廣弘明集 8.85

8.85

於是。童子愀然而怒曰。僕聞釋典沖深非。名教所議。玄風悠邈。豈器象所該。故染漬風流者。脫形梏於始心。研窮理味者。蕩心塵於終慮。抗志與夷皓齊蹤。潔己與嚴鄭等迹。忽榮譽去嗜慾。然釋訓稍陵競為奢侈。上減父母之資。下損妻孥之分。齋會盡肴膳之甘。塔寺極莊嚴之美。罄私家之年儲。費軍國之資實。然諸沙門秀異者寡。受茲重惠未能報德。或墾植田圃與農夫等流。或估貨求財與商民爭利。或交託貴勝以自矜豪。或占算吉凶殉於名譽。遂使澄源漸濁流浪轉渾。僕所以致怪。良在於斯。覬欲清心佛法鑽仰餘風。覩此悵然洗心無託。先生憮然而笑曰。余聞鱗介之物。不達臯壤之事。毛羽之族。豈識流浪之形。類異區分固其宜耳。惟十性淵博含生等有。二諦該深物我斯貫。辯有也則九道森然。談空也則萬像斯寂。故般若曰。色即薩婆若。薩婆若即色。然色是無知之頑質。薩婆若諸佛之靈照。論有居然無別。言無一而莫異。極矣哉極矣哉。老氏之虛無乃有外而張義。釋師之法性乃即色而遊玄。遊玄不礙於器象。何緣假之可除。即色而冥乎法性。則境智而俱寂般若曰。不壞假名而說諸法實相。維摩曰。但除其病而不除法。信哉此道。孰可逮乎。故能拯溺俗於沈流。拔幽根於重劫。遠開三乘之津。廣闢天人之路。夫大士建行。以檀度為先。標牓宗極。以塔寺為首。施而有報。匪成虛費。惠而有德。豈曰空為。且精微稍薄。華侈漸興。失在物懷。何關聖慮。故崇軒玉璽。非堯舜之心。翠居麗食。豈釋迦之意。今大周馭㝢淳風遐被。振道綱於六合。布德網於八荒。川無扣浪之夫。谷無含難之士。四民咸安其業。百官各盡其分。嘉穀委於中田。倉庫積而成朽。方將擊壤以頌太平。鼓腹而觀盛化。吾子何拘妄慮窮竭。古人歎曰。才之為難。信矣。孔門三千並海內翹秀。簡充四科數不盈十。其中伯牛惡疾。回也夭極。商也慳悋。賜也貨殖。求也聚斂。由也凶愎。而舉世推戴。為人倫之宗。欽尚高軌。為搢紳之表。百代慕其遺風。千戴仰其景行。至於沙門苦相駁節。蓋髮膚微嗣世人之所重。而沙門遺之如脫屣。名位財色有情之所滯。而沙門視之如秕糠。斯乃忍人所不能忍。去人所不能去。可謂超世之津梁。弘道之勝趣也。錄其脫俗之誠。足消四事。採其高尚之迹。可報四恩。況優於此者乎。夫崑山多玉。尚有礫沙。浮水豐金。寧無土石。沙門之中禪禁寔多。不無五三缺於戒律。正可以道廢人。不應以人廢道。子何覩此遂替釋教。故經曰。依法不依人。依智不依識。不可見紂跖之蹤而忽堯孔之軌。覽調達之迹而忘妙德之風。今當為子撮言其致。三乘俱出生死。而幽駕大有淺深。九流咸明宇內。冲賾寧無總別。儒經曰。夫孝德之本。教之所由生也。既云德本。道高仁義之迹。教之由生。墳典因之以弘。然則同歸而殊途。一致而百慮。孝慈為總。子何惑焉。儒之為統。子何疑焉。於是童子莞然而悅曰。夫柏梁之構興。乃知茅茨之仄陋。仰日月之彌高。何丘陵之可匹。覩真筌之遼廓。覺世訓之為近。尋二經之實談。悟三張之詭妄。佛生西域形儀罔覿。教流東土得聽餘音。然神蹤曠遠理乖稱謂。因果寂遼信絕名言。今以淺懷得聞高論。銷疑散滯渙若春氷。始知釋典茫茫該羅二諦。儒宗硌硌總括九流。信駭常談無得而稱者矣。僕誠不敏。謹承嘉誨。

