廣弘明集 4.20

4.20

The Noble Youth said: "Although you, Master, possess an overflowing river of extraordinary eloquence, you still suffer from blind spots. I have heard that Heaven brings forth the multitude of people, pairing the hard and the soft. It is by this that form and vessel are transformed and generated, and pneumatic spirits are nurtured. Marriage has been a grand rule since antiquity; wedding and bridal rites have been the enduring propriety of successive eras. Transgression surely has nothing to do with having offspring, and the Way is likewise no obstacle to having wives and concubines. Thus did Shanhui consent to the agreement with the flower seller, and Miaoguang accept the pledge of offered pearls. The sixty thousand of Gandhamādana were still called Dharma masters, and the two thousand of Vaiśālī were still named Great Beings. Why alone remain without a mate and choke this emotional nature? 'A haughty dragon will have cause to repent'; such desires are of that kind! How then could all things be born, and through whom would the seed of the Buddha be continued? This is your first blind spot, Master.

"I have heard that fierce beasts make a habit of terrorising the people, and poisonous insects possess a nature that harms living things. Therefore, according to the seasonal breath, there is the autumn hunt; to eliminate pests, there is the summer weed-hunt. This is the constant pattern of the Heavenly Way; what sin is there to fear? As for cattle and pigs filling the sacrificial offerings, and lambs and geese preparing ritual courtesy, their destiny falls to the hands of the cook, and their bodies are buried in the bellies of esteemed guests. Since they were originally produced by Heaven, what else would they be used for? Furthermore, birds' remains that died of themselves are permitted by your inner Vinaya; why then neglect nurturing bodily life and vainly turn to dust and earth? This is your second blind spot, Master.

"I have heard that Heaven arrays the Winnowing Basket constellation, and the earth established the Wine Spring Commandery. As a thing, wine has been around for a very long time; is not dispelling sorrow and adapting to one's nature solely achieved through this? Hence Ji [Kang] and Ruan [Ji], the Seven Worthies, stirred their feelings over the measure of a peck or a stone; and the two sages, Yao and Shun, had abundant virtue amidst drinking from flagons and pots. Guan [Lu] relied on it to discuss the profound, and Yu [Gong] used it when deciding lawsuits. From what I have heard of past philosophers, they never refrained from feasting; so long as one maintains oneself within ritual propriety, what need is there to stand against the multitude and remain alone pure? This is your third blind spot, Master.

"I have heard that the Eight Objects of Governance highlight food as the people's Heaven, and the five flavours sustain the body as a vessel for the Way. Setting aside those who inhale the wind and clouds or feed on fungus and dew, of living beings, who does not depend on food? One could easily eat one's fill, apply one's mind, and not abandon one's spiritual vocation. Why rely on observing fasts, exhausting one's strength and lacking energy for diligent cultivation? This is your fourth blind spot, Master. If you, Master, were to correct these blind spots, I too would look up to you with admiration."

The Master said: "I have heard that those who are obstinate and hard are difficult to transform; it is truly so! As for your blindness, you do not even know that you are blind. As for my penetration, how could you recognise its penetration? Viewed from this perspective, one cannot yet discuss the Way with you.

"I observe that vulgar speech lacks modesty, yet people still avoid uttering it before their closest kin; depraved conduct is unbenevolent, yet people still feel ashamed before their predecessors. However, when a man has barely left his swaddling clothes, he envies birds flying in pairs and seeks a bride; when a girl has scarcely stopped nursing, she laments her empty room and gives rise to passion. Recklessly indulging in petty pleasure, they openly practice the rituals of the world; accumulated habits become the norm, and in their confusion, who blames them? Acting without shame in this way makes them even more like quails and magpies! Do not take the marriage institutions of the petty herd and dare to criticize the lofty and refined.

"Furthermore, 'marriage' (hun) means darkness (hun); the matter is entrusted to the dark to be completed. Clearly it is not a model of glorious distinction; truly it is the perilous conduct of the mediocre and base. Only Zhan Qin's conduct below the willow can discipline a licentious man, and Pengzu's technique of sleeping alone can nurture a harmonious nature. These are indeed recorded in fine books and extolled in documents. How much more so is the complete teaching of my Teacher! It propagates the cardinal sūtras of pure practice; how could it follow those perverse winds and become entangled in this net of desire? About to transcend the realm of the Six Deva Heavens, he still does not take along courtesans or concubines; having already surpassed the outside of the Four Formless Realms, how could he harbor a wife and children? Only white-robed laymen of the second fruition are permitted to maintain their conditioned karma; a householder on a single bed is pure and difficult to confound. But the birth of all things naturally has its conditions to rely on; why must it depend on our mating to continue? Regarding my Teacher, have you alone not heard of identical transformation-birth, where there is no female activity, where the four elements are entirely cast off, and the joy of the Dharma sustains the form? This is what I call the first penetration.

