佛祖統紀 35.95

35.95

The author remarks: The discourse of Zhiyi and Jingxi says: 'If sentient beings' faculties and natures are weak and flimsy and they cannot endure deep transformation, we provide only worldly medicine—just as the Duke of Zhou and Confucius instituted rites and created music, and the five virtues were practiced in the world. Since the capacities of peripheral lands could not prompt the Buddha's arising, I sent three sages to transform that Cīnasthāna; rites and music served as the vanguard, and the true path was subsequently revealed.' The Scripture on the Pure Practice of the Dharma says: 'Bodhisattva Candraprabha is called Yan Hui there (another edition citing the Scripture on the Practice of the Dharma names him Bodhisattva Prabhāviśuddha); Bodhisattva Prabhāviśuddha is called Confucius there (another edition calls him the Youth Mānavaka); Bodhisattva Kāśyapa is called Laozi there (another edition says: Kāśyapa responded by taking birth in Cīnasthāna, manifesting under the name Laozi, establishing teachings without external bounds to govern the state, and adopting the techniques of divine immortals to cultivate the body).' These are proofs from two places in the Zhiguan fuxing. Furthermore, according to the edition of the Scripture on the Causes and Conditions of Tombs preserved in the canon, it says: 'Within the realm of Jambudvīpa there is the country of Cīnasthāna. I have dispatched three sages to dwell within it and guide the people so that benevolence, compassion, ritual propriety, and righteousness are fully realized' (this is the original text). Hence we know that the earlier and later teachings bestowed by the sages and worthies of this land were all commissioned by our Buddha. Yet the ignorant are incapable of recognizing this. Having examined these two scriptures, how could one not increase in faith? How wonderful! Li Shangyin's (of the Tang dynasty) praise of the Buddha states: 'The teacher of our Confucians is called Zhongni of Lu; / Zhongni took Dan as teacher, who like a dragon is beyond our ken / (the Shiji records that Confucius told his disciples: 'As for the dragon, I know not how it rides the winds and clouds to ascend to heaven; today I have seen Laozi, and he is just like a dragon!'). / Dan took as teacher the Indian who excelled at entering the unconditioned / (Yinxi's Xisheng jing quotes Laozi as saying: 'I have heard that in India there is the Ancient Celestial Sovereign, who neither arises nor perishes and excels at entering the unconditioned'; it also says: 'The Ancient Master is my teacher; he once transformed India.' Also, the Fuzi states: 'The teacher of Master Lao was named Śākyamuni'). / I bow my head to the Great Awakened One, the teacher of my teacher's teacher!' / (The 'three teachers' means: my teacher was Zhongni, Zhongni's teacher was Laozi, and Laozi's teacher was Śākyamuni.)