: Ts'd fu viian kuei 1642 ed. by Ting Jen-

and Wang Sheng-ming

Ting: Fo hsiieh ta tz'ii tien ift I a trans. by Tingof Oda's Buddhist Dictionary.

TP: T'oung Pao.

Wacters, On Yian Chuang.

iVS : Wei shu @ ; v, Histories.

TRANSLA'1'ION.

Sages arose to govern and nurture the people, but,

owing to the fact that before the knotting of cords written records

r were lacking, we cannot succeed in knowing (what those

sages did]. From the time of (Fu-]hsi and I?sicn jf [the

Yellow Emperor] down thro the Three Dynasties the divine

oracles and the secret schemes were gathered into

the T'u-wei 3) §# I texts, and method for] regulating the

world and guiding the people were handed down in the remains

of the [Three] and of the JpQ , Ch'in


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exhibiting its evil [nature], reduced [these texts] to ashes and

cinders1); but the Han ? gathered up the lost records, [which

became] again like hills and mountains 2). Ssu-ma Ch'ien 3)

m has distinguished the differences and likenesses of the doctrines

of the six schools ); Yin-yang, Ju, Mo, Ming, Fa, and Tao-t6

Liu Hsin 5) has composed

the LiiPh and Pan I1u 6) * [Q1 has written an essay

on the X; but the teachings of the Sakya form a subject

which has not yet been treated. My account of it is as follows:

In the period Yuan-shou 7C I3.C.) of the [emperor]

iVu of the Han, IIo Ch'ii-ping 7) was sent to punish the


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Hsiung-nu 1) #%g . Arriving at Kao-lan 2) and passing

Chii-yen 3) he cut off heads and made large captures.

When theprince

ofHun-yeh 4) PL n

killed theprince

of Hsiu-

ch'u and, taking his group of 50,000, came to offer sub-

mission, there were obtained golden statues 6) in human form.

Since the emperor took them for great divinities, they were set

up in the Kan-ch'izan palace 7) The golden statues were

all ten odd feet high. No sacrifices were made to them; there

was only burning of incense and ceremonial bowing, and that is all 8).


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This, then, marks the beginning of the circulation of Buddhism

China]. ,


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When the western countries had been opened up, Chang Ch'ien 1)

"" was sent on an embassy to the Ta Hsia 2) he reported

on his return that there bordered [on Ta Hsia] a country [called]

Sh6n-tu =It, another name is T'ien-chu 3)

W'e first heard that there was a Buddhist doctrine when, in

the first year of the period Yuan-shou [2 B.C.] of the

emperor Ai [of the Han], the Ch'in Ching-hsien

.LEE; was taught orally Buddhist sutras by the

envoy of the prince of the Ta Yiieh-chih Ts'tin 1)

When China heard of this, it was not yet believed or

understood 7).


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Later, the emperor Hsiao Ming A.D.] dreamed

one night that a golden statue of a man, the back of whose neck

bore ahalo,

cameflying

into thepalace.

When heinquired

[about it] of his ministers, Fu T 1) was the first to reply

that it was the Buddha. The emperor then sent the

Ts'ai Yin 2) and the Ch'in Ching 3)

and others to India to write down the laws which the

Buddha had bequeathed. [Ts'ai] Yin then returned east with the

monks 5he-tno-t'eng ni and Chu Fa-lan 5) Jrk * i)

to Lo-yang 6) 1% §§ . The beginning of China's possessiun of the

regulation for monks and for genuflection and bowing dates from

this event. Furthermore, [Ts'ai] Yin got forty-two chapters of

Buddhist sutras 7) and a statue of a standing Sahya[muni]. The


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emperor Ming commanded artists to paint likenesses of the Buddha

to be put on the Ch'ing-liang 1) m terrace And the Hsien-chieh

tomb. The sutr as were sealedup

in a stone vault of the

Lan-t'ai 3) Since [Ts'ai] Yin on his return arrived trans-

porting the sutras on a white horse, the Chinese built the White

Horse Monastery 4) west. of the Yung gate 5) p 9

of the city Lo[-yang]. [She-]mo-t'eng and [Chu] Fa-lan both died

in this monastery 6).

Fou-t'u's if. M [Buddha] correct name is Fo-t'o ? 1mL. Fo-

t'o approximates the sound of Fou-t'u They both represent

a western country's word which received upon its arrival two

pronunciations. It may be translated into Chinese by the words

Completely Awakened Jt. By destroying impurities and attain-

ing bodhi 7) one becomes a Saint and enlightens the world 8).

As for the content of their sutras - they treat on the whole

of the various sorts of existence. Everything is the result of Act.

There are the three successive periods of past, present, and future.


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The soul is never destroyed. All good and evil will assuredly

have their reward. By gradually accumulating better works and

refiningthe coarse and

vulgar,after

passingthro innumerable

forms,and purifying and exercising the mind, one reaches non-birth and

attains Buddhahood Meanwhile, the series of steps and

mental activities is far from simple. Everything begins with the

shallow to attain the profound, and, relying upon small things,

becomes perfected. It consists entirely of the accomplishment of

complete enlightenment by the accumulation of fellow-feeling and

obedience, by the purification of desires and lusts, and by the practise

of retirement and calm JÑ.

Therefore, when they first apply their minds, they take refuge

in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Samgha known

as the three refuges - like the Three Reverences # fl of the

Superior Man. There are in addition five prohibitions: Abstentionfrom killing, stealing, imnorality, lying, and wine-drinking 2). The

general idea is the same as [our] Fellow-feeling, Justice, Propriety,

Wisdom, and Fidelity only the names are

different. IIe who keeps them [the commandments] will be born

in the better places of gods and men; but he who neglects them


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will fall to the sufferings of pretas and animals. The good and evil

places of birth are, all told, six 1).

Thosewho embrace this

Wayshave off their beards and

hair,loosen their bonds and quit their homes. Attaching themselves to

a teacher, and following rules and regulations, they dwell together

in harmony. Keeping their minds under control, and pursuing purity,

they practise mendicancy to support themselves. These men are

known as or [grarnana]. [These]

also are neighboring sounds. The collective term for them is sf?n,r;

All of these are foreign may be translated

Harmony-lotted Group sang-mên, Tranquilminded

itN; pi-ch'iu [bhiksu], Mendicant ?'Vhen laymen

believe in the tenets of this Way, the man is called

[upasaka], the woman, @j

As for the sramana, when first practising the ten precepts

he is called slzcc-mi but finally, perfected in the

250 [the pratimoksa] 3), he becomes a Ta [Great Monk] 4).

A woman who enters this Way is called a ae

[bhiksuni]. The commandments [that she keeps] attain the number

of five hundred 5). All take the five salrz as a basis and apply


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themselves afterwards to increasing the number 1). To protect the

mind, attend the body, and regulate the mouth, the mind eschews

covetousness, anger,and

stupidity;the

bodycommits no

murder,immorality, or theft; the mouth is free from unupright speech such

as lying - known as the Ten Good Paths 2). He who masters them

is known as one whose is pure.

The doings of ordinary individuals are coarse to the extreme,

but if able to comprehend [the doctrine of] reward for good and

evil, one will gradually mount in the steps of the Saint. Those

who are at the beginning of the mount to Sainthood are of three

classes. Their bases and activities are vastly different and they are

spoken of as the Three Vehicles: the Sravaka-vehicle, Pratyeka-

buddha-vehicle, and the Large Vehicle 4). (From their capacity to

transport one to the attainment of enlightenment they get their


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name (of vehicle].) These three [classes of] men have lost all trace

of evil, and solely apply their minds to banishing impediments,

andhelping

creatures to increase their merit. The individual of the

first basis is the Small Vehicle, and practises the Four Truths 1) ;

the individual of the middle basis is the Middle Vehicle, and

receives the Twelve Causes); the individual of the supreme basis

is the Large Vehicle, and practises the Six Perfections 3) [paramitas].

