北山錄 9

English (machine translation) 9

Language: English

9.2 — 8 parts

9.1

Chapter 15: Deviant Teachings (Deviant teachings are external studies: practicing the interpretations of different traditions to assist the fundamental purport of our own teaching.)

Those of vast capacity regard receptive openness as an excellence; those of far-reaching minds regard extensive learning as superior (The *Liji* says: "If jade is not cut, it cannot become a vessel; if a person does not study, they will not know the Way." The Master said: "Daily to know what one lacks, and monthly not to forget what one can do." "To review the old and know the new—one may thereby become a teacher." "Superior" means preeminent). Therefore our Great Sage and the wise kings of antiquity praised broad capabilities and highly lauded superior wisdom, so that those with round heads and square feet could thereby distinguish the worthy from the foolish (If a person does not study, it is like standing facing straight against a wall. The tanned hide of a tiger or leopard is like the tanned hide of a dog or sheep). The masters of the Sarvāstivāda (This is a Hīnayāna school of the Western Heavens. Here it is translated as "Masters of Extensive Explanation." Those who are broadly versed, sharp-witted, and guide and benefit teaching and transformation) allow one out of the twelve hours to study external works. Thus within their tradition they are fully able to distinguish between inner and outer scriptures and skillfully resolve doctrinal debates. In the Dharmaguptaka school (Here translated as the "Dharma Mirror School," which branched out from the school of converting others), secular arts and incantations, studied to prevent harm to oneself as well as to keep out depravity, are permitted without offense (That tradition establishes five pitakas: first, the Vinaya; second, the Sūtra; third, the Abhidharma; fourth, the Dhāraṇī; and fifth, the Bodhisattva-piṭaka). A verse in the *Avataṃsaka-sūtra* praising the bodhisattva says: "With elegant thought and profound talent, a king among men of letters, / singing, dancing, and eloquent speech, they are delight to all" (Fascicle 14). The *Mahāprajñāpāramitōpadeśa*, revealing the virtues of the arhats who assembled the canon, says: "They recited the three baskets and understood inner and outer scriptures; the eighteen great books of the non-Buddhists were also entirely read and known by them" (Namely the *Vyākaraṇa*, *Veda* treatises, and so forth). Remotely observing the customs of the ancients, the sages never limited what they knew; they did not dismiss small goods, but in the immediate present elevated literary virtue, and for the distant future achieved the wisdom of all species (Perfuming the mind through practice to accomplish their seed nature). In antiquity, there was an arhat who did not understand the meaning of red salt, and the non-Buddhists and worldly people ridiculed him deeply (In the city of Śrāvastī, the brahmin Dharmarūci always invited monks for meals. He would ask about doctrinal meanings: to those who could answer, he personally gave fine food; to those who could not, he ordered servants to give coarse, bad food. Because of this, the bhikṣus all stopped going to his house. Eventually he went to the Buddha's place. Not far from the Buddha there was an arhat bhikṣu; Dharmarūci asked him: "What is meant by red salt? How many kinds of salt are there?" The bhikṣu said: "I know you are Dharmarūci, who disparages and disdains bhikṣus; now you trouble me again. Salt is merely salt." Having heard the bhikṣu's words, his mind was perplexed, and he came before the Buddha. The Buddha said: "This bhikṣu has not studied under a master; therefore he cannot clearly explain and answer about salt." There was a bhikṣu named Vatsīputra; the Buddha had him go and ask the meaning of salt. The bhikṣu said: "Salt has two aspects. The first is its single flavor, like the great ocean water having the same salty taste. The second is the variety of its natures and tastes: there are black salt, red salt, saindhava salt, viḍa salt, romaka salt, kāca salt, sitā salt, and bika salt. To speak briefly of two kinds, there are the raw and the boiled. This is called the meaning of salt." Dharmarūci heard this, rejoiced, and withdrew). When it comes to leaving the burning house, how could ordinary beings in birth-and-death ever compare to them? (Far distant indeed. The sages have escaped the dilapidated burning house; those ordinary beings in birth-and-death cannot compare to them.) Yet when