弘明集 1
English (machine translation) 1
- Language
- English
1.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Sengyou of Jianchu Monastery in Yangdu, Liang.
1.2
Now, the ocean of awakening is boundless, and the realm of wisdom shines perfectly. Its subtle transforming influence within the realm [of mortals] was truly moulded and cast by Yao and Shun; its principle, presiding beyond the tether [of words], was shaped and fashioned by the Duke of Zhou and Confucius. Yet the Dao is great and hard to trust; the pitch is high and few can harmonize. When Sumeru is towering, the blue gale arises; when precious treasures accumulate, resentful thieves appear. Formerly, when the Tathāgata was in the world, his transformative teaching shook the great chiliocosm, yet there were still the four Māras harboring anger and the six masters harboring poison—how much more so in the latter days of the Semblance Dharma! Can they ever be overcome? Ever since the Great Dharma flowed eastward, nearly five hundred years have passed. As conditions [varied], each either believed or did not, and its fortunes also prospered and declined. Those with right view expounded and praised it; those who were deluded and perverted slandered and mocked it. As for pedantic, crooked scholars, they rejected it as an alien teaching; while the sweet-tongued followers of heterodox paths cited it as their own doctrine. The rejection led to the delusion of uprooting the foundation; the citation caused the disorder of confusing vermilion with purple. Consequently, deceitful arguments grew increasingly tangled, and erroneous statements blazed furiously. Now, a night-bird crying in the night cannot blot out the light of the bright sun; a Jingwei bird bearing stones in its beak cannot diminish the vastness of the azure sea. Yet by using darkness to confuse brightness, and using the petty to deceive the great, though not a single hair is stirred, the sight and hearing are defiled. This causes those of feeble footing to follow false eloquence and remain long deluded, and causes inverted sorts to pursue deviant discourses and drown forever. This is why the obscure paths are easy to fall into, and the pure realm is difficult to ascend. Sengyou, with my meagre learning, have a profound aspiration to broadly protect [the Dharma]. Reflecting in tranquility upon the ephemeral secular world, indignation stirs in my heart. Thereupon, during brief respites from illness and leisure moments of dwelling in the mountains, I have compiled illuminating writings of past and present and gathered together the refined treatises of both monastics and the laity. Where there are those who set their minds upon cutting down perversion and establishing words to defend the Dharma, regardless of whether their works are large or small, all have been selected without exception. Furthermore, where the letters, records, and literary compositions of pre-eminent figures of previous generations are beneficial, all have been edited and recorded. Arranged into categories and divided into sections, they are set out in fourteen fascicles. Now, the Dao is made broad by human beings, and teachings are made brilliant by culture. Broadening the Dao and making the teachings brilliant—hence it is titled Hongming ji (Collection Spreading the Light [of Buddhism]). In addition, I have brought together my own modest reflections and appended a treatise at the end, hoping to add a speck of dust or a drop of water to Mount Tai and the vast sea. Yet my learning is isolated and my knowledge sparse; I am ashamed of my narrow limitations. May gentlemen of broad mastery kindly augment and expand it!
1.3
Mouzi lihuo [lun] / Zhengwu lun
1.4
Mouzi lihuo, also called The Biography of Mou Bo, Grand Administrator of Cangwu.
1.5
Mouzi had already studied the Classics, the commentaries, and the various philosophers; among books, large or small, there were none he did not enjoy. Although he took no delight in the art of war, he still read it. Although he read books on divine immortals and deathlessness, he restrained himself and did not believe in them, regarding them as empty and fabricated. At that time, after Emperor Ling passed away, the realm was in turbulence and disorder. Only Jiaozhou was relatively peaceful, so extraordinary men from the north all came to reside there. Many practiced the techniques of divine immortals, grain-avoidance, and longevity. Many people of the time studied these, but Mouzi constantly used the Five Classics to refute them; none of the Daoist masters and sorcerers dared to respond to him. This was comparable to Meng Ke rebuffing Yang Zhu and Mo Di. Before this, Mouzi had taken his mother to escape the troubles of the world in Jiaozhi; at the age of twenty-six, he returned to Cangwu and took a wife. The grand administrator heard of his devotion to learning and came to visit, requesting to appoint him as an official. At that time he was in the prime of his years, his mind was devoted to learning, and seeing the world in chaos, he had no intention of entering officialdom; ultimately he did not take up the post. At that time, the various commanderies and provinces were suspicious of one another and cut off from communication. The grand administrator, on account of his broad learning and vast knowledge, dispatched him to pay respects in Jingzhou. Mouzi believed that while glory and noble rank were easy to decline, a diplomatic mission was difficult to refuse. Thereupon he prepared to set out. Just then, he received a commendatory summons from the provincial governor inviting him as a retired scholar; he again pleaded illness and did not rise [to the post]. The governor's younger brother was the Grand Administrator of Yuzhang and was killed by General of the Household Ze Rong. At that time, the governor sent Cavalry Commandant Liu Yan to lead troops to his aid, but he feared that the adjacent regions would be suspicious and the troops would not be able to advance. The governor then petitioned Mouzi, saying: 'My younger brother has been harmed by a rebellious traitor; the pain of blood relations stirs indignation in my heart. I must send Commandant Liu to go, but I fear that the adjacent regions will have doubts and travelers will not be