Altho they mount three [different] vehicles, the important thing is

that by increasingly following many, many practises, and aiding

and saving all classes of men far and wide they can mount to the

world of the Buddhas.

The original name of him who is known as the Buddha was

Shih-chia 41-V?0 _ [,§,,-t k y a. 1 4)The writers translate the word by

Capable of Practising Fellow-feeling and say that when

[his] Virtue ? is complete and [his] enlightenment perfected,

[he] is capable of helping all creatures. Before Sakya there were

six Buddhas 5). Sakya, succeeding to the six Buddhas, became

enlightened and appeared during the present Bhadrakalpa 6). The'

texts say that the future will have 1Iaitreya Buddha, who succeeding

immediately to Sakya will come down into the world.

Sakya was the son of the prince of the kingdom of Kapilavastu

3LO India. (India is the general name, and Kapilavastu

is the particular name.) Formerly, on the eighth day of the fourth

month Sakya was born at night from his rnother's right side.


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Since the marvelous signs [that he bore] at birth were of thirty-two

kinds 1), the portents sent down by the gods to receive him were

also thirty-two 2). The sutra on his origin gives them all 3). Thetime of the Buddha's birth coincides with the ninth year [? 688 B.C.]

of king Chuang ? of the Chou M and the seventh year [687]

of duke Chuang ? of Lu of the Ch'un-ch'iu * fj( period,

in summer, the fourth month. [It was on the occasion when] "the

fixed stars did not appear but the night was bright"

Down to the eighth year [650 A.D.] of the period

Wu-ting j ? ? of the Wei it makes 1237 years 4).

In his thirtieth year Sakya became the Buddha, and for

forty-nine years directed and converted creatures. Then, in the city

of Kušinagara between a pair of Sala trees

on the fifteenthday

of the second month5)

he enteredparinirvana

ii M- Nirvana is translated Annihilation [of the Causes of

Birth] and Crossing beyond [the Stream of Existence]. Others say


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Eternal Joy. We are enlightened iii free from change and

death, and from sufferings and bonds 1).

The2)

of the Buddhas has t«Tomeanings: first,

the true and real; second, the temporary and associate. As for the

true and real body, it is said to be the utterly supreme form;

mysteriously free from hindrances and bonds, and unable either

to be limited to place or restricted to shape. When there is a

stimulus it responds, [but] its form is ever pure. As for the

temporary and associate body, it is said to deign to join with the

Six Paths and to share the many forms of worldly existence.

Birth and death come [for it] in their season, and its duration

depends upon the form of existence W4 [that it occupies at any

specific time]. Its shape arises as the result of a stimulus, but its

form is without reality. Altho the temporary shape pcrishes, the

true form does not change. It is merely because times lack the

mysterious stimulus that it is not always visible. It is clear that

a Buddha's birth is not a real birth, and his death is not a

real death.

When the Buddha left the world, his corpse was burned with

fragrant wood. IIis divine bones broke up into bits the size of

grains which could not be crushed by blows or scorched by fire.

At times, they had a gleam indicative of their divinity. In the

foreign language they are called [sanraj. The disciples


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In the time of the emperor Chang At [read Ming ] of the

[Later] Han [76-88 A.D.; but read Prince Ying 1) of Ch'u

,§f g£ §$ was given to the practise of the fasts and commandmentsof Buddhism. IIe sent a to present thirty

pieces of yellow and white silk. Going to the state ministers 2) ...

"to ransom my wrongs". The imperial decree in reply read:

"Prince Ying of Ch'u holds in esteem the Buddhist monasteries;

he keeps fasts for three months, and makes vows with his gods;

but why should We be suspicious? Why should We entertaindoubts? It is fitting that we regret [our former complaints]. Let

the ransom be returned to help with the feasts [which he

serves to] the upasakas and sramanas. Let this be proclaimed to

the whole country."

In the time of the emperor Huan fa [147-167 A.D.] Ilsiang

Ch'iai3) M ftf spoke

of the doctrines of Buddhism and Taoism in

remonstrating [with the emperor]. IIe wanted [him] to respect life

and despise killing; to lessen his desires, abandon excess, and esteem

Non-interference.

Formerly, Emperor Ming of the Wei (227-2:39]

wanted to destroy the stupa $$ §fi west of his palace The foreign


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sramanas, then, after placing a golden dish of water in front of the

hall, took the Buddha relic [that was in the stupa] and threw it

into the water, and a gleam of many colors arose. Thereupon, theemperor sighed: "If this is not a divine miracle how could it have

happened?" He then moved [? the stupa?] ... [break in text 1)] ...

erected for them a circular building with a hundred rooms. On

the former location of the stupa he dug the Meng-fan pool

1B i& wherc he planted mallows Q @ .

Afterwards a ccrtain Hindu monk Dharmakala2) lilt

came to Lo[-yang] and made a translation of the pratimoksa -

the beginning of the Chinese pratimoksa.

After the White Horse Monastery had been built at Lo-yang,

[the city] was increasingly adorned with marvelous stupas and

paintings, and became the model for evcrywhere. As for the

common rulesgoverning [the

construction of]stupas

following an old Indian model, they are built with from one to

three, five, seven, or nine stories 3). People traditionally call them


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fou-t'u if. Ii or fo-t'u Ii. Under the Chin f dynasty

[265-317] the stupas in Lo-yang occupied forty-two sites 2).

Under the Han all the monks wore redclothing;

afterwards

they changed to various colors 3).

During the period Yian-k'ang (291-299? of the Chin

dynasty a foreign monk, Chih Kung-ming 4) translated

Buddhist sutras : the Vimalakirti the Saddharmapundarika

and three P6n-ch'i The words are subtle and the

ideas profound to the extreme.

Later there was the monk Wei Tao-an 5) of Ch'ang-

shan who was by nature quick and intelligent. Daily he

read ten thousand odd words from the sutras and carefully sought

out the hidden meaning. Regretting the lack of a teacher, he sat


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alone for twelve years in a quiet habitation 1). Giving deep thought

to the essentials and attaining a divine-like understanding of the

subtleties,since the

previouslyedited texts contained

manycontra-

dictions and differences, he corrected their disagreements and errors.

In the time of Shih Lo 2) 1i 1ÐJ there was the Hindu monk

Fou-t'u-teng 3) As a youth in Uddiyana 4) ,£$ % §flFou-t'u-têng gui m As a youth in U ??iyana 4) vo x 14

he met an arhat and entered the Way. In the time of Liu Yao 5)

?J BI [31 8-328] he arrived in Hsiang-kuo ) fl fifl . Afterwards,

he was honored and trusted by Shih Lo and given the appellation

of 1'?Taho???clh?aya ? ? fåt. He frequently consulted him on

military matters and what he said generally came true. Tao-an

once came to Yeh 7) to visit [Fou-t'u-]t6ng

received him and marvelled at him.

After [Fou-t'u-]teng's death, China was in confusion 8). Tao-an,

accordingly, leading his disciples, wandered south to Hsin-yeh 9)

Wishing the [doctrine of the] Mystic __ to


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be part of what was current, he split up and sent his disciples

each in his own direction: Fa-t'ai 1) went to Yang-chou

Fa-ho S) entered Shu 4) #§ . Tao-an and Hui-yizan 5)went to Hsiang-yang 6) % $§ . Tao-an later went to Fu

r country 1. Since Chicn had always respected

1 character and learning, he received and honored him

as a teacher ?).

At that time the western lands had a foreign monk by the

name ofKumarajiva 9)

who was desirous ofspreading

the Law 1°) Tao-an was desirous of holding discussions

with him and often urged [Fu] Chien to send for Kumarajiva.

Kumarajiva even received a message from [Tao-]an and spoke of

him as The Saint of the Eastern Quarter. At times he paid him


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his respects by bowing Ito him] from afar. Some twenty years 1)

after Tao-an's death Kumiirajiva arrived at Ch'ang-an 2) m *.

