[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [廣弘明集](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2103) › 13.100 # 廣弘明集 13.100 廣弘明集 13.100 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [13.100](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2103.13.100) 內喻曰。序云。懷於李氏處胎八十一年。蓋太陽之數。壽一百六十年。處胎已過其半。三變五百將非假稱珍怪。太史公以為。楚老萊子及周太史儋。皆老子也。或言二百三十年。或一百六十歲。皇甫謐云。諸子之書近為難信。唯秦佚弔焉。老死信矣。世人見谷神不死。是以玄牝。故好事者遂假託焉。神仙傳云。欝華子錄回子傳豫子大成子赤精子武成子尹壽子真行子錫射子反邑先生等。並是老身者。止見碎書不出神仙正經。未可據用也。夫有天地則有道術。道術之士何時暫乏。豈獨常是一老子也。皆由晚學之徒好奇尚異。苟欲推崇老子使之無限。淺見道士欲以老子為神異使後世學者信之。故為詭說耳。誠哉斯言。可為鑒矣。夫妙樂資三德乃成。法身為五分所立。是以生滅頓遣。圓覺之性乃彰。空有兼融。靈儀之妙攸在。故得形超視聽之表。名息情塵之外。湛然常樂。文系之所未銓。嶷爾圓明。言象之所莫測。雖西王桃實屢熟而靡延。東海桑田數變而非永。五雲九轉。悲繩鳥之暫留。飛雪玄霜。比遊駒以難固信。鍾馗無大椿之久。蜉蝣罕龜鶴之年。爾道之劣五也。 > The Buddhist response says: The Preface says: 'He was conceived in Lady Li's womb, remaining inside for eighty-one years.' This is the number of Great Yang. His lifespan was one hundred and sixty years, yet staying in the womb already took up more than half. Changing three times to reach five hundred—is this not a fabricated marvel? The Grand Astrologer considered that Lao Laizi of Chu and the Grand Astrologer Dan of Zhou were both Laozi. Some say two hundred and thirty years, some say one hundred and sixty years. Huangfu Mi said: 'The writings of the various masters have lately become hard to trust; only Qin Yi’s mourning of him proves that his death from old age is a fact.' Seeing that 'the valley spirit never dies' and 'it is called the mysterious female', meddlers subsequently fabricated legends upon it. The \*Biographies of Divine Immortals\* says that Yuhuazi, Luohuizi, Chuanyuzi, Dachengzi, Chijingzi, Wuchengzi, Yinshouzi, Zhenxingzi, Xishezi, Master Fanyi, and others were all Laozi's embodiments; but this only appears in fragmented writings and does not come from authentic immortal classics, so it cannot be relied upon. As long as there are heaven and earth, there are arts of the Way. When have masters of the arts of the Way ever been briefly lacking? How could it always be the single person of Laozi alone? It all stems from later scholars who craved curiosities and valued the bizarre, arbitrarily wishing to exalt Laozi so as to make him boundless; Daoists of shallow views wished to make Laozi supernatural so that future scholars would believe in him, and therefore made up deceptive claims. How true these words are! They can serve as a mirror. Now, wondrous bliss relies on the three virtues to be achieved; the dharmakāya is established by the fivefold division. Therefore, when arising and ceasing are completely discarded, the nature of perfect awakening is manifested. When emptiness and existence are harmoniously fused, the wonder of the spiritual form resides therein. Hence, his form transcends the bounds of sight and hearing, and his name reposes beyond the dust of passions. Serene and eternally joyful, he is beyond what line and text can delineate; towering and perfectly bright, he is past what words and appearances can fathom. Even if the peaches of the Queen Mother of the West ripen repeatedly, they do not bring true longevity; even though the mulberry fields of the Eastern Sea change several times, they are not eternal. Among the five clouds and the ninefold elixir, one grieves for the fleeting stay of the tethered bird; flying snow and dark frost are compared to the wandering colt, hard to trust in their stability. Zhongkui does not possess the longevity of the great chun tree; the mayfly rarely attains the years of the tortoise or crane. This is the fifth inferiority of your Dao. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 13.99](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2103.13.99) - [Next: 13.101](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2103.13.101) - [Up: 13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2103.13) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2103~en-mt.13.100) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [辯正論](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2110.6.67) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2103.13.100](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2103.13.100) · Pramāṇa