廣弘明集 13.83

13.83

The Insiders' comparison says: Buttoning on the left is honored by the Rong and Di barbarians, while precedence of the right is esteemed by the Central Florescence. Therefore the Chunqiu says: 'The senior minister has no mandate, but the secondary minister has one—is this not [ranking him on] the left?' The Shiji states: 'Lin Xiangru's merit was great, and his seat was to the right of Lian Po; Po was ashamed of it.' It also states: 'Zhang Yi, as prime minister, favored Qin on the right and disfavored Wei on the left; Xishou, as prime minister, favored Han on the right and disfavored Wei on the left.' This refers to it being disadvantageous. The Liji says: 'Those who use heterodox ways (zuodao, lit. left paths) to disrupt the masses are to be put to death.' Does this not show that the right is superior and the left is inferior? Huangfu Mi's Gaoshi zhuan states: 'Laozi was a man of Xiang in Chu, residing to the north of the Guo River; he served Changsongzi as his master. When Master Chang was ill, Er went to inquire after his illness.' Ji Kang said that Li Er studied the arts of the nine immortals from Juanzi. Examining the various books such as that of the Grand Astrologer, none says that Laozi was born from an incision in the left armpit. Since there is no canonical source for this, it is evident that it cannot be credited. It is verified that wielding the lance and grasping the brush are the forebears of civil and military affairs; the five breaths and three lights are the heads of yin and yang. Therefore, the turning to the right in the Buddhist school conforms to human custom, whereas Zhang Ling's heterodox path truly runs contrary to heavenly constancy. Why so? Śākya aroused unconditioned compassion and responded to the summons of those with potential. Speaking of his traces, his practice was fulfilled over three asaṃkhyeyas and his marks perfected over a hundred kalpas; descending his spirit, he mounted a jade elephant, and obscuring his brilliance, he gave birth to a golden form. Thirty-two auspicious omens unfolded in the subterranean realms, and eighteen Brahma-heaven signs astounded the celestial palaces. His wondrous marks spanned the ten directions, and his divine radiance illuminated the eight extremities. Recounting his root, he long ago realized the perfect and bright, so that dust and sand cannot calculate his lifespan; he early ascended to serene illumination, so that empty space cannot measure his body. How could he merely be compared to holding a branch as a wondrous sign, or verifying white hair to prove an omen? It is like a firefly's gleam competing in brilliance with the dragon-torch, or a fish's eye shining alongside the snake's pearl. This is the first inferiority of your Dao.