廣弘明集 13.41

13.41

開士曰。撿諸史正典無三隱三顯出沒之文。唯臧兢諸操等考義例云。為孔說仁義禮樂之本為一時𧹞。王之世千室以疾病致感。老君受百八十戒并太平經一百七十篇為二時。至漢安帝時。授張天師正一明威之教。于時自稱周之柱史。為大上所遣為三時也。夫應形設教必藉有緣。勸化度人皆資徒眾。豈可五百年間全無弟子。三出三隱不見門人。稟學親承。杳然河漢烏有之說。委巷空傳。在周劣駕小車。鬢垂絲髮。來漢即能簫鼓。雲萃雨從干寶搜神。未聞其說。齊諧異記不載斯靈。撫臆論心詭妄尤甚。

The Bodhisattva says: Examining all the standard histories and orthodox canons, there is no text mentioning hiding three times and appearing three times. Only Zang Jing, Zhu Cao, and others, in their Examination of Meaning and Rules, state: 'Expounding the roots of benevolence, righteousness, rites, and music for Confucius was the first time. In the reign of King Cuo [i.e., Nan], when a thousand households suffered from epidemics, the Venerable Lord bestowed the one hundred and eighty precepts along with one hundred and seventy fascicles of the Taiping Jing; this was the second time. In the reign of Emperor An of the Han, he transmitted the Orthodox One and Bright Authority teaching to Celestial Master Zhang, at which time he called himself the Archivist of Zhou dispatched by the Supreme; this was the third time.' Now, manifesting a form to establish teachings must rely on causal conditions; guiding and delivering people depends on disciples. How could it be that over the course of five hundred years there were no disciples at all? In his three appearances and three concealments, no followers were to be seen receiving his teachings in person. These are nebulous, unfounded fabrications, baseless rumors of the alleyways. In the Zhou he could barely drive a small carriage, his sideburns hanging like silk threads; yet upon coming to the Han, he could command flutes and drums, gathering crowds like clouds and rain! Gan Bao's In Search of the Supernatural makes no mention of such tales, and the Qi Xie and Records of Anomalies do not record such marvels. Subjective conjecture and fabrication have reached an extreme!