廣弘明集 10.55

10.55

臣廣又對。竊以山苞蘭艾海蘊龍蛇。美惡雜流賢愚亂處。若龍蛇俱寵則無別是非。若蘭艾並挫誰明得失。若必存留有德簡去不肖。一則有潤家風。二則不惑群品。三則天無違善之譏。四則民德歸厚矣。我大周。應千載之期。當萬基之位。述禮明樂合地平天。武列文昭翼真明俗。賢僧國器。不弊姚民之兵。聖眾歸往。豈獨龜茲之陣。或有慈悲外接聰辯內明。開發大乘舟航黎庶。或有禪林戢翼定水游鱗。固守浮囊堅持忍鎧。或有改形逭服苟異常人。婬縱無端還同愚俗。元嵩乞簡差當有理。夫天地至功有時動靜。日月延縮猶或短長。今莊老之學人間罕遇。若使合國共行。必應違式者罪。何以得知。現見時人受行儒教。剋己服禮觸事多違。禮云。餚乾不食。未見與肉而求菜者乎。爵盈不飲。未見巵滿而不勸者。禮極飲不過三。未見酣酒而不醉者。天子不合圍。諸侯不掩群。庶民不麑卵。廣既少染玄門。不閑掩圍之事。舉目盡見麑卵之民。復云何彼不合禮不罷儒服者乎。夫化由道洽政以禮成。榮辱所示君子。刑罰所御小人。類野芸田之法。禾莠須分。條桑㧅樹。豈當盡杌。

Your servant Guang further replies: I humbly consider that mountains conceal both orchids and mugwort, and the oceans harbor both dragons and serpents; good and evil mingle in the current, and the worthy and the foolish dwell together. If dragons and serpents are favored alike, there is no distinguishing right from wrong; if orchids and mugwort are cut down together, who can make clear the gains and losses? If you surely preserve those with virtue and screen out the unworthy, first, it will enrich the dynastic tradition; second, it will not confound the various classes; third, Heaven will not reproach you for turning against the good; and fourth, the virtue of the people will return to fullness. Our Great Zhou has met the turn of a thousand years and assumed the throne of ten thousand foundations; expounding rites and elucidating music, it harmonizes earth and levels heaven; its martial power is arrayed, its civil virtue is illustrious, upholding the true and bringing clarity to the secular. Worthy monks are vessels of the state, not easily overcome even by the forces of the Yao family; when the holy assembly gathers, how could it be compared only to the campaign against Kucha? Some engage with the outside world through compassion, while inwardly luminous with intelligence and eloquence, revealing the Mahāyāna as a raft for the common folk. Others tuck their wings in the forest of dhyāna, or swim like fish in the waters of samādhi, steadfastly guarding the floating buoy and resolutely upholding the armor of forbearance. Yet others change their form and shirk their duties, merely pretending to be different from ordinary folk, their wanton licentiousness knowing no bounds, returning to the level of the foolish vulgar. Yuansong's request for screening was, in a sense, reasonable. The supreme operation of heaven and earth has its times of movement and rest; the waxing and waning of the sun and moon still have their lengths. Today, the study of Zhuangzi and Laozi is rarely met with among men; if the entire realm were made to practice it, those who transgress the rules would certainly be punished. How do we know this? We see that when contemporary people accept and practice Confucian teachings, striving to restrain themselves and submit to ritual, they violate them in many matters. The Rites say: 'When the meat is dried, do not eat it'—yet have you ever seen someone given meat who asked for vegetables instead? 'When the cup is full, do not drink'—yet have you ever seen a brimming goblet that was not urged upon someone? 'The limit of ritual in drinking is not to exceed three cups'—yet have you ever seen someone drink deeply without getting drunk? 'The Son of Heaven does not completely surround the hunt; the feudal lords do not capture the whole herd; the common people do not take fawns or eggs.' Since my youth I have been dyed by the gate of the mysterious, and am not versed in the matters of surrounding hunts; yet looking around, I see everywhere commoners taking fawns and eggs. Why, then, are those who do not accord with ritual not made to discard their Confucian robes? Transformation is brought about by the permeation of the Way; governance is perfected through ritual. Honor and disgrace are shown to gentlemen; punishments and penalties are used to regulate petty men. It is like the way of weeding a field: the grain and the tares must be distinguished; or pruning mulberries and lopping trees: how could one strip them entirely bare?