弘明集 1.17

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?"