permitted passage. You, sir, are equipped with both civil and military talents, and possess the ability to respond autonomously [to diplomatic challenges]. Now I wish to trouble you to borrow a passage through Lingling and Guiyang to open the way; what do you think?' Mouzi said: 'I have received feed at your stable and have been treated well for a long time. When an honorable officer forgets himself, he will certainly strive to exert his utmost effort.' Thereupon he prepared to depart. Just then, his mother passed away, so in the end he did not go. After a long while, reflecting in retirement, [he realized] that because of his eloquence he was constantly being called upon for official missions; in a world filled with chaos, it was not the time to distinguish oneself. He then sighed and said: 'Laozi abandoned sageliness and discarded wisdom, cultivating his person and preserving his genuineness. The ten thousand things did not perturb his mind, and the realm could not alter his joy. The Son of Heaven could not make him a minister, and the feudal lords could not make him a friend; thus he was to be valued.' Thereupon he set his will firmly on the Buddhist Dao, and concurrently investigated Laozi's five thousand words. Imbibing the dark and marvelous as wine and savoring the Five Classics as musical pipes, many worldly people criticized him, believing that he had turned his back on the Five Classics and turned toward a deviant path. If he wished to dispute, it would not be the Dao; if he wished to remain silent, he could not. Thereupon, through pen and ink, he briefly cited the words of sages and worthies to verify and explain it, entitling it Mouzi lihuo lun.
1.6
Someone asked: 'From where was the Buddha born? Did he have ancestors and a city-state? How did he act, and what was his appearance like?' Mouzi said: 'A rich question indeed! Please allow me, with my modest ability, to briefly explain the essentials. It is heard that the manifestation of the Buddha's transformation was such that he accumulated Dao and virtue for hundreds of thousands of koṭis of kalpas beyond reckoning. Yet when he was about to attain Buddhahood, he was born in Tianzhu, borrowing physical form from the queen of King Śuddhodana. While resting during the day, she dreamed that she mounted a white elephant with six tusks on its body, and was filled with joy; thereupon she conceived through spiritual resonance. On the eighth day of the fourth month, he was born from his mother's right side. Dropping to the ground, he walked seven steps, raised his right hand, and said: "In heaven above and earth below, there is none who surpasses me." At that time, heaven and earth shook violently, and the interior of the palace was entirely illuminated. On that day, a maidservant of the royal house also gave birth to a boy, and a white mare in the stables foaled a white colt. The servant was named Chandaka, and the horse was called Kaṇṭhaka. The king always had them accompany the crown prince. The crown prince possessed the thirty-two marks of a great man and the eighty secondary signs; his body was sixteen feet tall, and his form was entirely golden. On the crown of his head was an uṣṇīṣa, his cheeks were like a lion's, his tongue could cover his face, his hand bore a thousand-spoked wheel, and the light from his neck illuminated ten thousand li. This is a brief description of his marks. When he was seventeen, the king took a consort for him, a maiden from a neighboring state. When the crown prince sat, he changed seats; when he slept, it was in a different bed. The Heavenly Dao was brilliantly clear, and the yin and yang communicated; thereupon she conceived a son, who was born after six years. The father-king treasured the crown prince and built palaces and belvederes for him; female entertainers and precious curiosities were displayed before him. The crown prince did not crave worldly pleasures; his mind was set upon the Dao and virtue. At the age of nineteen, in the middle of the night on the eighth day of the fourth month, he called Chandaka, bridled Kaṇṭhaka, and mounted him. Ghosts and spirits supported and lifted him, flying out of the palace. The next morning, it was deserted and no one knew where he was. The king, officials, and people all wept and sighed. They pursued him and reached the wilderness. The king said: "Before you were born, we prayed to the gods and spirits. Now that we have you, like jade and like a ritual tablet, you should continue the royal position; why do you depart?" The crown prince said: "All things are impermanent; what exists must perish. Now I wish to study the Dao to deliver the ten directions." The king knew that his resolution was ever firmer, so he arose and returned. The crown prince went straight on, contemplated the Dao for six years, and then achieved Buddhahood. The reason he was born in the first month of summer is that it is neither cold nor hot, plants and trees are in blossom, one discards fox furs and wears fine linen, and it is the season of the Zhonglü pitch-pipe. The reason he was born in Tianzhu is that it is the center of heaven and earth, residing in harmony and equilibrium. The scriptures he composed total twelve divisions, comprising 840,000,000 scrolls. Its large scrolls are under ten thousand words, and small scrolls are over one thousand words. The Buddha imparted teachings to the world to deliver the people, and subsequently, on the fifteenth day of the second month, entered Nirvāṇa and departed. His scriptures and precepts continue to exist; if one can tread and practice them, one will also attain non-action, and blessings will flow to later generations. Those who hold the five precepts observe the six monthly fast days; on the days of fasting, they focus their minds with single purpose, repenting their faults and renewing themselves. The śramaṇas hold the two hundred and fifty precepts and fast every day; their precepts are not something an upāsaka may hear. Their deportment and movements do not differ from the ancient ritual proprieties. All day and through the night, they lecture on the Dao and chant scriptures, taking no part in worldly affairs. Laozi said: "The form of great virtue conforms only to the Dao." This is what it refers to.'