speaking of external affairs, the sagely wisdom of liberation may sometimes be inferior to ordinary beings (Merely through a single practice and a single wisdom they sever delusions and realize sageliness, but their knowledge is not yet all-encompassing, and may be inferior to ordinary beings). Therefore, gathering ridgepoles and rafters from the catalpa and cedar, securing plumes and down from wild swans, and hunting for colorful pelts among tigers and leopards—in these things one seeks what is near to their nature (Near means close. Ridgepoles and rafters are close to catalpa and cedar; plumes and down are close to wild swans; colorful pelts are close to tigers and leopards. It is permissible to seek them according to their category. To "secure" means shooting arrows with cords). But to seek omniscience in an arhat is not so (In the four stages of application, it is still like shooting arrows in the dark, sometimes hitting and sometimes missing; how much more so for the lesser sages!). In the past, a rustic in the Royal City did not believe that the Great Sage's wisdom encompassed all things, and questioned him on the base and lowly matters of herding cattle. The Great Sage condescended to explain these matters in detail; the herding clan marvelled at what they heard, leaped for joy with faith, and consequently all attained the Way (Nanda the cowherd thought that since the Buddha was born in a royal palace and left home to attain the Way, he certainly would not understand cattle herding, so how could he be called all-knowing? He then went to question the Buddha. The Buddha preached for him the one-fascicle *Cowherd Sūtra*, covering all matters of pasturing and nurturing through the four seasons. His clan rejoiced and left home, and all attained the fruit of the Way). Therefore, the disciples of the Śākya clan examine themselves internally: within the gate of advancing in cultivation, what can be studied yet is not studied, and what can be known yet is not known, constitutes the offense of unstudied ignorance. What is studied in the Western Heavens consists generally of the five sciences (First, grammar and linguistics, which elucidate characters and words. Second, medicine, which treats medical arts and divination. Third, the arts and crafts, which cover all skills and crafts. Fourth, logic and epistemology, which decisively settle the heterodox and orthodox through the proposition, reason, and example. Fifth, inner science, which recognizes and penetrates cause and effect, and thoroughly understands the true tradition). *Śabda-vidyā*, rendered here as the science of sound and linguistics, is one of the five sciences, because it broadly records the teachings of sounds and words of all phenomena. Their secular classics are collectively called *Vyākaraṇa*, formerly termed the *Vigara Treatise*. Generally there are five great divisions, like the Five Classics of this land. The first is called the *Siddhaṃ* chapter, taking the meaning of accomplishing auspiciousness, bestowed upon beginning students. It was originally transmitted through forty-nine characters, forming eighteen chapters, totaling over ten thousand characters and combining over three hundred verses. Each verse has four lines, and each line has eight characters, combining to thirty-two characters. It is transmitted as having been spoken by Maheśvara (This text is transmitted in the Western Heavens; today it cannot be fully known). The second is the *Sūtra* (which is *sūtra*, here called a canonical scripture, meaning the scripture that explains linguistic teachings), which is the fundamental authentic scripture of all linguistics. Summarizing essential principles, it contains one thousand verses, composed by the ancient great scholar Pāṇini. That man was protected by Maheśvara and had three eyes on his face. The third is the *Dhātu*, with one thousand verses, dedicated to clarifying the functions of verbal roots, just like the aforementioned scripture (It is also a fundamental text of linguistics, just like the aforementioned scripture). The fourth is *Saṃkīrṇa*, meaning uncultivated wasteland, compared in sense to a farmer of the fields first clearing furrows and ridges. It has three chapters, each with one thousand verses (Having three sections), broadly elucidating sounds and rhymes to compose character forms (Like the level, oblique, and four tones of this land, which are the beginning of study). The fifth is the *Vṛtti-sūtra*, which is the commentary on the *Sūtra* (The above four items are the authentic scriptures.

