廣弘明集 4.17

4.17

先生曰。吾聞大音不入於俚耳。其驗茲乎。猶欲以寸管窺天小螺量海。而我法門出敻。非吾子之能極。吾且仰憑神力更為言之。吾師化道含弘靈鈞遠被。但眾生緣薄。自為限礙耳。何關佛威之不大。聖澤之無均。其猶日月垂像麗天。雷霆發音動地。而簡於聾瞽。豈光微聲小者哉。然佛遊舍衛有餘二紀三億之家。猶不聞見。何怪邊地十萬里乎。竊以周孔之生。本惟華夏之邑。夷狄不信其理何耶。至於東方朔之昇天。淮南王之入籙。然乘鸞排霧世有其人。欲不長於神仙猶密之而弗載。寧解味吾師之道術。書之於惇史乎。況值秦皇焚典經籍不全。何容守此局文。遂無大見然有或彼正真甘茲隨俗。未悟身之非潔。豈達命也。無常服翫則數重不止。慳貪則一毛難落。屑屑頑民可悲之甚。吾已無保於形骸。誰有營於炫好。鬢髮既剪我心自伏。衣惟壞色愛情何起。所以五綴而持想。六時而繫念。蕭然物外是曰逆流。竊聞夏禹疏川則有勞手足。墨翟利物則不悋頂踵。殺身以成仁。餓死而存義。此並有違於大孝。然猶盛美於群書。況吾養性栖玄立身行道。方欲廣濟六趣高希萬德。豈學子拘之於小節。顧在膚髮之間哉。扇逐榮名餘事。從北面之朝也。其若効淺祿微。唯勞諾走。功高無暇位極常懼危溢不安。千仞棄珠一何賤寶。但火內之蓮非吾所發。染而不染何爾能知。公子曰。先生強誇華以飾非。護牆茨而不掃。請聽逆耳之篤論。略條其弊也四焉。僕聞玉樹不林於蒹葭。威鳳不群於燕雀。先生道雖微妙。門人獨何庸猥。或形陋族微。或類卑神闇。無三端可以參多士。無十畝可以為匹夫。墮王事之不閑。恥私門之弗立。寄逃役於佛寺之內。纔容身於法服之下。見人不能敘寒溫。讀經不解正音義。空知高心於百姓。背禮於二親。非所以自榮。其弊一也。僕聞采椽土堦之儉。唐堯之所以字民。瓊室玉臺之盛。商辛之所以敗俗。況如來行惟少慾德本大悲。只應宴坐於塚間。經行於樹下。何宜飾九層之剎。建七寶之臺。不愍作者之勞。不慚居者之逸。非所以自約。其弊二也。僕聞無自伐功老聃之極教。不讚己德惟佛之格言。勞謙則君子終吉。剋讓則聖人上美。必若內德充盛自然外響。馳應賓侶坐致揄揚。豈況佛心澄靜亡諸得失之咎。如何獨許世尊之號。不欲推人。然彼群經莫二之宗。各談第一之稱。自生牟楯。將何以通。非所以自遜其弊三也。僕聞情存兩寶心慎四知。方曰通人之雅懷。廉士之高節。或散之於宗族。或棄之於山水。況玄道清淨。反俗沙門而復縱無厭之求。貪有為之利。勸俗人則令不留髓腦。論䞋施則便無讓分毫。或勝貴經過。或上客至止。不將虛心而接待。先陳出手之倍數。此乃有識之同疾。海內之共知。非所以自廉。其弊四也。僕直言雖苦可為藥石。惟先生高見覽以詳之。