1.7
Someone asked: 'Why is he properly called Buddha? What does "Buddha" mean?' Mouzi said: 'Buddha is an honorary title, just as the Three Sovereigns are called divine and the Five Emperors are called sage. The Buddha is the primal ancestor of Dao and virtue, and the ancestral source of divine brilliance. The word "Buddha" means "awakened." In vague and shifting transformation, he divides his body and disperses his form; now existing, now gone. He can be small or large, round or square, old or young, hidden or manifest. Treading into fire, he is not burned; stepping on blades, he is not harmed. In impurity, he is not disgraced; in misfortune, he suffers no calamity. Wishing to travel, he flies; sitting down, he radiates light. Therefore, he is titled Buddha.'
1.8
Someone asked: 'What is meant by the Dao? What is the Dao like?' Mouzi said: 'The word Dao means "to guide." It guides people to reach non-action. Pulling it, there is no front; drawing it, there is no rear; lifting it, there is no above; depressing it, there is no below. Looking at it, it has no shape; listening to it, it has no sound. The four boundaries are vast, yet it coils outside them; a fraction of an inch is minute, yet it passes through inside them. Therefore, it is called the Dao.'
1.9
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]?'
1.10
Someone asked: 'Utmost truth is without floral ornament; utmost words are without adornment. When words are concise yet consummate, they are fine; when affairs are few yet penetrating, they are clear. Therefore, pearls and jade are scarce and valued, while tiles and gravel are plentiful and despised. The sages established the basis of the Seven Classics in no more than thirty thousand words, yet all matters were complete within them. Now the Buddhist scriptures are counted by the tens of thousands of scrolls, and their words are numbered in the hundreds of millions; this is not something within the capacity of one person. I consider them tedious and unessential.' Mouzi said: 'The reason rivers and oceans differ from puddles by the road is because of their depth and vastness. The reason the Five Sacred Peaks are distinguished from mounds and hillocks is because of their height and size. If height did not exceed that of a mound, a lame sheep could surmount its peak; if depth did not exceed that of a trickle, a child could bathe in its pool. A fine steed does not abide in an enclosed park; a fish that can swallow a boat does not swim in a stream of a few fathoms. If one opens a three-inch clam seeking a bright moon pearl, or searches the nest of brambles and thorns seeking a fledgling phoenix, it will surely be hard to obtain. Why? Because the small cannot contain the large. The Buddhist scriptures recount the events of hundreds of millions of kalpas of the past, and tell of the essentials of ten thousand generations to come. Before the Great Simplicity arose, before the Great Beginning was born, when Qian and Kun first emerged—their subtleties cannot be grasped, and their minuteness cannot be entered into. The Buddha completely encompassed the outside of their vastness, and dissected the inside of their profundity, recording everything without exception. Therefore, his scriptures are counted by the tens of thousands of scrolls, and his words are numbered in the hundreds of millions. The more numerous they are, the more complete they become; the more manifold they are, the richer they are. How could they be unessential? Although they are not what one person can exhaust, it is like going to a river to drink water: when one is sated, one is naturally satisfied; how would one need to know the rest?'
1.11
The question was asked: "The Buddhist scriptures are vast and numerous. One wishes to take their essentials and discard the rest, speaking directly of their reality while removing their embellishments." Mouzi said: "No. The sun and the moon are both bright, yet each has what it illuminates; the twenty-eight lunar lodges each have what they govern; the hundred medicines grow together, yet each has what it cures; a fox-fur coat provides against the cold, while fine and coarse linen fend off the heat; boats and carriages take different paths, yet both convey travellers to their destinations. Confucius did not consider the Five Classics complete in themselves, but further composed the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Classic of Filial Piety because he wished to broaden the arts of the Dao and indulge people's dispositions. Although the Buddhist scriptures are numerous, their convergence is one. It is like the seven classics: though different, their prizing of the Dao, virtue, benevolence, and righteousness is also one. The reason why filial piety is explained in many ways is that it is imparted according to each person's conduct. For instance, when Zizhang and Ziyou both asked about the one topic of filial piety, Zhongni gave each a different answer, addressing each one's shortcoming. Why should anything be discarded?"
