弘明集 10.87

10.87

I am honoured by your letter, and also respectfully gaze upon the imperial decree answering the ministers to clarify the treatise on the extinction of the spirit. Human nature and the Dao of Heaven are said to transcend description; having the great fortune across vast kalpas to receive this wondrous instruction unexpectedly, I touch [your] feet, receive it upon my crown, and harbour joy and reverence. I privately consider that the path of the spirit is quiescent and lonely, and the ocean of Dharma has no bounds. Thus, even with wisdom amassed like hemp and reeds, it remains unfathomed; even when consciousness discerns the sense-objects of form, it is still obscured. How could one of mediocre status such as myself aspire to grasp it? Yet ever since the cloud of grace drifted east and the precious boat crossed southward, the sequence of years has been long and the sound of the Dharma has flowed afar. Although enlightened rulers and good ministers across generations have revered and submitted to it, when it comes to personally drawing from the mysterious source and directly realizing the wondrous culmination, this has never yet been heard of. Thus, the two truths and eight liberations alone were missing from imperial pronouncements, and the nine divisions and three clarities lay desolate within the state academies. Alas, this is indeed something to sigh over! Examining the origins of [the doctrine of] the extinction of the spirit, it arose from a person named Vaiśeṣika in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. Although his doctrine was refuted by Deva, the worldly remnants have not ceased; thus they have caused various doubts and heterodox learnings to harden into fixed views through habituation. Were one not to receive the teaching of the prior awakened one, it would indeed ultimately burden future births. His Sacred Majesty's Dao rescues all under Heaven; his spiritual acumen penetrates without bounds. The Hall of the White Tiger and the Dragon Palace are reviewed together; supreme virtue and true reality guide in tandem. Therefore, he can harmonize with secular teachings while clarifying the true Dao, and draw upon filial sacrifices to expand the nature of awakening. Illuminating this ignorance and pulling up this net of doubt—even Śākyamuni's gentle, skillful discourse or Confucius's broad yet concise adept guidance, how could they surpass this? How towering! The ten good deeds have already been enacted; how far can the golden wheel be? Master of the Dharma, you inherited the wisdom of emptiness in vast lifetimes past, and have trained in extensive learning in this present life. As the wheel of the Dharma turns, the eight classes [of beings] gather like clouds; as subtle words issue forth, devas and humans receive and uphold them. Therefore, you can waft the fragrance of the precepts within the phoenix gates, and adorn the blossoms of awakening by the sovereign's side. Truly, you are one who can cause all to hear the sound of the Buddha's path! As for me, your disciple, my memory does not preserve the Buddhist treasury, nor do I measure up to the gates of Confucius. Although I wish to hear it at dawn, I am ultimately ashamed of my petty shallowness. I only hope to rely on the inexhaustible Dharma and benefit both others and myself. Suffering from illness and blockage just now, my thoughts are muddled and startled. I respectfully exert myself to compose this letter without proper order, earnestly yearning to consult with you and personally receive the supreme teaching. Your disciple Xiao Shisu bows his head and pays homage.