弘明集 3.9

3.9

I answered: 'It is not so. The Duke of Zhou and Confucius are the Buddha, and the Buddha is the Duke of Zhou and Confucius; these are merely outward and inward designations. Therefore, among the August Sovereigns he was an August Sovereign, and among the Kings he was a King. "Buddha" is a Sanskrit term, glossed in Jin as "awakened." The meaning of "awakened" refers to awakening beings. Just as Meng Ke considered the sage to be one who awakens first, their purport is one and the same. Responding to the world and standardizing things also accord with the times. The Duke of Zhou and Confucius rescued extreme defects, while the Buddhist teaching clarifies the fundamental root. Together they form the beginning and the end; their ultimate destination is not different. It is just as the outer sages left traces of depth and shallowness: the age of Yao and Shun was tranquil, so the two sovereigns made lofty abdications; the times of Tang and Wu were difficult, so the two armies wielded halberds. The profound silence [of non-action] and the blazing wrath [of warfare] had traces as different as Hu and Yue. Yet that by which they left their traces—how could it ever have a division? Therefore, those who trace back in opposition always see two, while those who follow through with harmony find that everywhere they are one.'