弘明集 8.45

8.45

The Treatise Destroying Delusions states: When the traces vanished between the Twin Trees, images arose in their stead; the principle had already accumulated from the beginningless, and the Way had covered the boundless. Examining Old Li's exit through the pass, it was timed during the decline of the Zhou; because the times were blocked and the worthy went into hiding, he left and forgot to return. If Jieyu in avoiding the world still concealed his traces, how much more so when going to external realms—who saw his footprints? Thereupon treacherous libationers fabricated the scripture on converting the barbarians, with clumsy reasoning and vulgar diction, handed down by domestic slaves. Examining the Western Hu, they are cowardly and weak, while the Northern Di are ferocious and fierce. If Laozi eliminated evil, discarded virtue, and employed physical punishment, why would he cherish the fierce Di and conversely annihilate the weak Hu, thereby allowing the Xianyun to run rampant and spread their poison for ten thousand generations? Jackals and wolves block the road, yet foxes are punished; descending into utter ruin as a cruelty is unheard of under heaven and earth. The laws of Shang Yang did not reach such cruelty; could the Way of Boyang be like this? Furthermore, when they were not yet submissive, establishing images would have been ineffective; once they believed and obeyed, executions could have ceased. Yet after they submitted to the teaching, capital punishment was then applied! With a single word straying from the Way, numerous fabrications become evident. What can such wild words from Dongye do against reason?