He regretted not finding [Tao-]an, and considered it a deep affliction.The ideas in the texts corrected by Tao-an and the translations

edited by Kumiirajiva are in complete harmony and entirely free

from disagreements. Thereupon, the content of the Law was made'

widely known throut Chung-yuan 3) Jtt 1m .

Before the Wei had established their realm in the north, their

customs werepure

andsimple,

andthey

didnothing

toprotect

themselves. As they were completely cut off from the western

countries, they could have no relations with them. Of the teachings

of Buddha, therefore, they had not yet heard, or, if they had,

they had not yet put their trust in them.

In the time of Sh?n-yiian 4) [ruled 220-277] relations

were opened with Wei and Chin 5)The

emperor Wen 6)3twas in Lo-yang, and the [emperor] Cliao-ch'6n- 7) qn "17§ went to

IIsiang-kuo 8), where they studied thoroly matters relating to the

Buddhism of Nan-hsia 9) Qj j$/ .

While T'ai-tsu 1°) * 1fdl was pacifying Chung-


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shan 1) ttt L1J and arranging Chao ? and Yen 2) since he

was shown the greatest respect by the monks 3) of the Buddhist

monasteriesin the districts and

kingdomsthro which he

passed,he forbade his troops to pillage. The emperor had a fondness for

Taoism and often read Buddhist sutras ; but, before the establish-

ment of the empire, while the war-chariots were frequently on the

move and all matters were still in their rough draft, he did not

yet build stupas and monasteries or invite in groups of monks.

Nevertheless,he

constantly soughtthem

everywhere.Previously, a certain monk, S6ng_lang 4) lived as a

hermit with his followers in the K'un-jui valley of Mount

T'ai 6) fl@. The emperor named a messenger to take a letter [to

him] and to present him with silk, felt, a begging bowl, and a staff.

[The place] is today still known as the Valley of Lang-kung £ .

The decree issued in the first year (398-?399? of the period

T'ien-hsing read: "The prosperous advance of Buddhism

has been going on for a long time. Its meritorious deeds of help

and succor mysteriously reach the living and the dead. The divine


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examples and the rules which have been bequeathed can, We believe,

be relied upon. Therefore, it is decreed that in the capital the officers

shall erect shrines 1) % and prepare dwellings that theadepts [of Buddhism] may have a place to stay."

In this same year 2) there was begun the erection of The Five-

storied stupa 1), and the Mount Grdhrakuta and Mount Sumeru Mo-

nasteries 4) adorned with paintings.

Apart there were built preaching rooms1 meditation chambers, and

cells for thearamanas -

not withoutimpressive furnishings.

When T'ai-tsung [409-42:3] mounted the throne, he

followed the policy of T'ai-tsu IIe too had a

liking for Taoism and also reverenced Buddhism. In the capital

and everywhere he set up stupas and images and ordered

the sramanas to teach the people.

Formerly, in the period Iluang-shih j§ [396-398] the

prefecture of Chao 5) #fl possessed a monk [by the name of]

Fa-kuo ££ flh whose practise of the commandments was exact

to the extreme, and who spread books on the doctrine ä. When

T'ai-tsu heard of his fame, he commanded that he should be


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respectfully invited to the capital. Later he made him Chief of the

Monks 1) to have general charge of the monks. Whenever

he related to the emperor many things with which [the emperorwas pleased, he was richly rewarded. Under 'r'ai-tsung he was still

more honored and reverenced. Sometime during the period Yung-

hsing §§ ?406-413? he was offered the titles of

) §§ fioii 1) ($Q , and

) ? ? but he firmly declined them all. The

emperoroften

paida

personalvisit to his

home, and,since the

doorway was too small and narrow to permit [the passage of] a

sedan-chair, he enlarged it. At the age of eighty odd years, in

the period T'ai-ch'ang [416-423], he died. Before he was

buried, the emperor visited his funeral celebration three times, and

conferred upon him posthumously the titles Lczo shoit chiang-chÜn 5)

and()fwo

laac-liyac/kung 6) ? ? IS £ . Formerly,Fa-kuo used often to say: "T'ai-tsu, being intelligent and wise

and liking our doctrine, is a present-day Tathagata. It is fitting

that the monks pay him full honor". Then whenever he bowed

[to the emperor] he would tell the people: "Since he who can

spread our doctrine is the prince of men, I have not bowed to

the emperor, but have merely paid my respects to the Buddha" 7).

Fa-kuo was forty when he first became a monk. IIe had a son


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named Meng 1) It. An imperial order was given that [he] should

inherit the rank which had been conferred on [Fa- ]kuo.

Later, when the emperor went to Kuang-tsungmonk named T'an-cheng 3) 4% ria, about a hundred years of age,

sought an interview on the road, and presented some fruit. The`

emperor, respecting his old age and unfailing will-power and strength,

even conferred upon him the title of Lao shou 4).

At this time Iiumarajiva 5) was held in honor by Yao Hsing 1)

In theTs'ao-t'ang monastery 7) 1/i. ¥: i#

atCh'ang-an

there were gathered together 8) eight hundred students £% £fb to

retranslate the sutras. Kumarajiva was intelligent and eloquent,

was a deep thinker, and knew both the eastern and western

languages. At that time the monks rrao-t'ung fJ3, Seng-lueh

Tao-heng 11) Tao-piao 12) S6ng-chao


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, and T'an-ying 1) along with Kuniarajiya, helped

one another to elucidate what was very obscure. For ten odd

works2) consisting

oflong, profound

sutras andsastras, they

altered and fixed the composition so that the text

might be clear and intelligible. Down to this day they are taken

as models in their studies by all the sramanas.

Tao-t'ung and the others were all men of vast learning, but

S6ng-chao was by far the best. While Kumarajiva composed the

translations, Seng-chao held constantly his brush to fix the text.A commentary was made on the lrimcclak;irtisut,?°a 3), and several

sastra were composed all of profound content, and students take

them as their model.

The monk ??a-hsien 4) 1! 11 regretting the incompleteness 01

the vinaya, travelled from Ch'ang-an to India, passing thro thirty

odd countries. When he came to a place which had sutras and

vinaya, he studied the language of their books and wrote down

the translation. After ten years from Ceylon 8m ::¡. Ii which is

in the southern sea he sailed east with merchants. After two

hundred 5) days of storm-tossed sea arriving at the southern extremity


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of the Pu-ch'i-lao 1) mountains of the prefecturc of lllh'ang-kuang in

the province of Ch'ing he dis-

embarked. This was the secondyear

of theperiod Shen-jui

[415] 2). Fa-hsien wrote an account of all the countries thro which

he passed, and it is current today. As for the complete translation

of the vinaya which he obtained, since he had not yet been able

to finish its correction, when he arrived in Chiang-nan WI ,

he discussed and finished it with the Hindu Dhyana-master [Buddha-]

bhadra 4)R.

It is called the [Mahajsamghavinaya

and is much more complete than its predecessors. It is

learned by the modern sramanas.

Before this a certain monk by the name of k'a-ling

went from Yang-chou 7) m fN to the western countries and obtained

a copy of the Avatamsakasutra [Hua yen ching] M .

Several years after finishing the vinaya, Buddhabhadra, along

with the sramana Fa-yeh 8) and several others made a

translation [of it] and proclaimed [it] in their time


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When Shih-tsu ?424-451 first mounted the throne he

followed the policy of T'ai-tsu [386-409] and often invited monks

of eminent ability to discuss the sastras with him. On the eighthday of the fourth month they paraded all the statues of the

Buddha in chariots along the broad thoroughfare. From the balcony

of the gateway the emperor in person viewed [the procession] and

scattered flowers to pay his respects

Before this Chii-ch'ii M6ng-hsiin 2) in the pro-

vince ofLiang 3)

also had aliking

for Buddhism. There

was a Kashmirian monk named T'an-mo-ch'an 4) who

was familiar with the sutras and sastras, and who, at Ku-tsang 5)

M - along with the monk Chih-sung 6) and others

translated ten odd sutras [including] the [M?hx]parinirv3


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of avarice he did not send him. Later, fearing Wei's authority and

remonstrances, he sent a man to murder (T'an-Ino-]ch'an.

