弘明集 9.64

9.64

[Fan Zhen] replied: This is not so. Pure gold can reflect, but impure gold cannot reflect. Would the pure gold that can reflect ever possess the impure material substance that cannot reflect? Furthermore, how could the spirit of a sage be lodged in the capacity of an ordinary person? Nor is there an ordinary person's spirit lodged in the body of a sage. Therefore, Shun had the features of eight-colored [eyebrows] and double pupils, and the Yellow Emperor and Gaoyao had the appearance of a dragon's face and a horse's mouth. These are the differences in physical exterior. Bi Gan's heart had seven apertures side by side, and Jiang Wei's gall bladder was as large as a fist. These are the distinctions in mental organs. Therefore, the differentiations of sages always transcend ordinary categories. Not only does their Dao transform the multitude of beings, but their corporeal forms also surpass all existent things. That ordinary persons and sages share the same physical essence is something I do not dare accept.