弘明集 9.111

9.111

I rebut this: My previous objection stated: 'To rejoice in welcoming what arrives is a false display of joy over Confucius's appearance; to grieve in sending off what departs is shedding empty tears over Qiu's physical frame.' This was indeed the scaling ladder of my modest objection, the vanguard spearhead against your weak thesis; it lies in these very words. Yet the respondent did not deign to offer a solution, saying only, 'It clarifies itself without needing explanation.' Allow me to reiterate: According to the purport of your treatise, you have already conceded that Confucius put on false joy and shed empty tears; you have also conceded that pairing Houji with Heaven is pointing to nothingness and treating it as existence. Confucius said: 'Having nothing and yet pretending to have; being empty and yet pretending to be full'—this is not divined by the trigrams and images, and is discarded by standard maxims. If such a breeze is fanned, how could it fail to do harm? In what way will this custom not be corrupted? Yet you say it can secure the ruler and govern the people. What kind of compassionate transformation is this? The treatise says that it has already explained it, but the benighted remain unenlightened. I take the liberty to inquire once more, awaiting to hear your instruction.