1.12
The question was asked: "The Buddha's Dao is supreme and greatest; why did Yao, Shun, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius not cultivate it? Its words are not found within the seven classics. You already delight in the Odes and the Documents and take pleasure in the rites and music; why do you now also take fond interest in the Buddha's Dao and delight in alien arts? How could they surpass the classics and commentaries to glorify the work of the sages? I humbly think you should not adopt it." Mouzi said: "Books need not be the words of Kong Qiu; medicine need not be the prescription of Bian Que. That which conforms to righteousness is followed; that which cures illness is good. The gentleman takes widely from all goods in order to support his person. Zigong said: 'What constant master did the Master have?' Yao served Yin Shou; Shun served Wucheng; Dan studied under Lü Wang; Qiu studied under Lao Dan. None of these are seen in the seven classics either. Although these four masters were sages, compared to the Buddha, they are like a white deer to a qilin, or a swallow to a phoenix. If even Yao, Shun, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius still studied under them, how much more so for the Buddha, whose physical marks and signs, transformations, and spiritual powers are limitless—how could one cast him aside and not study him? The events and meanings in the Five Classics sometimes have omissions; that the Buddha is not recorded in them—what cause is there to wonder or doubt?"
1.13
The question was asked: "It is said that the Buddha has the thirty-two marks of a great man and the eighty secondary signs; why is he so exceedingly different from ordinary humans? These are likely words to regale the ear, not an account of reality." Mouzi said: "The proverb says: 'He who has seen little wonders at much; seeing a camel, he says the horse has a swollen back.' Yao's eyebrows had eight colors; Shun's eyes had double pupils; Gao Yao had a horse's muzzle; King Wen had four breasts; Yu's ears had three openings; the Duke of Zhou had a hunchback; Fuxi had a dragon's nose; Zhongni had an inverted roof-shaped crown; Laozi had a sun-shaped forehead and a dark lunar complexion, his nose having double pillars, his hands grasping the character for ten, and his feet treading on two fives. Are these not different from ordinary humans? Why should one doubt the Buddha's marks and signs?"
1.14
The question was asked: "The Classic of Filial Piety says: 'Our body, hair, and skin are received from our parents; we dare not damage them.' When Zengzi was on the verge of death, he said: 'Uncover my hands, uncover my feet.' Now the śramaṇas shave their heads; how exceedingly they violate the words of the sages and fail to accord with the way of a filial son! You always love to discuss right and wrong and weigh the crooked and the straight; why instead do you approve of them?" Mouzi said: "Slandering sages and worthies is unbenevolent; judging without hitting the mark is unwise. Without benevolence and wisdom, how can virtue be established? If virtue is not established, one belongs to the company of the obstinate and obtuse. How could such discussion be easy? Long ago, a man of Qi took a boat to cross the river, and his father fell into the water. His son rolled up his sleeves, seized his father's head, and turned him upside down so that the water came out of his mouth, and his father's life was revived. Seizing the head and turning someone upside down—there is no greater unfilial act than this; yet it preserved the father's person. Had he folded his hands and observed the normal rules of a filial son, his father's life would have ended in the water. Confucius said: 'One may advance toward the Dao with someone, yet not be able to weigh circumstances with him'—this refers to acting as the occasion requires. Furthermore, the Classic of Filial Piety says: 'The former kings possessed supreme virtue and the essential Dao.' Yet Taibo cut his hair and tattooed his body, following of his own accord the customs of Wu and Yue, violating the principle of 'body, hair, and skin.' Nevertheless, Confucius praised him, saying he could be termed of 'supreme virtue.' Zhongni did not condemn him because he cut his hair. Looking at it from this perspective, if one possesses great virtue, one is not restricted by small matters. The śramaṇa abandons family wealth, leaves wife and children, and does not listen to music or look at beauties; this can be called the utmost in yielding. How does this violate the sages' words or fail to accord with filial piety? Yu Rang swallowed charcoal and lacquered his body; Nie Zheng flayed his face and mutilated himself; Boji stepped into fire; Gaoxing disfigured her features. Gentlemen regard them as brave in dying for righteousness, and have never heard that they were criticized for harming and destroying themselves. How far beyond the four is the śramaṇa who shaves his beard and hair!"
1.15
The question was asked: "No blessing exceeds continuing one's lineage; no lack of filial piety surpasses having no descendants. The śramaṇas abandon wives and children, cast away wealth and goods, and some do not marry throughout their lives; how exceedingly they violate the practice of blessings and filial piety! They trouble themselves with no extraordinary result; they exhaust themselves with nothing remarkable." Mouzi said: "He who extends to the left must shorten to the right; he who enlarges what is in front must narrow what is behind. Meng Gongchuo was more than qualified to be an elder of Zhao or Wei, but could not be an officer of Teng or Xue. Wife, children, and material goods are the leftovers of the world; purifying one's person in non-action is the subtlety of the Dao. Laozi said: 'Which is closer to you, your name or your person? Which is worth more, your person or your goods?' He also said: 'Observe the remaining customs of the Three Dynasties; look upon the arts and methods of the Confucians and the Mohists: reciting the Odes and the Documents, cultivating rites and propriety, exalting benevolence and righteousness, and regarding purity—the villagers pass down this trade and their reputation overflows; this is what middling gentlemen put into practice, but the tranquil and indifferent do not care for it.' Therefore, if the pearl of Sui lies ahead and a roaring tiger lurks behind, when someone sees them, he runs and dares not take [the pearl]—why? He puts his life first and his profit second. Xu You nested in a tree; Boyi and Shuqi starved on Mount Shouyang. Shun and Confucius praised their worthiness, saying: 'They sought benevolence and attained benevolence.' One has never heard that they were criticized for having no descendants or no wealth. The śramaṇas cultivate the Dao and virtue to exchange for the pleasures of wandering in the world, and turn away from worldly goodness to turn their backs on the delights of wives and children. If this is not extraordinary, what is extraordinary? If this is not remarkable, what is remarkable?"
