佛祖歷代通載 7.75

7.75

Answer: The profound principle is vast and distant, and the spiritual way is subtle and minute; it may be sought through principle, but it is difficult to interrogate through worldly affairs. Once it touches upon teachings, it takes adapting to the times as its norm. Although the means of responding to the world have myriad degrees of superiority and inferiority, when canons are established for practical use, they all conform to the hearts of the people and communicate according to their capacity. When their capacity reaches its limit, their minds stop there; what their wisdom does not know does not involve what lies beyond it. If so, it is not that the one who embodies the Ultimate cannot encompass both; it is simply that encompassing both cannot be exercised simultaneously. Therefore, when the ancients spoke of the Great Way, five transformations were needed before forms and names could be raised, and nine transformations before rewards and punishments could be mentioned. These are merely gradations within the realm, yet even they could not be explained all at once; how much more so for what lies outside it! Let us extend and broaden this to encompass distant categories. That which is outside the cosmos is preserved but not discussed—not because it cannot be discussed, but because discussing it might lead to divergence. That which is within the cosmos is discussed but not differentiated—not because it cannot be differentiated, but because differentiating it might cause doubt. The Chunqiu records the world and the aspirations of earlier kings; it differentiates but does not debate—not because it cannot be debated, but because debating it might bring chaos. These three all take what the body, ears, and eyes cannot reach as the hinge, and do not involve what lies beyond sight and hearing. Seeking the sage's intention from this, the internal and external ways can be united and clarified. I have always considered the Way and Dharma and the Teaching of Names, the Tathāgata and Yao and Confucius, to have divergent points of departure yet covertly influence one another; their paths of action and withdrawal indeed differ, but their final destination is identical. Discerning this in detail, the ultimate aim can be seen. In principle, some first harmonize and then diverge, while others first diverge and then harmonize. Those who first harmonize and then diverge are none other than the Buddhas and Tathāgatas. Those who first diverge and then harmonize are the rulers of successive generations who have attained the utmost embodiment of the Ultimate. How do we know this? The scripture says: 'The Buddha possesses natural, wondrous Dharma; he transforms beings through skillful means, broadly following wherever he enters. He may appear as an immortal, a cakravartin holy king, or a minister, prime minister, national preceptor, or Daoist master.' Such manifestations appear everywhere, and rulers and gentlemen know not who he is; this is what is called first harmonizing and then diverging. Others initially found great endeavors, yet their meritorious transformation is not yet complete and their traces are uneven, so what they receive differs; some expect merit after their life, while others manifest responses within their own years. The sage kings who build upon this to establish their teachings are also countless. Although their restrictions and guidances are without fixed methods, their paths must ultimately meet. This is what is called first diverging and then harmonizing. If they diverge and then harmonize, then those aspiring to walk the broad path will certainly not restrict themselves to a single norm; if they harmonize and then diverge, then the ultimate convergence of Śākya, Yao, and Confucius is undeniably identical. Therefore, seeking harmony from divergence, one realizes that the meeting of principles must be identical; seeking divergence from harmony, one understands that embodying the Ultimate has many avenues. It is merely that those who see only physical forms cannot encompass both, and thus are startled and alienated by the diverse paths. Looking at it from this perspective, the Way of Heaven and Earth exhausts its merit in cyclical transformation, and the virtue of emperors and kings reaches its limit in following and facilitating. If contrasted with the peerless teaching and the immutable source, they certainly cannot be spoken of in the same breath, and their superiority and inferiority are clearly revealed.