廣弘明集 4

English (machine translation) 4

Language: English

4.1

Compiled by the Monk Shi Daoxuan of Ximing Temple in the Great Tang

4.2

Part 1, Chapter on Returning to the True [Dharma], Section 4

Edict on Renouncing the Daoist Practices of Master Lao by Emperor Wu, High Ancestor of the Liang
Edict on Abolishing the Daoist Practices of Master Lao by Emperor Wenxuan, High Ancestor of the Northern Qi
Discourse on Reaching the Ultimate by the Monk Shi Yancong of the Sui

4.4

Edict on Renouncing the Daoist Practices of Master Lao

4.5

[Emperor] Wu of the Liang

4.6

Emperor Wu, the High Ancestor of the Liang, ascended the throne at the age of thirty-four and governed for forty-nine years. Although the myriad affairs of the realm were pressing, the scroll was never out of his hand; of the inner scriptures and outer classics, there were none he did not keep in mind, and he composed commentaries and explanations running into several thousands of fascicles. He was frugal and restrained: he did not trim his robes with silks or brocades; his sleeping quarters were empty and plain; day and night he never slackened. He went so far as to have a cloth quilt, rushes for a mat, straw sandals, and a kudzu headscarf; upon first ascending the throne he was already fully endowed with these practices. He ate only one meal a day and permanently severed pungencies and meat; among emperors and kings, rare were those who could equal this. Formerly he had served Laozi and venerated talismans and diagrams, but when he traced their roots to the bottom, he found them identical to fabricated falsehoods. The Emperor thereupon personally wielded the divine brush and issued an edict renouncing Daoism. Its text said: 'On the eighth day of the fourth month in the third year of the Tianjian reign era, Xiao Yan, Emperor of the State of Liang from Lanling, bows his head in reverent homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions, the honored Dharma of the ten directions, and the noble Sangha of the ten directions. Humbly observing what the sūtras say: producing the bodhicitta is none other than the Buddha-mind, and the rest of the various goods cannot serve as an analogy for it. It can cause sentient beings to emerge from the painful gates of the three realms and enter the supreme path of the unconditioned (asaṃskṛta). Thus, the outflows of the Tathāgata being exhausted, wisdom congealed and he achieved awakening; the ultimate Way penetrated all capacities, and, virtue perfected, he attained sainthood. He ignited the torch of wisdom to illumine the deluded, and mirrored the stream of Dharma to clarify defilements. He displayed auspicious traces in the center of the heavens, and shone forth his spiritual demeanor beyond ordinary forms. He delivers all the deluded in the ocean of desire, and guides conscious beings toward nirvāṇa. Ascending the high mountain of eternal bliss, he brings them out from the deep confines of the river of attachment. His words depart from the four propositions; his expressions are free from the hundred negations. Manifesting his traces in the Sahā world, he showed the sign of birth in the royal palace; taking steps across the three realms, he was supreme, shedding radiance everywhere across the great trichiliocosm. Yet because their minds of capacity were shallow and thin, easily giving rise to disgust and weariness, he thereupon clearly expounded the perfect and eternal, and likewise concealed his splendor beneath the cranes' trees. King Ajātaśatru had his sins extinguished, and Vasu had his calamities removed; had they not encountered the Great Sage, the Dharma King, who could have rescued and received them? Though his traces are concealed, his Way suffers no defect. This disciple has for a long time been deluded and wild, obsessively serving Laozi; through successive generations this has been passed down, tainted by this false teaching. Now that the habit-cause of goodness has sprung forth, I discard delusion and know to return. I now renounce the old physician and take refuge in true awakening. I vow that in future lifetimes I may become a celibate monk, widely propagate the scriptures and teachings, convert and liberate conscious beings, and together achieve Buddhahood. I would rather sink forever in evil paths within the true Dharma than delight in temporarily gaining birth in heaven by relying on Laozi's teachings. Embracing the mind of the Great Vehicle, I depart from the thoughts of the Two Vehicles. I righteously pray that all Buddhas bear witness, and that the bodhisattvas accept me. Disciple Xiao Yan pays reverent homage.' At that time, the Emperor, together with twenty thousand monastics and laypeople, at the double-tiered pavilion of the Chongyun Hall, hand-wrote this text and gave rise to bodhicitta. On the eleventh day of the fourth month, he again decreed to the Chancellery: 'In the great sūtras it is said that there are ninety-six kinds of paths; only the one path of the Buddha is the true path, while the remaining ninety-five kinds are named false paths. We renounce the false, heterodox path to serve the true, inner [Way] of the Buddhas and Tathāgatas. If among the dukes and ministers there are any who can enter this vow, they may each give rise to bodhicitta. Though Laozi, the Duke of Zhou, Confucius, and the like were disciples of the Tathāgata, their transformative traces were already heterodox; they are merely worldly goods and cannot transform the ordinary into the holy. Dukes, ministers, all officials, marquises, kings, and clansmen ought to turn away from the counterfeit to approach the real, renounce the false, and enter the true. Hence the scriptural teaching Tattvasiddhi-śāstra states: "If one's mind serving heterodox paths is heavy and one's mind toward the Buddha's Dharma is light, that is wrong view. If one's mind treats both equally, it is of indeterminate nature, neither good nor bad. If one's mind serving the Buddha is strong and the mind toward Laozi is weak, that is a pure believer." To speak of a "pure believer": "pure" means pure both inside and out, with defilements, delusions, and entanglements completely exhausted; "believer" means believing in the true and not believing in the false. Therefore one is called a pure believing disciple of the Buddha. All other forms of belief are wrong views and cannot be called pure belief.' Let the Chancellery quickly put this into practice.

