[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [北山錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2113) › 1.11.3 # 北山錄 1.11.3 北山錄 1.11.3 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.11.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2113.1.11.3) 出雲雨之上。 而不知下之所據。 望之若屯雲焉。 王自以為居。 數千年不思其國（王居化境。 不思返國）化人復謁王同遊。 所返之處。 仰不見日月。 俯不見河海。 光彩所照。 目眩不能得視。 音響所來。 耳亂不能得聽（此乃化人與穆王遊入諸佛淨土也）王請化人求還。 化人移之。 王若墜虛焉。 既悟所坐猶向者之處。 王問所從來。 左右曰。 王默存耳（左右見王默坐。 而王與化人神遊淨土耳）王自三月不復。 更問化人。 化人曰。 吾與王神遊也。 形奚動哉且曩之所居。 奚異王之宮。 曩之所遊。 何異王之囿。 王大悅。 竊思被所遇者佛矣（如來在世雖聲教未被於此。 而佛亦曾來矣）而未悟是佛也。 惜哉胡獲焉。 君陳曰。 凡人未見聖若不克見。 既見聖亦不克由聖。 誠在此矣（此乃周書之文。 孔氏注云。 凡人有初無終。 未見道如不能得見。 已見聖道亦不能用之。 所以無成也。 今穆王見聖而不能求趣聖。 信為惜哉）其菩提樹凝陰厚也。 金剛座無傾動也（在摩竭陀國伽耶山西南十四五里。 即畢鉢羅樹也。 莖幹黃白枝葉青翠。 冬夏不凋。 光鮮無變。 高數百尺。 金剛座居其下。 菩薩證聖之所。 亦曰道場。 大地震動。 獨無傾搖也）樹為座之表。 居其座則蔭其樹。 樹宜勿剪勿伐之美也。 座當不騫不崩之固也（皆邵伯之詩也）聖人之道成而德重天下。 其不在茲餘所弗堪也（宜存其舊物以表聖跡也）故外國先王䤿石為像。 南北標志以觀遺化也（䤿刻也。 於金剛座菩提樹下刻二大石菩薩。 後世佛法若減菩薩沒地。 奘公去日已至胷也）老氏生于定王（老子周定王三年九月十四日生于楚國陳郡賴鄉曲仁里。 姓李。 名耳。 字伯陽。 諡聃也）仲尼生於魯襄（仲尼以魯襄公二十一年冬生于魯國平鄉也）老氏默識於能仁。 仲尼問禮於伯陽。 清淨法行經。 以大迦葉為老耼。 以儒童菩薩為孔丘。 西昇經云（道經也）吾師化遊天竺。 善入泥洹（此乃老氏默識能仁也）斯守雌保弱之道也。 不敢為天下先之訓也。 老氏之德全於是乎。 詩云。 無競維烈老氏有焉（此毛詩清廟之什競強也。 無競競也此詩美武王有伐紂之功。 烈業也。 能強其功業。 如老子有道德不為天下先也）符子云。 老子之師名釋迦文（符朗。 字元達符堅從弟。 為青州牧。 為謝玄所降歸。 晉後為王國寶　譖而殺之。 有識度善別味著書數篇號符子）此或追老氏之言也。 昔商太宰嚭（則吳太宰伯嚭也）問於孔子曰。 夫子聖者歟。 曰丘博識強記非聖人也。 三王聖者歟（夏禹文命。 湯王履。 周武王發。 為三王也）曰三王善用智勇。 聖非丘所知。 五帝聖者歟（少昊．顓頊．高辛堯．舜．為五帝也）曰五帝善用仁信。 聖非丘所知。 三皇聖者歟（伏犧神農黃帝謂之三皇也）曰三皇善用時政。 聖非丘所知。 太宰大駭曰。 然則孰為聖人乎（應言上古皆非聖者。 太宰所以大驚也）夫子有閒動容而對曰。 西方有聖者焉不治而不亂。 不言而自信。 不化而自行（不以干戈刑憲。 而法界之內率服。 得不治而不亂乎。 不以號今誓約而龍天莫不圍繞。 得非不言而自信乎。 蠢識信向物類知歸。 得非不化而自行乎）蕩蕩乎人無能名焉（此乃仲尼以知西方有佛。 故此答太宰也）是知儒道昭融如日在天。 而能謙虛若此。 蓋釋師之黨潛化著矣。 三教玄同彛倫克諧。 但法被乎多方。 經籍出乎多門。 釋宗以因果。 老氏以虛無。 仲尼以禮樂。 㳂淺以洎深。 籍微而為著。 各適當時之器。 相資為美。 其猶天地四時不以麰薺故不春（麰大麥也。 薺甘菜也）菱苕故不秋（菱苕草屬也）故儒教漸至也。 殷湯改祝。 孔釣不綱（桀君無道。 置網祝日。 從天地四方來者皆入吾此網。 殷湯除其三面。 唯開一面改祝日。 > \[They\] emerged above the clouds and rain, not knowing what supported them beneath; looking out upon it, it seemed like gathered clouds. The king fancied he had dwelt there for thousands of years, giving no thought to his own kingdom. (The king dwelt in the transformed realm, giving no thought to returning to his kingdom.) The illusionist again presented himself to the king to travel together. At the place to which they went back, gazing up they saw neither sun nor moon, and looking down they saw neither rivers nor seas. Where its dazzling radiance shone, eyes were blinded and unable to see; where its sounds resounded, ears were bewildered and unable to hear. (This was when the illusionist traveled with King Mu into the pure lands of the various Buddhas.) The king begged the illusionist to allow him to return. The illusionist moved him, and the king felt as though he were falling through empty space. When he came to his senses, the place where he was seated was just as it had been before. The king asked from where he had come, and his attendants said, 'Your Majesty was merely sitting in silent concentration.' (The attendants saw the king sitting in silence, while the king and the illusionist had made a spiritual journey to the pure land.) After three months, the king had not recovered, and he asked the illusionist again. The illusionist said, 'I traveled in spirit with Your Majesty. How could your physical form have moved? Furthermore, how did the place where you formerly dwelt differ from Your Majesty's palace? How did the place where you formerly traveled differ from Your Majesty's park?' The king was greatly pleased, and secretly thought that the one he had encountered was the Buddha. (Although the Buddha's voice and teachings had not yet reached here during his lifetime, the Buddha had indeed once come.) Yet he did not realize that this was the Buddha. How regrettable that he failed to grasp it! Jun Chen said: 'When ordinary men have not seen the sage, it is as if they are unable to see him; yet having seen the sage, they are also unable to follow the sage.' Truly it lies in this! (This is a passage from the Book of Zhou. Master Kong's commentary says: 