廣弘明集 30.81

30.81

In my youth I studied the Duke of Zhou and Confucius; / at capping age I exhausted the Six Classics. / Filial piety and righteousness filled the tablets and books; / benevolence and forgiveness suffused the portraits. / Fulfilling one's words prizes the elimination of boasting; / practicing goodness lies in loving life. / In middle age I also looked into Daoist texts: / the named and the nameless. / Wondrous arts were carved on golden plates; / true words were concealed in Shangqing. / Secret practices leave behind hidden virtue; / manifest verification lies in longevity. / In later years I opened Buddhist scrolls: / they were like the moon outshining the multitude of stars. / Suffering and accumulation only then became known; / causes and effects were thereupon made bright and clear. / Non-destruction is simply equality; / the ultimate principle returns to the unproduced. / With diverse roots, unity is difficult; / grasping attachments, nature is easily startled. / Tracing to the source, there are no two sages; / measuring the good, there are not three champions. / The great toon tree spans a hundred million cubits; / the tiny grass barely sprouts. / The great cloud pours down great rain; / according to their capacity, each receives flourishing. / Mental characteristics give rise to divergent understandings; / karmic retributions take on distinct forms. / How could differences be intentional? / Depth and shallowness are indeed creaturely dispositions.