萬善同歸集 3.43

3.43

答：「儒道先宗，皆是菩薩，示劣揚化，同讚佛乘。老子云：『吾師號佛，覺一切民也。』《西昇經》云：『吾師化遊天竺，善入泥洹。』符子云：『老氏之師，名釋迦文。』列子云：『商太宰嚭問孔子曰：「夫子聖人歟？」孔子對曰：「丘博識強記，非聖人也。」又問：「三王聖人歟？」對曰：「三王善用智勇，非聖人也。」又問：「五帝聖人歟？」對曰：「五帝善用仁義，亦非丘所知。」又問：「三皇聖人歟？」對曰：「三皇善任因時，亦非丘所知。」太宰嚭大駭曰：「然則孰為聖人？」夫子動容有言曰：「丘聞西方聖者焉，不治而不亂，不言而自信，不化而自行，蕩蕩乎民無能名焉。」』《吳書》云：『吳主孫權問尚書令闞澤曰：「孔丘、老子得與佛比對以不？」闞澤曰：「若將孔老二家，比校遠方佛法，遠則遠矣。所以言者，孔老設教，法天制用，不敢違天；諸佛設教，諸天奉行，不敢違佛。以此言之，實非比對明矣。」吳主大悅，用闞澤為太子太傅。』《起世界經》云：『佛言：「我遣二聖，往震旦行化：一者、老子，是迦葉菩薩。二者、孔子，是儒童菩薩。」』明知自古及今，但有利益於人間者，皆是密化菩薩；惟大士之所明，非常情之所測。遂使寡聞淺識，起謗如烟；並是不了本宗，妄生愚執。事老君者，則飛符走印，鍊石燒金；施醮祭之鯹羶，習神仙之誑誕。入孔門者，志乖淳朴，意尚浮華；騁鸚鵡之狂才，擅蜘蛛之小巧。此皆違背先德，自失本宗。斯人不謗，焉顯其深？下士不笑，寧成其道？是以佛法如海，無所不包；至理猶空，何門不入？眾哲冥會，千聖交歸；真俗齊行，愚智一照。開俗諦也，則勸臣以忠、勸子以孝、勸國以紹、勸家以和；弘善示天堂之樂，懲非顯地獄之苦；不惟一字以為褒，豈止五刑而作戒。敷真諦也，則是非雙泯，能所俱空；收萬像為一真，會三乘歸圓極。非二諦之所齊，豈百家之所及。」

He replied: “The early founders of Confucianism and Daoism were both bodhisattvas who manifested inferiority to propagate transformation, uniting in praising the Buddha Vehicle. Laozi said: ‘My master is named Buddha; he enlightens all the people.’ The Xisheng jing says: ‘My master roamed and transformed Tianzhu (India), skillfully entering nirvāṇa.’ Fuji says: ‘The master of Laozi was named Śākyamuni.’ Liezi says: ‘Pi, the Grand Chancellor of the Shang court, asked Confucius: “Is the Master a sage?” Confucius replied: “Qiu is merely broadly learned and has a strong memory; he is not a sage.” He asked again: “Were the Three Kings sages?” He replied: “The Three Kings were adept at utilizing wisdom and courage; they were not sages.” He asked again: “Were the Five Emperors sages?” He replied: “The Five Emperors were adept at utilizing humaneness and righteousness; they too are not what Qiu understands [as sages].” He asked again: “Were the Three Sovereigns sages?” He replied: “The Three Sovereigns were adept at according with the times; they too are not what Qiu understands [as sages].” Chancellor Pi was greatly startled and said: “If so, then who is a sage?” The Master changed his expression and said: “Qiu has heard of a sage in the western regions: without governing, there is no disorder; without speaking, people naturally have trust; without transforming, people naturally conduct themselves [properly]. So vast! The people cannot find a name for him!”’ The Book of Wu says: ‘Sun Quan, the ruler of Wu, asked the Director of the Department of State Affairs, Kan Ze: “Can Kong Qiu (Confucius) and Laozi be compared with the Buddha or not?” Kan Ze said: “If one takes the two schools of Confucius and Laozi to compare them with the distant Buddhist Dharma, they are far apart indeed. The reason for saying this is that when Confucius and Laozi instituted teachings, they modeled themselves on Heaven to formulate institutions, not daring to contravene Heaven; when the Buddhas instituted teachings, the heavenly beings followed and practiced them, not daring to contravene the Buddha. Stated in this way, it is truly clear that there is no comparison.” The ruler of Wu was greatly pleased and appointed Kan Ze as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.’ The Qishijie jing says: ‘The Buddha said: “I dispatched two sages to go to Cīnasthāna (China) to carry out transformation: the first is Laozi, who is Kāśyapa Bodhisattva; the second is Confucius, who is the Bodhisattva Māṇava (Ru Tong).”’ From this, one clearly knows that from ancient times to the present, all who have benefited the human world are esoteric transformations of bodhisattvas; this is understood only by Mahāsattvas, not something that ordinary sentiments can fathom. Thus, those of narrow learning and shallow understanding raise slander like smoke; all this is because they fail to understand the fundamental tenets and falsely give rise to foolish attachments. Those who serve the Venerable Lord (Laozi) fly talismans and stamp seals, smelt cinnabar and burn gold; they perform the fishy and rank sacrifices of jiao rituals and practice the deceitful and extravagant lore of immortals. Those who enter the Confucian gate violate pure simplicity in their aspirations and esteem ostentatious superficiality in their minds; they display the manic talents of parrots and show off the petty cleverness of spiders. All these contravene earlier worthy masters and lose their own fundamental source. If such people did not slander it, how could its depth be manifested? If inferior people did not laugh at it, how could its Way be achieved? Therefore, the Buddha-Dharma is like the ocean, leaving nothing unencompassed; supreme principle is like empty space, leaving no gate unentered. The multitude of philosophers invisibly harmonizes with it, and a thousand sages cross over to return to it; paramārtha-satya and saṃvṛti-satya proceed together, foolishness and wisdom are equally illuminated. When unfolding saṃvṛti-satya, it admonishes ministers to be loyal, admonishes sons to be filial, admonishes states to carry on succession, and admonishes families to be harmonious; it promotes good by displaying the joys of the heavenly realms, and punishes wrongdoing by showing the torments of the hells; it does not merely use a single word of praise, nor does it stop at the five punishments to serve as admonitions. When expounding paramārtha-satya, right and wrong are both obliterated, subject and object are equally empty; it gathers the myriad phenomena into the one reality, and brings the three vehicles together to return to the perfect consummation. It is not something with which the [worldly] two truths can match, nor is it something that the Hundred Schools can reach.”