Book I 115country. This religion now thrives to the extent that temples stand tall every-
where, and the country is filled with those who have shaved heads and wear
monk’s robes.
“Since Buddhism originally taught “obtaining a pure mind and restraining
desires” (ch’ŏngjŏng kwayok), what its believers should do is retire into
remote mountains and cultivate their minds, eating nothing but vegetables
and drinking nothing but water. Notwithstanding, they choose to live among
the common people and confuse the scholars with sophisticated words and
reasoning, or scare ignorant people, saying that the evils and sins com-
mitted in the present world will be punished after death. Meanwhile, they
have led the people into a snare and made them corrupt enough to forget to
return to what they used to be. They themselves amass fortunes and enjoy
womanizing, riding fat horses, and wearing light robes. Their immoralities
know no limits, undermining the state and making the people sick, and no
problem is more serious than they. Let them all be gathered, and evaluate
their learning and virtue. If they are learned and virtuous, allow them to
pursue their own ways. As for the rest, make them grow their hair and
return to their old ways of living.
“Tenth is to tighten the control of access to the royal palace. The purpose
of building the royal palace and its gate is to elevate the king’s majesty and
demarcate clearly between the inside and the outside of the royal palace.
Though Your Majesty rose to the throne with the help of Heaven and inau-
gurated a new dynasty, your old friends and relatives frequent the palace,
and the guards at the gate dare not prevent their entry.
“As a result, we are concerned that requests for special favors can prolif-
erate and slanderous words find their ways, estranging one from another
and bringing disorder in state affairs and the administration of justice.
Therefore, we request that you strictly order the gate guards to prevent
people, especially those who have no official duties, such as female visitors
and shaman sorceresses, from entering the royal gate.
“We believe that since trust [one’s word] (sin) is a priceless treasure
(taebo) of the king, the state is preserved by the people, and the people by
reliability. For this reason, the sage ruler would rather give up his army and
provision than his trust. The meaning of this precept is profound.
“Unless the king displays trust [keeps his word] in establishing discipline
and order and administering rewards and punishments, discipline and order
will be in disarray and rewards and punishments will be distributed unfairly.
Unless he demonstrates trust [keeps his word] in having good people close