辯正論 1.7

1.7

有上庠公子問於古學通人曰。蓋聞。氣象變通莫過乎陰陽。埏埴覆燾莫過乎天地。尋夫五運未形本無人物（易鉤命決云。天地未分之前。有太易。有太初有太始。有太素。有太極。為五運也。氣象未形謂之太易。元氣始萌謂之太初。氣形之端謂之太始。形變有質謂之太素。質形已具謂之太極。轉變五氣故稱五運。言氣形質具而未相離。皆太易之名有五種也。爾時空虛。未有人物也）三才既立乃敘尊卑（乾鑿度云。太極太素太一名別其理一也。易緯通卦云。大極是生兩儀。言氣清輕者上為天。濁重者下為地。以人參之謂之三才。易序卦云。有天地萬物。然後立君臣。定父子長幼夫婦之禮尊卑上下之別也）自然之化已興。無為之風廣被（河圖括地象云。天地初立。有天皇氏。澹泊自然與極同道。身佩九翼。以木德王。無所施為自然而化。開山圖云。地皇興於熊耳龍門之山。以火德王。命歷序云。人皇駕六羽。乘雲車出谷口。分九州長天下。兄弟九人。依山川地勢分為九域。各居一州。帝系譜云。天皇治各一萬八千歲。地皇凡一百五十世治天下。合五萬四千歲。次五龍氏皇伯皇仲皇叔皇季皇少。兄弟五人。並乘龍上下。凡一百八十世治天下。合九百二十七萬三千六百年。即靈威仰等五神是也。次有神農氏。駕六龍甄度四海寒暑均以布人民通風雨。凡十世各治九百歲。次有四姓。次有不終一世次有七十二姓。次有三姓。或乘飛羊飛鹿。始教民穴處。食鳥獸肉。衣皮毛衣。次有巢氏駕龍驎乘鳳虎。構木為巢教民居之。以避禽獸之害。次燧人氏。教民鑽燧出火變生為熟。以避腥臊之屬。鑄作金刃而民大悅。此凡六紀有九十三代。一千二百八十九世。合一千一十萬一千八百四十年。自天化下總謂三皇也）次則蛇軀牛首之聖（六藝論云。太昊帝庖犧氏姓風。蛇身人首。有聖德。燧人歿宓羲皇生。其世有五十九姓。羲皇始序制。作法度。皆以木德王也。制嫁娶之禮。受龍圖。以龍紀官。故曰龍師。在位合一萬一千一十二年。炎帝神農氏姓姜。人身牛首。有火瑞。即以火德王。有七世合五百年也）珠衡日角之皇（六藝論云。軒皇姓公孫二十五月而生。有珠衡日角之相。以土德王天下。建寅月為歲首。生子二十五人。有十二姓。凡十三世。合治一千七十二年。夢受帝籙。遂與天老巡河而受之。得河圖書師於牧馬小童拜廣成丈人於崆峒山。帝王世紀云三皇之世。合二萬二百九十七年也）始畫八卦而重八純（河圖括地象曰宓羲氏仰觀象於天。俯察法於地。始畫八卦。以通神明之德。神農氏。重八卦為六十四焉）設雲官而陳鳥紀（六藝論云。軒皇有景雲之瑞。用雲紀官。少昊帝有鳳鳥之瑞。故以鳥名官焉）教畋漁以濟俗。作耒耜以資民（六藝論云。宓羲氏為網𮊁以畋以漁。取犧牲以充庖廚。故曰庖犧氏。神農斲木為耜。揉木為耒始教天下種五穀。故號為神農氏）立市（神農所建也）鑄器服牛乘馬。營宮室垂衣裳。為杵臼置舟檝。模鳥跡以造文字。因化通而裁禮樂（並黃帝時也。六藝論云。黃帝佐官有七人。蒼頡造書字。大撓造甲子。隸首造算數。容成造曆岐伯造醫方。鬼申區造占候。奚仲造車作律管。興墠壇禮也）暨乎翼善傳聖之君。仁盛聖明之后。舉八元八凱之職（舜攝政舉高陽氏高辛氏。才子各八人。以掌司牧之任也）命羲和羲仲之官（羲氏和氏。為堯掌日月四時之官也）種百穀以勸農（后稷播種百穀）敷五教以軌物。允恭克讓庶績咸熙。協和萬邦平章百姓。流四凶於四裔。竄三苗於三危（渾沌檮杌窮奇饕餮。為四凶也。堯流之於國四外。有苗氏叛。舜放之於三危之山也）調律呂以暢八風。察琁璣以齊七政。夏禹導九河（代父治水。平九州名山大川。受洪範九疇於河神。獲地理於洞府。九州貢銅鑄作九鼎。以八家為隣。三隣為明。三明為里也）乘四載（陸行乘車。水行乘船。泥行乘橇。山行乘樏）任土作貢疎山奠川。殷王伐罪弔民（有黃魚黑鳥集于壇。化為黑玉。乃伐桀。色尚黑白。遷九鼎於毫以百戶為里也）平暴靜亂。解網剪髮。拯溺救焚。爰至赫赫隆周濟濟多士。關睢麟趾之德（季歷妃大任夢長人感已而生文王。文王妃大姒生武王發。建子之月為歲首色尚赤。以五家為隣。畿內則有比閭族黨州鄉。周公居攝罪人斯得。秋有雷風之變。偃禾拔木。啟金縢之書。遂迎周公。卜宅於洛。度土定鼎。制禮作樂。死於鄷葬於畢。關睢稱王后之德。麟趾興仁人之族名也）周南邵南之風（言周邵風化自北而南也）列五行六正之儀（木金水火土為五行。預見來事。進善舉賢。恭勤不墮。明察法律。辭祿讓賜。君失則諫。是為六政也）布九田四井之法（三等為九田。三屋為四井）陳服錫之禮（敘五等之服制九錫之禮也）廣革車之節（通十為城。城出革車一乘）為世揩範作物典謨。遐逖闊逈年移三古。曠遠綿邈時經百王。聖德所覃神化所洽。龍庭鳳穴候氣輸賝。日域麟洲占風欵塞。泉露呈其珍味。草木變其嘉形。燕頷魚身。昭彰於羽族。狼蹄牛尾。輝煥於毛群。惟德動天休徵允集。元首延明哉之美。股肱肆良哉之歌。周卜永年殷稱奕葉。其為道也。人倫稟以利建。庶物資以有生。邦國賴以無他。君臣藉以致治。德教天下化被華夷。道貫五天恩加百姓。立功立事可大可久。時義備矣。世用足矣。至如李老仙方意存羽化。釋迦梵本期自涅槃。縱體於太清之中。遊神於常樂之境。貴練形以不死。求寂照於無生。構鵬鷃之寓言。張過未之虛說。何異鄒衍談天終歸眇莾。虞丘辯夢徒騁華詞。今大唐馭極聖皇垂拱。尚賢尚齒貴德貴仁。反正之化已弘。還淳之風廣扇。理須捨繁就簡去偽歸真。愚謂佛道二流在政非急。久欲聞奏。請試論之。不揆所疑敢陳未喻。夫子多識前古深究學源。獻替可否幸詳其要。於是古學通人斂容峻坐。良久而謂曰。異乎吾所聞也。論云。觀天之象。則見日月五星次度之分。觀地之象。則知百川四瀆所歸之處。觀古今之跡。上形太極混元之前。却覩將來未萌之事。秋毫不疑。乃曰智也。子既知而故問。余亦述而略說。考周孔六書之訓。忠孝履其端。李老二篇之萌。道德創其首。瞿曇三藏之文。慈悲為其本。事跡乃異理數不殊。皆盡美盡善。可崇可慕也。是以談眾妙以虛心。開善權以汲引。吾往嘗見遠遊先生。頗亦聞之。說通方論。具敘三教兼陳九流。先生遁逸巖阿莫知氏諱。容儀閑雅進退可觀。言笑溫弘動止有則。雖語有品藻而志無褒貶。飯餌松朮靡測其年。棲寢煙霞熟詳其世。至於三古本末煥若鏡中。百氏枝條明如掌內。窮周孔之令典。究佛道之弘規。察其所懷在乎逍遙齊物。觀其所尚。歸乎平等性空。先生燕默之餘。顧謂僕曰。世不達者多相是非。以是其所是。而非其所不是。不非其所非。而非其所不非。此則是其所非。而非彼所是矣。夫論儒之教也。意在居家理治長幼順序。在上不驕為下不亂。臣子盡其忠孝。僕妾竭其歡心。大則配天祀帝尊親享祖。欲使天地昭察鬼神効靈。災害不興禍亂不作。小則就利乘時謹身節用。施政閨門之內。流恩僕隷之下。咸奉其事各得其宜也。道之教也。言萬物之所以生。至功之所以成。必生乎無形由乎無名。然而無形無名者萬物之宗也。敘道則為始為母。談教則有徼有妙。是以元始拱默於金臺。太上垂衣於紫殿。遣二真以導俗。命五老以披圖。履幽而明抱一而貞。寂魄乎大羅。偃仰乎太清。然後設無為之化。行不言之教。布黃庭紫府之文。授金版銀繩之籙。玄霜絳雪之妙。玉液雲英之奇。九雲明鏡之華。八練神丹之彩。足以還年却老。足以羽駕長生。遊閬苑而忘歸。沐咸池而不返。乍披褐於閶闔。或控鶴於蓬萊。靜慮姑射之阿。思微崆峒之上。與天地而遐久。共陰陽而晦明。佛之教也。大矣哉。牢籠華藏。出九重圓蓋之表。照灼雲臺。吞八維方質之外。非色妙色。流光混元之前。分身化身。列影太虛之始。故以旁薄而造陰陽。鑪錘以成天地。大象之象。含育於四象。剛材之材。通運於五材。玉衡轉眇眇乎。不測其機。合璧懸茫茫乎。熟詳其化。不皦不昧惟微惟彰。統眾聖之靈府。赴群生之嘉會也。於是出火宅而御三車。入愛河而揮八棹現希有事。豈獨菴羅樹園。說不思議。非但摩伽陀國。種種方便一一慈悲。破生死之樊籠。濟涅槃之彼岸。莫不意珠騰曜智炬凝輝。總納百川。濬東溟之在地。綱維萬象。逾北極之居天。寧與高下相傾儒墨交競。誠固推之於真際。反之於玄源。玄源也者。則境智俱亡。真際也者。則權實斯泯。大宣究竟之旨。普運神通之力。尋其善巧謳和之致。陶鈞負荷之功。造化無以方。日用莫能擬。足以括囊四大超忽三景。子當書紳以自鏡也。

