弘明集 1.25

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!"