廣弘明集 8.37

8.37

I reply: Your question seems not yet to have reached a profound understanding. When sovereigns achieved merit, they created music; when order was established, they formulated rituals. These are the magnificent undertakings of imperial enterprises! The Scribe of the Left recorded speeches, and the Scribe of the Right recorded events: events became the Spring and Autumn Annals, and speeches became the Book of Documents. The hundred kings shared this manner, and myriad generations conformed to this track. If one has position without talent, propagation is still deficient; if one has talent without position, it is clearly entirely lacking. Long ago, the Duke of Zhou acted as regent for seven years and then instituted the six offices. What kind of men were Confucius and Laozi that they could be lords of teaching? Although Confucius was sagely and eminent, he lacked position. Only when his chariot returned from Wei did he begin to promote the textual standards; this was merely editing and transmitting, not being the source of a teaching. Moreover, when the Historian of the Pillar was at court, his duty was fundamentally not to offer counsel and assistance; leaving Zhou to enter Qin, he spoke of the Way only for the Magistrate [Yin Xi], remaining unheard among the feudal lords, to say nothing of the Son of Heaven. Since he was an immortal or worthy, he was certainly deficient in both [talent and position]. That Daoism belongs to the Confucian lineage has already been made manifest in the earlier scrolls.