廣弘明集 18.26

18.26

難曰。古之君子知通圮之來其過非新。賢愚壽夭兆明自昔。楚穆以福濃獲沒。蔡靈以善薄受禍。郄宛以釁深莫救。宋桓以愆微易唱。答曰。夫通圮非新。壽夭自昔。信哉斯言。是僕所謂各有分命者也。若夫福濃獲沒釁深莫救。此則報應之來有若影嚮。蔡靈以善薄受禍。商臣宜以極逆羅殃。宋桓以愆微易唱。邾文應用行善延年。而罪同罰異福等報殊。何明鑒於蔡宋而獨昧於楚邾乎。君所謂不祈驗於冥中影嚮自微。不期在於應報而慶罰以彰。於斯躓矣。

The critique states: "When the gentlemen of old understood that the coming of success and decline stems from faults that are not recent, and that the signs of wisdom, folly, longevity, and premature death have been clear since the past: King Mu of Chu died a natural death because of dense blessings; Duke Ling of Cai suffered calamity because his goodness was slight; Xi Wan could not be saved because his fault was profound; Duke Huan of Song had his prayers answered easily because his transgression was minute." I reply: success and decline are not recent; longevity and premature death stem from the past. True indeed are these words! This is what I refer to as each having an allotted destiny. As for dense blessings securing a natural death and profound fault finding no rescue, here retribution comes like shadow and echo. Duke Ling of Cai suffered calamity because his goodness was slight; Shangchen should have encountered disaster for his ultimate perversity. Duke Huan of Song had his prayers answered easily because his transgression was minute; Duke Wen of Zhu should have prolonged his life by practicing goodness. Yet where crimes were identical the punishments differed, and where blessings were equal the retributions diverged: why be clear-sighted regarding Cai and Song, yet uniquely blind regarding Chu and Zhu? What you called not praying for verification in the unseen realm while shadows and echoes manifest of themselves, and not expecting retribution while celebration and punishment are clearly displayed—here it stumbles.