1.16
The question was asked: "The Yellow Emperor let down his robes and instituted garments and ornaments; Jizi expounded the Great Plan, where appearance was the foremost of the five matters; Confucius composed the Classic of Filial Piety, where dress was the beginning of the three virtues. It also says: 'Correct your clothing and cap, and make your gaze dignified.' Although Yuan Xian was poor, he did not part with his splendid cap; when Zilu met with disaster, he did not forget to tie his cap strings. Now the śramaṇas shave their hair and don red cloth; when seeing people, they have no ritual of kneeling and rising, and no demeanour of pacing and turning. How exceedingly they violate the system of appearance and dress, and run contrary to the ornaments of the gentry!" Mouzi said: "Laozi said: 'Highest virtue is not virtuous, therefore it has virtue; lowest virtue does not lose virtue, therefore it is without virtue.' In the time of the Three Sovereigns, people ate meat and wore skins, nesting in trees and dwelling in caves to exalt simplicity. How could they have needed the cap of Zhangfu or the ornament of curved furs? Yet those people were praised as possessing virtue, being simple, sincere, trustworthy, and acting through non-action. The conduct of the śramaṇas resembles this."
1.17
Someone said: "If it is as you say, then the company of the Yellow Emperor, Yao, Shun, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius should be abandoned as not worthy of emulation." Mouzi said: "He whose vision is broad is not deluded; he whose hearing is acute is not confused. Yao, Shun, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius cultivated worldly affairs; the Buddha and Laozi had their aspirations in non-action. Zhongni busied himself across more than seventy states; Xu You, hearing of the abdication, washed his ears in the pool. In the Dao of the gentleman, he either comes forth or stays in retirement, is either silent or speaks; he does not let his feelings overflow or let his nature be disordered. Therefore, the value of his Dao lies in how it is applied. Why should anything be abandoned?"
1.18
The question was asked: "The Buddha's Dao says that when a person dies, he will be reborn again. I do not believe this is certain." Mouzi said: "When a person is on the verge of death, his family ascends the roof to call him; once he is already dead, they call him again—whom are they calling?" Someone said: "They are calling his hun and po souls." Mouzi said: "If the spirit returns, he lives; if it does not return, where does the spirit go?" The person said: "It becomes a ghost or a spirit." Mouzi said: "That is so. The soul and spirit certainly do not perish; it is only that the body itself rots away. The body is like the roots and leaves of the five grains; the soul and spirit are like the seeds and fruit of the five grains. When roots and leaves sprout, they must die; how could seeds and fruit ever have an end? Only when one attains the Dao does the body perish. Laozi said: 'The reason I have great calamity is that I have a body; if I had no body, what calamity would I have?' He also said: 'When the work is accomplished, the person withdraws: this is the Dao of Heaven.' Someone said: "Whether one practices the Dao, one dies; if one does not practice it, one also dies. What difference is there?" Mouzi said: "This is what is called having not a single day of goodness, yet asking for a lifetime of praise. If one possesses the Dao, though he dies, his spirit returns to the hall of blessings; if one commits evil, once dead, his spirit will suffer its retribution. A fool is blind to what has already occurred; the worthy and wise anticipate what has not yet sprouted. The Dao and non-Dao are like gold compared to grass; goodness and blessing are like white contrasted with black. How could they not be different, that you should say what difference is there?"
1.19
The question was asked: "Confucius said: 'When you are not yet able to serve people, how can you serve ghosts? When you do not yet know life, how can you know death?' These are matters that the sage shunned. Now the Buddhists constantly speak of matters of life and death, and the business of ghosts and spirits; these are surely not the words of a sage or wise person. One who treads the Dao ought to abide in non-being and tranquillity, directing his will back to simplicity; why speak of life and death to disturb the mind and discuss superfluous matters of ghosts and spirits?" Mouzi said: "What you say is what is called seeing the outside without understanding the inside. Confucius disliked Zilu's failure to inquire about the fundamental and the branch, and restrained him with this. The Classic of Filial Piety says: 'They build ancestral temples for them and offer sacrifices to them as ghosts; in spring and autumn they offer sacrifices to remember them in season.' It also says: 'In life, serve them with love and respect; in death, serve them with grief and sorrow.' How could this not be teaching people to serve ghosts and spirits and to know life and death? When the Duke of Zhou prayed for King Wu's life, he said: 'Dan has many talents and arts, and can serve the ghosts and spirits.' Why did he do so? Are not the destinies of life and death expounded in the Buddhist scriptures of this very kind? Laozi said: 'Knowing its child, return to hold fast to its mother; to the end of one's life, there will be no danger.' He also said: 'Use its light, and return to its brightness; leave no calamity to one's person.' This explains the destinies of life and death, and where auspiciousness and misfortune reside. The essence of the ultimate Dao truly prizes stillness and silence. How could the Buddhists be fond of speaking? When questioned, they cannot but reply. Does a bell or a drum ever sound by itself? Only when struck does it produce a sound."
