廣弘明集 4.15

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?'