9.2.2

[All] from here on are commentaries on them.) In high antiquity, many composed commentaries. Among them, the most excellent has eighteen thousand verses, which expounds their primary texts (it expounds the four treatises mentioned above). It was composed by the great scholar Jayāditya. That man was contemporary with the beginning of our dynasty (during the Wude and Zhenguan eras). All who travel to the Western lands without studying this find their study in vain. Then there is the commentary on the *Vṛttisūtra* in twenty-four thousand verses, composed by the scholar Patañjali. This further clarifies the earlier treatise (it explains the earlier root treatise). There is also the *Haricarita* treatise in twenty-five thousand verses, which broadly recounts human affairs and the rise and fall of the various schools of grammar (like our histories today), taking its author's name as the title of the treatise. All these books are in the foreign land; both monastics and laity study them thoroughly before they are considered knowledgeable (the foreign land is the Western countries). As for the treatise masters of that region, in the early period there were Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, and Aśvaghoṣa (Nāgārjuna is Longshu; a South Indian brāhmaṇa, he composed the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* in one hundred thousand verses. Āryadeva was a native of South India whose talents surpassed his peers. In a certain kingdom there was a golden statue of Maheśvara twenty feet high with crystal eyes; Āryadeva gouged them out, and in a dream the deity demanded his eye, so he gouged out his own eye with his hand and returned it, thus lacking one eye; he became a monk under Nāgārjuna and was killed by a non-Buddhist. Aśvaghoṣa had the Venerable Pārśva as his master; originally a non-Buddhist, he expounded the Dharma for the Yuezhi king, and the horses shed tears and neighed sorrowfully; another version says that when he was born, all the horses whinnied, hence his name). In the middle period, there were Asaṅga, Vasubandhu (natives of North India, who appeared nine hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa), Saṅghabhadra, and Bhāviveka (Saṅghabhadra is also called Zhongxian. Bhāviveka composed the *Karatalaratna*, and struck an asura cave with mustard seeds, awaiting the appearance of Maitreya to question him on the doctrine). In the recent period, there were Dignāga, Dharmapāla, Dharmakīrti, Śīlabhadra, Siṃhacandra, Sthiramati, Prajñāpāla, and Guṇaprabha (as for Śīlabhadra, the Tang Tripiṭaka master [Xuanzang] still met him when he went to the Western countries). None of them did not possess these inner and outer scriptures. The Great Being Aśvaghoṣa composed the song-lyrics on Prince Suvarṇa (the prince's fondness for giving away boys, girls, and so forth), along with the *Buddhacarita* poem (recounting the Buddha's attainment of awakening and other matters; together with the *Buddhacarita-kāvya*, it is now in the canon). Nāgārjuna sent a letter in the form of a poem to King Sātavāhana of South India. The people of that region all recite and chant it (like the *Wen xuan* in this land), regarding it as both ornate and classical. There was also Mātṛceṭa, who, receiving the Buddha's prior prediction, broadly composed praises and hymns, first composing the four hundred verses, and next composing the one hundred and fifty verses. Among those who practiced rhetoric in the Western lands, such as Asaṅga and Vasubandhu, none did not drill into, look up to, and follow their tradition as exemplary (the *Analects* says, 'The more I drill into it, the harder it becomes; the more I look up to it, the higher it seems.' Following the tradition means receiving it from masters; 'ancestor' means origin, and 'tradition' means study). In Shendu, they regard the brāhmaṇas as the highest and refuse to associate with the other three castes (the brāhmaṇas were originally descendants of Brahmā, their virtue held in honour; the kṣatriyas are merely noble, and hence none match them). Therefore they have the four Veda books, comprising about one hundred thousand verses (the first is called Āyurveda, here rendered 'Formulas for Life', referring to medicine and formulas; the second is called Yajurveda, referring to sacrifice and scriptures; the third is Sāmaveda, referring to rituals, the ten signs, music, martial arts, and such matters; the fourth is Atharvaveda, referring to incantations and such; all were spoken by Brahmā). They are entirely transmitted by mouth and not written on palm leaves or birch bark (at seven years old one attends a master