廣弘明集 13.123

13.123

The External Treatise states: In speech, value lies not in ornate rhetoric, but in hitting upon principle; in singing, value lies not in clear tones, but in harmonizing with the rhythm. According to Buddhist sūtras, when the Tathāgata preached the Dharma, the sons of heaven from all nations gathered together to listen, or he emitted light illuminating all the great thousand worlds. But the days when Śākya was in the world corresponded to our Zhou dynasty; what is recorded in our historical annals is certainly without omission. It has never been heard that our Son of Heaven went to the Pamirs. Could it be that the emperors of China lacked goodness and were not admitted to the place of the Way, while rulers of border wastes had the affinity to universally participate at the Dharma seat? Where the light shines, sentient beings leave suffering behind; then of what crime was this land guilty that alone no one was awakened, uniquely excluded beyond his grace and never even seeing or hearing it? If we reverently surmise the Benevolent One, he would not allow private partiality. (A refutation notes: Having no karma to see the Buddha and having the offense of slandering the Sage, how can you resent the divine? You must only blame yourself!) In searching the mind and examining reality, facts diverge and words contradict; this falsehood is clearly revealed and fully qualifies as fictitious. Common people fail to realize, chasing shadows and barking at sounds, yet the world cannot recognize it. This is the first delusion.