The master said, “I have heard that great music does not enter the ears of the vulgar; does this not prove it? You still seek to peer at the heavens through an inch of pipe and measure the ocean with a tiny conch. Yet our Dharma-gate is supremely transcendent; it is not something you, my friend, can fathom. Relying on divine power, I will speak of it further for you. The converting path of our teacher is vast and magnanimous, and his spiritual potter’s wheel extends far and wide. It is only that sentient beings have meager conditions and create limitations and obstacles for themselves. What does this have to do with the Buddha’s majesty not being great, or the sage’s bounty not being impartial? It is like the sun and moon hanging their images and gracing the heavens, or thunder sounding and shaking the earth; that they are lost upon the deaf and blind, is it because their light is faint or their sound is small? Indeed, when the Buddha traveled in Śrāvastī for over two decades, among three hundred million households there were still those who did not hear or see him; why find it strange across a hundred thousand miles of borderlands? I observe that the Duke of Zhou and Confucius were born originally only in the cities of Huaxia; why is it that the barbarians did not believe in their principles? As for Dongfang Shuo ascending to heaven and the King of Huainan entering the registers of the immortals, men who rode simurghs and cleaved the mist have indeed existed in this world; yet because [historians] did not value divine immortals, they kept it hidden and did not record it. How then could they understand the savor of our teacher’s path and arts, and record them in trustworthy histories? Furthermore, having met with the burning of the texts under the First Emperor of Qin, the classical records are incomplete. How can one cling to such limited writings and thereby lack great vision? Yet there are those who turn away from the genuine and true, willfully following the worldly; failing to realize that the body is impure, how could they understand that life is impermanent? In clothing and toys, several layers do not suffice; in stinginess and greed, they cannot part with a single hair. How pitiful are these petty, stubborn people! Having already ceased preserving my physical form, who would attend to dazzling vanities? My hair already shorn, my mind is naturally subdued; my garments are of decayed color alone, so whence could passionate love arise? Therefore, with five patches one maintains contemplation, and throughout the six periods of the day one focuses mindfulness. Calmly aloof beyond worldly things, this is called going against the stream. I have heard that when Yu of Xia dredged the rivers, his hands and feet were worn with toil; when Mo Di benefited creatures, he did not begrudge his crown or heels. Destroying the body to achieve benevolence, or starving to death to preserve righteousness—all these run contrary to great filial piety, yet they are lavishly praised across the host of writings. How much more so when I nourish my nature, dwell in the arcane, establish myself, and practice the Way! Just as I desire to deliver the six destinies extensively and aspire on high to the myriad virtues, how could a student be confined by petty details and look back at the mere matter of skin and hair? Fan the flames of pursuing fame and glory—those are other concerns; they belong to facing north in court. But if one’s merit is shallow and stipend meager, one’s only labor is answering and running about; if one’s achievements are lofty without leisure and one’s station reaches the peak, one constantly fears danger, overflow, and instability. Casting away a pearl of a thousand fathoms—how cheaply one values the treasure! Yet the lotus within the fire is not something I can produce; how could you understand being stained yet unstained?” The young master said, “You, master, forcibly flaunt rhetoric to embellish errors, shielding the caltrop-overgrown wall instead of sweeping it clean. Please listen to a candid critique harsh to the ear, summarily listing four of your abuses. I have heard that jade trees do not form a grove with reeds, and majestic phoenixes do not flock with swallows and sparrows. Although your master’s Way is subtle and wondrous, why are his disciples alone so vulgar and base? Some are ugly in appearance and humble in clan; some are of lowly kind and dark in spirit. They possess neither the three arts to join the ranks of gentlemen, nor ten mou of land to be commoners. Neglecting royal affairs through incompetence, and ashamed that their private households cannot be established, they take refuge and evade labor service within Buddhist monasteries, barely finding room beneath the Dharma robes. When meeting people, they cannot exchange courtesies; when chanting scriptures, they do not understand correct pronunciation and meaning. In vain they know only to harbor pride toward the common folk and turn their backs on propriety toward their two parents. This is not the way to honor oneself; that is the first abuse. I have heard that the frugality of untrimmed rafters and earthen steps was how Tang Yao nurtured the people, while the extravagance of jasper rooms and jade terraces was how Xin of Shang corrupted customs. Furthermore, the Tathāgata’s conduct is only fewness of desires, and the root of his virtue is great compassion. He ought only to sit peacefully among graves and practice walking meditation beneath trees. Why should one adorn nine-story stūpas and erect seven-jewel terraces, neither pitying the labor of the builders nor feeling ashamed of the ease of the dwellers? This is not the way to exercise restraint; that is the second abuse. I have heard that not boasting of one’s own merit was the ultimate teaching of Lao Dan, and not praising one’s own virtues is the Buddha’s own standard maxim. When one is toiling and humble, the gentleman meets with ultimate good fortune; when one overcomes oneself to yield, the sage attains supreme beauty. If internal virtue is truly abundant, it will naturally resound outward; friends and companions will vie to respond, bringing praise while one sits still. How much more so for the Buddha’s mind, which is limpid and still, devoid of all faults of gain and loss? Why then does he alone assume the title of World-Honoured One, refusing to yield to others? Moreover, the non-dual tenets across those various scriptures each claim to be the foremost; self-contradictions arise on their own—how can they be resolved? This is not the way to be humble; that is the third abuse. I have heard that holding fast to the two treasures and being mindful of the four knowns constitute the refined feelings of a man of understanding and the lofty integrity of an upright scholar. They distribute their wealth among their kin or cast it away amidst mountains and waters. How much more so for the arcane Way, which is pure and immaculate! Yet monks who have turned from the world indulge instead in insatiable demands, coveting worldly profits. In exhorting laypeople, they urge them not to hold back even their marrow and brain; yet when discussing donations, they do not concede a fraction. When high nobility pass by or eminent guests arrive, instead of receiving them with an empty, humble mind, they first display multiples of their own offerings. This is a common ailment shared by all men of understanding, known to all within the seas. This is not the way to maintain integrity; that is the fourth abuse. Although my forthright words are bitter, they may serve as medicinal stone. I only hope, master, that with your high vision you will examine them in detail.”