to study by oral recitation; when one's study is complete, one becomes a master of the state). In that country, it is traditionally said that there are methods for acquiring intelligence: the first is called 'generating wisdom through careful review' (meaning to infer and seek principles, and carefully examine meanings and tastes); the second is 'revealing the alphabet' (from letters generate letters, from sounds generate sounds). Focusing the mind within a decade of days or a month, their thoughts gush forth like a spring; presumably, without these methods, they would have no way to recite numerous texts as swift as an arrow. Formerly, Buddhayaśas and Guṇavarman were such men. At first, when Yaśas arrived in Qin and was about to engage in translation, the people of Qin tested him, handing him registers of corvée labour, medical formulas, and various books; he finished reciting them all within three days. What Guṇa recited amounted to more than a million words. Among the Tripiṭaka masters who came, rare were those who did not attain this standard. In Huaxia, from the time of Suirenshi, who looked up to observe the Northern Dipper to fix the names of directions (Fuxi […] the people were pure and dull; they only knew their mothers and did not know their fathers; they only knew how to cover their front and did not know how to cover their back; when hungry they sought food, when sated they cast aside the leftovers. Taihao subdued and transformed them, hence he was called Fuxi; he looked up to observe the heavenly patterns and looked down to examine the geography, so as to discern the regional products), Paoxi used this to draw the eight trigrams and create written tallies. As for the *Three Graves*, the *Five Canons*, the *Eight Cords*, and the *Nine Hills*, all are surviving books of antiquity (the *Three Graves* are the books of the Three Sovereigns; the *Five Canons* are the books of the Five Thearchs; the *Eight Cords* are the books of the eight trigrams; the *Nine Hills* are the gazetteers of the Nine Provinces), such as were read by Yixiang of Chu (in the time of King Ling of Chu, the scribe of the left, Yixiang, was able to read the *Three Graves*, the *Five Canons*, the *Eight Cords*, and the *Nine Hills*). Coming down to Zhongni, he edited the *Odes* and settled the rites and music, elucidated the Way of the *Changes* and compiled the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, revitalising decaying customs (from King You and King Li of the Zhou onward, the capital was moved east to Luoyi; the feudal lords led expeditions on their own authority, and the rites and music collapsed. In the eleventh year of Duke Ai of Lu, the Master returned to Lu from Wei; in the fourteenth year, a qilin was captured, whereupon he compiled the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, edited the *Odes*, settled the rites, and rectified the collapsing customs). Thus there are the Six Classics (the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, the *Book of Rites*, the *Zhou Changes*, the *Book of Documents*, the *Mao Odes*, and the *Music*). Therefore Confucius said: 'Gentle, kind, generous, and sincere is the teaching of the *Odes* (without studying the *Odes*, one has no means of speaking); broad-minded, discerning, far-sighted, and profound is the teaching of the *Documents* (rectifying the way of the king's words); broad, extensive, easy, and good is the teaching of the *Music* (harmonising the feelings of the people); pure, clean, refined, and subtle is the teaching of the *Changes* (fathoming principles and exhausting natures); respectful, frugal, dignified, and reverent is the teaching of the *Rites* (securing superiors and governing the people); choosing words and comparing events is the teaching of the *Spring and Autumn Annals*' (rectifying the way of praise and blame, and categorising similar affairs). [Then there are] Zuo's *Discourses of the States* (Zuo Qiuming, considering that the events and meanings of the *Spring and Autumn Annals* were incomplete, compiled the *Discourses of the States* to provide mutual reference), Sima Qian's *Records of the Grand Historian* (Sima Qian was punished and confined to the silkworm chamber, where he compiled the *Records of the Grand Historian*, reaching down to Emperor Wu of Han, in one hundred and thirty fascicles in all). From the Han and Wei onward, all have had histories and treatises (Ban Gu's *History of the Former Han* in one hundred and twenty fascicles; Sima Biao's *History of the Later Han* in eighty fascicles; Chen Shou's *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, and so forth).