1.20
The question was asked: "Confucius said: 'The barbarian tribes having rulers are not equal to the various Xia states lacking them.' Mencius criticized Chen Xiang for switching to study the arts of Xu Xing, saying: 'I have heard of using the Xia to transform the barbarians, but have never heard of using the barbarians to transform the Xia.' In your youth you studied the Dao of Yao, Shun, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius, but now you abandon it and turn to study the arts of the barbarians; are you not exceedingly deluded?" Mouzi said: "These are just my leftover words from the time when I had not yet understood the Great Dao. A person like you can be said to see the flourishes of the ritual system while being blind to the reality of the Dao and virtue, or to peek at the light of a torch without having beheld the sun in the celestial court. What Confucius said was to rectify worldly norms; what Meng Ke stated was out of distress over exclusive bias. Long ago, Confucius wished to dwell among the nine barbarian tribes, saying: 'If a gentleman dwells among them, what uncouthness could there be?' When Zhongni was not accommodated in Lu and Wei, and Meng Ke was not employed in Qi and Liang, could they have gone to take office among the barbarians? Yu came forth from the Western Qiang yet was a sage and wise man; Gusou fathered Shun yet was obstinate and obtuse; You Yu was born in the Di state yet helped Qin achieve hegemony; Guan and Cai arose from the Yellow River and Luo River yet spread slanderous rumors. The commentary says: 'The star of the Northern Culmen is in the center of heaven and to the north of man.' Viewed from this, the land of Han is not necessarily the center of heaven. As the Buddhist scriptures say, all creatures endowed with blood throughout the upper, lower, and peripheral extremes belong to the Buddha. Therefore I further honor and study it. Why should I abandon the Dao of Yao, Shun, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius? Gold and jade do not damage each other; the pearl of Sui and green jade do not obstruct each other. To call others deluded—is one not deluded oneself?"
1.21
The questioner said: "To beg for someone on the road with one's father's wealth cannot be called kindness. To kill oneself in place of another while both parents are still alive cannot be called benevolence. Now the Buddhist scriptures say: 'Crown Prince Sudāna gave his father's wealth to distant people; he bestowed the state's precious elephant upon enemies; he gave his wife and children away to others.' To fail to respect one's parents while respecting others is called a transgression against propriety. To fail to love one's parents while loving others is called a transgression against virtue. Sudāna was unfilial and unbenevolent, yet Buddhists honour him—is this not bizarre?" Mouzi said: "The principle of the Five Classics is to establish the eldest son of the primary wife as heir. King Tai saw Chang's resolve and replaced the eldest with the youngest as heir, ultimately bringing the Zhou's royal work to completion and attaining the great peace. The principle of taking a wife requires that one must inform one's parents. Shun married without informing them in order to complete the cardinal human relationship. An upright knight requires an offering and an invitation. A worthy minister awaits being summoned. Yi Yin carried a tripod to seek an audience with Tang; Ning Qi tapped the horns of an ox to petition Qi. Tang thereby achieved kingship, and Qi thereby attained hegemony. According to propriety, men and women do not touch hands when giving or receiving; yet if an elder brother's wife is drowning, one rescues her by hand—this is accommodating urgent necessity through expedience. If one perceives the great, one is not constrained by the small. How could a great man be bound by common convention? Sudāna saw the impermanence of the world and knew that wealth and goods are not one's own treasures; therefore he gave freely without restraint to attain the Great Dao. His father's state received its blessings, and enemies could not invade. When he attained Buddhahood, his parents and brothers all crossed over the world. If this is not filial piety, if this is not benevolence, what then is benevolence and filial piety?"
1.22
The questioner said: "The Buddhist Dao values non-action, delights in giving, and upholds the precepts with trembling caution as though standing by the edge of an abyss. Yet the śramaṇas of today indulge in alcohol; some keep wives and children; they buy low and sell high, practicing deception exclusively. This is indeed the great hypocrisy of the world, yet the Buddhist Dao calls it non-action?"
1.23
Mouzi said: "Gongshu could provide men with axes and marking cords, but could not make them skillful. The Sages could confer the Dao upon men, but could not make them step forward and practice it. Gaoyao could penalize thieves, but could not make covetous men into Boyi and Shuqi. The five punishments could execute the villainous, but could not make evil sons into Zeng Shen and Min Ziqian. Yao could not transform Danzhu; the Duke of Zhou could not instruct Guan and Cai. Was it that the Tang's teachings were not illustrious, or that the Zhou's Dao was not complete? Yet there was nothing to be done about wicked men. By analogy, when a person of the world is versed in the seven classics yet bewildered by wealth and sex, can one call the Six Arts depraved? Although the River God is divine, he does not drown people on dry land; although the whirlwind is swift, it cannot stir dust from still waters. One should only worry that men cannot practice it; how could one say that the Buddhist Dao has wickedness?"