'Ordinary men have beginnings but no ends. When they have not seen the Way, it is as if they cannot manage to see it; when they have already seen the holy Way, they also cannot make use of it. Thus they achieve nothing.' Now King Mu saw the sage but was unable to seek and advance toward the sage; it is truly regrettable!) Its bodhi tree casts a thick and dense shade; the vajrāsana is firm and unyielding. (Located fourteen to fifteen li southwest of Mount Gayā in the state of Magadha. That is the pippala tree. Its trunk is yellowish-white and its branches and leaves are lush green; it does not wither in winter or summer, and its fresh luster never alters. It is several hundred spans high, and beneath it rests the vajrāsana. It is the place where the Bodhisattva realized sagehood; it is also called the bodhimanda. When the great earth trembled, it alone did not quake or shake.) The tree serves as the outward sign of the seat; residing on the seat, one is shaded by the tree. The tree fittingly possesses the beauty of 'do not clip it, do not fell it'; the seat possesses the firmness of 'it neither fractures nor collapses.' (Both are from the poems on the Earl of Shao.) When the sage's Way was completed, his virtue commanded the reverence of the world. Were it not for this, what else could endure? (It is fitting to preserve its ancient relics to show the traces of the sage.) Therefore, the former kings of foreign lands carved stone to make statues, setting up markers in the south and north to observe the enduring transformation. (To carve means to engrave. Beneath the bodhi tree on the vajrāsana, they carved two large stone bodhisattvas. In later generations, if the Buddha's Dharma declines, the bodhisattvas will sink into the earth. When Master Xuanzang departed, they had already reached the chest.) Laozi was born under King Ding; (Laozi was born on the fourteenth day of the ninth month in the third year of King Ding of Zhou, in Quren Hamlet, Lai Township, Chen Commandery, State of Chu. His surname was Li, his given name was Er, his style was Boyang, and his posthumous title was Dan.) Zhongni was born under Duke Xiang of Lu. (Zhongni was born in the winter of the twenty-first year of Duke Xiang of Lu, in Ping Township in the State of Lu.) Laozi silently recognized the Capable and Benevolent One \[Śākyamuni\]; Zhongni inquired about rites from Boyang. The Scripture on the Practice of the Pure Dharma regards Mahākāśyapa as Lao Dan, and the Bodhisattva Youth of the Ruists as Kong Qiu. The Scripture of the Western Ascension says: (A Daoist scripture.) 'My master traveled in transformation to Tianzhu, and skillfully entered nirvāṇa.' (This refers to Laozi silently recognizing the Capable and Benevolent One.) This is the way of keeping to the feminine and preserving weakness; it is the teaching of 'not daring to be the first in the world.' Laozi's virtue was complete in this. The Odes say: 'None can vie with his blaze of glory'—Laozi had this. (This is from the Decade of the Pure Temple in the Mao Odes. 'Vie' means strong. 'None can vie' means vying. This poem praises King Wu's achievement in punishing Zhou. 'Blaze' means enterprise. He was able to strengthen his achievements and enterprise, just as Laozi possessed the Way and virtue and did not dare to be the first in the world.) The Fuzi says: 'The master of Laozi was named Śākyamuni.' (Fu Lang, whose style was Yuanda, was a cousin of Fu Jian. He served as governor of Qingzhou. He surrendered and returned to Xie Xuan under the Jin dynasty, and was later slandered and killed by Wang Guobao. He possessed discernment, was skilled at distinguishing flavors, and authored several treatises titled Fuzi.) This perhaps accords with Laozi's words. In ancient times, the Grand Minister Pi of Shang (that is, Grand Minister Bo Pi of Wu) asked Confucius, saying, 'Is the Master a sage?' Confucius said, 'Qiu has broad knowledge and a powerful memory; I am not a sage.' 