Thereupon, the youth looked solemn and said with indignance: "I have heard that the Buddhist scriptures are profound and subtle, not to be measured by the conventional moral teachings. Their mysterious influence is far-reaching, not to be compassed by vessels and images. Therefore, those who imbue themselves with its prevailing trend cast off physical shackles at their initial aspiration; those who penetrate its principles and essence cleanse away the defilements of mind at their final reflection. In loftiness of purpose they walk alongside Bo Yi and the Four White-Headed Recluses of Mount Shang; in purity of self they follow the footsteps of Yan Guang and Zheng Xuan. They slight worldly glory and cast away cravings. However, the teachings of the Śākya have gradually declined, and [their followers] vie in luxury. Above, they diminish the sustenance of parents; below, they impair the share of wives and children. In fasting assemblies they exhaust the sweet delicacies of fine dishes; in pagodas and temples they reach the utmost splendour of adornment. They exhaust the yearly stores of private households and deplete the actual resources of the military and the state. Yet among the śramaṇas, those of outstanding excellence are few; though they receive these heavy bounties, they fail to repay such virtue. Some cultivate fields and orchards, mingling with the rank of farmers; some trade goods seeking wealth, contending with merchants for profit. Some associate with the nobility and powerful to vaunt their own pride; some calculate auspicious and inauspicious portents to pursue fame. Thus the clear source has gradually become muddy, and the surging current has turned increasingly turbid. That I have come to marvel [at this] is truly due to these matters. I had wished to purify my mind through the Buddha-Dharma and study and admire its lingering influence; but seeing this, I feel downcast and find no basis on which to wash my mind."

The Master smiled faintly and said: "I have heard that creatures with scales and shells do not understand matters of high banks and plains; kinds with feathers and down, how could they comprehend the shapes of surging waters? As their types are different and segregated, this is indeed fitting. Yet the ten natures are vast and profound, equally possessed by sentient beings; the two truths encompass the deep and penetrate both self and other. When discussing existence, the nine paths stand densely arrayed; when expounding emptiness, the myriad forms are completely silent. Therefore the Prajñā says: 'Form is sarvajña; sarvajña is form.' Yet form is an insentient, coarse substance, while sarvajña is the spiritual illumination of all Buddhas. In terms of existence, there is evidently no distinction; in terms of emptiness, it is one and without divergence. How ultimate it is! How ultimate it is! Master Lao's emptiness and non-being set forth their meaning outside of existence; the Śākya Master's Dharma-nature wanders through the mystery right in form. Wandering through the mystery is not obstructed by vessels and images: for what reason should provisional forms be eliminated? Directly penetrating form and unifying with the Dharma-nature, both object and wisdom are alike serene. The Prajñā says: 'Without destroying provisional names, he expounds the true mark of all dharmas.' Vimalakīrti says: 'Only eliminate the illness, do not eliminate the dharma.' Truly, this Path—who could ever equal it? Therefore it can rescue drowning mortals from the submerged current, uproot obscure roots through repeated kalpas, open from afar the ferry of the three vehicles, and broadly clear the path for devas and humans.

Now, when a great being undertakes practice, he places the pāramitā of giving foremost; when manifesting the supreme ultimate, pagodas and temples come first. To give and receive retribution is never a futile expense; to bestow and achieve virtue, how could that be called an empty act? Furthermore, that subtlety has gradually worn thin and luxuriant extravagance has slowly arisen is an error that lies in the dispositions of creatures; how does it concern the sagely intention? Thus high halls and jade seals were not the heart of Yao and Shun; kingfisher-feather residences and exquisite dishes, how could they be the wish of Śākyamuni? Now the Great Zhou governs the cosmos; its pristine influence is spread afar. It shakes the net of the Way across the six directions and spreads the mesh of virtue to the eight wildernesses. The rivers have no men braving dangerous billows, and the valleys have no scholars harbouring hardship. The four classes of people are all settled in their callings, and the hundred officials each fulfill their duties. Excellent grain is left behind in the open fields, and storehouses are so packed that [grain] decays. Just as we are about to hit the clods and sing of great peace, pat our bellies and gaze upon the flourishing transformation—why, my friend, are you restrained by false worries and pushed to your wits' end?