On the day of his death he said to his pupils: "Today there is avisitor coming. We can eat early so as to await him." When the

meal was over the messenger arrived. His contemporaries said of

him that he knew his destiny. <

Chih-sung too was intelligent and applied himself seriously

to the sutras and sastras in Liang He discussed the subtle

meaningsof the

sastras,and

publishedan Account of the

Meaningof [the word] Nirvana His practise of the command-

ments was strict and ordered, and his followers were refined and

respectful. Knowing that there was going to be war in the province

of Liang, with several pupils he wanted to go to the west. On the

way there was famine. When the grain supply had been exhausted

for days, the pupils sought out bird and animal meat and begged

[Chih-]sung to force himself to eat. But [Chih-]sung swore himself

to the commandments, and died of hunger in the mountains west

of Chiu-chuan 1) 1m The disciples made a pyre to burn his

body. The bones were reduced to ashes, and only his tongue

remained whole, its color and form unchanged. The people then

considered that a reward for his ability in study and preaching.

In the province of Liang the descendants of Chang Kuei 2)

had faith in Buddhism. The land of Tun-huang 3)

from its contacts with the religious and laity of the western

countries, obtained their old models, and the villages, all alike,

had many stupas and monasteries. When in the period T'ai-yen


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the province of Liang was conquered and its

population moved to the capital l), the monks and the Buddhist

paraphernalia all came east, and the Counterfeit Teaching

increased far and wide. Presently, owing to the large number of

sramanas, imperial order was given to unfrock those under fifty

years of age 3).

Formerly, when Shih-tsu had defeated Ho-lien Ch'ang 4)

he got the monk Hui-shih 5)11

whose surname was

Chang and whose family was from m iPJ; [Hui-

shih], hearing that Kumarajiva had issued a new sutra, went to

Ch'ang-an to interview him. Directing his attention to the learning

of sutras, he sat in contemplation north of the White Canal

7) During the day he entered the city to listen

to the explanation, but at night he returned to his abode to sit

in quiet. The intelligent of San-fu 8) honored him highly.


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After Liu Yii 1) had put an end to Yao Hung 2)

he left his son [Liu] I-chen 3) It 1î to garrison Ch'ang-an.

T-ch6n and his assistants all paid him respect and honor. WhenI-chên left Ch'ang-an, and Ho-lien Ch'ii-kai 4) pursued and

defeated him the monlis and laity, young and old, were all

caught up in the executions. Hui-shih was struck with a bare

blade, but his body was not harmed. All wondered at the marvel

and reported it to [Ho-lien] Ch'u-kai. Ch'u-kai in anger summoned

Hui-shih before him and struck him with the dagger which hecarried, but it did not harm him. Then he became frightened and

acknowledged his wrong. When T'ung-wan 6) had been

conquered, Hui-shih went to the capital. He gave much instruction

and guidance, but his contemporaries could not fathom his manner.

Shih-tsu valued him greatly and often did him homage. [Hui-]shih,. from the time he

practised contemplationto his

death,is said for

fifty odd years never to have lain down once to sleep. At times

he went bare-footed, and, tho he walked thro mud and dirt, it never

soiled his feet, [but rather] their color became cleaner and whiter,


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so that people called him The White-footed Teacher 8 gm 1).

In the period T'ai-yen ?435-440? when approaching his end, he

purifiedhimself

by

a fast and took

up

a correct position in the

Pa-chiao monastery jlj lf . The monks surrounding him on

all sides, he attained repose and died. The corpse was kept for

ten odd days. Since its position did not change and its color

remained perfect, everybody marvelled at it as a divinity. Then

they buried him within the monastery. When, in the sixth year

of the period [4451, it was

ordered that buried [bodies] 1 could not be left in the city but

should be interred outside the south suburb, [Hui- ]shih had been

dead for ten years. When the grave was opened, his appearance

was all right, and decomposition had not set in at all, so that the

six thousand odd men who attended the burial were not unaffected.

The I?ao Yiin 3) it composed his

biography [in which] he extoled his good character. Over Hui-

shih's grave there was set up a stone shrine fl £ [on which]

was painted his picture. Altho it has passed thro a period of

destruction for Buddhism it is still standing preserved.

When Shih-tsu [424-451] came to the throne he was young 4),

but afterwards he devoted himself ardently to military exploits,

and constantly considered the crushing of the rebellions as the

first thing [to be done]. In spite of the fact that he revered


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Buddhism and respected the sramanas, he did not yet study

retentively the teachings of the sutras, nor did he trouble himself

to learn about cause and consequence. On coming in contact with

the teachings of K'ou Ch'ien-chih 1) > §Q§ Z, the emperor,

believing that Quietude and Non-interference All

possessed evidences of Immortality ffi 1t, then faithfully practised

his prescriptions.'

At this time [there lived] the ssil-t'u Ts'ui Hao 2) iff

[a man of]] vast learning and great wisdom. The emperor often

sought him out on important affairs. Hao followed the teachings

of [K'ou] Ch'ien-chih and was an utter disbeliever in Buddhism.

In his talks with the emperor he frequently slandered [the Buddhists],

always saying that [their] empty talk was an expense and plague

upon the world. Because of his eloquence and vast learning the

emperor rather trusted him.

About this time Kai Wu 3) i$# £ revolted at Hsing-ch'eng 4)

and the Interior of the Pass was in turmoil. The emperor

then went west to attack, and reached Ch'ang-an. Previously the

monks at Ch'ang-an had planted wheat within the monastery,

[therefore] the imperial grooms pastured the horses on the wheat.

When the emperor went in to examine the horses the sramanas

gave the attendants wine to drink. An attendant entered their side

buildings and saw that there were large quantities of bows, arrows,

spears, and shields. On his coming out and reporting the matter,

the emperor was angry and said : "These are not utensils for


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sramanas. They simply must have plotted with Kai Wu to harm

my people." IIe then directed the officials to try and condemn the

whole monastery. On examining the stores there were obtained large

supplies of liquors and wines and things which the governors and

wealthy people of the provinces and the prefectures had stored there

in innumerable items. Furthermore, there were kept subterranean

dwellings [where the monks] practised debauchery with the women

of the finer homes.

Since the emperor was angry with the irreligiousness of the

monks, and [Ts'ui] Ilao was at that time with him, and, accordingly,

gave his advice, it was decreed that the monks at Ch'ang-an should

be put to death, and that the Buddhist images should be burned

and destroyed. Order was given to have things carried out every-

where, from the capital 1) on down, as at Ch'ang-an. The decree

read: "As for those sramanas, since they put their reliance in the

empty brastings of the western barbarians and produce by their

madness omens of misfortune in plants and animals, so that there

is no way of governing and transforming [the people] in perfect

accord and of transmitting an unblemished character to the empire,

from the princes and dukes on down let whoever keeps sramanas

in private send them all to the officials. It is not permitted to

hide them. There is set as a limit the fifteenth day of the second

month. After this date if they have not been produced, the sramanas

themselves will be killed and those who give them shelter will be

put to death with their whole families" 2).


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"After this, the dynasties have passed thru revolt and misfortune.

Heaven's punishment came quickly, and the people perished to the

last man. Within theempire

all became hills anddesert,

and in

solitudes of a thousand li there was seen no trace of man. All was

because of this.

"We, receiving the succession from heaven, have undergone

the humiliation of the present wretched fortune. We want to sweep

aside the false and establish the true, and restore the government

of [Fu-]hsi and

§Q .Therefore, let us all destroy

the foreign gods and exterminate all traces of them, in the hope

of not proving inferior to the F6ngs 2).