9.2.3

the books of the various states are exceedingly numerous), combined with the Hundred Schools and complete in the catalogues of the Golden Horse Gate and the Stone Canal (both were storehouses of books in the Han dynasty. Furthermore, recently there are the bibliographical treatises by the Wu clan of Western Qi and the Mu clan of Eastern Qi; all can be seen in their catalogues). As for the beginnings of literature, they sang of Yu and praised Yin; down to the decline of the virtue of Zhou, poets flourished. After the poets, the Chu Elegies and Song [Yu] brought variations to the Guofeng and Xiaoya (the Elegies are Qu Yuan, and Song is Song Yu; both were men of the Warring States period). Jia [Yi], [Sima] Ma, Yang [Xiong], and Ban [Gu] gradually brought variations to the Elegies (Jia Yi, Sima Xiangru, Yang Xiong, and Ban Gu). Down to the Jian'an period, there were variations upon Jia and Ma (during the reign of Emperor Xian of the Han). From the Jin and Song onwards, the music of Xianchi and Dashao was no longer joined (Xian and Shao are the music of Yao and Shun). Between the Qi and the Liang, florid ornamentation rivaled one another (Shen Yue, Liu Xie, Ren Fang, Xie An, and others). In this land, the six categories of scripts (pictographs, simple ideographs, compound ideographs, phono-semantic compounds, derivative cognates, and phonetic loan characters) determine the origins of written characters; thus, by thoroughly exploring the Great Seal script, one is free from confusion regarding characters. In that land [India], the six types of compound analysis (first, karmadhāraya; second, tatpuruṣa, from which karmadhāraya branches off; third, dvandva; fourth, dvigu, whose branch is identical with tatpuruṣa; fifth, avyayībhāva; sixth, bahuvrīhi) discriminate the rationale behind names and titles; thus, by thoroughly exploring worldly language and canonical language, one attains mastery over names and titles (all names and titles belonging to the ultimate and conventional truths are subsumed by the six types of compound analysis; none fails to distinguish and identify their essential tenets). Now, Kang Senghui, Zhi Daolin, [Fotudeng] Cheng, [Kumāra]jīva, [Dao]'an, and [Hui]yuan; the Four Sages of [Kumāra]jīva's gate (Daosheng, Sengzhao, Daoheng, and Sengrui); Sengyou of the Liang, Dao'an of the Zhou, Yancong of the Sui; and [Hui]jing, [Dao]xuan, [Fa]lin, and [Ming]gai of the beginning of our dynasty (Huijing, Daoxuan, Falin, and Minggai)—none failed to have a thorough command of our original teaching, to traverse the classics and histories, to scrutinize and integrate literary compositions, and all engaged in authorship, culminating in upholding and continuing the tradition (all were eminent monks who translated scriptures in the Zhenguan era). The *Book of Rites* states: 'One who is broadly learned and of strong memory yet yields, who is earnest in good conduct and untiring, is called a gentleman.' Such were the gentleman-monks. When Zhi Dun annotated the 'Free and Easy Wandering' chapter of *Zhuangzi*, those guests aspiring to the profound esteemed his purport. When Huijing compiled the *Yinghua ji* (a poetry collection), men of refined diction praised his discernment. From this, they served as models for gods and humans, stood as champions in monastic discipline, and in the arena of literature and the park of Dharma, in which generation was there ever a lack of such capability? Once, a guest listened to Master [Hui]yuan's exposition of the meaning of the true mark; they went back and forth for some time, yet the guest grew increasingly bewildered. Yuan then cited the meaning in *Zhuangzi* by way of comparison, and the confused person was thereupon awakened. From then on, Master [Dao]'an permitted Yuan from time to time not to abandon secular texts. In the Yuanjia era of the Song (during the reign of Emperor Wen), on the day of the Snake (the third day of the third month), the imperial carriage visited the Winding Waters and ordered Huiguan to compose poems with the court officials; Guan presented his first from his seat. In the Jiande era of the Zhou, Zhou Hongzheng of the Chen arrived on a diplomatic mission to consult and confer with debaters; Tanyan was the first to respond (during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Zhou). When His Majesty personally attended the sacrifice to the Duke of Zhou and Confucius, Yan displayed modulation and cadence from his seat; the man of Chen smoothed his lapels, bowed his head, and listened with reverence (he smoothed his robe's lapels, paid respects, and listened). Thereupon he composed forty poems and sent them to Yan; Yan harmonized with them using the same rhymes, as though he had memorized them of old. He then painted a portrait of Yan to take back to Chen (the Zhou capital was Chang'an, and the Chen capital was Jinling), and morning and evening turned north to pay homage, regarding him as Bodhisattva Tanyan. Now, in this world, it is difficult to find a benevolent person complete in appearance, rhetoric, and virtuous conduct. It is hard to speak of where they fall short; indeed one may say: 'So majestic! It is