北山錄 1.11.3

1.11.3

[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...)