A young nobleman from the Imperial College asked a man versed in ancient learning, saying: “Now, I have heard that for changing and pervading, nothing surpasses yin and yang; for molding and covering, nothing surpasses heaven and earth. Tracing back to when the five cosmic movements had not yet taken shape, there were originally neither people nor things. (The Yi gouming jue says: ‘Before heaven and earth divided, there was the Great Change, the Great Beginning, the Great Origin, the Great Simplicity, and the Supreme Ultimate; these are the five cosmic movements. When forms and appearances have not yet taken shape, it is called the Great Change. When the primal qi first sprouts, it is called the Great Beginning. The inception of qi and shape is called the Great Origin. When forms change and have substance, it is called the Great Simplicity. When substance and shape are already complete, it is called the Supreme Ultimate. Because they transform and shift the five qi, they are named the five cosmic movements. It means that qi, shape, and substance are complete yet have not separated from one another; these are all five designations of the Great Change. At that time, all was empty and void; there were not yet people or things.’) When the Three Powers were established, noble and base were then ordered. (The Qian zaodu says: ‘Supreme Ultimate, Great Simplicity, and Great Unity are different names, but their principle is one.’ The Yiwei tonggua says: ‘The Great Ultimate generates the Two Modes. This means that the clear and light qi ascends to become heaven, and the turbid and heavy qi descends to become earth. With man joining them, they are called the Three Powers.’ The ‘Xugua’ of the Yijing says: ‘There being heaven and earth, thereafter myriad things are produced; then sovereign and minister are established, and the rites of father and son, elder and younger, husband and wife, as well as the distinctions of noble and base, superior and inferior, are fixed.’) Spontaneous transformation arose, and the wind of wuwei was widely spread. (The Hetu kuodixiang says: ‘When heaven and earth were first established, there was the Heavenly Sovereign. Placid and spontaneous, he shared the Dao with the ultimate. Wearing nine wings on his body, he ruled through the virtue of wood. With nothing contrived, transformations occurred spontaneously.’ The Kaishan tu says: ‘The Earthly Sovereign arose at the mountains of Xionger and Longmen, ruling through the virtue of fire.’ The Mingli xu says: ‘The Human Sovereign drove six-feathered mounts, rode a cloud chariot, and emerged from Gukou. He divided the Nine Provinces and presided over the world. There were nine brothers, who according to the topography of the mountains and rivers divided [the realm] into nine regions, each dwelling in one province.’ The Diji pu says: ‘The Heavenly Sovereigns each ruled for eighteen thousand years. The Earthly Sovereigns comprised one hundred and fifty generations ruling the world, totaling fifty-four thousand years. Next were the Five Dragon clans: Sovereign Eldest, Sovereign Second, Sovereign Third, Sovereign Fourth, and Sovereign Youngest. The five brothers all ascended and descended riding dragons, ruling the world for one hundred and eighty generations, totaling 9,273,600 years; these are precisely the five deities such as Lingweiyang. Next came Shennong, who drove six dragons, molded and surveyed the four seas, balanced cold and heat to distribute among the people, and regulated wind and rain. There were ten generations, each ruling for nine hundred years. Next came four clans, next came those who did not finish a single generation, next were seventy-two clans, and next were three clans. Some rode flying sheep or flying deer; they first taught the people to dwell in caves, eat the flesh of birds and beasts, and wear skins and furs. Next was Youchao, who drove dragons and qilin and rode phoenixes and tigers; he built nests of wood and taught the people to dwell in them so as to avoid harm from beasts and birds. Next was Suiren, who taught the people to drill wood to produce fire and turn raw food into cooked, so as to avoid raw and foul-smelling things; he cast metal blades, and the people greatly rejoiced. These comprised