辯正論 6.118

6.118

內箴曰。夫名無得物蓋謂實賓。豈以順世之假談。格玄聖之優劣。夫荀家以首召質。仲氏將山製名。山高於丘。仲仁未弘夫子。首總於耳。荀德不逮老聃。能儒之名何容遂卑周孔。然釋迦之號義含多種。遍能貫於萬德。不可以仁偏訓。通仁絕於四句。安得將能定翻述者。事不得已。強復存其舊號耳。又云。言道家舊有正遍知道與菩提不異者。信是正教流後偽竊此名。覈實尋源豈得斯號。夫上法高勝道義通玄。正實翻邪真由反偽。今符書呪咀不可謂正。薰蕕混雜不可謂真。道士畏鬼符云。左佩太極章。右帶昆吾鐵。指日即停暉。擬鬼千里血。造黃神越章殺鬼。又造赤章法亦殺人也。

The inner admonition states: Names do not capture things; they are merely the guests of reality. How could one use provisional terms conforming to worldly custom to gauge the superiority and inferiority of the profound sages? The Xun family used 'Head' (Shou) to summon their substantive person; the Zhong family used 'Mount' (Shan) to formulate a name. A mountain is higher than a hill (Qiu), yet Zhongren was not greater than the Master (Confucius); the head encompasses the ears (Er), yet the virtue of Xun did not reach that of Lao Dan. How could the title 'Able and Benevolent' (nengru) ever be inferior to the Duke of Zhou and Confucius? Moreover, the name Śākya encompasses multiple meanings: 'universally able' runs through ten thousand virtues, so it cannot be narrowly glossed merely as 'benevolence'; 'comprehensive benevolence' transcends the four propositions, so how could one settle its translation with 'able'? The translators had no alternative but reluctantly to retain its ancient designation. Furthermore, you say that the Daoists of old already had the 'Correct and Universal Knowledge of the Way' and that it did not differ from bodhi. In truth, after the true teaching spread, they falsely stole this title. If you investigate the facts and trace their source, how could they have had this name? The supreme Dharma is lofty and exalted; the meaning of the Way penetrates the profound. 'Correct' truly overturns 'heterodox'; 'true' stems from opposing 'false'. Now, talismanic writings and incantations cannot be called 'correct'; mixing the fragrant with the foul cannot be called 'true'. Daoist masters, fearful of ghosts, write talismans saying: 'Girding the Seal of the Supreme Ultimate on the left, carrying the iron of Kunwu on the right, pointing at the sun halts its glow, aimed at a ghost, blood flows for a thousand li.' They fashion the Yellow Thearch's Yue Seal to kill ghosts, and also fashion the Red Seal method to kill people.