廣弘明集 8.41

8.41

I reply: Confucius spoke of being born with knowledge; learning refers to accumulated habit. Just now I was discussing Confucianism, not Buddhism. The highest wisdom and the lowest stupidity fundamentally do not change with transformation; it is the mediocre sorts that shift and change in accordance with transformation. If a sage can become a madman, he is not of the highest wisdom; if a madman can become a sage, he is not of the lowest stupidity. When the Book of Documents distinguishes between madman and sage, both are of the mediocre sort. Laozi says: 'Banish sageliness and discard wisdom, and the people will benefit a hundredfold.' This is the sageliness of middling talent, not the highest wisdom.