six epochs with ninety-three dynasties and 1,289 generations, totaling 10,101,840 years. From the transformations under heaven, they are collectively called the Three Sovereigns.’) Next came the sages with serpent bodies and oxen heads, (The Liuyi lun says: ‘Taihao, Thearch Fuxi, was surnamed Feng; with a serpent’s body and a human head, he possessed sagely virtue. When Suiren died, Sovereign Fuxi was born. In his era there were fifty-nine clans. Sovereign Fuxi first established systems and made regulations, all ruling through the virtue of wood. He instituted the rites of marriage, received the Dragon Chart, and recorded offices by dragons, hence he was called the Dragon Master. His reign lasted a total of 11,012 years. Yandi Shennong was surnamed Jiang; with a human body and an ox’s head, he possessed the auspicious omen of fire, ruling through the virtue of fire. There were seven generations, totaling five hundred years.’) and the sovereigns with pearl-weighing foreheads and sun-horn temples. (The Liuyi lun says: ‘Sovereign Xuan was surnamed Gongsun and was born after twenty-five months. He had the physiognomy of a pearl-weighing forehead and sun-horn temples. He ruled the world through the virtue of earth, establishing the month of yin as the start of the year. He had twenty-five sons with twelve surnames. There were thirteen generations, ruling for a total of 1,072 years. In a dream he received the imperial register, whereupon he patrolled the River with Tianlao and received it; he obtained the River Chart and River Writings, took a horse-herding boy as his master, and paid homage to Master Guangcheng at Mount Kongtong.’ The Diwang shiji says: ‘The era of the Three Sovereigns lasted a total of 20,297 years.’) They first drew the eight trigrams and doubled them into the eight pure ones; (The Hetu kuodixiang says: ‘Fuxi looked up and observed the phenomena in heaven, and looked down and examined the models on earth; he first drew the eight trigrams to commune with the virtue of the spiritual and luminous. Shennong doubled the eight trigrams into the sixty-four.’) they established cloud officials and arrayed bird designations. (The Liuyi lun says: ‘Sovereign Xuan had the omen of auspicious clouds and used clouds to record offices. Thearch Shaohao had the omen of the phoenix and thus named offices after birds.’) They taught hunting and fishing to relieve the populace, and made ploughs and shares to assist the people. (The Liuyi lun says: ‘Fuxi made nets and traps to hunt and fish, taking domestic animals to supply the kitchen, hence he was called Paoxi [the Preparer of Sacrifices]. Shennong chopped wood to make shares and bent wood to make ploughs, first teaching the world to plant the five grains, hence he was called Shennong [the Divine Farmer].’) They established markets (set up by Shennong); cast vessels, tamed oxen and rode horses, built palaces and houses, let garments hang down, made pestles and mortars, provided boats and oars, modeled writing on the tracks of birds, and according to the flow of transformation instituted rites and music. (These all occurred in the time of the Yellow Thearch. The Liuyi lun says: ‘The Yellow Thearch had seven assisting ministers: Cang Jie created writing; Da Nao created the sexagenary cycle; Li Shou created mathematics; Rong Cheng created the calendar; Qi Bo created medical prescriptions; Gui Shenqu created astrological observation; and Xi Zhong created chariots and musical pitch-pipes, and initiated the rites of the sacrificial altars.’) Coming down to the rulers who fostered goodness and transmitted sagacity, the sovereigns of abundant benevolence and sagely brilliance, they appointed the eight capable and eight virtuous men to office, (When Shun acted as