廣弘明集 8.25

8.25

"Question: Master, you distinguish Confucius and the Śākya like the Jing and Wei rivers, their clarity and turbidity greatly disparate; and in accepting and rejecting Confucianism and Daoism, your selections are especially unrestrained. In Sima Qian's six schools, the Daoists come first; in Ban Gu's nine schools, the Confucian lineage is placed foremost. Investigating what they transmitted, both can establish a school; discussing their regulations, neither violates the canonical model. To say they are both wrong, I feel, is unacceptable. If both are correct, on what basis should one choose or reject? Answer: Pathways of divergence and compliance must have that to which they belong; the boundary between vermilion and purple ought to have been established long ago. The Ten Treatises of the Book of Han all follow ancient standards; were the Treatises on Literature and the Five Elements newly created only now? Agriculture is the foundation of governance, yet Sima Qian did not discuss it; easily destroying the Strategists, both offices and canonical statutes were omitted. Therefore, regarding the composition of Ban Gu, both past and present praise its correctness; regarding the discussions of Sima Qian, antiquity saw criticism of his errors. Hence the Book of Former Han states: 'In Sima Qian's preface to the ancient texts, he placed Huang-Lao before the Six Classics; discussing wandering knights, he degraded retired scholars and advanced treacherous heroes; narrating money-making, he exalted power and profit while scorning poverty and lowliness. These are his defects.'"