弘明集 8.57

8.57

The explanation says: At home, there is love for both parents; leaving home, there is reverence for the strict master. Speaking of affection, hair and skin are foremost; speaking of reverence, cutting them off is the most difficult. The reason one undergoes shaving with reverence and bids farewell to one's parents to depart forever is that one wishes to remove these afflictions and approach that non-action. If love for one's hair and skin can still be discarded, what external things could be worthy of regret? Without disdaining hair and skin, how could one honor the Dao? Without taking leave of natural kin, how could one serve a strict master? For instance, in mourning rites, when an adopted heir leaves to succeed the primary lineage, he lowers the mourning for his biological parents and elevates that for his adoptive lineage. This makes the son uphold the heavy responsibilities of the ancestral temple and sever his feelings of looking back. Returning to his biological parents requires only one year of mourning—this is not because affection is thin; fulfilling three years for the adoptive line is truly because righteousness is profound. The Book of Rites says: 'He who departs must reduce his mourning, because someone else has adopted him'—this illustrates the principle. The sutra says: 'The devas presented the sword and carried the hair up to the heavens.' What nonsense is your talk of 'not shaving'? You are merely eager to make far-fetched interpretations and timid in seeking the true purport; I can only sigh for you.