弘明集 3.9

3.9

答曰。不然。周孔即佛佛即周孔。蓋外內名之耳。故在皇為皇。在王為王。佛者梵語。晉訓覺也。覺之為義。悟物之謂。猶孟軻以聖人為先覺。其旨一也。應世軌物蓋亦隨時。周孔救極弊。佛教明其本耳。共為首尾其致不殊。即如外聖有深淺之跡。堯舜世夷。故二后高讓。湯武時難。故兩軍揮戈。淵默之與赫斯其跡則胡越。然其所以跡者。何常有際哉。故逆尋者每見其二。順通者無往不一。

I answered: 'It is not so. The Duke of Zhou and Confucius are the Buddha, and the Buddha is the Duke of Zhou and Confucius; these are merely outward and inward designations. Therefore, among the August Sovereigns he was an August Sovereign, and among the Kings he was a King. "Buddha" is a Sanskrit term, glossed in Jin as "awakened." The meaning of "awakened" refers to awakening beings. Just as Meng Ke considered the sage to be one who awakens first, their purport is one and the same. Responding to the world and standardizing things also accord with the times. The Duke of Zhou and Confucius rescued extreme defects, while the Buddhist teaching clarifies the fundamental root. Together they form the beginning and the end; their ultimate destination is not different. It is just as the outer sages left traces of depth and shallowness: the age of Yao and Shun was tranquil, so the two sovereigns made lofty abdications; the times of Tang and Wu were difficult, so the two armies wielded halberds. The profound silence [of non-action] and the blazing wrath [of warfare] had traces as different as Hu and Yue. Yet that by which they left their traces—how could it ever have a division? Therefore, those who trace back in opposition always see two, while those who follow through with harmony find that everywhere they are one.'