4.7

On the seventeenth day of the fourth month, the Palace Attendant, General Pacifying the Front, and Governor of Danyang, Prince of Shaoling, submitted a memorial saying: 'Your subject Lun has heard: The majestic marks of the Tathāgata tower high, mounting the pinnacle of existence; his subtle and wondrous form-body spreads broadly, manifesting beyond all limits. Taking the golden wheel as a pretext, he enlightens beings; relying on the silver grains, he responds to ordinary mortals. Whetstone to the sharp blade of prajñā, he gathers the wondrous fruit of nirvāṇa; floating upon the bitter ocean of birth and death, he ferries across to the other shore of eternal bliss. Thus he can lower clouds of compassion and drop rains of amṛta. Across the seven places and eight assemblies, the meanings of his teaching and conversion are inexhaustible; in the four truths and five periods, the methods of his benefit know no bounds. All is clear as ice and glorious as the sun; the fog clears away and the clouds disperse; torch-fires obscure their glow, and dust and heat naturally calm. It can be said that entering the world, he transforms those at the bottom of ignorance; leaving the world, he merges into this suchness. He causes those in the dense forests of heterodox paths to gaze upon the Dharma-gate without weariness; he leads those of thirsting desire, blind and deaf, to admire the profound depths and know to return. The Bodhi-tree began in Kapilavastu; the virtuous sound flourished in the capital of Luoyang. The fixed stars were invisible when the Zhou observed the sign of pregnancy; the full-moon circular form appeared when the Han was moved by the night dream. The five dharmas were transmitted accordingly, and the myriad virtues began to dawn; the Chinese customs were imperceptibly illuminated, vying to fan the lofty wind. Relying on these three vidyās, he illuminates the errors of the lost paths; trusting in these seven factors of awakening, he uproots the suffering of the long night. It is our fortune to encounter the Bodhisattva Emperor, who responds to Heaven to rule creation, facing south from the imperial screen to oversee the populace. Harboring light throughout the universe, he clears and illumines beyond the seas; bestowing unhindered eloquence to receive the common people, he gathers and protects sentient beings through the power of his fundamental vow. Thus, according to the situation he administers medicine, showing the expedient and revealing the causal, exalting the purport of the One Vehicle and broadening the foundation of the ten grounds. Consequently, the myriad states turn toward it, all receiving the true knowledge; spiritual deities, both hidden and manifest, all receive his guidance and salvation. People give rise to the vow of equal awakening; beings produce the bodhicitta. There are none who do not yearn and labor toward the realm of the fundamental lineage, or rejoice in the path of returning to the source. Together they maintain compassion; together they cultivate patience. He is what may be called a protector, a benefactor, a bridge, and a ferryman. Since the Way is so gloriously shed, the people are likewise transformed by it. Thereupon the true arhats fly their staves, soaring into the air and casting their shadows, shattering the heterodox; those of outer paths firmly uphold the true state. Saṅghārāmas and pure retreats, jeweled temples face one another; lecture assemblies transmit the scriptures, and the sounds of virtue fill the ears. In the past, your subject had not arrived at the source of principle and adhered to heterodox paths, just as if wishing for sweet fruit, one should conversely plant bitter sprouts, or wishing to dispel thirst, one should instead run to salt water. Now I have uncovered the deluded directions and roughly know where to turn. Receiving the great bodhisattva precepts, I restrain body and mind; renouncing the false wind of Laozi, I enter the true teaching of the Dharma stream. Prostrate I pray that the heavenly compassion may bend down to grant permission. Respectfully memorialized.'

4.8

On the eighteenth day of the fourth month, the Palace Cadet of the Secretariat, Subject Ren Xiaogong, proclaimed the edict: 'To be able to change from delusion and enter the true may be called planting superior causes in past lives. You should redouble your vigor.'

4.9

Edict on Abolishing the Daoist Practices of Master Lao

4.10

Emperor Wenxuan, High Ancestor of the Northern Qi

4.11

Formerly, the Daoist Lu Xiujing of Jinling was the hope of the Daoist community. During the two dynasties of Song and Qi, he ancestralized the Three Zhangs and propagated the Two Ges; men of Xi and Zhang sealed their gates to receive registers. He thereupon made wanton additions and far-fetched inventions, extensively establishing fasting rituals; the expenditures were extremely burdensome, with his intent being that the rulers would honor and follow them. It happened that the Founder of the Liang initiated his reign-era and issued an edict renouncing Daoism. Xiujing could not bear his resentment, and thereupon with his disciples and outlaws from the borders rebelled and fled into the Northern Qi. He furthermore dispersed gold and jade to gift to all the aristocrats, confiding his hopes to them in the expectation of reviving Daoist practices. The Emperor was confused by him; in the ninth month of the sixth year of the Tianbao era, he thereupon issued a decree summoning eminent monks and Daoists who were well-versed in learning, ten individuals in all, to personally compete face to face. At that time, the Daoists cast incantations upon the robes and bowls of the monks, causing them either to fly or spin; they cast incantations upon the roof beams, causing them either to lie horizontal or stand erect. The monks had never studied occult arts, and silently gave no response. Men and women crowded around in clamor, and both high and low had their minds swayed, all considering the followers of Xiujing to be victorious. All the Daoists leaped and danced, looking askance toward the clouds, talking loftily and boasting of themselves, vaunting their Daoist arts. They further called out, saying: 'Supernatural powers are expediently displayed to suppress and break the obstinate and powerful. If a monk displays one, I will display two! Now we have shown merely a slight measure of minor arts, yet they have already given excuses, retreated, and yielded; the matter can plainly be seen.'

