the land of Yamato should worship the devils of heaven and earth, in
the name of the holy mysteries of the Buddha.

338. It is a mark of the downward way of this evil age that men
despise the name of priest or monk as a mean thing, considering them
like unto slaves.

339. May they yet bring offerings with homage unto the priests, even
as you do unto Saliputra or Mahamonugalyayana, those two great
servants of the Lord; though they are priests but in name and
without discipline, for this is the time of degeneration and of the
last days.

340. Though sin hath no substance in itself, and is but the shadow
of our illusion, and soul is in itself pure, yet in all this world
is there no sincere man.

341. Great sorrow is it that, in the wicked world of this age now so
near its end, the high priests who are born in the palankin, and the
monks who bear it now in Nara and Mount Hiyei, desire high secular
rank as the greatest honour.

342. That they consider the monk and nun as their slaves, and mock
at the honourable title of priest and minister, even as at the mean
name of slave, gives testimony that they despise the teaching of the
Buddha.

These sixteen psalms written above are written by me, Gutoku, with
lamentation, to be a record. To me even the honourable priests and
monks of the Central Temples seem now to be despised.