廣弘明集 13.95

13.95

內喻曰。案道德序云。老子修道自隱以無名為務。周衰出關。二篇之教乃作。然周書典謨無老氏所制。案二教論云。五千文者容成所說老為尹談。蓋述而不作也。又職惟藏吏位非阿衡。隆周之師將非烏有（前折邪次歎正）釋迦降神羅衛託質王宮。智實生知道惟遍覺。演慧明於百億。敷法雲於大千。靈澤周於十方。神化覃於四表。崇崖峻壁之典。龍居象負之文。蓋盈溢於茲矣。雖弘羊潛計之術。莫能紀其纖芥。鄒衍談天之論。無以議其涓滴。豈夫章詮八十文列五千而已哉。恨子未窺牆仞。致有武叔之毀。亦復何傷日月。故多念其不知耳。爾道之劣四也。

The Buddhist response says: According to the 'Preface to the Daode[jing]', Laozi cultivated the Way in self-effacing obscurity, making namelesness his task; as the Zhou declined he departed through the pass, and only then was the teaching in two sections composed. Yet the classic models and counsels of the *Documents of Zhou* contain nothing composed by Laozi. According to the *Treatise on the Two Teachings*, the five-thousand-word text was what Rongcheng expounded, and Laozi merely discussed it with Yin Xi—indeed, he transmitted and did not innovate. Furthermore, his office was only archivist; his rank was not that of prime minister. As for being the master of the glorious Zhou—was he not perhaps non-existent? (First, refuting the perverse; next, praising the orthodox.) Śākyamuni descended with miraculous spirit into Kapilavastu, taking human form in the royal palace. In wisdom, he possessed innate knowledge; in the Way, he attained universal awakening. He proclaimed the brightness of wisdom across billions of worlds, and spread the Dharma clouds throughout the great trichiliocosm. His spiritual moisture encompassed the ten directions; his miraculous conversion reached beyond the four borders. Scriptures as majestic as lofty peaks and steep crags, and writings housed by dragons and borne by elephants, have verily overflowed herein! Even with Sang Hongyang’s secret calculations, none could tally its finest dust; even with Zou Yan’s discourse on the heavens, none could appraise a single droplet of it. How could it merely be eighty chapters of exposition or five thousand words in sequence? It is regrettable that you have not peeked over the wall of many fathoms, thereby giving rise to Wushu’s slander; yet how could this injure the sun and moon? We merely take pity on your ignorance. This is the fourth inferiority of your Dao.