4.12

The Emperor ordered the Grand Controller Master of the Law to contest against Xiu Jing. The Grand Controller said: 'The occult arts are trivial tricks which even mundane Ru scholars despise, how much more so those who have left household life! Nevertheless, when the heavenly command directs us to oppose him, how could we remain silent? We may order the monk sitting at the very lowest seat to confront him.' They immediately went to search for one. There was a monk named Fojun, also called Tanxian, of unknown origin. He wandered without fixed abode, and his eating and drinking were like those of commoners. Occasionally he would speak unrestrainedly, indicating profound and far-reaching awakening. The Grand Controller recognized his deep capacity and had privately befriended him. At that time renowned monks gathered in great numbers, and Xian took the lowest seat. He had drunk heavily, was thoroughly drunk, and sat nodding. The officers did not dare to summon him and reported the matter to the Grand Controller. The Grand Controller said: 'What the Daoist Libationers practice is the ordinary path; only an alcoholic monk is fit to speak with them. Have him supported and carried here.' Thereupon the entire assembly was apprehensive and fearful, but out of awe of the Grand Controller's authority, no one dared to remonstrate. So two men supported Xian onto the high seat. Once upon it, he stood up, smiled, and said: 'I have drunk heavily and am thoroughly drunk. In my ears I heard it said: "If a śramaṇa manifests one, I shall manifest two." Is this statement true or false?' The Daoists said: 'It is true.' Xian then stood on one foot and said: 'I have already manifested one. You gentlemen may manifest two.' None of them could respond. Xian said: 'Earlier, when your spells caused all those robes and utensils to fly and flutter, I intentionally opened the door to test your arts.' He ordered that the robe and bowl of Dhyāna Master Chou be brought and cast spells upon. All the Daoists roused their energies together and jointly chanted spells, but the items did not move at all. The Emperor ordered that the robe be taken; even ten men tugging and lifting it could not move it. Xian then ordered the robe to be placed on the crossbeams and ordered them to cast spells upon it again. There was no effect whatsoever. The Daoists looked at one another at their wit's end, yet they still held themselves high with verbal eloquence, saying: 'The Buddhist house styles itself "inner"; "inner" means small. It calls our Daoist house "outer"; "outer" means great.' Xian replied in response: 'If that is so, then the Son of Heaven, dwelling in the inner [palace], must certainly be small; the hundred officials, dwelling on the outer [perimeter], must certainly be great.' Jing and his subordinates kept their mouths closed and were speechless. Having visually verified the good and the bad, the Emperor issued an edict saying: 'The Dharma-gate is non-dual; the true lineage is one. In seeking its correct path, quiescence is the root. The Daoists who are Libationers are deceptive and false in the world; ordinary people have not awakened and still revere and honor them. Fermented yeast is their taste—where is their purity and vacuity? Dried venison is sweet to them—they are forever separated from benevolence and compassion. Above, they diverge from shrines of benevolence; below, they violate ritual canons. All of them must be banned and extinguished, no longer to be observed or served. Promulgate this command far and wide to let everyone know and hear of it.' As for those Daoists who submitted, they were all handed over to the Grand Controller of the Bureau of Buddhist Affairs, Master Shang, who tonsured them and allowed them to leave household life; those who had not generated the mind [for it] were ordered to dye [their clothes] and shave. On that day, more than one was beheaded. Those who claimed to be divine immortals were made to ascend the Sanjue Terrace and ordered to throw their bodies down to fly away; their corpses were all smashed to pieces upon the ground. Deceptions and falsehoods were thereby eradicated. This caused the realm of the Qi state to have no split allegiance. Down to the times of the Zhou and the beginning of the Sui, their arts gradually re-opened, down to the present in Dongchuan; this lineage is so minuscule that it is not worth disputing. The Emperor's taboo name was Yang, the second son of Gao Huan, Prime Minister of the Northern Wei. His elder brother of the principal wife, Cheng, was impatient and insolent, and was murdered by a slave. Yang succeeded to his position and took his place as Prime Minister. When the dynastic count of the Wei was about to end, Yang built an altar in the southern suburbs; the divination encountered the Great Transverse, the greatly auspicious hexagram of Emperor Wen of the Han. Thereupon he cast a golden image, which was successfully formed in a single casting. Wei Shou composed the abdication text, and the Wei Emperor signed it. He then accepted the abdication to become the Great Qi. In all his conduct, no one could fathom his folly or wisdom. He entrusted the administration to Vice-Director Yang Zunyan. The Emperor greatly erected Buddhist monasteries; monks and nuns overflowed all the prefectures. Winter and summer, offerings and the practice of the Way continued without cease. At that time Dhyāna Master Chou admonished the Emperor, saying: 'The Danapati governs the state with the scrutiny of a rākṣasa. Look into the water and you will see yourself.' The Emperor followed his advice and saw a host of rākṣasas behind him. Thereupon he ceased to eat meat. He banned falcons and hawks, dismissed their officials, and eliminated fishing, butchery, and all pungent and non-vegetarian foods, not allowing them into the markets. The Emperor constantly sat in dhyāna, not coming out for entire days. When bowing to the Buddha and circumambulating, his speed was like the wind. He received the precepts from the Grand Controller of the Bureau of Buddhist Affairs. He spread his hair upon the ground and ordered the Master to tread on the hair and confer them. Prior to this, while the Emperor was in Jinyang, he sent a man riding a camel, decreeing: 'Go to the temple and fetch the sūtra chests.' The messenger asked where it was. The Emperor said: 'Let the camel leave the city at will.' When he left, suddenly as if in a dream, he reached a mountain. Halfway up the mountain was a Buddhist monastery. A crowd of novices said from afar: 'Gao Yang's camel has arrived!' They led him to see an old monk. He bowed to him, and the monk said: 'How is Gao Yang doing as the Son of Heaven?' He replied: 'Sage and enlightened.' The monk said: 'What have you come for?' He replied: 'To fetch the sūtra chests.' The monk said: 'Yang is lazy at reciting sūtras in the monastery; order him to go north to the east end to be given them.' The messenger returned to report his mission. Earlier, when the Emperor reached the Buddhist monastery at Mujing in Gukou, there was a foolish man who had abandoned his body and could not speak. Suddenly he said to the Emperor: 'I am going; you come after.' That night the foolish man died, and the Emperor soon died in Jinyang.

