弘明集 6.14

6.14

The discourse cites a Daoist scripture as saying: 'Laozi entered the Pass and went to the state of Vaiśālī in Tianzhu. The queen of the state was named Qingmiao. While she was taking a daytime nap, Laozi, riding the essence of the sun, entered Qingmiao's mouth. At midnight on the eighth day of the fourth month of the following year, he cleaved her right armpit and was born, falling to the ground. He immediately walked seven steps, raised his hand, pointed to heaven, and said: "Above heaven and below heaven, only I am supreme. The three realms are all suffering; what is there to enjoy?" Thereupon the Dao of the Buddha arose.' (This matter is in the 'Inner Chapter on Mysterious Subtlety'; this is an authentic scripture from Hanzhong, not a fabricated book.) Rectification: The purport of the Daoist masters lies in the two scriptures of Laozi; the wonder of expounding the profound is fully present in the seven chapters of Zhuangzi. Yet in attaining the One and exhausting emptiness, there is no mention of the marvel of bodily transformations; when Pengzu and a short-lived youth share the same lifespan, we find no proclamation of deathlessness. Therefore, those who maintain their natural harmony do not strive to alter what is normal; resting in their times and abiding in compliance, how could they seek longevity? As for riding the essence of the sun to enter the mouth and cleaving the armpit, the chronology does not match; relying on strange tales to conflate accounts, claiming what they do not possess, and wildly arguing about spiritual transformations—such absurd sorcery of the Qin and Han extended into the Wei and Jin. Since these words do not stem from the sages, how could they be called authentic scriptures?