廣弘明集 18.26

18.26

The critique states: "When the gentlemen of old understood that the coming of success and decline stems from faults that are not recent, and that the signs of wisdom, folly, longevity, and premature death have been clear since the past: King Mu of Chu died a natural death because of dense blessings; Duke Ling of Cai suffered calamity because his goodness was slight; Xi Wan could not be saved because his fault was profound; Duke Huan of Song had his prayers answered easily because his transgression was minute." I reply: success and decline are not recent; longevity and premature death stem from the past. True indeed are these words! This is what I refer to as each having an allotted destiny. As for dense blessings securing a natural death and profound fault finding no rescue, here retribution comes like shadow and echo. Duke Ling of Cai suffered calamity because his goodness was slight; Shangchen should have encountered disaster for his ultimate perversity. Duke Huan of Song had his prayers answered easily because his transgression was minute; Duke Wen of Zhu should have prolonged his life by practicing goodness. Yet where crimes were identical the punishments differed, and where blessings were equal the retributions diverged: why be clear-sighted regarding Cai and Song, yet uniquely blind regarding Chu and Zhu? What you called not praying for verification in the unseen realm while shadows and echoes manifest of themselves, and not expecting retribution while celebration and punishment are clearly displayed—here it stumbles.