弘明集 8.53

8.53

釋曰。夫生生之厚至於無生。則張毅單豹之徒是其匹矣。是以儒家云。人莫不愛其死而患其生。老氏云。及吾無身吾有何患。莊周亦自病痛其一身。此三者聖達之流。叵以生為患。夫欲求無生莫若泥洹。泥洹者無為之妙稱。談其跡也則有王宮雙樹之文。語其實也則有常住常樂之說。子方輪迴五道。何由聞涅槃之要。或有三盲摸象。得象耳者。爭云象如簸箕。得象鼻者。爭云。象如舂杵。雖獲象一方。終不全象之實。子說泥洹是死。真摸象之一盲矣。

The explanation says: Now, striving excessively for life to the point of not attaining non-arising—the likes of Zhang Yi and Shan Bao are its match. Therefore, the Confucians say: 'Among people, none does not cling to his death while fretting over his life.' Laozi said: 'When I have no body, what trouble do I have?' Zhuang Zhou also personally lamented having a physical body. These three are among the sages and masters; none did not consider life an affliction. If one seeks non-arising, nothing surpasses Nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa is the wondrous name for non-action. Speaking of its traces, there are texts on the royal palace and the twin trees; speaking of its reality, there is the teaching of eternal abiding and eternal bliss. You are revolving in the five paths; how could you hear the essentials of Nirvāṇa? It is like three blind men feeling an elephant: the one who touched the ear argued that the elephant was like a winnowing basket, while the one who touched the trunk argued that the elephant was like a pestle. Although each grasped one part of the elephant, neither grasped the elephant's true totality. When you say that Nirvāṇa is death, you are truly one of the blind men feeling the elephant.