4.13

Treatise on Penetrating the Ultimate

4.14

By the Sui Śramaṇa Shi Yancong

4.15

Now, as for the two paths of concealment and manifestation, glory and disgrace cannot be definitively assigned to them; between the two extremes of the absolute and the conventional, who can demarcate sameness and difference? Therefore, in great concealment, the court and marketplace are not clamorous; in lofty detachment, the mountains and waters hold no dejection. Emptiness is not outside of form: heaven and earth are naturally identical to pointing-fingers and horses; names are not within meanings: liver and gall can be like the states of Chu and Yue. Whether speaking or remaining silent, it truly surpasses the methods of speech and silence; whether existing or non-existing, it surely transcends the realms of existence and non-existence. Now, when the wild goose of the clouds flaps its wings, the peacock abandons its distant flight; when Vimalakīrti manifests illness, the bhikṣus dread his lofty eloquence. Arousing the mind [for bodhi] is itself leaving household life—what does it have to do with the falling of hair? Forsaking the mundane is alone called entering the Dharma—why must it require removing the hairpin? These are the gates of defilement and purity: the provisional and the real are not understood; the principles of dependence and reclining: good fortune and bad fortune are not realized. Thus Zhuangzi took the discourse on the equalization of things as his school, and the sons of the Śākya expounded the import of converging the three [vehicles]. How grand! It is indeed profound and far-reaching, truly difficult to capture and draw out. I have heard that when yin and yang harmonize, the ten thousand things are formed; when salty and bland blend together, the eight delicacies become delicious. How does this abolish the constant order of the four seasons, or the distinct differences among the five flavors? Judging from this, how could the absolute and conventional be confounded, or concealment and manifestation be said to be discordant? Some of scant hearing and shallow knowledge wish to have their wisdom surpass the Duke of Zhou and Confucius; with petty merits and humble offices, they immediately compare their stations to emperors and kings. Forcing themselves into self-importance to establish their standing, they consider themselves the peerless man. Disbelieving in cause and effect, they consequently say that the Buddhadharma does not exist. Deprecating and slandering [those who have attained] nirvāṇa, trampling and despising śramaṇas, they foolishly mimic pedantic Ru scholars and playfully invite unseen calamities. Or there are those who, having just cast off mundane robes, appear as if their virtue tops devas and humans; having barely hung up the name of a monk, their minds seem to resound loudly across the seas. Arrogantly dwelling in an exalted position, they claim to be ultimate sages. How do they know that the ten entanglements still obstruct them and that they have never heard of the three trainings? Failing to accord with capacities in engaging beings, they end up embracing ignorance and guarding themselves. Alas! How mutually conflicting are the divergent paths of these two fellows! How could a scholar of lofty mind and broad comprehension act thus? Desiring to unravel entanglements and blunt sharp edges, I tentatively set up flags and drums. Although both [criticisms] entail suppression and praise, in the end they take the Way as their essential principle. It is just like the five colors in variegated patterns converging and unifying as they near Mount Sumeru, or the dense array of the ten thousand images entirely assembling depending upon empty space. Returning to the root naturally holds tumultuous things; swallowing valleys is truly the vast ocean. This sincerely glorifies and praises the Buddha's path and expounds and promotes the dark gate, hoping that it may bring about selflessness and freedom from error, true humility and true reverence, so as to bequeath this treatise to later learners. There was a Master of Pure Conduct who loftily shunned worldly dust and dwelt alone among the hills and valleys. His outstanding brilliance roamed above the nine heavens; his aspiration and spirit enveloped the outer bounds of the eight extremities. Resting on rushes and pillowed on stone, he shaved his hair and ashened his mind. His rag-robes differed from the robe of Yang Xu; his corded chair was unlike the couch of Guan Ning. He had concealed himself on the Western Peak for several decades, firm and unyielding, tranquil and inactive. He would often sigh and say: 'In poverty, one tends exclusively to one's own goodness; in prominence, one aids the whole realm simultaneously. Yet sentient beings are in turmoil, bound by the net of attachment; one cannot bring about one's own pure elevation while sitting by and watching their misery. It is necessary once again to abandon the woods and marshes and gather alms among humans.' Thereupon, bending his steps for a brief journey, he set foot toward the capital city, stopping at Ba-shang. There was a young gentleman devoted to pleasure, reining in a dragon-steed by the flowing water, flying a crane-canopy against the drifting clouds. Embroidered garments and noble attire blended in harmony with the gentle breeze; jade bridles and golden saddles rivaled the brilliance of the shining sun. Certainly one would know that the love of throwing fruit belonged to Pan An, and the affection of the severed sleeve had already infatuated the Han emperor. With wheels linked at the city corner, he attended the banquet of King Cao; with bridles aligned beside the pond, he pursued the delights of Duke Shan. Meeting the Master on the road, he wondered at him and asked, saying: 'The Master's demeanor resembles a man of Yan or Zhao, but his hair is like a visitor from Wu or Yue. His countenance seems as if trapped between Chen and Cai, and the make of his garments has nothing to do with Chu or Lu. Walking slowly with lowered gaze, speaking softly with furrowed brows; constantly holding an earthenware bowl, different from the gourd vessel of Yan Hui; shaking the sound of a staff occasionally, unlike the goosefoot cane of Yuan Xian. I have never seen such in this land; this is something I have never heard of before. May I venture to ask, Master, from where have you come?'

