佛祖歷代通載 5.63

5.63

Question: "You, sir, take the classics and commentaries to explicate the Buddhist teachings; your words are abundant and the meanings evident, your prose is brilliant and your explanations beautiful. Could it be that, rather than being genuine, this is merely your eloquence?"

Mouzi said: "It is not my eloquence; having seen broadly, I am simply not confused."

Question: "Does seeing broadly have a method?"

Mouzi said: "It comes from the Buddhist scriptures. When I had not yet understood the Buddhist scriptures, my confusion was greater than yours, sir. Although I recited the Five Classics, they served merely as blossoms and had not yet borne fruit. Once I observed the expositions of the Buddhist scriptures, perused the essentials of Laozi, preserved a nature of tranquil indifference, and contemplated non-active practice, looking back on worldly affairs was like looking down from a skylight into ravines and valleys, or ascending Mounts Song and Tai to look upon mounds and anthills. The Five Classics are like the five flavors; the Buddhist Way is like the five grains. Since I heard the Way, it has been like parting clouds to see the bright sun, or taking a torch into a dark room."