1.24
The questioner said: "Confucius said, 'Extravagance leads to insubordination, and frugality leads to meanness. Rather than be insubordinate, it is better to be mean.' Shusun said, 'Frugality is the reverence of virtue; luxury is the greatest of evils.' Now Buddhists take exhausting their wealth in giving as honour, and giving away all their goods to others as noble. How could there be blessing in this?"
1.25
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!"
1.26
The questioner said: "Nothing surpasses sincerity in affairs; nothing surpasses reality in explanations. Laozi removed ornate expressions and exalted simple, unadorned speech. The Buddhist scriptures, when explaining things, do not point directly to the matter, but vainly employ extensive parables and metaphors. Parables and metaphors are not the essence of the Dao; bringing together differences to make them identical is not the subtlety of affairs. Although their diction is copious and their speech broad, it is still like a cartload of jade fragments, not to be regarded as a treasure." Mouzi said: "Matters that have been witnessed together can be explained according to reality; when one person has seen something and another has not, it is difficult to speak of it with sincerity. Formerly, a person who had never seen a qilin asked one who had seen it: 'What is a qilin like?' The one who had seen it said: 'A qilin is like a qilin.' The questioner said: 'If I had seen a qilin, I would not have asked you; but to say a qilin is like a qilin—how can that be understood?' The one who had seen it said: 'A qilin has the body of a water deer, the tail of an ox, the hooves of a deer, and the back of a horse.' Then the questioner understood. Confucius said: 'Is he not a gentleman, who is not provoked though others do not understand him?' Laozi said: 'The space between Heaven and Earth, is it not like a bellows?' He also said: 'To compare the Dao to all under heaven, it is like streams and valleys to rivers and oceans'—how could this be mere ornate expression? The Analects says: 'One who governs with virtue may be compared to the North Star'—drawing upon heaven to illustrate humanity. Zixia said: 'It is like grass and trees, distinguished by their species.' The Three Hundred Poems adduce objects to categorize kinds. From the diverse masters to the apocrypha and the secret essentials of the Sages, none do not draw comparisons and take up metaphors. Why do you alone detest that the Buddha, in preaching the scriptures, adduces parables and metaphors?"
1.27
The questioner said: "Among people living in the world, none do not like wealth and honour and hate poverty and lowliness; none do not take pleasure in joy and ease and fear toil and fatigue. The Yellow Emperor cultivated his nature, taking the five delicacies as paramount. Confucius said: 'He did not dislike to have his rice finely cleaned, nor his minced meat finely cut.' Now the śramaṇas wear red cloth, eat one meal a day, shut off the six emotions, and isolate themselves from the world. Living like this, what joy can there be?" Mouzi said: "'Riches and honours are what men desire; if they cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be held. Poverty and lowliness are what men hate; if they cannot be avoided in the proper way, they should not be avoided.' Laozi said: 'The five colours make human eyes blind; the five tones make human ears deaf; the five flavours ruin the palate; racing and hunting drive human minds mad; rare goods hinder human conduct. The Sage acts for the belly and not for the eyes.' Could these words be false? Liuxia Hui did not trade his conduct for the position of the Three Excellencies; Duan Ganmu did not trade his person for the wealth of Marquis Wen of Wei. Xu You and Chao Fu lodged in trees and dwelt there, considering themselves more secure than in imperial palaces; Boyi and Shuqi starved on Mount Shouyang, considering themselves more satiated than under King Wen and King Wu. Each simply attained his own intent; what lack of joy could there be?"
1.28
The questioner said: "If the Buddhist scriptures are so profound, subtle, and elegant, why do you not discuss them at court, converse on them with your sovereign and father, cultivate them within your family chambers, and share them with your friends? Why do you instead study the classics and commentaries and read the diverse masters?"
1.29
Mouzi said: "You have not reached the source, yet you inquire about the stream. Setting out sacrificial vessels at the gate of a military camp, erecting banners in the imperial court, wearing a fox-fur coat in the summer heat, or donning fine linen to resist the winter cold—it is not that these are unlovely, but that they violate the place and are out of season. Therefore, carrying Confucius's methods into the gate of Shang Yang, or bringing Meng Ke's explanations to the halls of Su Qin and Zhang Yi, would not yield an inch of merit, while the faults would be yards long! Laozi said: 'When the highest knight hears of the Dao, he diligently puts it into practice; when the average knight hears of the Dao, it seems to exist and not exist; when the lowest knight hears of the Dao, he laughs at it loudly.' I fear the loud laughter, and therefore do not discuss it. When thirsty, one does not need to await the great rivers; drinking water from a well-spring, in what way is one not satisfied? For this reason, I continue to study the classics and commentaries."
