弘明集 1.20

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?"