4.16

The Master was silent for a long while; then slowly he replied: "I observe that you dash after fame and profit, and are muddled by sights and sounds. Bearing heaven above, you still do not fathom its height; treading earth below, you still do not know its depth. I have heard that within a collapsed well there are inherently no fish that can swallow a boat, and between the elm and sappanwood branches how could there be wings that drape down like clouds? I am not of your kind; how could you understand me? Let me attempt to speak of it for you; please grant me your lofty ear for a moment.
"As for my Master, the roots of his virtue were deeply laid, planted from the beginning of the three asaṃkhyeya kalpas. The wondrous fruit stood uniquely lofty, achieved at the end of the hundred kalpas. Gathering the entire dharma-realm as his wisdom, he filled empty space to make his body. How could he merely receive the pneumas of the two modes and whose Dao extends to all things? Thus his body is nowhere absent, its measure supreme beyond all rules and compasses; his wisdom leaves nothing undone, its function surpassing all conception. He cannot be measured by human affairs; how could he be discussed in terms of location? Intending to enlighten the sight and hearing of foolish men, he had to display the shadow and trace of a true person—just as the valley wind follows the roaring tiger, or the auspicious cloud pursues the soaring dragon: stimulus and response beckon each other, which is indeed a constant principle.
"Thereupon he descended his spirit into the palace of Tuṣita, and lowered his image into the realm of Kapilavastu. His clan was called Gautama, his caste termed kṣatriya, his worldly name was Siddhārtha, and his style in the Way was Śākyamuni. He was the crown prince of King Śuddhodana. As for his family lineage, cakravartins succeeded one another; as for his clan tradition, holy ways followed upon one another. The three thousand [realms] within the earth were far different from the city of Luoyi; the eighty thousand kingdoms and courts surpassed the Vulture Peak. His kindred and lineage were illustrious and famous; who could recount them in full?
"When my Master was born, the earthly form quaked in six ways, and he paced straightway in seven steps. The five pure [heavens] rained flowers throughout the country; two dragons showered water across empty space. Divine marvels all arrived, and auspicious omens entirely gathered. Looking through the hundred generations, never has there been the like. Moreover, his conception was different from Yao and Xuan[yuan], and his birth was distinct from Yu and Xie. As for the omen of the Black Emperor entering a dream, or the portent of white light filling the chamber, they are called fine signs in vain; how could they bear comparison?
"Beside his body was golden light of one zhang; between his brows was a white curl of five chi. The svastika opened upon his chest, and he trod upon thousand-spoked wheels under his feet. To speak of them in general, there were thirty-two [marks]; one cannot compare the dragon face, the tiger nose, the eight-colored [eyes], and double pupils to measure the ascent and descent against our wondrous form. Even though Duke Lü's physiognomy of the High Emperor [Gaozu] is hailed in worldly accounts as knowing men, if compared to Asita looking upon our Master, they cannot be spoken of on the same day.
"Thereupon he exalted his achievements in the great treasure, and held the proper place in the Shaoyang [palace]. The splendid halls were opened wide, and the dragon towers were raised loftily. As for his many talents and skills, fully accomplished in culture and warfare, they were not due to tutors and guardians, but naturally derived from his heavenly bones. Whether at the hour of boating on the Crown Prince's Pool, or at the time of galloping in the Bowang Park, his strength grappled with fragrant elephants and his spirit surpassed divine feats. Even if we discuss Ji Fa and Cao Pi, none could be compared to him; Han Ying and Xia Qi—how could they even be mentioned?
"His royal father's night guards were extremely strict, and his loving regard was all the more earnest. Within the ninefold secluded palace gates, sounds could be heard for forty li; in the secluded palaces of the three seasons, beautiful consorts numbered twenty thousand. Yet because his nature in the Way was tranquil and composed, and his vows were profound and firm, though dwelling in the sphere of the three delusions, he did not change the integrity of his single mind. He passed through the four gates of the royal city, and grieved over the three sufferings of old age and sickness. He then sighed to himself, saying: 'Human life is like this; how can one bear to remain in the world? Casting off one's shoes to seek the truth must be done right now!'
"At that time, fresh peach blossoms fell like rain in the early middle of green spring; the moon's half disc hung low by the pavilion, and the long night was just deepening. Observing the courtesans on duty looking like sprawled corpses, he realized the inner palace was like an abandoned tomb. Heavenly kings held up the white horse as he leaped over the city wall; a servant took his jewelled crown and returned to the palace. Even if we speak of Xiao Shi of the Qin era or Zijin of the Zhou period, of Xu You washing his ears at Mount Ji, or Zhuang Zhou dragging his tail in the Pu River, compared to this renunciation of the worldly, how utterly trifling they are!
"Therefore, the grove of immortals was the place where he first untied his hairpin; the Dhyāna River marked the traces where he initiated his austerities. He bathed in the pure waters of the golden current, and went to the auspicious tree of the bodhimaṇḍa. For food, he relied on an offering of milk-gruel; for his seat, he depended on given grass. Thereupon, the wisdom of the ten powers was perfected, and the six supernatural knowledges were thoroughly mastered. The māra armies were swept away like a mat, and the great undertaking was achieved. He alone was hailed as the Buddha: this is my Master.
"The wheel of the Dharma was first turned in the country of Nai, and among monks, Kauṇḍinya was the first to be saved. Down to the Kāśyapa brothers, Maudgalyāyana and his friend [Śāriputra], the Great Being of the Western Regions [Samantabhadra], and the Universally Good of the East, the lords of the twenty-eight heavens, and the kings of the sixteen great lands—none did not submit to the Way and incline their hearts, receiving his teaching and joining their palms.
"Thereupon, in the Palace of Paranirmitavaśavartin, he expounded the ten stages; atop Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, he unified the three vehicles. Subhūti discussed the doctrine of non-attainment; Vimalakīrti revealed the purport of speechlessness. He subdued the non-Buddhists of the ten ṛṣis, and restrained the monks of the group-of-six. From his chest, he spewed forth and drew in rivers; in his palm, he shook and swayed mountains and valleys. To speak of kalpas, square stones are repeatedly worn away; to compute numbers, fine motes of dust can be exhausted. He is indeed the Great Master of the three realms, the uniquely walking one through ten thousand ages! I myself am of mediocre talent; how could I speak of him fully?
"Even if the Duke of Zhou instituted rites and made music, Confucius commented on the Changes and edited the Odes, [Zai] Yu and [Duanmu] Ci were eloquent, and [Yan] Yan and [Bu] Shang excelled in literature, down to Zuo Yuanfang, Ge Xiaoxian, Heshanggong, and the Scribe Beneath the Pillar—though running neck and neck within the realm, how are they worth mentioning?
"Since the merit of us sentient beings was exhausted, the King of the Dharma passed away. Thus, heading north by the river Ajitavatī, his years were eighty. His response-body shattered into grains; his blood flowed—how can it be recalled? Men vied to resolve their final doubts, and competed to present the last offering. Alas! The torch of wisdom was extinguished, and the cloud of compassion vanished; how truly pitiable are the sons in the long night!
"Thereupon they gazed at his marks and features carved in fragrant sandalwood, and recorded his 'fish-traps and hares' snares' on palm-leaves. The Tripiṭaka was upheld, and the four reliances took their succession, so that my Master's style has not fallen to the ground. Up to this day! But worldly paths are tumultuous and flamboyant, the sentiments of the masses are feigned and shallow, and human ages change from past to present. When the period of the Semblance Dharma arrived, it was to pass north and gradually make its way eastward. Thus the golden man was dreamed of in Liu Zhuang's bedchamber, and [Kāśyapa] Mātaṅga awaited the invitation of Cai Yin. The flowing of the bequeathed teaching into the land of the Han first originated here. Down to the present, it has been more than five hundred years.
"Afterwards, Kang Senghui, Zhu Fahu, Fotudeng, and Kumārajīva arrived one after another, gloriously proclaiming the Vaipulya scriptures. Thus fellows like Daosheng and Dao'an, and disciples like Huiyan and Huiguan, were all able to silence their fame, hang up their caps of office, and harmoniously take refuge. The Black Robes flourished abundantly; how can it all be recounted?
"In my youth I grew up east of the mountains, esteeming the elegant heritage of the Uncrowned King; in later years I traveled west of the Pass, admiring the profound words of Huang-Lao. Both still failed to cross the river of suffering, and remained submerged in the burning house. What can endure long and be great is only the teaching of the Buddha! Thereupon I aspired to the pure dust of former generations, looked up to the distant traces of the gathered luminaries, took refuge in this correct Way, and extricated myself from the sinking mire. Originally called 'the secluded recluse free from desires' and 'the great general who smashes heterodoxy'—does this not refer to me and my fellows?"