"From this day onward whoever presumes to worship foreign

gods and make images either of clay or of bronze will be put to

death with his whole household.

"Altho they speak of a foreign god, when we question modern

foreigners from the west, they all reply that there is no [such

divinity]. The sum of the matter is that formerly a Chinese uf the

IIan, an unreliable stripling, some Liu Yuan-chen JÏ or

some Lu Po-ch'iang 3) fi§ (fl having sought out the empty

talk of the western barbarians, superimposed upon it and augmented

it with and Ohuang[-tzu's doctrine of the] Void 4).

Being entirely destitute of truth, and causing the ruin and in-

effictiveness of the rulers' laws, they form the chief factor in the

great disorders.

"Where there are extraordinary individuals there will ensue


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extraordinary happenings. But with the exception of Us, who can

drive away the falsehoods which have existed under the successive

dynasties?Let those in

chargeissue

proclamationto the

generals,the armies, and the governors that all stupas, paintings, and foreign

sutras are to be beaten down and burned utterly; the sramanas,

without distinction of age, are to be destroyed." This was the third

month of the seventh year of the period [T'ai-p'ing] Chen-chiin

[446] 1).

Altho Kung-tsung's words were unheeded, he did delay the

promulgation of the decree so that everywhere all learned of it

in advance and each one was able to lay his 'plans. Everywhere

the monks on the whole fled into hiding and escaped. Those at

the capital also escaped whole. The images of gold and silver and

the sutras and sastras for the most part succeeded in being con-

cealed, but the guildings and stupas where the imperial instructions

reached were completely destroyed.

When [K'ou] Ch'ien-chih first entered the emperor's suite with

[`I's'ui] Hao, he earnestly remonstrated with Hao, but IIao would

not listen. He said to Hao : "In the near future you will suffer

death with your household". Four years afterwards Hao was put

to death with all possible torture 1i 1ftJ. At that time he was

seventy years old.

After Hao had been condemned and put to death, the emperor

rather regretted [the persecution]; but, once a deed is done, it is

hard to make reparation. Kung-tsung was secretly desirous of

restoring it, but, since he did not yet dare speak, Buddhism was

persecuted and brought low during the emperor's life which lasted

seven or eight years more. Nevertheless, the decree was gradually

relaxed and the faithful could carry on their practices in secret.

As for the sramanas and devotees, they continued to wear their


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garments study m private ; but they could not movc. about

openly in the capital.. Before this the monk 'P'an-yao 1) was devoted to the

rule, and, moreover, was known and respected by Kung-tsung.

During the extermination of Buddhism the sramanas, for the most

part, put all their energies into following one another back into

the lay life. When sought out [by his friends, and urged to return

to the lay life, T'an-]yao swore that he wanted to preserve [the

faith] into death. Kung-tsung personally added his exhortation

several times, then, against his will, stopped. [T'an-yao] wore his

robes in secret, and the utensils did not leave him for a moment.

Those who heard of it praised and honored him.

When Kao-tsung [452-465] mounted the throne the

following decree was issued: "As for emperors and princes, they

must respect the supernatural powers and render illustrations the

practise of fellow-feeling. As for those who can have compassion

upon the people and benefit all classes, even tho they belong to

antiquity, their merits have been recorded. Consequently the Annals

approve the exhaltation of the intelligent, and the Sacrificial

Codes record those who applied themselves to the offerings.

But so much the more in the case of the Sakyatathagata; his

deeds aid the Grand Chiliocosm 3) and his mercy flows to

the ends of the earth. These who study [the question of] life and

death praise his penetrating insight, and those who have read his

teachings value his subtle intellect. He seconds the prohibitions


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and regulations of princes and governors, and is helpful to the

natural goodness of Fellow-feeling and Knowledge. IIe banishes

all error andpropagates perfect enlightenment.

Since theprevious

dynasties, therefore, most certainly has he been honored and esteemed,

and also our own government has always honored and served him.

"When Shih-tsu, the emperor T'ai-wu [424-451], enlarged our

frontier, his Virtue spread to the distance, and the Practitioners

of the Way of the Sramanas became skilled in the

practise of Perfect Sincerity, and men like Hui-shih came from afar.

The good example and the teachings had their effect on one another,

and [the monhs] were usually like a forest [i.e., present in crowds].

"Now, the depths of mountains and seas contain many monsters,

and the lewd and licentious can permit the betrayal of trust.

Within the preaching halls there came to be meetings of criminals,

so that Our predecessor, because of their wrong-doing, put to death

those of them who were guilty. The ofhcers, however, missing the

[emperor's real] intention forbade everything. The emperor Ching-mu

often grieved at conditions, but owing to the press of military and

state affairs, did not have the leisure to restore [Buddhism].

"We, receiving the illustrious succession and ruling over the

empire, plan to follow Our predecessor's intention of exalting this

Way. Today, command is given to the provinces, prefectures, and

sub-prefectures that in each place where people live in groups it

is permitted to erect one stupa. No limit is set to the amount

that may be expended. As for those who love and find pleasure

in the doctrine of the Way and want to become sramanas, without

distinction of age, if they come from a good family, if their con-

duct and actions are normally sincere and free from all doubt and

indecency, and if they are known in a village, they may quit their

homes for the monastic life: as a rule, fifty individuals from a

large province and forty from a small province. As for the prefectures


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far removed from the capital, ten individuals, each with his

particular charge, are entirely sufficient to convert the evil to

good and to spread the doctrine of the Way" 1). The empire im-

mediately took up the example, and the stupas and monasteries

which had been previously destroyed were restored to their former

condition. The statues of the Buddha, the sutras and the sastras

all succeeded in reappearing.

The metropolitan sramana Shih-hsien gffi #f , a relative of the

king of Kashmir, having entered the order young, came east toLiang.-ch'4ng 3) yR After Liang was subdued he went on to

the capital. While Buddhism was forbidden, Shih-hsien, disguising

himself as a medical practitioner, reverted to the lay life but ob-

served the doctrine without alteration. On the very day of the

restoration he became a sramana again. As for him and his

associates, [altogether] five men, the emperor personally performedthe hair-cutting ceremony for them, and Shih-hsien as before

became Chief of the Members of the This same

year the officials were ordered to make a statue of stone in the

likeness of the emperor. When finished it had on both face and

feet black stones whose dark color was like tha black spots which

covered theemperor's body.

Those who discussed thequestion

considered it the result of his perfect sincerity.

In the autumn of the first year of the period IIsing-kuang

[4541 the officials were ordered to cast in metal in the

grand monastery of the Five-storied stupa 4) for the five emperors


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'1"ien-an" [466]. That year Liu Yii 1) ?J? and the governor

of Hsii-chou Hsieh An-tu 3) £§ flQ §fl§, first came and

offered the submission of cities and territory 4). The following year[the emperor] had possession of all the land north of the Iluai 5).

In this year at the time of Kao-tsu's birth 6) there was

erected the Yung-ning monastery 7) jJ'\ and the Seven-

storeyed pagoda 8) over three hundred feet high, its base and frame

being vast and high, so that it ranked first in the empire.

Moreover,in

the 'r'ien-kung monastery °) there was madean erect statue of §akya[muni] forty-three feet high which used

one hundred thousand pounds of copper and six hundred

pounds of gold £h .

In the Huang-hsing period [467-471] there was erected

a three-storeyed pagoda of stone - the beams, the chevrons, the

lintels,and the

pillars, carefully joinedfrom

topto bottom, were

all of stone! 1°) - one hundred feet high. Being strong and a fine

piece of workmanship, it was the attraction of the capital.