The ancients lamented: 'Talent is indeed difficult [to find]!' How true that is! The three thousand disciples of the Confucian school were all the finest talents within the seas, yet when selected to fill the four categories, their number did not exceed ten. Among them, Boniu had a grievous disease; Hui met an early death; Shang was stingy and parsimonious; Ci engaged in commerce and trade; Qiu was extortionate in taxation; You was reckless and stubborn. Yet the whole world revered and supported them as the model of human relations, admired their lofty standard, and took them as the exemplar for the official class; a hundred generations have yearned for their lingering influence, and a thousand ages have looked up to their illustrious deeds. As for the śramaṇas, why scrutinize and pick fault with their conduct? For hair, skin, and bodily descent are what worldly people value, yet the śramaṇas abandon them like casting off worn sandals; fame, status, wealth, and sensual pleasure are what sentient beings cling to, yet the śramaṇas regard them as chaff. This is to endure what others cannot endure, and to abandon what others cannot abandon; they may indeed be called the bridge transcending the world, the superior path that propagates the Way. If one considers their sincerity in leaving the secular world, it is sufficient to consume the four requisites; if one selects their lofty conduct, it can repay the four kindnesses. How much more so for those superior to them!

Mount Kunlun has much jade, yet there is still gravel and sand; the drifting waters abound in gold, yet how could they be devoid of earth and stone? Among the śramaṇas, those keeping dhyāna and precepts are truly numerous; it is not that there are no three or five who fall short in the monastic code. It is proper to discard the person on account of the Way, but one must not discard the Way on account of the person. Why, upon seeing this, do you proceed to cast aside the Śākya teachings? Therefore the sūtra says: 'Rely on the Dharma, not on the person; rely on wisdom, not on consciousness.' One must not, upon seeing the footprints of Zhou and Zhi, disregard the paths of Yao and Confucius; or upon observing the conduct of Devadatta, forget the virtue of Mañjuśrī. Now I shall summarize its principles for you: The three vehicles all transcend birth and death, yet their profound tracks differ greatly in depth; the nine currents all bring clarity to the world, yet in their subtle mysteries, how could there not be general and specific aspects? The Confucian classic states: 'Filial piety is the root of virtue, and that from which instruction is born.' Since it is called the root of virtue, its path is higher than the tracks of benevolence and righteousness; since instruction is born from it, the classic canons spread on account of it. Thus, they return to the same end by different paths, achieving one accord through a hundred deliberations. Filial piety and benevolence are the universal theme; why should you be confused about it? Confucianism serves as the main thread; why should you doubt it?"

Thereupon the youth smiled broadly with delight and said: "When the structure of the Bailiang Terrace was raised, one knew the narrow baseness of thatched huts; gazing up at the great height of the sun and moon, how could mounds and hills match them? Seeing the vastness of the true fish-trap, I perceive the teachings of the world to be immediate. Investigating the real discourse of the two scriptures, I awaken to the deceptive falsehood of the three Zhangs. The Buddha was born in the Western Regions; his bodily form can no longer be seen. The teachings have flowed to the Eastern Land, so that we may hear his lingering voice. Yet his spiritual tracks are distant and far-reaching, and his principle contradicts mere verbal expression; cause and effect are quiet and vast, truly transcending name and speech. Now, with my shallow capacity, I have been able to hear this lofty discourse; my doubts are dissolved and my hindrances dispersed, melting away like spring ice. Only now do I know that the Buddhist scriptures are boundless, embracing the two truths, and the Confucian school is steadfast and solid, encompassing the nine currents. Truly, it startles ordinary discourse, beyond what can be adequately praised. I am indeed dull, but I respectfully accept your excellent instruction."