弘明集 1.25

1.25

牟子曰。彼一時也。此一時也。仲尼之言。疾奢而無禮。叔孫之論。刺公之刻楹。非禁布施也。舜耕歷山。恩不及州里。太公屠牛。惠不逮妻子。及其見用。恩流八荒惠施四海。饒財多貨貴其能與貧困屢空貴其履道。許由不貪四海。伯夷不甘其國。虞卿捐萬戶之封。救窮人之急。各其志也。僖負䩭以壺飱之惠。全其所居之間。宣孟以一飯之故。活其不訾之軀。陰施出於不意。陽報皎如白日。況傾家財發善意。其功德巍巍如嵩泰。悠悠如江海矣。懷善者應之以祚。挾惡者報之以殃。未有種稻而得麥。作禍而獲福者乎。

Mouzi said: "That was one time, and this is another time. Confucius's words censured extravagance that lacks propriety; Shusun's discussion criticized the duke for carving his pillars; neither prohibited giving. When Shun plowed Mount Li, his kindness did not reach beyond his district; when Grand Duke Wang butchered cattle, his benevolence did not extend to his wife and children. But when they were employed, their kindness flowed through the eight frontiers, and their benevolence was bestowed across the four seas. When one has abundant property and plentiful goods, one's ability to give is prized; when one is impoverished and constantly empty, one's practicing the Dao is prized. Xu You was not greedy for the four seas; Boyi took no pleasure in his state; Yu Qing gave up a fiefdom of ten thousand households to relieve the distress of an impoverished man—each followed his own intent. Xi Fuji, through the kindness of a pot of cooked grain, preserved the village where he dwelt; Xuan Meng, because of a single meal, saved his invaluable life. Secret giving arises unexpectedly, and overt recompense is as bright as the white sun. How much more so if one empties one's family wealth to give rise to good intentions—such merit is lofty as Mount Song and Mount Tai, vast as the rivers and seas! Those who cherish goodness are answered with blessings; those who harbour evil are repaid with calamity. There has never been one who planted rice and harvested wheat, or who brought about calamity and reaped blessing!"