廣弘明集 4.16

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."