When Kao-tsu ascended the throne Ilsien-tsu went away 1) to

the Ch'ung-kuang palace in the Pei-yüan 12)

where hc read books on the Mystery. He erected a I)eerpark stupa


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at the Yen-fang 1) Meditation Chambers D -m ijij. 1i!:, where

Meditation lived, on the Western Mountain of the

garden, ten li to the right [= west] of the Tsung-kuang [palace].In the fourth month, the summer, of the second year of the

period Yen-hsing [472] this decree was issued 2) : "Bhik?us,

without residing in a monastery or dwelling, have been wandering

about from hamlet to village and mingling with the lawless for

years. It is [now] ordered that, among the people, groups of five

protect themselves and not be allowed to receive unregistered monks.Let us zealously apply the regulations 3). When there are any, let

them be handed over to the military post of the province; in a

metropolitan district let them be handed over to the official of

that place. In the case of those who go about among the people

to teach and convert for the Three Jewels, when outside [the

metropolitan area]let them be

providedwith a letter from the

vVei-na 4) §@ #Q of the military post of the province; when in

the metropolitan area fr, let them be provided with a sealed

letter from the Wei-na of the capital; then they will be allowed

to go about. Violators [of this order] will be punished."

Anothcr decree read: "In the metropolitan area and in the

outer provinces men are laying up large measures of meritorious

k-ar?ina in erecting stfpas and monasteries which are enormous in

size and of vast renown and entirely fitting to glorify the Supreme

Doctrine. But, the ignorant are each [trying to] surpass the other,

and the poor and rich are vying with one another in squandering

their wealth. While bending their energies towards preserving


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be the female." The emperor was moved and sighed: "Altho human

affairs and those of birds differ, in nature and feelings what is the

differ ence :a" Thereupon it was decreed: "Birds of prey are forbidden.It is not allowed to keep them."

In the eighth month of the first year of the period Ch'eng-

ming 1476J in the YungLning monastery Kao-tsu received

instruction and delivered a For the hundred and some

men and women of good families who were ordained monks and

nuns the emperor performed the hair cutting ceremony, and gavethem the robes of the order, commanding that they should cultivate

the doctrine and the commandments, and transfer the merit to

Hsien-tsu.

In the same month command was given to erect the Chien-ming

monastery 2) m M .

In the secund month of the firstyear

of theperiod

T'ai-hoflu

[477] the emperor went to the Yung-ning monastery to keep a fast.

Pardon was granted to the criminals guilty of capital offenses.

In the third month, the emperor went to the Yung-ning

monastery to hold an assembly for the purpose of practising the

rites s) and of hearing the preaching. The emperor com-

manded the

Privy

Council and the

Imperial

Secretariat 4) to examine

and discuss with the monks the meaning of Buddha, and to present

to them clothes and precious utensils according to their rank.

In addition, on the mountain Fang the place of T'ai-tsu's

camp, there was built the Ssiz-yuan monastery 5),


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From the Hsing-kuang period 1) [454/5] down to this

time [476] the monasteries, new and old, in the capital were about

one hundred, and the monks and nuns were two thousand odd..

Throughout the whole empire there were 6478 monasteries and 77,258

monks and nuns.

In the spring of the fourth year [480] the emperor ordered

that on the site of the falcon aviary there be built the Pao-t6

monastery 2) tR

In the autumn of the ninth year [485] an official reported

that the nun Iiui-hsiang 3) QJ fi of the prefecture Shang-ku 4)

was dead on the Northern Mountain under a pine tree,

but that her corpse was undecomposed now for three years, and

that men and women were coming to see her by hundreds and

thousands. At that time all marvelled at it.

In the winter of the tenth year [486] an official reported:

"We formerly received the imperial order: 'At the beginning of

enforced registrations the people have tried their luck at falsely

declaring themselves religious n with a view to escaping taxes

and imposts. Let the unregistered [with a monastery] monks and

nuns be unfrocked and returned to the laity'.

"We were ordered by a second decree: 'As for the inspection

of monks and nuns, let the members of the monasteries 5)


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and the *i make a careful examination in their

respective monasteries. Those who carry out the doctrine perfectly

and diligently are to be allowed to remain in the order as before.

Those whose practises are wordly and vulgar, whether registered or

unregistered, are all to be unfrocked and returned to the laity'.

"Today, those who, in accordance with the imperial decrees,

have been unfrocked and returned to the laity throughout all the

provinces [numberJ, monks and nuns together, 1327 persons.", The

report was approved.

In the sixteenth year [492] a decree was issued: "On the eighth

day of the fourth month and the fifteenth day of the seventh month

it is permitted the large provinces to ordain 100 persons as monks

and nuns, middle-sized provinces to ordain 50, and the small pro-

vinces to ordain 20. That this may be taken as the normal rule,

it is issued in the form of an edict."

In the seventeenth year [493] it was decreed that there should

be set up a code for the saygha in 47 sections

In the fourth month of the nineteenth year the emperor

paid a visit to the White Stupa Monastery ÉJ in the

province of IIsii 2) He turned and addrcssed the princes

and attendants: "This monastery has recently had renowned monks.

The Master of the Law [Sêng- ]sung 3) who received the

Ch'eng-shih-lun 4) from Kumarajiva carried on the trans-

mission [of that text] here. Later he taught it to the Master of the

Law [Sêng-lyüan 1) and the latter handed it on to the two


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Masters of the Law and [Hui-]chi 2) 11

We have often studied the Ch'6ng-shih-lun which can explain man's

subtle nature. Therefore, we have come to this monastery."

During that time the sramana Tao-t6ng, who fittingly followed

the precepts, became the favourite of Kao-tsu and often attended

upon him to explain the Once, when he was

talking at night with the emperor in the imperial apartments,

they both saw a spirit q. In the twentieth year he died,

and Kao-tsu, regretting deeply his loss, issued the order to present

one thousand pieces of silk [for his funeral expensesJ. In addition

he inaugurated a fast for all the monks and ordered the capital

to practise the rites 3) for seven days. It was further decreed:

"Our teacher, the Master of the Law [Tao-]têng, has suddenly

departed, and are overcome with unquenchable distress.

Until medecine cures [Our] grief, [We] shall not be allowed to

attend [the funeral. Yet, as befits respect due a teacher, We weep

outside our door, and make offerings to his departed spirit" 4).

There was a sramana from the west, whose name was [? Buddha-]

bhadra 5) 1mL. He cultivated the Way, and was greatly honored

and trusted by Kao-tsu. An imperial order was given that on the


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northern slope of the Shao-shih 1) #' % mountain there should

be erected the Shao-lin monastery to lodge him, and that

his food and clothes should be provided at state expense.

. In the fifth month of the twenty-first year an imperial

order was issued: "Whereas the Master of the Law Kumarajiva

may be called a man who has quit the world 2) 1î. 7y like a

divinity and who resolutely entered upon the Four Practises 3)

Il9 and whereas the monastery which he constantly inhabited

still has surplus land; and whereas we respect and take pleasure

in the traces of his practises which affect deeply [all] far and near;

permission is granted to erect in his memory a three-storied stupa

on the site of the old building [which he inhabited].

"Moreover, he suffered the misfortune of being forced to marry,

and gave his body for the Way 4). Since he shared the lay life


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for a time and must have descendants, permission is given to

search [them] out and make a report. We must have a meeting

with them."

Before this there had been established the office of chien-fu')

§§j . Then its name was changed to chao-hsuan 2) §fl £ with

complete jurisdiction to decide matters pertaining to the Samgha.

In the time of Kao-tsu ?471-499] the sramanas Tao-shun

Hui-chio 3) 1:, Seng-i 4) íl :g, I-Iui-chi 5) 11 @fl ,

Seng-fan 6) Tao-pien 7) Hui-tu Chih-tan 8)

1l §§ , S4ng-hsien 9) m, S4ng-I íj £ , and S4ng-li

were respected for their practises in accordance 1v-ith. the precepts.