1.30
The questioner said: "When the Dao of the Buddha was first heard in the land of the Han, from where did it originate?" Mouzi said: "Formerly, the Filial Emperor Ming dreamed that he saw a divine man with sunlight on his body flying before the palace hall, and he was delighted by it. The next day, he questioned all his ministers extensively: 'What god is this?' A man of broad knowledge, Fu Yi, said: 'Your servant has heard that in Tianzhu there is one who attained the Dao, called the Buddha. He flies through empty space and has sunlight on his body. It was likely that deity.' Thereupon the Emperor awoke to this. He dispatched the Palace Gentleman Cai Yin, the Forest of Plumes Gentleman Qin Jing, the Doctoral Disciple Wang Zun, and others, eighteen men in all, to the Da Yuezhi, to copy the Buddhist Scripture in Forty-two Chapters and deposit it in the fourteenth chamber of the stone archive of Lantai. At that time, a Buddhist monastery was founded outside the Yong Gate to the west of Luoyang city, and on its walls was painted a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen encircling the stūpa three times. Furthermore, Buddha statues were made on the Qingliang Terrace of the Southern Palace and above the Kaiyang City Gate. At that time, Emperor Ming had his longevity tomb constructed in advance, called Xianjie, and had Buddhist images and portraits painted upon it as well. At that time, the state was affluent, the people were peaceful, and distant foreigners yearned for righteousness; scholars increased because of this."
1.31
The questioner said: "Laozi said: 'Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.' He also said: 'Great eloquence is like stammering; great skill is like clumsiness.' A gentleman is ashamed when his words exceed his actions. If śramaṇas possess the utmost Dao, why do they not sit and practice it? Why do they instead converse on right and wrong and debate the crooked and the straight? I consider this to be the thief of conduct and virtue."
1.32
Mouzi said: "If one were not to eat this autumn because there will be a great famine next spring, or if one were to don heavy furs in the heat of summer because the winter month will be cold—such precautions, though taken early, could not avoid being foolish. What Laozi spoke of refers to those who have already attained the Dao; what knowledge could those have who have not yet attained the Dao? The Great Dao delights the world with a single word; is that not great eloquence? Did Laozi not say: 'When the work is accomplished, the person withdraws: this is the Dao of Heaven'? Once the person has withdrawn, what more would he say? Today's śramaṇas have not yet attained the Dao, so how could they not speak? Laozi also spoke: if he had not spoken, how could the Five Thousand Words have been expounded? If one knows yet does not speak, that is permissible; but one who can neither know nor speak is a fool. Therefore, one who can speak but cannot practice is a teacher of the state; one who can practice but cannot speak is a functionary of the state; one who can both practice and speak is a treasure of the state. The three classes each have their use; how can this be a thief of virtue? Only one who can neither speak nor practice is called a thief."
1.33
The questioner said: "According to your words, one should merely study eloquence and cultivate debate—how could one still govern the emotions and nature and practice virtue and the Dao?"
1.34
Mouzi said: "Why are you so exceedingly difficult to awaken? Speech and debate each have their proper time. Qu Yuan said: 'When the state has the Dao, one is upright; when the state is without the Dao, one rolls it up and keeps it in one's bosom.' When Ning Wuzi's state had the Dao, he was wise; when the state was without the Dao, he was foolish. Confucius said: 'When a man may be spoken with, not to speak with him is to lose the man; when a man may not be spoken with, to speak with him is to waste one's words.' Therefore, wisdom and foolishness have their own times, and speech and debate each have their own intent. Why should one merely speak and debate without practicing?"
1.35
The questioner said: "Why is it that, although the Buddhist Dao is supremely revered, supremely pleasant, and consists of non-action and tranquil calmness, the worldly scholars mostly slander and revile it, saying that its expressions are vast and empty, difficult to apply, vacuous and difficult to believe? Why is that?"
1.36
Mouzi said: The supreme flavor does not suit every palate; the grand sound does not appeal to every ear. When the Xianchi is performed and the Dachang is mounted, when the Xiaoshao is played and the Nine Variations sung, none join in harmony. But when the strings of Zheng and Wei are plucked and the melodies of contemporary vulgar fashion are sung, people inevitably clap their hands without prior accord. Therefore Song Yu said: When a guest sang in Ying, at the songs of the lower villages, thousands joined in harmony; but when he struck the Shang tone and stirred the Jiao note, none of the multitude responded. These all delight in depraved sounds and do not understand grand measures. Han Fei, with his view from looking through a tube, reproached Yao and Shun; Jieyu, with his petty discriminations of hair and down, censured Zhongni. Both were fascinated by the petty and neglected the grand. When one hears the pure Shang tone and calls it Jiao, it is not the fault of the string player; it is the hearer's lack of discernment. When one sees the jade of He and calls it a stone, it is not because the jade is base; it is because the viewer lacks clear sight. A divine serpent can sever itself and rejoin, yet it cannot keep a man from being severed. The numinous tortoise sent a dream to the Duke Yuan of Song, yet it could not escape the net of Yu Ju. The Great Dao is non-action, not what the vulgar can see. It is not made noble by those who praise it, nor made base by those who slander it. Whether it is used or not depends on Heaven; whether it is practiced or not depends on the times; whether it is believed or not depends on destiny.
First 36 of 74 passages. Read on
Linked texts (1)
- 弘明集 — 僧祐, Classical Chinese