廣弘明集 18.36

18.36

In the Western Regions they speak of retribution and response; though their branches and leaves are clear, their roots and trunks are ever obscure. Their words are extravagant and lack essentials; their analogies are far-fetched and without verification. They run contrary to the Five Classics, and were therefore rejected by the former sages; they seduce and draw along base inclinations, and thus found trust among the vulgar of later ages. Now, when one wishes to know the motions of the sun and the moon, one observes them by means of the armillary sphere; when one is about to set forth trust in the unseen realm, one should take verification from seen affairs. Thus, when the mirror and tinder-lens are suspended, water and fire descend; when rain leaves the mansions, wind and clouds arise. These are all cases where the distant is verified from the near, and the obscure is made manifest by the visible. Now, as for the bird that is a goose: it floats upon clear pools and pecks at spring grasses, never harming the crawling stir of living creatures. Yet when the cook seizes it, rare is the one that escapes the chopping board and cleaver. The swallow darts and soars in search of food, delighting only in flying insects, yet all men love it; though it nests within curtains, it has no fear. Nor is it only the goose and swallow: the myriad living beings are often thus. From this one knows that those who kill living things suffer no evil retribution, and those who perform meritorious deeds receive no good response. What is given as instruction is like that, yet what is shown to the world is like this. I am deeply perplexed by it. If one says that because the swallow finds nothing but insects sweet its guilt does not reach it, why then should the common people alone bear guilt for eating domestic livestock? If one says that birds and pigs are devoid of knowledge while humans know the scriptures and teachings, then in the time before there were scriptures and teachings, hunting, fishing, and netting were also without guilt. Introducing punitive regulations into the Central Kingdom for no reason is merely setting pitfall traps for the people. How could those benevolent ones act thus? Therefore I say: the Buddhist scriptures are merely provisional, expedient teachings meant to encourage people to do good, nothing more; they have no connection to actual reality. For this reason, when the sages instituted regulations, they extended their virtue to shelter things: 'I present and I offer, truly receiving heaven's blessing'; in the hunt they obtained three grades of game, with which guests and the kitchen were provided. As for seeing a living creature and not bearing to see it die, or hearing its voice and not eating its meat—this is indeed the concern of the noble person. I humbly hope that your high discernment will give this further three-fold thought.