regent, he promoted eight talented sons each from Gaoyang and Gaoxin to take charge of the duties of governing.) and commanded the officials Xi and He, and Xi Zhong. (The Xi and He clans served Yao as officials in charge of the sun, moon, and four seasons.) They sowed the hundred grains to encourage agriculture; (Houji sowed and planted the hundred grains.) they promulgated the five teachings to regulate creatures. Sincere, reverent, and truly yielding, their various undertakings all flourished. They harmonized the myriad states and brought clarity to the hundred clans. They banished the Four Evils to the four frontiers and exiled the Sanmiao to Mount Sanwei. (Hundun, Taowu, Qiongqi, and Taotie were the Four Evils; Yao banished them beyond the four quarters of the realm. The Youmiao clan rebelled, and Shun exiled them to Mount Sanwei.) They tuned the pitch-pipes to give vent to the eight winds, and inspected the armillary sphere to align the seven regulators. Yu of Xia channeled the Nine Rivers; (Acting for his father in controlling the floods, he leveled the famous mountains and great rivers of the Nine Provinces. He received the Nine Divisions of the Great Plan from the river god, and obtained the geography of the earth from the grottoes. The Nine Provinces offered copper to cast the Nine Cauldrons. Eight households formed a neighborhood [lin]; three neighborhoods formed a ming; three ming formed a hamlet [li].) he rode the four conveyances; (Traveling by land he rode chariots, by water he rode boats, through mud he rode sledges, and over mountains he rode spiked shoes.) according to the soil he levied tributes, cut through mountains, and settled the rivers. The King of Yin punished the guilty and consoled the people; (Yellow fish and black birds gathered on the altar and turned into black jade; thereupon he attacked Jie. Their favored colors were black and white. He moved the Nine Cauldrons to Bo, with one hundred households making a hamlet.) he pacified violence, quieted turmoil, opened the net, cut his hair, and rescued people from drowning and fire. Coming down to the illustrious, grand Zhou with its abundant multitude of officers, there was the virtue celebrated in ‘Guanju’ and ‘The Feet of the Lin’, (Tairen, consort of Jili, dreamed of a giant that moved her, and thus gave birth to King Wen. Taisi, consort of King Wen, gave birth to King Wu, Fa. Establishing the month of zi as the start of the year, their favored color was red. Five households formed a neighborhood [lin]; within the royal domain there were bi, lü, clans, parties, prefectures, and townships. When the Duke of Zhou acted as regent, the guilty were caught. In autumn there was a storm with wind and thunder that flattened the crops and uprooted trees. Opening the book in the metal-bound coffer, they welcomed the Duke of Zhou back. They divined a site at Luo, measured the land, established the cauldrons, and instituted rites and music. He died in Feng and was buried in Bi. ‘Guanju’ praises the virtue of the queen, and ‘The Feet of the Lin’ evokes the renown of a benevolent clan.) and the winds of ‘Zhou Nan’ and ‘Shao Nan’; (meaning that the moral influence of Zhou and Shao spread from north to south.) they set out the decorum of the five elements and the six rectitudes; (Wood, metal, water, fire, and earth are the five elements. Foreseeing coming events, promoting the good and advancing the worthy, being reverent and diligent without laxity, clearly discerning laws and statutes, declining emoluments and yielding gifts, and admonishing the sovereign when he errs—these are the six rectitudes.) they laid down the methods of the nine fields and four wells; (Three tiers formed nine fields, and three homesteads formed four wells.) they