廣弘明集 18.10

18.10

安處子問於玄明先生曰。蓋聞積善之家必有餘慶。積不善之家必有餘殃。又曰。天道無親常與善人。斯乃聖達之格言。萬代之宏標也。此則行成於己身。福流於後世。惡顯於事業。獲罪乎幽冥。然聖人為善。理無不盡理盡善積。宜歷代皆不移。行無一善惡惡相承。亦當百世俱闇。是善有常門。惡有定族。後世修行復何益哉。又有束修履道。言行無傷。而天罰人楚百羅備纓。任性恣情肆行暴虐。生保榮貴子孫繁熾。推此而論。積善之報竟何在乎。夫五情六慾人心所常有。斧藻防閑外事之至苦。苟人鬼無尤於趣舍。何不順其所甘而強其苦哉。請釋所疑以祛其惑。先生曰。善哉子之問也。史遷有言。天之報施善人何如哉。荀悅亦云。飾變詐而為姦宄者。自足乎一世之間。守道順理者。不免飢寒之患。二生疑之於前而未能辨。吾子惑之於後。不亦宜乎。請試言之。夫人資二儀之性以生。稟五常之氣以育。性有脩短之期。故有彭殤之殊。氣有精麁之異。亦有賢愚之別。此自然之定理不可移者也。是以堯舜大聖朱均是育。瞽叟下愚誕生有舜。顏回大賢早夭絕嗣。商臣極惡令胤剋昌。夷叔至仁餓死窮山。盜跖肆虐富樂自終。比干忠正斃不旋踵。張湯酷吏七世珥貂。凡此比類不可稱言。驗之聖賢既如彼。求之常人又如此。故知賢愚善惡脩短窮達。各有分命。非積行之所致也。夫以天地之玄遠。陰陽之廣大。人在其中豈惟𥺀米之在太倉。毫末之於馬體哉。而匹夫之細行。人事之近習。一善一惡皆致冥應。欲移自然之彭殤易聖於朱舜。此之不然居可識矣。然則積善積惡之談。蓋施於勸教耳。何以言之。夫人生而靖天之性也。感物而動性之欲也。性欲既開流宕莫檢。聖人之救其弊。因神道以設教。故理妙而化敷。順推遷而抑引。故功玄而事適。是以六合之內論而不議。鑽之而不知所由。日用而不見所極。設禮學以開其大矇。名法以束其形跡。賢者倚之以成其志。不肖企及以免其過。使孝友之恩深。君臣之義篤。長幼之禮序。朋執之好著。背之則為失道之人。譏議以之起。向之則為名教之士。聲譽以之彰。此則君子行已處心。豈可須臾而忘善哉。何必修教責實以期應報乎。苟能體聖教之幽旨。審分命之所鍾。庶可豁滯於心府不祈驗於冥中矣。安處子乃避席曰。夫理蘊千載念纏一生。今聞吾子大通之論。足以釋滯疑祛幽結矣。僕雖不敏請佩斯言。

