維摩經略疏垂裕記 4.94

4.94

Ninth, receiving secular scriptures. Regarding 'Secular scriptures of this region are the Five Classics,' and so on: The Odes says: 'The statutes of King Wen'; the Commentary says: 'Statute means model,' referring to instructional models. The Shiming says: 'Classic means pathway; statute means constant.' This means that, like a pathway, there is nowhere it does not lead, and it may be constantly used. Regarding 'Five Classics': The Baihu tong says: 'The Changes, the Documents, the Odes, the Rites, and the Music.' In antiquity, together with the Spring and Autumn Annals, they were the Six Classics. When the Qin burned the books, the Classic of Music was lost. Nowadays, the Changes, Documents, Odes, Rites, and Spring and Autumn Annals are taken as the Five Classics. Furthermore, the Rites has the Rites of Zhou, the Ceremonial Rites, and the Record of Rites, which are called the Three Rites. The Spring and Autumn Annals has the three commentaries of Zuo, Gongyang, and Guliang. Counted together with the Changes, Documents, and Odes, they are also called the Nine Classics. Now, saying 'and so on' takes up the Six and the Nine by extension. Moreover, discussing secular scriptures comprehensively, they should be subsumed under four categories, namely classics, histories, masters, and anthologies. The Book of Tang says: 'The Four Repositories of books in the Academy of Scholarly Worthies totaled eighty-nine thousand fascicles,' which is this. 'Classics' are as explained above. 'Histories' refer to the dynastic histories from Sima Qian and Ban Gu downward. 'Masters' refer to the texts of the hundred masters such as Laozi, Zhuangzi, Wenzi, and Liezi. 'Anthologies' refer to the collected writings left by ancient worthies. Here, it merely cites the classics and takes up the remaining three by extension; hence it says 'and so on.' Regarding 'In the Western lands,' and below: The four Vedas, as in the record explaining the general preface, [and] the eighteen great classics, are all non-Buddhist texts. Regarding 'Yet capable of [using] yellow leaves,' and so on: The 'Chapter on the Deeds of an Infant' in the Great Sūtra [says that] just as parents stop an infant's crying by treating yellow leaves as gold to illustrate false permanence—human and deva [existences] are truly all impermanent, yet the Tathāgata says that the Thirty-three Devas are permanent because he wishes to make ordinary beings leave the suffering of the three wretched paths, just like stopping crying—now, Jingming clarifies secular scriptures to guide people, and his intention is likewise. Regarding 'Placing poison in milk': This is also an analogy in the Great Sūtra. Now, secular scriptures are like milk, and the Buddha-Dharma of permanence and bliss is like placing poison. Because of delighting in the Buddha-Dharma, although he cites secular scriptures, his intention resides in the Mahāyāna, thereby causing them in the future to enter the inconceivable Dharma-gate, just like poison taking effect and killing a person. Jingxi says: 'Signaling the principle within it, it will certainly kill the person later.'