弘明集 1.9

1.9

問曰。孔子以五經為道教。可拱而誦履而行。今子說道虛無恍惚。不見其意。不指其事。何與聖人言異乎。牟子曰。不可以所習為重所希為輕。或於外類失於中情。立事不失道德。猶調絃不失宮商。天道法四時。人道法五常。老子曰。有物混成先天地生。可以為天下母。吾不知其名。強字之曰道。道之為物。居家可以事親。宰國可以治民。獨立可以治身。履而行之充乎天地。廢而不用消而不離。子不解之。何異之有乎。

Someone asked: 'Confucius took the Five Classics as the Dao and teaching, which can be held in reverence and recited, stepped upon and practiced. Now you speak of the Dao as void, nothingness, vague and elusive, where its meaning cannot be seen and its concrete affairs cannot be pointed out. How does this differ from the words of the sages?' Mouzi said: 'One must not value what one is accustomed to and disparage what is rare, or be deluded by external categories and lose the internal reality. Establishing affairs without deviating from the Dao and virtue is like tuning strings without losing the notes gong and shang. The Way of Heaven models itself on the four seasons; the Way of Man models itself on the five constants. Laozi said: "There is a thing indistinctly formed, born before Heaven and Earth. It can be considered the mother of the world. I do not know its name; I force the character on it and call it the Dao." As for the Dao as a thing: dwelling at home, one can use it to serve parents; governing a state, one can use it to rule the people; standing alone, one can use it to cultivate the self. If one treads and practices it, it fills heaven and earth; if one discards and does not use it, it vanishes without departing. If you do not understand it, what difference is there [between these teachings]?'