The young gentleman knitted his brows and said: "Observing the Master's eloquence, though it can 'talk of heaven,' what you say is exceedingly hollow and fabricated. I have quietly investigated the time when the Buddha first initiated his conversion, which corresponded to the era of our ancestral Zhou. He claimed of himself: 'Sahā is totally gathered under me, with none that does not return to me.' Or else, his light shone without bound, and his sound shook the Peak of Existence. Or else, the eight classes gathered like clouds, and the ten directions converged like spokes at a hub. By calculation, India is over one hundred thousand li away from us; both are south of Mount Sumeru, and both are within Jambudvīpa. How is it that the scholars and commoners here did not reach the Buddha's place? Why did the Tathāgata uniquely exclude them and not bestow any leftover light? He was not born in our Qin or Han, nor is he recorded in our ancient classics. Looking closely into these two or three matters, my perplexity grows even greater.
"I have heard that integrity does not sever one from the world, and reclusion does not violate filial duty to parents. Therefore one softens his light within the dust, and opens the lotus within fire. As for binding the sash and hanging the cap-strings, it does not hinder the cultivation of virtue; retaining a beard and long sideburns is quite enough for living in seclusion. Furthermore, the Way is originally empty and pervasive, and wherever one touches it, there is nothing that is not it. Why discard the cap and hairpin and concentrate solely on the tin staff and alms-bowl? In my humble opinion, not injuring the body received from one's parents is the beginning of filial piety; no one is not a king's subject, and in the end one must follow the court's commands. Now that you wear ochre robes and shave your head, though your crimes are not yet clear, and you do not serve the Son of Heaven, are you not exalting yourself? I venture to ask you, Master: please analyze and explain this for me."

4.17

The master said, “I have heard that great music does not enter the ears of the vulgar; does this not prove it? You still seek to peer at the heavens through an inch of pipe and measure the ocean with a tiny conch. Yet our Dharma-gate is supremely transcendent; it is not something you, my friend, can fathom. Relying on divine power, I will speak of it further for you. The converting path of our teacher is vast and magnanimous, and his spiritual potter’s wheel extends far and wide. It is only that sentient beings have meager conditions and create limitations and obstacles for themselves. What does this have to do with the Buddha’s majesty not being great, or the sage’s bounty not being impartial? It is like the sun and moon hanging their images and gracing the heavens, or thunder sounding and shaking the earth; that they are lost upon the deaf and blind, is it because their light is faint or their sound is small? Indeed, when the Buddha traveled in Śrāvastī for over two decades, among three hundred million households there were still those who did not hear or see him; why find it strange across a hundred thousand miles of borderlands? I observe that the Duke of Zhou and Confucius were born originally only in the cities of Huaxia; why is it that the barbarians did not believe in their principles? As for Dongfang Shuo ascending to heaven and the King of Huainan entering the registers of the immortals, men who rode simurghs and cleaved the mist have indeed existed in this world; yet because [historians] did not value divine immortals, they kept it hidden and did not record it. How then could they understand the savor of our teacher’s path and arts, and record them in trustworthy histories? Furthermore, having met with the burning of the texts under the First Emperor of Qin, the classical records are incomplete. How can one cling to such limited writings and thereby lack great vision? Yet there are those who turn away from the genuine and true, willfully following the worldly; failing to realize that the body is impure, how could they understand that life is impermanent? In clothing and toys, several layers do not suffice; in stinginess and greed, they cannot part with a single hair. How pitiful are these petty, stubborn people! Having already ceased preserving my physical form, who would attend to dazzling vanities? My hair already shorn, my mind is naturally subdued; my garments are of decayed color alone, so whence could passionate love arise? Therefore, with five patches one maintains contemplation, and throughout the six periods of the day one focuses mindfulness. Calmly aloof beyond worldly things, this is called going against the stream. I have heard that when Yu of Xia dredged the rivers, his hands and feet were worn with toil; when Mo Di benefited creatures, he did not begrudge his crown or heels. Destroying the body to achieve benevolence, or starving to death to preserve righteousness—all these run contrary to great filial piety, yet they are lavishly praised across the host of writings. How much more so when I nourish my nature, dwell in the arcane, establish myself, and practice the Way! Just as I desire to deliver the six destinies extensively and aspire on high to the myriad virtues, how could a student be confined by petty details and look back at the mere matter of skin and hair? Fan the flames of pursuing fame and glory—those are other concerns; they belong to facing north in court. But if one’s merit is shallow and stipend meager, one’s only labor is answering and running about; if one’s achievements are lofty without leisure and one’s station reaches the peak, one constantly fears danger, overflow, and instability. Casting away a pearl of a thousand fathoms—how cheaply one values the treasure! Yet the lotus within the fire is not something I can produce; how could you understand being stained yet unstained?” The young master said, “You, master, forcibly flaunt rhetoric to embellish errors, shielding the caltrop-overgrown wall instead of sweeping it clean. Please listen to a candid critique harsh to the ear, summarily listing four of your abuses. I have heard that jade trees do not form a grove with reeds, and majestic phoenixes do not flock with swallows and sparrows. Although your master’s Way is subtle and wondrous, why are his disciples alone so vulgar and base? Some are ugly in appearance and humble in clan; some are of lowly kind and dark in spirit. They possess neither the three arts to join the ranks of gentlemen, nor ten mou of land to be commoners. Neglecting royal affairs through incompetence, and ashamed that their private households cannot be established, they take refuge and evade labor service within Buddhist monasteries, barely finding room beneath the Dharma robes. When meeting people, they cannot exchange courtesies; when chanting scriptures, they do not understand correct pronunciation and meaning. In vain they know only to harbor pride toward the common folk and turn their backs on propriety toward their two parents. This is not the way to honor oneself; that is the first abuse. I have heard that the frugality of untrimmed rafters and earthen steps was how Tang Yao nurtured the people, while the extravagance of jasper rooms and jade terraces was how Xin of Shang corrupted customs. Furthermore, the Tathāgata’s conduct is only fewness of desires, and the root of his virtue is great compassion. He ought only to sit peacefully among graves and practice walking meditation beneath trees. Why should one adorn nine-story stūpas and erect seven-jewel terraces, neither pitying the labor of the builders nor feeling ashamed of the ease of the dwellers? This is not the way to exercise restraint; that is the second abuse. I have heard that not boasting of one’s own merit was the ultimate teaching of Lao Dan, and not praising one’s own virtues is the Buddha’s own standard maxim. When one is toiling and humble, the gentleman meets with ultimate good fortune; when one overcomes oneself to yield, the sage attains supreme beauty. If internal virtue is truly abundant, it will naturally resound outward; friends and companions will vie to respond, bringing praise while one sits still. How much more so for the Buddha’s mind, which is limpid and still, devoid of all faults of gain and loss? Why then does he alone assume the title of World-Honoured One, refusing to yield to others? Moreover, the non-dual tenets across those various scriptures each claim to be the foremost; self-contradictions arise on their own—how can they be resolved? This is not the way to be humble; that is the third abuse. I have heard that holding fast to the two treasures and being mindful of the four knowns constitute the refined feelings of a man of understanding and the lofty integrity of an upright scholar. They distribute their wealth among their kin or cast it away amidst mountains and waters. How much more so for the arcane Way, which is pure and immaculate! Yet monks who have turned from the world indulge instead in insatiable demands, coveting worldly profits. In exhorting laypeople, they urge them not to hold back even their marrow and brain; yet when discussing donations, they do not concede a fraction. When high nobility pass by or eminent guests arrive, instead of receiving them with an empty, humble mind, they first display multiples of their own offerings. This is a common ailment shared by all men of understanding, known to all within the seas. This is not the way to maintain integrity; that is the fourth abuse. Although my forthright words are bitter, they may serve as medicinal stone. I only hope, master, that with your high vision you will examine them in detail.”

