前魏時吳主崇重釋門為佛立塔寺因問三教優劣事二
Question of the King of Wu on the Merits of the Three Teachings
吳書云。孫權赤烏四年。有沙門康僧會者。是康居國大丞相之長子。神儀剛正遊化為任于時三國鼎峙各擅威衡。佛法北通未達南國。會欲道被未聞開教江表。初達建業營立茅茨設像行道。吳人初見。謂之妖異。有司奏聞。吳主問曰。佛有何神驗也。會曰。佛晦靈迹出餘千載。遺形舍利應現無方。吳主曰。若得舍利當為立塔。經三七日遂獲舍利五色曜天剖之逾堅燒之不然。光明出火作大蓮華炤曜宮殿。臣主驚嗟信情發起。因為造塔度人立寺。以其所住為佛陀里。教法創興。故遂名建初寺焉。尋下勅問尚書令闞澤曰。漢明已來。凡有幾年。佛教入漢既久。何緣始至江東。澤曰。自永平十年佛法初來。至今赤烏四年。則一百七十年矣。初永平十四年。五嶽道士與摩騰角力之時。道士不如。南嶽道士褚善信費叔才等。在會自憾而死。門徒弟子歸葬南嶽。不預出家無人流布。後遭漢政凌遲兵戎不息。經今多載始得興行。又問曰。孔丘老子得與佛比對不。澤曰。臣聞魯孔君者英才誕秀聖德不群。世號素王制述經典。訓獎周道教化來葉。師儒之風澤潤今古。亦有逸民如許成子原陽子莊子老子等百家子書皆修身自翫放暢。山谷縱太其心。學歸淡泊事乖人倫長幼之節。亦非安俗化物之風。至漢景帝。以黃子老子義體尤深。改子為經始立道學。勅令朝野悉諷誦焉。若將孔老二教遠方佛法。遠則遠矣。所以然者。孔老二教。法天制用不敢違天。諸佛設教。天法奉行不敢違佛。以此言之。實非比對。吳主大悅。以澤為太子太傅(餘如晉宗炳明佛論廣之)。
The Book of Wu records: In the fourth year of the Chiwu era (241 CE) of Sun Quan’s reign, a Buddhist monk named Kang Senghui, who was the eldest son of the Grand Chancellor of the Kangju Kingdom, arrived. He was upright and resolute by nature, and his mission was to spread the teachings. At that time, the three kingdoms were locked in a stalemate, each wielding their own power. The Dharma had spread to the north but had not yet reached the southern lands.
Kang Senghui wished to bring the teachings to those who had not yet heard them, beginning in the Jiangdong region. When he first arrived in Jianye, he set up a simple thatched hut, installed an image of the Buddha, and began to practice and teach. At first, the people of Wu saw this and considered it strange and suspicious. Officials reported it to the throne. The Wu ruler, Sun Quan, asked, "What miraculous powers does the Buddha possess?"
Kang Senghui replied, "The Buddha, in his hidden spiritual form, departed this world over a thousand years ago. Yet his relics, left behind, manifest miraculously without limit."
Sun Quan said, "If you can obtain a relic, I will build a stupa for it." After twenty-one days of effort, a relic was indeed obtained. It shone with five colors, illuminating the sky. When they tried to cut it, it became harder, and when they tried to burn it, it would not. Brilliant light burst forth, forming a great lotus flower that blazed throughout the palace. The ruler and his ministers were amazed and filled with faith, and in response, they built a stupa, ordained many people, and erected a monastery. Because it was Kang Senghui’s place of residence, the area was called the "Buddha’s Village." As the Dharma was being established here for the first time, the monastery was named "Jianchu Temple" (First Established Temple).
Soon after, Sun Quan issued an edict to the Imperial Secretary, Kan Ze, asking, "Since the time of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, how many years have passed? Buddhism entered the Han a long time ago—why has it only now arrived in Jiangdong?"
Kan Ze replied, "Since the first year of the Yongping era (58 CE) of Emperor Ming, when the Dharma first arrived, until the fourth year of the current Chiwu era (241 CE), it has been 170 years. In the fourteenth year of Yongping (71 CE), when the Taoist masters of the Five Sacred Mountains competed in miraculous powers with the monk Shemoteng (Kashyapa Matanga), the Taoists were defeated. The Taoist masters from the Southern Mountain, such as Chu Shanxin and Fei Shucai, were so ashamed at the gathering that they died of regret. Their disciples returned their remains to the Southern Mountain for burial. None of them became monks, so there was no one to spread the teachings. Later, the Han court fell into decline, and warfare never ceased. Only after many years of this did the teachings begin to flourish again."
Sun Quan then asked, "Can Confucius and Laozi be compared to the Buddha?"
Kan Ze replied, "I have heard that the sage Confucius of the Lu state was a gifted genius, surpassing all others in virtue. The world called him the ‘Uncrowned King,’ and he composed the classical scriptures. He taught and guided the ways of the Zhou dynasty, educating future generations. The influence of his teachings has nourished the world down to the present day. There were also recluses like Xu Chengzi, Yuan Yangzi, Zhuangzi, and Laozi, who wrote their own philosophical works. These men focused on self-cultivation for personal enjoyment, living freely in the mountains and valleys, indulging their minds. Their learning leaned toward simplicity and detachment, yet they disregarded the proper order of human relationships—the distinctions between young and old. Their ways were not suitable for pacifying society or transforming the people."
"During the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, because the works of Master Huang and Laozi contained profound principles, they were elevated from ‘masters’ to ‘scriptures,’ and the study of the Tao was officially established. The emperor decreed that all, both officials and commoners, should recite and study them. But if we compare Confucian and Taoist teachings to the Buddha’s Dharma—far, far apart they are. Why? Because Confucianism and Taoism follow the Way of Heaven, adapting heaven’s principles for worldly use, and dare not defy heaven. However, the Buddhas establish their teachings as the Dharma that even the heavens themselves must follow, and dare not defy the Buddha. For this reason, I say they cannot truly be compared."
The Wu ruler was greatly pleased and appointed Kan Ze as the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.
(Further details are found in the "Elucidation of the Buddha" by Zong Bing of the Jin Dynasty.)