While Shih-tsung was on the throne, in the autumn

of the first year of the period Yung-p'ing j fl [508] a decree

was issued: "Since the religious and laity differ, the laws and

vinaya are also different. Consequently, the Way [Buddhism] and

the [imperial] instructions become known by mutual manifestation,

and the prohibitions [of Buddhism] and the encouragements [of the

government] have each their own respective sphere of action.


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From today whenever the monks commit the crime of murder or

a more serious [crime] they shall, as is usual, be judged like a

layman. All other offences shall be submitted to the chao-hsiian

and shall be decided according to the vinaya and the special code

for the monks"

In the winter of the second year [509] the Chief of the Monks,

Hui-shên 2) m presented [a report]: "Whereas in the vast

body of monks and nuns good and bad are intermingled; and

whereas they do not follow the code of prohibitions and the diligent

and careless are not differentiated; therefore, along with the whole

group of Masters of the Law, those [skilled] in the sutras and

those [skilled] I in the vinaya, we have discussed and set up a

regulation: In the prefectures and military posts of the provinces

the karmadanas, the superiors 3) and the members of the

monastery are severally ordered to train themselves in the command-

ments and vinaya, and entirely in accordance with the prohibitions

of the order. Any one [of these three classes] who does not know

the vinaya will be returned to his original grade [i.e., he will

become a layman].

"Persons who have left their homes to enter the monastic life

ought not transgress the Law and heap up the Eight Impure Things 4)

but [rather] the regulations of the sutras and vinaya

[should] on all occasions be the rule. According to the

vinaya, carts, cattle, and servants 1) are Impure Things and may


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not be kept personally [by the monks]. However, in the case of

one who is aged or sick, or more than sixty years of age, there

is restriction to one carriage.

Moreover, of late some monks and nuns thro their religious

contracts g j have been letting out their private property at

interest. From new on they may not contime to do so 1).

"One who leaves his home to enter the monastic life and

abandons hindrances is entirely free from the observances of

mourning, and shall not abandon the religious life to follow the

lay. If he hears from afar of the death of a parent or of [one of]I

his three teachers 2), he may be permitted to mourn for three days.

If he is in the same locality [as the dead] the limit [for mourning]

is set at seven days.

"There are cases where [monks], without inhabiting a monastery,

roam about staying with the people. Confusion in the doctrine and

the commission of wrongs are entirely the result of such persons.

Violators shall be unfrocked and returned to the laity.

"When a monastery is built, the number of monks shall be

limited to fifty or more, and, after a petition has been presented,

permission will be granted to build. If anyone builds on his own

accord, he shall be punished for the crime of violating an im-

perial edict.

"The regulations of the monks and nuns are not for the use

of the laity. Violators shall be handed back to those in whose

jurisdiction they are.

"As for foreign monks and nuns who come to join us, seeking

out the best and those of good behavior in accord with the Tripitaka,


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permit them to stay; if they are not of good behavior, they shall be

sent away to their own countries. If they do not go, their wrongdoings

shall be punished in accordance with the regulations for the samgha."

A decree was issued in accordance with this [memorial].

Previous to this time on the Heng-nung-ching

mountain there was made a sixteen-foot statue of serpentine. In

the winter of the third year [510] it was received and erected at

the Pao-t6 1 j monastery on the bank of the Lo 1%, and

Shih-tsung itt personally visited and paid it honor.

In the summer of the fourth year [51 1] a decree was issued:

"The saygha's millet was originally intended 2) to be distributed

as an aid. In years of famine it was to be loaned out, but in

years of plenty, it was to be collected and stored. To the monks

and nuns in the monasteries it was to be distributed at

will, and when the people were in poverty, they too were to be

immediately helped [by distribution of grain]. '1'he directors and

officials, however, being covetous of gain, have plotted to collect

interest, and in collecting the debts they have not taken into

consideration whether there had been rain or drought. There are

cases where the interest exceeds the principal; and there are cases

where the contracts have been altered. They have gradually ruined

the people without limit, and the cries and sufferings of the people

have increased yearly and monthly. This is not the way to alleviate

this poverty, and to hold in honor Our original intention of being

solicitous for and helping [the people].

"From today on the charge is not to be given to the Chief

Karmadiinas-1). Permission is given to have all the governors


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given the additional [title of]

[with powers] to inspect all the provinces where there are localities

possessing Samgha-grain. They are to list for each province theoriginal amount [of grain on hand], the payments and receipts at

interest, the amounts given to help [the destitute], and the year

and month of repayment. When [the loan] has not been repaid, ,

they are to present a report to the record [department] at the

capital 2) In cases where the interest exceeds the

principal, and where the original contracts have been altered, thedebt shall be remitted in accordance with the law and shall not

be collected. In the case of private debts repaid to the Samghas

to be straightway used in gifts to the people, there may be no

investigation. When loans are made in the future, the poor and

needy shall be taken care the first. The regulations for collection

shall conformentirely

to the oldprovisions.

The richmay

not

make loans on their own accord, and if they still expose them-

selves to excesses, they shall be punished by law."

The Kao Chao 3) presented a

report to the throne, saying: "I respectfully call attention to the

fact that according to the memorial presented long ago in the

first year of the period Ch'6ng-ming IN [476] by the former

Chief of Sramanas T'an-yao two hundred families from the military

households of Liang, consisting of Chao Kou-tziz and

others, became Samgha-households to be employed in storing up

grain to render help in years of dearth. Without distinction of

religious or laity all were to be given help.

"According to the law of the order the Samgha-households

may not belong to one monastery in particular, but the karmadanas


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of the capital 1), Seng-hsien ít and Seng-p'in ') ff1 , violating

an imperial command and acting contrary to their own vinaya, and

spreading their own ideas and following their own inclinations, seek

by memorial an oppressive order 3), and thus cause iiiiiri-nurings of

grief to fill the highways. Fifty odd individuals, abandoning their

children and taking life, have perished by self-imposed hanging or

drowning. Is this respecting and upholding Your Majesty's purpose

to nurture [His people] with sollicitude? They utterly neglect

Your Majesty's intention to take the Refuges. Then, they arecausing those [people] to go about crying in the streets and alleys

their complaints which have no place of resort, and, ears pierced

with white feathers 4), to file their accusations at the palace gate.

Ordinary people look upon this with compassion and grief, how

much the less can the solicitous and kind be content with it:

"Ibeg

that it bepermitted [Chao]

Kou-tzü and the others to

return to their homes to pay taxes; that in years of dearth gifts

be made everywhere to the poor and needy. If there is any

disobedience [in carrying out this distribution] let [the guilty] be

condemned to guard the frontier. As for the excesses of [Seng-]

hsien and the others in disobeying an imperial command, in dis-

regarding the

vinaya,

and in presenting a fallacious memorial, it is

requested that they be handed over to the for prosecution

and punishment in accordance with the laws for the Samgha."

It was decreed: "As for [Seng-]hsien and the others, let them be


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specially pardoned. The rest [is to be carried out] according to the

memorial."

Shih-tsung had a sincere regard for the principlesof Buddhism, and every year he often explained personally the

sutras and sastras in the palace. He gathered together from far

and wide illustrious monks to make known and explain the

meanings of the precepts The sramanas wrote up [these things]

as the doings of the court 2).

Since the emperor honored them [the monks], the people esteemedthem still more. In the period Yen-ch'ang the

monasteries 3) of monks and nuns in the provinces and prefectures

of the empire numbered 13,727 4), and their adherents were very

numerous.

In the first year of the period Hsi-p'ing 5) [516] order was

givento send the monk

Hui-shengon mission to the western

countries to gather all the sutras and vinayas. In the winter of the

third year of the period Cheng-huang lE 7t; [522] he returned to

the capital. The one hundred and seventy sutras and sastras which

were obtained are current.