"I have heard that the coming and going of life and death is originally like the inchworm's movement; the light and the dark, above and below, are no different from a rotating wheel. Driven by karma, what standard is there between humans and beasts? Thus there were cases like the Consort of Wei and the Emperor of Shu, or those like Niu Ai and Boqi: a fox becoming a beautiful woman, a raccoon dog acting as a scholar. These matters belong to the inconceivable; how can they be easily scrutinized? I consider that those who uphold the precepts have no fear of ghosts and dragons; those who hold virtue do not dread bees or scorpions. The frightened dove cast its shadow, and the fierce tiger leaped across the river. When I am good, they respond with a bright pearl; when humans are evil, they react with poisonous breath. Truly it stems from whether one stays killing; are birds and beasts merely harmful to creatures? Although they fly or run in different forms, their cherishing of their bodies is no different. In beginningless transmigration, who has not been one's kin? Taking oneself as a comparison, how could one bear it? How could one butcher flesh and blood that has life just to fill useless skin and muscle? As for death and returning to the earth, creatures and self arrive at the same end; therefore Huang did not eat the giant turtle, and Confucius still overturned the minced meat. How much more so with the compassion and commiseration of my [teachings]—who could relish the sweetness of rich and fresh meat? The Five Vinayas gradually opened permissions, while the Twin Śāla Trees made the permanent prohibition. This is what I call the second penetration.

"I have heard that ponds of wine and drinking like cattle were notable in antiquity; although their hundred-and-six cycle was exhausted, it was through this that the ruin of their states arose. The thirty-five faults indeed have their origin here. Drunkenness in this present life can be verified right now; how will the darkness of future lives ever cease? As for Wenju's flagon never being empty, and Xuanshi's stupor being difficult to awaken from—they were merely madmen addicted to wine; how could they be fit to discuss the supreme Way? If one drinks deeply, the errors are many; if one feasts lightly, the faults are slight. If you claim that one can drink without disaster, that has never been. That the worthies of the past issued stern warnings was truly because of this! Even if it did not involve the lives of living beings, it would still not be fitting to raise the goblet. This is what I call the third penetration.

"I have heard that precepts naturally restrain the mind, and fasting solely unifies the will; they can be called the initial practice for entering the Way and the fundamental method for instructing the people. The body is merely supported; what does it know? If one indulges one's emotions and cravings, they will ultimately be hard to satisfy. Therefore, restricting oneself to the two times is sufficient to supply the four elements. One notices the covering mantis stalking behind, and sees the wild wolf facing in front. As the moment of danger and death is pressing, the feeling of thirst and hunger is thereby relieved. One rejoices that the Way prevails and grows plump; why lament that food is short and grow weary? I observe that when emperors sacrifice at the ancestral temple, or when the Master inquired of Boyang, they still had to abstain from pungent and allium flavours and reside purely in a fasting chamber. How much more so when I wish to forget the body and seek the Way; would I still fix my mind on fine delicacies? This is what I call the fourth penetration.

"Do not claim that what you are unable to do is my blind spot. As for what I have argued, I hope you will choose to follow it."

At this, the Noble Youth touched the Master's feet and knocked his head on the ground. His whole body sweated profusely; his spirit took flight and his gall failed him; the five colours of his face lost their master. He felt as if he were treading on a tiger, or like he had seen a dragon; dazed as if insane, he did not know what to answer. The Master patted his head and consoled him, saying: "I only have pity for creatures; why are you so terrified?"

The Noble Youth gradually calmed himself, wept, and answered: "I was originally born in a lowly hamlet and had not heard the name of the Great Enlightened One. My endowed nature was crude and rustic, and I ended up following the views of external heterodoxies. Had I not encountered you, Master, I would nearly have met with calamity! Recently, receiving the end of your instructions, your refined doctrines have entered the spiritual. Looking up, I rely on your great compassion to redeem my past errors. Please permit me to shave my head and receive training at your gate, Master."

The Master said: "You have awakened from delusion and known to return; how excellent!"