hard to practice benevolence along with him' (like the dignified appearance of Zizhang, the eloquence of Zigong, and the virtuous conduct of Yan Hui, each had their leanings). When Lingyu first renounced the world, his master bade him recite the scriptures; holding the scroll, he vowed, saying: 'Toward the Tripiṭaka as well as the Ruist teaching, I surely hope to become completely conversant; let there be nothing that alters my resolve' (to alter means to change). Because of this, his learning shone among the talents of the age, and the world called him Bodhisattva Yu. In his declining years, Emperor Wu of the Liang decreed the renunciation of Daoist teachings (the *Hongming ji* states that Emperor Wu of the Liang initially revered Daoism, and in the second year of Tianjian abandoned Daoism to take refuge in Buddhism; this is fully documented in texts), and also held the Ruist teachings in contempt. Perhaps he feared people would plunge too deeply into them and never return (the sages ordered the study of external texts only to make people know them, fearing that people would become indulgently infatuated and sink into deviant paths); or perhaps he truly deviated from the golden mean, an omen of impending downfall (if one deviates from what is correct, one becomes deluded about principle). Now, as for that which benefits the living populace, the Great Sage never once eradicated it (the teachings of Ruism and Daoism both benefit mankind; therefore our teaching does not necessarily eliminate them). Hence the sūtra says: 'Without destroying conventional truth, ultimate truth is established.' The benevolence and wisdom practiced in those two teachings also lead to retributions in the human and celestial realms (such as purity and vacuity, fewness of desires, benevolence, filial piety, loyalty, and trustworthiness, all are practices of humans and devas). Since their retribution is merely among humans and gods, serving as the gateway and steps to the Way, why must one cast them aside and despise them? The sage is not selfish with himself; how could he impose upon the world what he himself does not desire? (One cannot, because of what one personally does not desire, cause the entire world to banish them). Even now, with esteem placed on the moral teaching of names, people still disregard close and distant relations; with esteem placed on rites and music, they still lack [reverence between] lord and minister; with esteem placed on the pitch-pipes and calendar, they are still ignorant of cold and heat; with esteem placed on penal laws, they still disorder standard norms (standard means constant; norms mean laws); with esteem placed on integrity and yielding, they still plot usurpation and rivalry; with esteem placed on Dao and De, they still value vanity and falsehood. How much more so if one were to cause people to fall behind those two teachings, remaining in chaos like birds and beasts (if people do not study the two teachings, what difference is there between them and birds and beasts?), and yet wish to instruct them with the unproduced? (If Ruism and Daoism are still obscure to them, how can one reveal to them the ultimate principle?) Indeed, one who wishes to make the dark and yellow colors brilliant and beautiful must first cleanse the plain silk; one who wishes to enter Dao and De must first tread in benevolence and righteousness. Therefore, although the bequeathed Dharma of the Great Sage has lasted two thousand years, because the people of China already possessed the vacuity, nonbeing, benevolence, and wisdom of Kongzi and Laozi, they could subsequently recognize the refined and true teaching, and those who turn toward and revere it have been taught it day by day from door to door (the *Classic of Filial Piety* says: 'It is not going from house to house and seeing them daily'). The people of the four barbarian regions, untouched by the reach of the two teachings, even today are unable to observe the precepts and fasts; how much less could their spirits roam in the principle of the Eight Liberations? (The Eight Liberations are names of contemplations, such as having internal perception while contemplating external forms as absent). Therefore, the Buddhist teaching relies on the two teachings to serve as its vanguard (vanguard means forward guides). Moreover, when the Laoist teaching speaks of 'naturalness' (ziran), it is merely an analogous name for tathatā. To say that 'all things are natural' means that the Way of naturalness and the myriad things are one (the myriad things are conditioned, phenomenal dharmas; naturalness is the unconditioned, true principle; the phenomenal dharmas of the myriad things and the unconditioned true principle are neither identical nor separate), not that the myriad things do not arise from causes and conditions (it does not mean that the myriad things are not produced from causes and conditions) when calling it 'natural'. Nowadays, expositors fail to comprehend this (they are partisans of divergent attachments) and thus disparage the inner teaching's doctrine of causes and conditions, while arbitrarily expounding the principle of naturalness.

