佛祖統紀 39.27

39.27

吾修元經以斷南北之疑。以天下無賞罰三百載矣。故始晉惠訖隋開皇。寓褒貶以代賞罰（春秋義包五始故。今別名元經。凡五十篇。元經紀年書帝春正月。起晉惠至東晉。宋繼魏孝文。元和元年以能遷都洛陽。得中國以及於周隋。故皆稱正統。以齊梁陳同四夷也。南北二史。夷虜相稱。今明正統以斷其疑也）續詩以辨晉宋後魏齊周隋六代之俗（凡三百六十篇）正禮樂以旌後王之失（禮論二十五篇。樂論二十篇。後王不合周公制作者。則論而正之）贊易道以申先王之旨（贊易七十篇。申明孔子十翼之旨意）世稱王氏六經（阮逸序中說謂。房杜諸公不能臻師之美。故續經不振）朝廷三徵皆不至。卒於家。門人諡曰文中子。房玄齡。杜如晦。魏徵。李靖。溫彥博。竇威。杜淹。溫大雅。陳叔達。王珪。皆北面受道。為世卿相弟子薛收等。集對問之言。名曰中說。其言三才五常之道。天人性命之際備矣（阮逸序曰。大哉中之為義。在易為二五。在春秋為權衡。在書為皇極。在禮為中庸）文中子曰。詩書盛而秦世滅。非仲尼之罪也。虛玄長而晉室亂。非老莊之罪也。齋戒修而梁國亡。非釋迦之罪也。或問佛。子曰。聖人也。曰其教如何。曰西方之教也。守國則泥（乃訂反不通也）子讀讜議曰。三教於是乎可一矣（子之祖獻公述皇極讜議。謂洪範五皇極義貴中道。人位天地之中。則知教雖有三。人即一也）或問長生神仙之道。子曰。仁義不修。孝悌不立。奚為長生。

'I compiled the Classic of the Origin (Yuanjing) to resolve the doubts between North and South, because there have been no rewards and punishments in the realm for three hundred years. Therefore, beginning with Emperor Hui of the Jin and concluding with the Kaihuang era of the Sui, I lodged praise and blame to take the place of rewards and punishments.' (Because the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals encompasses the Five Beginnings, it is now separately named the Yuanjing, in fifty chapters. The Yuanjing records years by writing 'the sovereign's spring, first month,' beginning with Emperor Hui of Jin down to the Eastern Jin; the Song is succeeded by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei; in the first year of the Yuanhe era, because he was able to move the capital to Luoyang, he gained the Central Domain, continuing down to the Northern Zhou and Sui, so these are all called orthodox successions, whereas Qi, Liang, and Chen are equated with the four barbarian tribes. The Northern and Southern Histories refer to each other as barbarians and captives; now the orthodox succession is clarified to resolve these doubts.) 'I continued the Classic of Poetry to discern the customs of the six dynasties of Jin, Song, Later Wei, Qi, Zhou, and Sui' (three hundred and sixty poems in all). 'I rectified Rites and Music to signal the errors of later kings' (Treatise on Rites in twenty-five chapters, Treatise on Music in twenty chapters; where later kings did not accord with the Duke of Zhou's creations, he discussed and rectified them). 'I expounded the Way of the Changes to extend the intent of the former kings' (Expounding the Changes in seventy chapters, elaborating upon the intent of Confucius's Ten Wings). The world called these the Six Classics of Master Wang. (Ruan Yi's preface to the Zhongshuo states that gentlemen such as Fang [Xuanling] and Du [Ruhui] could not reach the excellence of their master, so the continued classics did not flourish.) Though summoned three times by the imperial court, he did not go, and died at home. His disciples gave him the posthumous title Master Wenzhong. Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, Li Jing, Wen Yanbo, Dou Wei, Du Yan, Wen D'aya, Chen Shuda, and Wang Gui all faced north and received the Way from him, becoming worldly ministers and chancellors. His disciple Xue Shou and others collected his dialogues and named them Zhongshuo (Explanations of the Mean). Its words fully encompass the Way of the Three Powers and the Five Constants, and the boundary between Heaven, humanity, nature, and destiny. (Ruan Yi's preface says: 'Great is the meaning of the Mean! In the Changes it is the second and fifth lines; in the Spring and Autumn Annals it is the balance; in the Documents it is the Sovereign Ultimate; in the Rites it is the Golden Mean.') Master Wenzhong said: 'That the Poetry and Documents flourished yet the Qin dynasty perished was not the fault of Zhongni (Confucius). That abstruse metaphysics expanded yet the Jin house was thrown into chaos was not the fault of Laozi and Zhuangzi. That fasting and precepts were cultivated yet the state of Liang fell was not the fault of Śākya.' Someone asked about the Buddha; the Master said: 'He was a sage.' He asked: 'What of his teaching?' He said: 'It is a teaching of the West; in governing a state it is rigid.' When the Master read the Righteous Deliberations, he said: 'The Three Teachings can herein become one.' (The Master's grandfather, Duke Xian, authored the Righteous Deliberations on the Sovereign Ultimate, asserting that in the Great Plan, the meaning of the Fifth Sovereign Ultimate values the Middle Way; humanity stands in the center of Heaven and Earth, so one knows that though the teachings are three, humanity is one.) Someone asked about the Way of longevity and divine immortals; the Master said: 'If benevolence and righteousness are not cultivated, and filial piety and fraternal duty are not established, what is the use of longevity?'