In the spring of the second year [517] the empress dowager

Liiig issued this order: "It has been the rule for

years to ordain monks under restrictions. In the case of a large


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province which is allowed one hundred individuals, let the prefectures

of the province ten days before [the date of choosing] send three

hundred individuals; let the middle-sized provinces [send] twohundred; the small provinces, one hundred. The Chief' Karmadana

province with the officials are to choose and

fill the [required] number with greatest care. If there are none

of refined behavior, a haphazard choice is not to be made. If they

choose incapable persons, the governor, as the chief, shall be

sentenced forviolating

animperial decree.

The t'ai-shou

the hsien-liny §§ and their colleagues shall be tried conjointly

according to rank, and the Chief Karmadana 1) shall be removed

five hundred li away to become an [ordinary] monk in a different

province.

"From now on slaves, both male and female, shall not be

permittedto

quittheir homes to become

religious,and the

princesand Our kin also shall not be allowed to present a special memorial

requesting [permission for slaves to be ordained]. Those who disobey

will be sentenced for opposing an imperial decree.

"As for the monks and nuns who ordain of their own accord

other men's slaves, male or female, they too shall be removed five

hundred li away to be religious.

"'rhe monks and nuns in many instances are keeping relatives

and the children of other persons' slaves, and when they are ot

age they ordain them as pupils. From today on this is forbidden

and those who act to the contrary shall be returned to the laity,

and those who are being kept will revert to their original class.

The members of a monastery who permit one [such] individual to

remain [in the monastery] shall be banished for a distance of 500 li;

if they permit two, for a distance of 1000 li. As for the monk


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who was ordained in private - all is the result of the Three Heads I)

[of the monastery] ; the fault is not his.

"Since too much excess has beentolerated,

fromtoday on,

if one individual is ordained in private, all shall be sentenced for

opposing an imperial decree: with the 2) as the

chief, each leader of the li ta.n,q 4) 1ti shall be degraded

one degree. In a sub-prefecture if fifteen individuals [have been

ordained privately], in a prefecture, thirty, and in a provincial

military center, thirty, the oflicials shall be removed from office,

and their colleagues shall be tried conjointly according to rank.

The individuals who are ordained in private shall be condemned to

menial service in the province in question." But the laws and

prohibitions at the time 5) were relaxed or removed entirely, so it

was impossible to make them inspire respect.

In the first part of the period Ching-ming

Shih-tsung had ordered the Pai Ch6ng 6)

model the caves of the Ling-yen 7)

monastery at the capital in Tail) .f% , and, south of Lo

[-yang] in the I-chiieh 9) mountain to build two caves in

the rock to Kao-tsu and [his consort] the empress dowager


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W6n-chao 1) 3t lffl. At the very beginning of the work the crests

of the caves were 310 feet from the ground. In the second year

[505] of the period Cheng-shih they began to cut out themountain 230 feet [from the ground]. Then the

Wang Chih 2) said that if the mountain were cut away too

high up, it would waste labour and be difficult to complete. He

presented a memorial asking that [the height] be lowered to one

hundred feet from the ground, and that in a north and south

direction[they

shouldextend]

for 140 feet.During

theperiod

Yung-p'ing [008-512 ? the Liu T,6ng 8) Up jr #i§

memorialized the throne to construct an additional cave for Shih-

tsung, making three in all. From the first year [5001 of the

period Ching-ming to the sixth month, exclusively, of the fourth

year [523] of the period Chêng-kuang there had been employed

8()2,a366 work-days 4).

In the period Hsi-p'ing fll of the emperor

Su-tsung within the city, west of the T'ai-she

there was erected the Yung-ning P91 monastery e). The empress

dowager Ling in person with all the officials erected a mast of

7). The stupa was of nine stories, and 400 and some feet


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high 1). Its total cost was incalculable. The stupa of the Ching-

ming 2) monastery was even its inferior. As to the stupas

and monasteries [erected at] public and private [expense], theywere very numerous.

In the winter of the first year [518] of the period Sh6n-kuei

the and Ch'6ng 3), Prince- "


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of Jen-ch'eng memorialized the

throne: "Let us respectfully reflect upon Kao-tsu [471-499] who

set up the tripods 1) on [Mount] Sung 2) I1i and on [the banks of]]the Ch'an 3) 11, and divined by the tortoise-shell a long line of

descent. 1'lanning and devising everything, his regulations set in

harmony heaven and man. Creating his institutions, and breaking

in two the tablets of investiture, he has transmitted them to our

descendants forever. Accordingly, the regulations for the capital

read: 'Within thecity

it is decided that there shall beonly

the

one site for the Yung-ning f? monastery, and within the first

suburb there is to be only one nunnery. All the rest shall be

outside the city and the first suburb.' It was his desire that we

should long follow this regulation, and that none should dare

infringe upon the precedent.

"In the beginning of the period Ching-ming (300--503] there

were slight infringements of this prohibition. Shih-tsung

therefore, respectfully renewing his predecessor's desires, issued a

clear decree that within the city there should not be built and

erected stupas and monasteries for the monks and nuns - he

wanted to check their hopes and desires. Is it that the two emperors

[Kao-tsu Hsiao-]wen [471-4f)9] and [Shih-tsung

Hsuan-]wu did not like and esteem

Buddhism? Because the religious and laity have different goals,

they arranged that the two should not be confused. Nevertheless,

the laity have been dazzled by the empty glory [of building], and

the monks have been greedy for rich favors. Altho there was a

clear prohibition, they have taken upon themselves to build.


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"In the third year [506] of the period Ch6ng-shih JE iâ, the

Chief of the Sramanas Ifui-sli6n, there being some violations of

theprohibitions

of theperiod Ching-ming

said:

'As for the monasteries which have been completed, we cannot

bear that they should be removed and destroyed. It is requested

that from today on it be no longer permitted to build [within the

proscribed limits].' The previous edicts being relaxed, and the laws

being suppressed upon request, the formerly issued proclamations

were rolled up again and not executed. Later there ensued every-

where a hurly-burly of visits on private business.

"In the second year [509] of the period Yung-p'ing

and the others again set up regulations. Their circular

read: today on, when one wants to build a monastery, if the

monks are limited to fifty or more and a report is made, per-

mission will be granted to build. If anyone build on his own

accord, [he shall be punisbedl like a layman guilty of violating

an imperial edict. The monks of this monastery will be exiled to

the provinces.

"For the last ten years the building [of monasteries] on one's

own accord has increased, but punishments and exiles have not

been heard of. Is it not that, altho the court's regulations are clear,

all do wrong while putting their trust in morit P The regulations

for the Samgha merely stand there, and out of regard for profit

none follow them. It is peculiar neither to the laity nor to the

religious, [this] bending of one's energies to break the law. But

can the insatiableness of man know no limit?

"Now their teachings are most profond, and are not the things

which a frivolous intellect would understand. The vastnesses and

silences of the Mystic Sect can they be discussed in a few

words? But a pure dwelling free from the world is what the

religious prefer. The doctrine of merit is obscure and profound,


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and lays no value upon sham and dissitnulation. If they can

sincerely believe that a child who builds [at play] a stupa of sand

can attain the and that modestrepast

could be served between a pair of trees, what necessity is there

to give free rein to their thefts in order to build monasteries $f(?

This is a case where 'when the people entrust themselves much

to luck there is no prosperity' 3).

"Of late, however, private construction has surpassed a hundred.

[People] go to request public land in order to strengthen their own

merit, or, succeeding in building a monastery by permission, they

extend the laws beyond their limits. Such deceptions and wrongs

amount to no small figure.

"Your minister with his poor talents truly disgraces the position

which he holds. But respectfully following established customs, as

Chief of the Boards of Works, he has opened up and examined

the old decrees, and pondered upon their plans and provisions.

Of his own accord he has sent a subordinate to his secretary


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Lu Ch'ang 1) ,#§ §£ Ts'ui Hsiao-fen 2)

into the capital and first suburb to inspect the monasteries. Their

numbersurpasses

fivehundred,

notincluding

the vacantground,

the mast of chattra, and the stupas which arc not yet completed.

This is the result of the