presented the rites of garments and the nine conferments; (ordering the garments of the five ranks and establishing the rites of the nine conferments.) they expanded the regulations for leather war chariots; (ten units formed a walled city, and each city provided one leather chariot.) serving as models for the world and patterns for creatures. Far removed and distant, years have moved through the Three Antiquities; expansive and remote, time has passed through a hundred kings. Wherever sagely virtue reached and spiritual transformation touched, dragon courts and phoenix nests observed the seasons and offered tribute; the regions of the sun and the continents of the qilin watched the wind and submitted at the frontiers. Springs and dews presented their precious flavors; herbs and trees altered their auspicious shapes. Swallow chins and fish bodies shone clearly among the feathered tribes; wolf hooves and ox tails sparkled among the furred herds. It was virtue alone that moved heaven, so that auspicious omens truly gathered. The Head of State extended the praise of ‘How bright!’, and his ministers unfurled the song of ‘How fine!’ Zhou divined an enduring reign, and Yin was praised for generation upon generation. As for its Way: human relations rely on it for advantageous establishment; myriad creatures depend on it to have life; states rely on it to be free of misfortune; rulers and ministers depend on it to achieve good order. Moral instruction covers the world, and transformation spreads over Chinese and barbarians; its Way threads through the five heavens, and its kindness reaches the common people. Establishing merits and deeds can be great and enduring. The meaning for the times is complete; its utility for the world is sufficient. As for the immortal prescriptions of Li Lao, their intention lies in feathering and ascending; the Sanskrit texts of Śākya expect nirvāṇa from the very start. Even if they embody themselves in the Great Clarity or let their spirits roam in the realm of constant bliss, valuing the smelting of the form for immortality or seeking tranquil illumination in unborn reality, they construct the allegories of the peng bird and the quail, and spread empty accounts of past and future. How does this differ from Zou Yan’s discourse on heaven, which in the end was completely vague, or Yuqiu’s analysis of dreams, which merely gave rein to florid words? Now the Great Tang steers the pinnacle of rule, and the Sagely Sovereign lets his robes hang in non-action. He esteems the worthy and honors the aged; he prizes virtue and values benevolence. Transformations that return to rectitude have been broadly propagated, and winds returning to purity are widely fanned. In principle, one should discard the redundant and take up the simple, eliminate the false and return to the true. In my foolish view, the two streams of Buddhism and Daoism are of no urgent concern to governance. I have long wished to submit a memorial about this, and ask to debate it now. Regardless of my inadequacies, I venture to present what I do not yet understand. You, sir, have wide knowledge of antiquity and deep mastery of the sources of learning; regarding what should be adopted and rejected, approved or denied, I hope you will clarify the essentials.” Thereupon the man versed in ancient learning composed his countenance, sat upright, and after a long while said: “Different indeed is this from what I have heard! A treatise says: ‘Observing the phenomena of heaven, one sees the divisions and degrees of the sun, moon, and five planets. Observing the phenomena of earth, one knows where the hundred streams and four great rivers converge. Observing the traces of past and present, one looks upward before the Supreme Ultimate and Primal Chaos, and looks backward to see future events before they have sprouted. To be without a hair’s breadth of doubt—this is called wisdom.’ Since you already know this yet deliberately ask, I shall summarize and briefly explain it. Examining the instructions of the six books of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius, loyalty and filial piety tread at their head; the sprouts of Li Lao’s two chapters have the Dao and its virtue initiating their beginning; the texts of Gautama’s Tripiṭaka take loving-kindness and compassion as their root. Although their traces of affairs differ, their principles and reckoning are not disparate; all are completely beautiful and completely good, worthy of esteem and admiration. Therefore, they discuss the myriad wonders with an open mind, and open skillful means to guide and draw people forward. In the past, I once met the Master of Far Roaming and also heard quite a bit of this from him. He discoursed on the Comprehensive Doctrine, fully detailing the three teachings and jointly presenting the nine philosophical schools. The Master lived in seclusion among rocky crags; none knew his surname or personal name. His bearing was calm and refined, his actions worthy of admiration; his speech and laughter were warm and generous, his movements and pauses followed the rules. Although his words evaluated people, his mind was free of praise and blame. He fed on pine and atractylodes, so that none could fathom his years; he lodged amid mist and clouds, so that none thoroughly knew his generation. Yet, as for the origins and ends of the Three Antiquities, they were as vivid to him as in a mirror; the branches of the hundred schools were as clear as the palm of his hand. He exhausted the excellent canons of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius, and plumbed the grand guidelines of Buddhism and Daoism. Examining what he harbored within, it lay in wandering at ease and leveling all things; observing what he esteemed, it returned to equal, intrinsically empty nature. In the leisure of his tranquil silence, the Master looked at me and said: ‘Those in the world who do not understand often criticize each other: they deem right what they consider right, and deem wrong what they consider not right; they do not deem wrong what they consider wrong, but deem wrong what they do not consider wrong. This is to consider right what they deem wrong, and to consider wrong what the other deems right. Now, in discussing the teaching of Confucianism: its intention lies in family life and governance, the proper order of elders and youth; superiors are not arrogant, inferiors do not cause disorder; ministers and sons fulfill their loyalty and filial piety; servants and concubines exhaust their joyful devotion. On a large scale, it matches Heaven and sacrifices to the Thearch, honors parents and makes offerings to ancestors, desiring heaven and earth to look down with clear inspection and ghosts and spirits to manifest their efficacy, so that disasters do not arise and rebellions do not occur. On a small scale, it pursues profit and seizes the proper time, exercises caution over oneself and practices frugality, implements governance within the women’s quarters, and extends kindness down to servants and slaves, so that all attend to their duties and each attains what is fitting. As for the teaching of Daoism: it says that that by which myriad things are generated and ultimate achievement is fulfilled must arise from the formless and come from the nameless. Yet the formless and nameless is the ancestor of myriad things. When detailing the Dao, it serves as the beginning and the mother; when discussing its teachings, it possesses both manifestations and subtleties. Therefore, the