4.18

The Master said: "If someone like you did not laugh at it, how could it be called the Way? You only cherish that in which things are alike; how could you understand that in which they differ? You merely wish to demolish it, yet you have not harmed the diamond. How could our Way, broad and profound, be taken lightly? I have heard that it is by administering the myriad affairs that a sage emperor is proclaimed great; it is by receiving the hundred rivers that a vast abyss becomes deep. A king does not disconnect himself from common folk, and an ocean does not cast aside minor streams. How much more so the Great Way of my Teacher, which is vast and delivers all, gathers in all who have minds, and makes no distinction between foe and friend! Naturally, it ranks degrees of virtue and precepts according to small and great, blending high and low among all classes. Thus there was an ordinary manure-clearer who nonetheless attained the stage of non-arising, while eminent men eligible for office fell headlong into the Avīci Hell. Inner secrets are hard to fathom; who can know external marks? Why do you presume to be the arbiter? I have never accepted you as a clear mirror. If one takes men merely by outward appearance, one goes far astray. Thus Shuxiang bowed to the words of Zongmie, and the elder was awakened by the discourse of the novice. Moreover, failure and success have their turns; adversity and prosperity have no permanence. Some begin in glory and later suffer humiliation; some start humble and later flourish. Their differing paths and tangled wheels can only be briefly stated. As for having not even enough land to stick an awl into, that did not mean one did not admire the virtues of Yao and Shun; failing to inherit an empire did not mean one lacked the sagehood of Tang and Wu. Who could have known that the lineage of the one who swallowed the six states was originally a groom who bred horses, or that the founder who established the three laws was merely a fugitive precinct chief? Fan and Guan rose from the butcher's stall and peddler's shop; Yi Yin and Lü Shang emerged from between kitchen and fishing line. Through successive ages of custom, illustrious families inherited their status, eventually becoming the powerful clans within the four seas and the noble houses of the five imperial tombs, their caps and carriages soaring to the clouds, their refinement overshadowing their age. Yet when the morning sun dries the dew, they envy the bondservant whose life is hard to cut short; when withered grass is laden with frost, they are mingled indistinguishably with ants and mole-crickets. From this we know that between employment and disuse, tiger and rat have no constant standing. Tracing the branch to the root, human standing is of one single measure. How can one heedlessly disdain someone for riding in a humble wicker cart or look down on one who lives behind a broken jar-window? Even if a man's talent equaled that of the Duke of Zhou, what would there be to admire in such arrogance? Let me attempt to speak of this: the court and market are vain and troublesome, leaving body and mind empty and exhausted; the wise jointly reject them, and worthy men together despise them. Feeling only that this aspiration of renunciation can be entered upon, one flees the worldly place and returns home. I have grown weary of future suffering and realize yesterday's errors; you, on the other hand, indulge in past desires and are misled into taking the present as right. Better to dwell peacefully in poverty, delight in the Way, be humble in youth, and possess many abilities. What use is there in being an ox sacrificial beast for the ancestral temple, or the boy's goose that gets cooked? Now I abide in simple plainness, my silent mindfulness free of distraction. I do not rely on guidance from humaneness and righteousness; how could I entertain turbulent thoughts about worldly splendor? Indeed, like selecting a horse while disregarding whether it is mare or stallion, I forget about sleep and food. Why should I hold fast to the minor abilities of polite conversation, or the petty skills of phonetics and textual glosses? Cultivating the mind suffices to repay kindness; why be confined to rituals of morning and evening inquiries? Broadly transforming beings suffices to guide them; why stop at matters of bowing and scraping? This is what I call the first superiority. My Teacher's delight is in seclusion and quietude, not merely in villages; his gracious acceptance of small offerings is not limited to pearls and necklaces. Therefore, he rested his form upon the five mountains and let his spirit roam within the three abidings. At times he accepted a child's offering of dirt, or dined on horse grain. He praised a small offering made with a pure mind and censured abundant gifts made with defiled marks. He wished thereby to allow beings to establish good roots based on this, and to express their sincere faith through it. This is originally the general framework of self-cultivation and the constant standard of making offerings; how could the Buddha's body need them? It is the fulfilled intention of sentient beings. Yet because worldly mortals are slow to understand and have not eliminated arrogance and jealousy, they vie to present famous treasures, seeking to reap abundant merit. Thus jade vessels and high stūpas block the sun, soaring halfway into the sky; painted rafters and flying eaves, continuous with the clouds, cover the realm. Vying for fame and prestige, where is the goodness in that? Clinging to marks and lacking understanding, they have come to this. Though it runs contrary to the ultimate true principle, it suffices to induce the joys of worldly splendor. Since ordinary mortals consider only this as merit, why would the Tathāgata suppress his teaching