弘明集 4.13

4.13

吾少信管見。老而彌篤。既言之。難云。將堙腐方寸。故願憑流颺以託鱗翮。厚意垂懷慧以重釋。稽證周明華辭博贍。夫良玉時玷。賤夫指其瑕。望舒抱魄。野人睨其缺。豈伊好辯未獲云。已復進請益之問。庶以研盡所滯。來告云。三才之論。故當本諸三畫。三畫既陳中稱君德。所以神致太上崇一元首。若如論旨。以三畫為三才。則初擬地爻三議天位。然而遯世無悶。非厚載之目。君子乾乾。非蒼蒼之稱。果兩儀罔託。亦何取於立人。但爻在中和。宜應君德耳。又云。惻隱窮博愛之量。恥惡盡祐直之方。則為上仁上義。便是許體仁義者為三才尋。又云。僑札未獲上附。伊顏宜其下麗。則黃裳之人。其猶不及。雖賾之指高下無准。故惑者未悟也。夫陰陽陶氣剛柔賦性。圓首方足霄貌匪殊。惻隱恥惡悠悠皆是。但參體二儀必舉仁義為端耳。知欲限以名器慎其所假。遂令惠人潔士比性於毛群。庶幾之賢同氣於介族。立象之意。豈其然哉。

From my youth I trusted my narrow views, and in old age I hold to them all the more firmly. Having spoken of them, it was difficult to let them decompose within my heart; therefore, I wished to rely on the flowing wind to entrust my scales and feathers. With generous intent you have kept me in mind, kindly offering a second explanation; your citations are comprehensive and clear, and your florid language is vast and abundant. Even fine jade has occasional blemishes, which a lowly man may point out; and when the moon holds its crescent, a rustic person can gaze at its lack. How could I merely be fond of debate without having reached an end? Once again I submit questions seeking further instruction, hoping to exhaustively examine what remains blocked.
Your letter states: 'The discourse on the Three Powers must indeed be based on the three lines [of the hexagram]. Once the three lines are laid out, the middle line represents the virtue of the ruler. This is why its spirit reaches to the Supreme and exalts the One Sovereign.' If, according to the thesis of your discourse, one takes the three lines as the Three Powers, then the initial line corresponds to Earth and the third discusses the position of Heaven. However, 'withdrawing from the world without regret' is not the designation of the heavy earth, and 'the gentleman strives diligently' is not the appellation of the azure heaven. If they truly have no reliance on the Two Modes, what basis is there for establishing humans? It is only that the line lies in central harmony, and thus should correspond to the virtue of the ruler.
You also say: 'If the arising of compassion exhausts the measure of universal love, and the practice of shame at evil carries to the utmost the rectitude of helping the upright, then that is supreme benevolence and supreme righteousness.' This is to grant that those who embody benevolence and righteousness constitute the Three Powers. Then you say: 'Zichan and Ji Zha have not yet attained ascending attachment, while Yi Yin and Yan Hui should properly adhere to the lower category.' If so, even those of the 'yellow lower garment' still fall short! Although the purport of the abstruse has no standard for high and low, those who are deluded have still not awakened.
Yin and yang mold the qi; hardness and softness bestow nature. With round heads and square feet, our outward appearances do not differ; compassion and shame at evil are present in all alike. It is only that when participating in the essence of the Two Modes, one must take benevolence and righteousness as the starting point. I know you wish to restrict this with designated vessels and be cautious in what you grant, but this causes benevolent people and pure scholars to compare their nature to the feathered and furred herds, and worthy men who aspire [to goodness] to share their qi with shelled creatures! Could this truly be the intention behind establishing the symbols?