弘明集 3.11

3.11

I reply: This is indeed the deep delusion of the utterly worldly, the great error of inverted views, over which one sighs and cannot remain silent! Father and son are of one body, sharing only a single life. Thus when a mother pricks her finger, the child’s heart is seized with dread: it is the resonance of shared vital breath, whose sameness admits of no gap. Therefore, only when one wins their joyful heart is filial piety perfected. When the father is prominent, the son is noble; when the son is noble, the father is honored. Hence what makes filial piety worthy of esteem is the ability to establish oneself and practice the Way, forever bringing glory to one's parents. If one crawls in their embrace and daily presents the three kinds of sacrificial animals, yet cannot cause all things to honor oneself, or the whole world to rely on oneself—relying on mere that to nourish one's parents—such honor is shallow. Following the central meridian as one’s rule and holding to softness as one's constant practice, with corporeal form and name both cast off, parent and self mutually forgotten: such is the Way of nourishing one's parents. Having already clarified the fundamental principle, let me further speak to you of what is secondary. Loyalty and filial piety cannot both stand by name alone. Ying Kaoshu went against his ruler's command, yet the historical record praises him for pure filial piety; Shi Que executed his son, and his martial integrity was thereby made complete. The tradition says: 'When a son is capable of holding office, his father instructs him in loyalty; when he registers his name and surrenders his body, any duplicity is a crime.' If so, when one binds one's hat-strings in the lord's court, the duty of a son is discarded. Why? Sacrificing one's life in the face of danger and departing without looking back at one's parents—these are recorded by the scribes' brushes, held up as foremost in filial piety. How could the chroniclers condemn them for unfilial conduct? Thus the proverb says: 'Seek loyal ministers surely at the gate of filial sons.' This clarifies that though they slightly contravene this [lesser duty], they greatly accord with that [greater duty]. Furthermore, Gun was banished to remote borders, yet Yu did not ask to resign. If he had abandoned Yao's command to pursue his father, subjecting the supreme public good to private grief, this would be a minute fraction of small goodness, not something great and far-reaching. Taibo of Zhou discarded his kinsmen far behind and took refuge in a foreign realm, cutting his hair and tattooing his body, never returning in life or death; yet the Analects praise his supreme virtue, and the writings record him as a great sage. Truly, it was because he disdained the honor of facing south, preserved the nobility of the tranquil spirit, and the merit of his thrice yielding [the throne] was far-reaching, while the transgression of harming his body was minuscule. Thus he was able to greatly transform barbarian customs and leave down a lasting legacy. Bo Yi and Shu Qi starved together beneath Mount Shouyang, taking no care for the lineage of Guzhu; Zhongni regarded them as benevolent and worthy. Can those who judge correctly still call this a violation of virtue? Gaoxing of Liang disfigured her appearance to preserve her chastity; Lady Ji of Song adhered to ritual principle and disregarded her life. Both had names surpassing all heroic women, their virtue a model for all ladies. Emulating the standard of these two women, they avoided the reproach of folly and defiance. Discussing matters on this basis, what is weighted as light or heavy in what one upholds may be known. In the past, when the Buddha was the crown prince, he abandoned his kingdom to study the Way. Wanting to keep his body whole to pursue the Way, he feared he could not escape its entanglements; therefore, he cut off his beard and hair and changed his ceremonial robes. Showing outwardly that he would not return, he cultivated simplicity within. Thereupon, he left the splendid palace and went into the wilderness, took off his dragon robes and put on deerskin garb. He then made hanging branches his dwelling and spread grass for his mat. Dispensing with the labor of combing and dressing, ending the trouble of hot baths, he pulled up the reins of wild rushing, and shut the door of rising desires. His eyes barred dark and yellow colors, his ears cut off sensual music, his mouth forgot sweet and bitter, and his mind cast off joy and sorrow. His heart was freed from burdens, holding to the One within his breast; steadying and balancing his hun- and po-souls, he internally contemplated ānāpāna: first counting, second following, third stopping, fourth contemplating, fifth returning, and sixth purifying. He roamed his mind through the three and four, entering and exiting the twelve gates. In dhyāna meditation, he sat in reverent silence, stable like a mountain and calm like a deep pool, his spirit like cold ashes, his body like dried wood. Sitting upright for six years, his Dao was achieved and he was named the Buddha. Endowed with the three knowledges and six supernormal faculties, he attained unexcelled right awakening. His noble body stood sixteen feet tall, shining with a radiant golden color; his brilliance rivaled the sun and moon, and his voice harmonized with the eight winds. Marked with the thirty-two marks, his countenance bore the eighty secondary signs, an imposing form towering above all beings, possessing boundless supernormal power. Thereupon he strolled beyond the three realms, wandering freely through the realm of inexhaustible transformation, turning the heavens, dancing the earth, flying mountains, and congealing streams. Vanishing and appearing in an instant, his spiritual transformations reached far and wide; wherever his intention directed, nothing failed to open before him. Greatly modeling the various heterodoxies, he guided them onto the right path; the hordes of Māras and lesser paths all submitted in obedience. At this time, heaven was pure, earth was moist, and all kinds of things flourished. Crawling and wriggling creatures were steeped and nourished by the spiritual dew; withered and dried kinds turned from languor to bloom. He returned to illuminate his native land, widely expounding the Dharma's sound. His royal father was moved to awakening and likewise ascended the arena of the Dao. Bringing glory to one's parents like this—what filial piety can compare to it? Thereupon, later scholars took up his vast instructions and sought to tread his lofty tracks, all with their parents sharing the same ideals and winning their joyful hearts before acting. If there are brothers and kin, care and nourishment are not neglected; having both achieved the extensive cultivation of the great enterprise, loving care and bonds of duty are not abandoned. Moreover, they cause the deceased to gain blessed recompense and be born in heaven, no longer longing for worldly sacrifices. How could this not be the Way of universal goodness and supreme penetration? When the eastern neighbor slaughters an ox, the western neighbor performs the Yue sacrifice; the Yin dynasty praised millet and grain, while the Zhou valued bright virtue. The moments of flourishing and ruin are manifest in this. The Buddha has the twelve divisions of the canon, four of which are exclusively dedicated to encouraging filial piety; the sincerity of their purport may be called supreme! Yet worldly people do not examine their source and stream, nor have they entered their domain; they utter blind words and absurd statements, readily raising attacks and objections. With the view of a firefly or candle, they doubt the brilliance of the three luminaries; with drops from an awn-like crack, they marvel at the capacity of the deep ocean. Taking falsehood as eloquence and temerity as renown, they may indeed be called those who are disrespectful to great men and insult the mandate of Heaven!