佛祖統紀 35.126

35.126

司馬君實注曰。孟子言性善。不善者外物誘之也。荀子言性惡。其善者聖人教之也。是皆得其一偏。夫性者受於天以生者也。善與惡必兼有之。猶陰之與陽。聖人不能無惡。愚人不能無善。譬之於田稻粱蔾莠相與並生善治田者耨其蔾莠。而養其稻粱。不善治田者反之。孟子以為仁義禮智皆出乎性者也。是豈可謂之不然乎。然殊不知暴慢貪惑亦出乎性也。是信稻粱之生於田。而不信蔾莠之亦生於田也。荀子以為爭奪賤賊之心人之所生而有也。不以師法禮義正之。則悖亂而不治。是豈可謂之不然乎。然殊不知慈愛羞惡之心亦生而有也。是信蔾莠之生於田。而不信稻粱之亦生於田也。故楊子以人之性善惡混。混者善惡雜處於心之謂也。顧人之所擇而修之何如耳。

Sima Junshi commented, saying: 'Mencius said that human nature is good, and that what is not good is enticed by external things. Xunzi said that human nature is evil, and that its goodness is taught by the sages. Both of these seized upon merely one aspect. Now, human nature is received from Heaven at birth; both good and evil must simultaneously exist within it, just as yin exists alongside yang. A sage cannot be without evil, and a foolish person cannot be without good. To use an analogy of fields: rice and grain grow alongside weeds and darnel. One who manages fields well weeds out the darnel and nourishes the rice and grain; one who does not manage fields well does the reverse. Mencius took benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom to all originate from nature—how could one say this is not so? Yet he utterly failed to recognize that violence, arrogance, greed, and delusion also originate from nature. This is believing that rice and grain grow in the field, while not believing that weeds and darnel also grow in the field. Xunzi took the mind of strife, plunder, baseness, and malice to be what humans possess from birth; if not corrected by masters, laws, propriety, and righteousness, then disorder and rebellion will prevail without governance—how could one say this is not so? Yet he utterly failed to recognize that the minds of affection, shame, and dislike are also possessed from birth. This is believing that weeds and darnel grow in the field, while not believing that rice and grain also grow in the field. Therefore, Master Yang considered human nature to be an admixture of good and evil.