A Memorandum regarding the Bone of the Buddha
Han Yu
(translation by B.W. Van Norden; January 13, 2006)
[Translator's Introduction: The Fengxiang Temple had a religious artifact, a finger bone
that was supposedly from the Buddha himself. In 819 CE, the Emperor was going to
participate in a ceremony in which the bone was to be taken out of the temple and
venerated in a long procession that would culminate in the bone being taken to the royal
palace. A "memorandum" (
表
, often translated "memorial") is an official
communication to the Emperor. This memorandum by Han Yu is a major statement in
the Confucian revival of the Tang and Song dynasties, and expresses the Confucian
opposition to Buddhism.]
I, you servant Han Yu, offer the following opinion: I submit that Buddhism is simply a
barbarian teaching.
From the Later Han Dynasty it has infiltrated China.i It never existed in high
antiquity. Formerly, the Yellow Emperor was on the throne for 100 years, and lived to be
111 years old. Shao Hao was on the throne for 80 years, and lived to be 100 years old.
Zhuan Xu was on the throne for 79 years, and lived to be 98 years old. Emperor Ku was
on the throne for 70 years, and lived to be 105 years old. Emperor Yao was on the throne
for 98 years, and lived to be 118 years. Emperors Shun and Yu both lived to be 100
years old. These were periods of great tranquility. The commoners were at peace, happy
and long-lived. Yet China did not yet have Buddhism. Afterwards, in the Shang
Dynasty, King Tang also lived to be 100 years old. Tang's descendent Tai Wu was on
the throne for 75 years. His descendent Wu Ding was on the throne for 59 years. The
histories do not state how long they lived, but we can deduce that it was probably no less
than 100 years. In the Zhou Dynasty, King Wen lived to be 97 years old. King Wu lived
to be 93 years old. King Mu was on the throne for 100 years. During this period,
Buddhist teachings had still not entered China. It was not because they served Buddhism
that they reached such points.ii
It was in the time of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty that there began to be
Buddhist teachings (in China). Emperor Ming was on the throne a mere 18 years. After