Primordial Beginning folds his hands in silence at the Golden Terrace, and the Highest Lord hangs his robes at the Purple Palace. They dispatch the Two Perfected Ones to guide the worldly, and command the Five Elders to unfold the charts. Treading the hidden while remaining bright, embracing unity and staying chaste, their souls are serene in the Great Net, lounging and resting in the Great Clarity. Thereafter, they establish the transformation of wuwei and practice the wordless teaching, spreading the writings of the Yellow Court and Purple Chamber, and conferring the registers of golden plates and silver cords. The wonder of mysterious frost and scarlet snow, the marvel of jade fluid and cloud essence, the brilliance of the bright mirror of the nine clouds, the splendor of the divine elixir refined eight times—these suffice to restore youth and cast off old age, and suffice to mount feathered chariots to long life, roaming the Langyuan gardens and forgetting to return, bathing in the Xianchi pool and never going back. At times they wear coarse hemp at the Gates of Heaven, or control cranes at Penglai; they quiet their thoughts on the slopes of Mount Guye, and contemplate subtleties atop Mount Kongtong. They endure as long as heaven and earth, and share dark and light with yin and yang. The teaching of the Buddha: how vast it is! It encloses the Flower Treasury, emerging beyond the ninefold round canopy; it illuminates the Cloud Terrace, swallowing what lies beyond the square substance of the eight bounds. Marvelous form that is non-form, its flowing radiance precedes Primal Chaos; dividing bodies and transformed bodies, its arrayed shadows stand at the start of the Great Void. Therefore, it expansively creates yin and yang, and acts as furnace and hammer to forge heaven and earth. The image of the Great Image nurtures the four images; the capacity of rigid materials conducts the five materials. The jade balance turns faintly—who can fathom its mechanism? The joined jades hang vast and hazy—who thoroughly knows their transformations? Neither dazzling nor dark, it is both subtle and manifest; it unites the spiritual mansions of all sages, and responds to the auspicious assemblies of all sentient beings. Thereupon, leaving the burning house, he drives the three carts; entering the river of desire, he wields the eight oars. He manifests rare occurrences—how could it be only in the Mango Tree Grove? He speaks inconceivable things—not merely in the kingdom of Magadha. With various skillful means, each and every one being loving-kindness and compassion, he shatters the cage of birth and death and crosses over to the other shore of nirvāṇa. There is none whose wish-fulfilling jewel does not blaze with radiance, whose torch of wisdom does not congeal its luster. Comprehensively taking in the hundred rivers, it is deeper than the Eastern Sea on earth; binding together the myriad phenomena, it surpasses the Northern Culmen in the heavens. How could it contend in superiority with others, or wrangle between Confucianism and Mohism? Truly, pushing it to the limit, it rests in the realm of reality; returning to it, it lies at the mysterious source. As for the mysterious source, both object and cognition vanish; as for the realm of reality, both the provisional and the real disappear. Broadly proclaiming the ultimate tenets, universally exercising the power of spiritual penetrations, when one examines the effects of his skillful harmonization and the accomplishments of his molding and bearing, creation cannot compare with it, and daily utility cannot match it. It is sufficient to encompass the four great elements and transcend the three luminaries. You should write this on your sash to serve as your mirror.’”} ],