廣弘明集 8.22

8.22

農家者流。蓋出於農稷之官。播五穀勸耕桑。以足衣食。故八政。一曰食。二曰貨。此其所長也。若派而別之。則應有九教。若總而合之。則同屬儒宗。論其官也。各王朝之一職。談其籍也。並皇家之一書子。欲於一代之內令九流爭川大道之世使小成競辯。豈不上傷皇極莫二之風。下開拘放鄙蕩之弊。真所謂巨蠧鴻猷眩曜朝野矣。

"The school of Agriculturalists probably arose from the office of Agriculture and Grain (Nongji). Sowing the five grains and encouraging plowing and sericulture to provide sufficient food and clothing—hence among the eight policies, 'the first is food, the second is commodities.' This is their strength. If differentiated into branches, there should be nine teachings; if combined as a whole, they all belong to the Confucian lineage. Regarding their offices, each was a post of the royal dynasty; discussing their writings, all were books of the imperial house. If you wish to make the nine schools contest the streams within a single era, and cause petty accomplishments to dispute eloquence in an age of the Great Dao, would this not, above, injure the Sovereign Ultimate's tradition of non-duality, and, below, foster the vices of narrowness, licentiousness, vulgarity, and dissipation? This is truly what is called a colossal moth gnawing at grand designs, dazzling the court and the countryside."