弘明集 7.8

7.8

Zhu Guangzhi kowtows. I have seen the back-and-forth 'Debate on the Barbarian and the Chinese' with Attendant Xie, which elucidates and makes clear the principle of common convergence; it can be called a concise, profound, pure, and refined discussion. Yet as for indulging in the ornaments of formal caps and robes while rejecting the plainness of tonsured heads, or praising the respect of holding tablets and kneeling while insulting the reverence of the fox squat, this shackles Chinese people and cuts off foreign teachings. Though the metaphor of boats and carts is beautiful, the sentiment of fairness and forgiveness is not yet profound. While the source of ultimate convergence is smooth, the path of the fish-trap and reliance is now obstructed. If so, then awakening to the three vehicles is looked at from afar in this land, and the ford of the six pāramitās is from now on parted with forever. Opening the scriptures and relishing the principles, my sorrow is truly deep. Master Xie disparaged and dismissed the Dao of immortals while praising and illuminating the Buddhist teaching, regarding the arts of feather-transformation as unfounded and loose talk, and the proclamation of maiming the body as a text walking in truth. He merely knows his own finger as a finger, without knowing that the other finger is no different. How could this be called grasping the meaning with an open mind and harmonising in goodness? From an early age, I was steeped in the Dharma's transformation; in later years, I savoured the Daoist style. I have always considered esteeming emptiness and prizing non-being to have the same ultimate purport. When snare and net are both spread, in principle there is no one-sided choice: each follows the person who understands, resting solely where the mind finds peace. Why must dragon robes be worn while necklaces of gems cannot be donned? Since falling into poverty, I have had many affairs, and my research and study have sunk into neglect; my volumes and boxes have remained sealed for over ten years. What I learned in youth has almost entirely fallen away; my long-held aspirations have come to naught, with no steps left to gain insight. Whenever I am deeply moved alone in the deep night, I immediately rise; at dawn, forgetting sleep, I purify my mind, and my distant faith in this entanglement of suffering grows all the more earnest. If faith does not follow reason, then it becomes light, floating, and without a master, giving rise to visitors who turn to ridicule. Therefore, exhausting the output of my wild brush, I write to express my humble thoughts. I wish that you would again instruct and guide me to dispel these doubts. Guangzhi kowtows.