廣弘明集 13.41

13.41

The Bodhisattva says: Examining all the standard histories and orthodox canons, there is no text mentioning hiding three times and appearing three times. Only Zang Jing, Zhu Cao, and others, in their Examination of Meaning and Rules, state: 'Expounding the roots of benevolence, righteousness, rites, and music for Confucius was the first time. In the reign of King Cuo [i.e., Nan], when a thousand households suffered from epidemics, the Venerable Lord bestowed the one hundred and eighty precepts along with one hundred and seventy fascicles of the Taiping Jing; this was the second time. In the reign of Emperor An of the Han, he transmitted the Orthodox One and Bright Authority teaching to Celestial Master Zhang, at which time he called himself the Archivist of Zhou dispatched by the Supreme; this was the third time.' Now, manifesting a form to establish teachings must rely on causal conditions; guiding and delivering people depends on disciples. How could it be that over the course of five hundred years there were no disciples at all? In his three appearances and three concealments, no followers were to be seen receiving his teachings in person. These are nebulous, unfounded fabrications, baseless rumors of the alleyways. In the Zhou he could barely drive a small carriage, his sideburns hanging like silk threads; yet upon coming to the Han, he could command flutes and drums, gathering crowds like clouds and rain! Gan Bao's In Search of the Supernatural makes no mention of such tales, and the Qi Xie and Records of Anomalies do not record such marvels. Subjective conjecture and fabrication have reached an extreme!