佛祖歷代通載 5.56

5.56

問曰。孔子云。未能事人。焉能事鬼。未知生焉知死。此聖人之所紀也。今佛家輒說生死之事鬼神之務。此殆非聖哲之語也。夫履道者當虛無淡泊歸志賀朴。何為乃道生死以亂志。說鬼神之餘事乎。牟子曰。若子之言。所謂見外而未識內者也。孔子疾。子路不問本末。以此抑之耳。孝經曰。為之宗廟以鬼享之。春秋祭祀以時思之。又曰。生事愛敬死事哀戚。豈不教人事鬼神知生死哉。周公為武王請命曰。旦多才多藝能事鬼神。夫何為也佛經所說生死之趣。非此𮨙乎。老子曰。既知其子復守其母。沒身不殆。又曰。用其光復歸其明。無遺身殃。此道生死之所趣。吉凶之所住。至道之要。實貴寂寞。佛家豈好言乎。來問不得不對耳。鐘鼓豈有自鳴者。桴加而有聲矣。

Question: "Confucius said, 'When you are not yet able to serve human beings, how can you serve ghosts? When you do not yet know life, how can you know death?' This is what the sage recorded. Now the Buddhists constantly speak of the matters of birth and death and the affairs of ghosts and spirits. Surely these are not the words of sages and worthies. Those who tread the Way should be empty, non-existent, tranquil, and indifferent, returning their aspirations to unadorned simplicity. Why do they instead speak of birth and death to confuse their intentions, and discuss the superfluous affairs of ghosts and spirits?"

Mouzi said: "What you say is what is called seeing the outside without understanding the inside. When Confucius was displeased that Zilu did not inquire into the fundamental and the derivative, he checked him on this account. The Classic of Filial Piety says, 'He establishes ancestral temples for them and makes offerings to them with ghost rituals; he offers sacrifices in spring and autumn to remember them in their seasons.' It also says, 'In life, serve them with love and reverence; in death, serve them with grief and sorrow.' How could this not be teaching people to serve ghosts and spirits and to know birth and death? When the Duke of Zhou prayed for King Wu's life, he said, 'I, Dan, possess many talents and many arts, and can serve ghosts and spirits.' What was this for? Are the destinations of birth and death taught in the Buddhist scriptures not of this very kind? Laozi said, 'Having known the child, again preserve the mother; to the end of one's body one will not be in peril.' He also said, 'Use its light, and return again to its brightness, leaving no misfortune for one's body.' These speak of the destinations of birth and death and the lodging of good and bad fortune. The essential core of the supreme Way is indeed valued in stillness and silence. How could the Buddhists be fond of speaking? When people come with questions, they cannot but respond. How could bells and drums sound on their own? Only when struck with a mallet do they produce sound."