9.2.4

This is indeed identical to the views of the non-Buddhists of the Western Regions (as the svabhāvavāda non-Buddhists say: 'Who made thorns sharp and variegated beasts? Who dug rivers, oceans, and streams' sources? Sudden violent winds arise, yet they naturally settle of themselves. Know that all things are inherently spontaneous'). How could it be called a secondary transformation by Kāśyapa? (The Sutra of the Pure Practice of the Dharma says that Laozi was transformed by Kāśyapa.) Yet, at the gate of the Zhu and Si rivers, benevolence was regarded as the supreme practice; if not the Dao and Virtue, priority must certainly be given to benevolence. Thus, although You could be entrusted with managing the military levies of a state of a thousand chariots (Zi Lu could be made to manage the levies of the feudal lords), and Chi could be made to put on his sash and stand at court (Gongxi Hua could be appointed an envoy to stand at court and converse with guests), Chu's Ziwen showed no sign [of emotion] at thrice being dismissed (the Chief Minister of Chu, whose surname was Dou, given name Gu, and courtesy name Wutu; thrice he served as Chief Minister without joy, and thrice he was dismissed from office without anger, always reporting the old policies of the Chief Minister to the new Chief Minister), and Chen Wenzi abandoned ten teams of horses, seeking a reputation for benevolence (Chen Xuwu; when Cui Zhu assassinated the ruler, Wenzi abandoned forty horses and fled because he detested him)—Zhongni did not grant this to them (Confucius said in each case: 'I do not know whether he was benevolent,' clarifying the difficulty of the way of benevolence). That benevolence pervades the hundred actions and accords with the unified virtue (the dedicated single virtue); never has there been anything that did not become vast and great through benevolence. In the Five Indias it is called a bodhisattva; in the Nine Provinces it is called a benevolent person. For when humans are capable of compassion and wisdom, compassion and wisdom make them benevolent. The bodhisattva practices the ultimate degree of benevolence; the noble man gradually enters its gate. If Emperor Wu of Liang had not drawn upon both teachings, how could he have become a noble Ruist and arrived at the Great Method? (Method means the Dao. If one says Emperor Wu of Liang was narrow-minded and dogmatic, how could he be called a noble Ruist who reached the Great Dao?) Nowadays, disputants inevitably assume the aggressive stance of Sun and Wu (Sun Wu and Wu Qi were both fine generals of the Warring States period, each writing military texts and excelling in battle arrays; nowadays disputants clash with opponents like the battlefield tactics of Sun and Wu); those who study the precepts must foster the integrity of Yan and Liu (Yan Shuzi lived alone, and a young woman sought shelter with him on a night of wind and rain when her house collapsed; Shuzi continuously refused her, stepped outside, and let her enter the house. Liuxia Hui, surname Zhan, given name Qin, fief at Liuxia, posthumous title Hui; on a cold night a woman arrived too late for the city gates, and Liuxia Hui covered her with his robe until dawn without transgressing into a man's unbenevolent conduct); those who dwell in dhyāna inevitably admire the loftiness of Chao and You (Xu You and Chaofu were both lofty scholars of Yao's time; when Yao intended to abdicate the throne, they detested it, washed their ears, and lived in seclusion without serving as officials); those who sustain the order must reflect on the transformations of Qi and Lu (those who uphold the bonds and standards must revise and guide, just as Qi transformed to Lu, and Lu transformed to the Dao). Therefore, to take the external teachings to guide and encourage, and to look into the inner Dharma to stimulate determination—how could this be harmful? ('How' means 'in what way'. First using the external teachings to entice, then using the inner teachings to instruct—how could there be any harm?) Indeed, those who climb trees vie for height, and those who dig springs vie for depth. Without prior