《资治通鉴·唐纪·唐纪二十五》
上古圣君如黄帝、唐尧、虞舜、大禹、商汤、周文王和周武王等人，都是凭着他们的勤俭节约和道德仁义来创建功德垂名后世的，两晋和刘宋以来，各朝竞相建造佛家寺塔，而各朝的死丧祸乱也接连不断。这是由于各朝君臣喜好失当，竞相崇尚奢侈豪华从而使百姓痛苦不堪所造成的。
昔黄帝、尧、舜、禹、汤、文、武惟以俭约仁义立德垂名，晋、宋以降，塔庙竞起，而丧乱相继，由其好尚失所，奢靡相高，人不堪命故也。
The holy kings of ancient times, such as Huangdi, Tang Yao, Yu Shun, Da Yu, Shang Tang, King Wen of Zhou, and King Wu of Zhou, all relied on their diligence, frugality, and moral benevolence to create merits and reputations for future generations. Since the two Jins and Liu Song dynasties, various dynasties have competed to build Buddhist pagodas, and the deaths and disasters of various dynasties have continued. This is because the monarch and ministers of each dynasty have improper preferences, compete for luxury and luxury, which makes the people miserable.