Master Anchu asked Mister Xuanming, saying: "I have heard that 'A family that accumulates goodness will surely have an excess of blessings, while a family that accumulates non-goodness will surely have an excess of calamity.' It is also said: 'The Way of Heaven shows no favoritism; it constantly aids good persons.' These are standard maxims of the holy and penetrating, and magnificent standards for ten thousand generations. According to this, practice is achieved in one's own person, and blessings flow to later generations; evil is manifested in one's deeds, and guilt is incurred in the unseen realm. Yet when sages do good, in principle there is nothing left undone; when principle is exhausted and goodness accumulated, it ought to remain unchanged through successive generations. When not a single good act is performed and evil succeeds evil, they too ought to remain dark for a hundred generations. Thus goodness would have a constant gate, and evil a fixed lineage—so what benefit would there be in later generations engaging in cultivation? Furthermore, there are those who discipline themselves and walk the path, whose words and deeds do no harm, yet heavenly punishment and human suffering encompass them in every net; while those who indulge their nature, give free rein to their passions, and unrestrainedly practice violence and cruelty, enjoy honor and nobility throughout their lives, and their descendants flourish abundantly. Considering this, where after all is the retribution for accumulating goodness? Now, the five emotions and six desires are common to the human mind; cultivating restraint and erecting barriers are the most painful of external matters. If neither humans nor spirits blame one for what one takes or leaves, why not follow what is sweet rather than force oneself into what is bitter? I beg you to resolve my doubts and dispel this confusion." Mister [Xuanming] said: "Splendid is your question! Sima Qian said: 'How does Heaven repay good persons?' Xun Yue also said: 'Those who put on deceit and engage in treachery are self-sufficient in their single generation; those who preserve the Way and follow principle cannot avoid the distress of hunger and cold.' Those two gentlemen doubted it before us yet were unable to discern it; is it not fitting that you, my friend, should be confused by it now? Allow me to attempt an explanation. Humans are born endowed with the nature of the Two Modes (yin and yang), and are nurtured by receiving the qi of the Five Constants. Nature has spans of long and short, hence there is the difference between Pengzu's longevity and early death; qi has variations of fine and coarse, hence there is the distinction between the worthy and the foolish. These are fixed principles of nature that cannot be altered. For this reason, Yao and Shun were great sages, yet Zhu and Jun were born to them; the Blind Old Man was utter folly, yet he gave birth to Shun; Yan Hui was a great worthy, yet he died young without heirs; Shangchen was exceedingly evil, yet his descendants prospered; Boyi and Shuqi possessed supreme benevolence, yet they starved to death on a barren mountain; Robber Zhi indulged in cruelty, yet lived in wealth and joy to the end of his days; Bi Gan was loyal and upright, yet met death in an instant; Zhang Tang was a harsh official, yet his lineage wore the sable tails of nobility for seven generations. Instances like these cannot be fully recounted. If we examine them in the sages and worthies, it was thus; if we seek them among common people, it is likewise. Therefore we know that worthiness and foolishness, goodness and evil, long life and early death, adversity and success, each have their allotted destiny; they are not brought about by the accumulation of actions. With the profound vastness of Heaven and Earth and the immensity of yin and yang, how is a human within them any more than a grain of rice in the Great Granary, or the tip of a fine hair on a horse's body? Yet [people believe that] the trivial deeds of an ordinary man and the immediate habits of human affairs, each single good and each single evil, will bring about an unseen response, attempting to alter natural longevity or switch the sagacity of Zhu and Shun. That this is not so is readily understood! Therefore, the talk of accumulating good and accumulating evil was merely set forth for moral exhortation and instruction. Why do I say this? Human nature at birth is tranquil—this is the nature endowed by Heaven. Moving upon contact with things is the desire of this nature. Once nature's desires are awakened, they drift without restraint. Sages, to remedy this failing, establish teachings based on the divine way; thus the principle is subtle and the transformation is spread abroad. Following natural changes, they check and guide; thus the efficacy is mysterious and affairs are fitting. Therefore, within the six directions of the cosmos, they speak of it but do not debate it; people delve into it without knowing where it comes from, and use it daily without seeing its limits. They establish the study of ritual to enlighten profound ignorance, and nominal laws to bind external conduct. The worthy rely upon them to fulfill their aspirations; the unworthy strive toward them to avoid transgressions. They cause the affection of filial piety and fraternal love to run deep, the righteousness between ruler and minister to be staunch, the propriety between elders and youth to be ordered, and the amity between friends to be manifest. If one turns one's back on them, one becomes a person who has lost the Way, and criticism arises; if one turns toward them, one becomes a scholar of the teachings of names, and reputation becomes illustrious. Thus, in conducting oneself and harboring thoughts, how could a gentleman forget goodness even for a moment? Why must one cultivate the teaching and demand actual results in anticipation of retribution? If one can comprehend the profound purpose of the holy teachings and clearly examine where one's allotted destiny resides, one may dispel stagnation from the heart and no longer pray for verification in the unseen realm." Master Anchu then rose from his mat and said: "The principle has been obscured for a thousand years, and this thought has entangled me for a lifetime. Now hearing your comprehensively penetrating discourse, it is enough to resolve my stagnant doubts and dispel my obscure perplexities. Incompetent though I am, I beg to take these words to heart."