'Were the Three Kings sages?' (Yu the Great of Xia, whose name was Wenming; King Tang, whose name was Lü; and King Wu of Zhou, whose name was Fa; these are the Three Kings.) Confucius said, 'The Three Kings were good at employing wisdom and valor; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu.' 'Were the Five Thearchs sages?' (Shaohao, Zhuanxu, Gaoxin, Yao, and Shun are the Five Thearchs.) Confucius said, 'The Five Thearchs were good at employing benevolence and trustworthiness; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu.' 'Were the Three Sovereigns sages?' (Fuxi, Shennong, and Huangdi are called the Three Sovereigns.) Confucius said, 'The Three Sovereigns were good at employing timely governance; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu.' The Grand Minister was greatly startled and said, 'If so, then who is a sage?' (Because he said that none of the ancient figures were sages, the Grand Minister was therefore greatly astonished.) The Master was silent for a while, then altered his expression and answered, saying: 'In the West there is a sage: he does not govern, yet there is no disorder; he does not speak, yet he is naturally believed; he does not convert, yet things naturally proceed.' (Without using weapons or punitive laws, all within the Dharma realm submit—how could this not be 'not governing, yet there is no disorder'? Without issuing orders or vows, dragon kings and devas all encircle him—how could this not be 'not speaking, yet naturally believed'? Ignorant beings turn in faith and classes of creatures know where to take refuge—how could this not be 'not converting, yet naturally proceeding'?) 'Vast and boundless, no one can give him a name!' (This shows that Zhongni knew there was a Buddha in the West; therefore he answered the Grand Minister in this way.) From this we know that although the Ruist Way is radiant and clear like the sun in the sky, he was capable of modesty such as this. Surely the subtle influence of the master of the Śākya clan had become evident. The Three Teachings are profoundly identical, and the regular relations of life can be harmonious. It is merely that the Dharma is imparted to many regions, and the scriptures and records emerge from many schools. The Śākya lineage relies on cause and effect; Laozi relies on emptiness and non-being; Zhongni relies on rites and music. Proceeding from the shallow to reach the deep, taking what is subtle to make it manifest, each adapted to the capacities of the given time, mutually supporting each other to achieve excellence. It is just as the four seasons of Heaven and Earth do not fail to bring spring on account of barley or shepherd's purse, (Mou is barley; qi is shepherd's purse.) nor fail to bring autumn on account of water caltrops or Chinese trumpet creeper. (Water caltrops and Chinese trumpet creeper belong to the category of herbs.) Thus the Ruist teachings arrived gradually. Tang of Yin altered the prayer; Confucius angled with a line rather than a net. (King Jie was unprincipled, and set nets while praying: 'May those that come from heaven, earth, and the four directions all enter this net of mine.' Tang of Yin removed three sides, leaving only one side open, and altered the prayer, saying...) > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.11.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2113.1.11.2) - [Next: 1.11.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2113.1.11.4) - [Up: 1.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2113.1.11) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2113~en-mt.1.11.3) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (2) - [佛祖歷代通載](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2036.2.82) — Classical Chinese - [翻譯名義集](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2131.1.79) — 法雲, Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2113.1.11.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2113.1.11.3) · Pramāṇa