廣弘明集 22.25
English (machine translation) 22.25
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22.25
If you say that the function of sharpness can also be divided, then feet could grasp objects and eyes could hear sounds. If you say that the back of the knife also has sharpness and both sides also have sharpness, but they have merely not been forged and whetted, [I reply that] if sharpness were applied across all four directions, the substance of sharpness would have nowhere to stand: square shapes and straight shapes alike could not be sharp. The function of sharpness resides precisely in a single edge as thin as a hair. If the spirit and the body correspond as an entire whole, how could they possibly be identical? If the knife throughout its entire substance were sharpness, the spirit's functions would divide according to the body. If the principles of the knife and sharpness were identical [to body and spirit], then eyes could also be placed beneath the shoulder blades, and a nose could also be installed on the back. Could this be? It could not.
Linked texts (1)
- 廣弘明集 — Classical Chinese