of it? This is what I call the second superiority. I have heard that discussing a peerless rare treasure is intended to relieve poverty; praising the divine incense of immortality is meant only to heal illness. Yet sentient beings believe in the mad potions of heterodox shamans and abandon the amṛta of true enlightenment; their affliction by poison has deepened, and their delusion has persisted long. When my Teacher appeared in the world, he originally undertook rescue as his work. Since those who understand me are few, there is no place for keeping silent. In enabling beings to recognize the truth and redirect themselves, what fault of self-praise could he incur? For two Buddhas do not appear side by side in the world, just as two suns do not share the sky. His title is 'Incomparable', desiring to propagate the ultimate teaching; he is not like a petty sage among gentlemen who practices the custom of modesty. Although the ultimate principle leads to the same end, different teachings are expounded according to dispositions; each scripture is proclaimed supreme according to what is fitting to be heard. This is what I call the third superiority. I have heard that if one does not pursue the profits of the four classes of people, one will not bring in the gold of a hundred gifts. Yet so long as great distress is not eliminated, one's dependent existence requires maintenance. I am called a mendicant (bhikṣu), so I accept offerings with contentment; you are called a donor, so you lavish them even to the extent of state and city. How can you hold me guilty of greed, rather than examining your own stinginess and blindness? Is this proof that sharing wealth harmoniously was uniquely suitable only to Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya? I have heard that dispensing supplies from the Heavenly King's armory still does not depend upon subordinate ministers; how much less can the offerings of merit dedicated to our Teacher be managed solely by ordinary monks? Though originally coming from the four assemblies, they now belong to the triratna for its use. When offerings are raised for the sake of the Way, the principle is incompatible with applying them to personal charity. Since they belong permanently to the assembly of the ten directions, they cannot be privately appropriated for oneself. Acting on one's own authority is forbidden by the Vinaya; entreating the assembly offers no ground for harmony. What virtue do you have to be worthy of receiving them? What feeling could make me dare to dispense them on my own? I only fear sharing in my own culpability; how could I desire greedy gain? Consider that a single grain weighing seven catties, when cast into water, caused smoke and fire to billow and boil; yet a bowl of leftover rice, given to others, satisfied entire herds of beings. If the Buddha did not begrudge it to a hungry hound, would he begrudge it to a human being? From this we know that unauthorized use naturally incurs blame, while dedicating offerings with permission brings benefit. This is truly due to the meager fortune of sentient beings; it is decidedly not a narrowness of mind in our Teacher. Just as hungry ghosts cannot see flowing streams, and a sick person cannot taste fine delicacies, the fault lies with the hunger and illness; can one say that the flowing streams and the flavors do not exist? I have heard that when a meritorious minister serves his lord, grain and silk are awarded without measure to reward his deeds; when an enlightened king reflects upon himself, the blue heavens effect virtue without speaking. You cannot lament your own lack of spiritual resonance, but solely slander our Teacher for lack of benevolence. Possessing such insatiable greed, how can you conduct yourself as a person? As for Lord Zheng exhausting his property on acquaintances, and Master Tian displaying generosity to guests, they merely sought prestige through extravagant dissipation; how could that compare to cultivating the field of merit and spreading it far and wide? This is what I call the fourth superiority. Although my words may be deficient, the principle is abundant. You are merely startled by what you have never heard, and bewildered by what you have not seen. From what I have said, you ought to be awakened." The young gentleman said: "Although the Master engages in lofty discourse to vindicate himself, in the end it resembles waiting by the stump for a hare. How vague and distant is what you discuss regarding karmic retribution! I have heard that when the primordial chaos opened, the clear and turbid were separated; based on different endowments of the meager and pure, the foolish and sage flowed into separate streams. As for the squareness of the head and roundness of the feet, the scales and feathers of those that swim and soar, the length of life spans, and the glory or disgrace of personal reputation—none of these is not the creation of nature; how could they be produced by past karma? I have seen those whose noble conduct was without flaw suffer early death and encounter calamity, while those who were mad, turbulent, and lacking in propriety lived out their natural span and enjoyed fortune. When encounters and fortunes are like this, what proof is there of cause and effect? Furthermore, when breath gathers, there is life; when it disperses, there is death. The bodily form and spirit return above and sink below; the myriad affairs become desolate, and in a hundred years all is finished. Where is there a heavenly palace? What is a hell? These are what ordinary men believe, but discerning scholars have never spoken of them. The Master is still deluded, trying to tie down the wind. Please reconsider it."

First 18 of 22 passages. Read on

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廣弘明集 — Classical Chinese