緇門警訓 10.14

10.14

太宰嚭問孔子曰。夫子聖人歟。對曰。丘也博識強記。非聖人也。又問。三王聖人歟。對曰。三王善用智勇。聖非丘所知。又問。五帝聖人歟。對曰。五帝善用仁義。聖非丘所知。又問。三皇聖人歟。對曰。三皇善用時政。聖非丘所知。太宰大駭曰。然則孰為聖人乎。夫子動容有間曰。丘聞西方有聖者焉。不治而不亂。不言而自信。不化而自行。蕩蕩乎人無能名焉。據斯以言。孔子深知佛為大聖也。時緣未昇故默而識之。有機故舉。然未得昌言其致矣。

Grand Minister Pi asked Confucius, saying, “Is the Master a sage?”
He replied, “Qiu is merely one of broad learning and strong memory; I am not a sage.”
He asked again, “Were the Three Kings sages?”
He replied, “The Three Kings were skilled in employing wisdom and courage; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu.”
He asked again, “Were the Five Emperors sages?”
He replied, “The Five Emperors were skilled in employing benevolence and righteousness; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu.”
He asked again, “Were the Three Sovereigns sages?”
He replied, “The Three Sovereigns were skilled in employing the governance of the seasons; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu.”
The Grand Minister was greatly astonished and said, “If so, then who is a sage?”
The Master’s expression changed, and after a pause he said, “Qiu has heard that in the west there is a sage: he does not govern, yet there is no disorder; he does not speak, yet he is spontaneously trusted; he does not convert, yet [the Way] is spontaneously practiced. So vast is he that no one is able to name him!”
Judging by this, Confucius well knew that the Buddha was the Great Sage. Because the temporal conditions had not yet ripened, he kept silent and noted it inwardly. When an opportunity arose, he brought it up; yet he was not able to proclaim its import openly.