timidity, who would display subsequent courage? Yet, although the Liang ruler possessed utmost faith, he did not carefully observe the successes and failures of the past to standardize his undertakings ('standardize' means to employ). He abruptly wished to transform things according to the Dao to exhaust their natures, failing to foresee the fate of Dongye Bi's driving and in the end lapsing into indulgence (when Yan Hui saw Dongye Bi's chariot, he knew he would surely fail, because his horses were not well-trained; once he drove, he indeed suffered defeat and the horses were harmed). I once read his text on abstaining from wine and meat, in which his compassion surpassed that of the Buddha; he debased his own person to ransom the Dharma, going beyond what befits an emperor (three times he renounced his body into a monastery to be a servant to the assembly; his ministers provided hundreds of thousands of cash to ransom him from the saṅgha, and only after their tacit consent did he return; although bending one's body to be a seat does not surpass this, why must it be like this?). Furthermore, he decreed that the patterns on brocades and damasks could not depict the shapes of birds and beasts, lest the act of cutting them arouse thoughts of killing and harming (fearing to harm the way of benevolence and forbearance). Although this followed the art of rearing tigers, it actually taught people the intention to kill (the master of herds Liang Yang under King Xuan of Zhou was skilled at rearing tigers; he did not feed them living creatures because killing them would provoke anger, nor whole carcasses because tearing them apart would provoke anger; feeding them in a timely manner, he understood their angry impulses and did not go against their nature; he did not cause them joy, for joy would again turn to anger; though wishing to extinguish their intention to kill, it instead aroused their murderous thoughts. Silk brocade originally lacks the aspect of killing; now forcefully giving rise to the idea of killing creates something from nothing, and even so it amounts to teaching people the sense of a murderous intention). At the ancestral temples and suburban sacrifices, using flour for the sacrificial beasts—if one does not perform them, one does not, but why deceive the ancestors? Yet one might fail them (making meat out of flour constitutes deceit; not performing it fails the ancestors). From wearing the black robe to rising in rank, [some] fail to distinguish the beautiful from the ugly, openly display arrogance, and write it upon pale walls and plain screens, simply unaware that this invites enemies and incurs bandits (today there are those who, having donned the black robe, attain high honors, fail to distinguish good from evil, indulge in idle pride, and furthermore discard the higher teachings, inscribing their words on plastered walls and plain screens; this can be called inviting cross-examination upon oneself). In the past, Dao'an of the Zhou composed the *Treatise on the Two Teachings*, and Yancong of the Sui composed the *Treatise on Penetrating the Ultimate*; giving full rein to their mind and sight, moving in and out of the profound and abstruse, they posited host and guest, first setting forth extraordinary objections and only afterwards resolving them. They intended to probe the brambles and crooked paths of heterodox factions, serving as an enclosure for the Dharma (first setting up rival traditions to interrogate and object to their own teaching, and then answering them, preparing in advance against the views of rival schools). But later generations such as Li Zhongqing and others stole through walls like thieves, concealing their resolutions and elaborating their objections to compose treatises such as the *Ten Heterodoxies* and *Nine Confusions*, deceiving those who did not know (these were all people of wrong view in the Tang dynasty who deceived shallow students who had not seen the treatises of An and Cong), thus abetting their slanderous words. Is this not a case of the two scholars seeking to tame [a beast] only to be bitten by it? (This is because the treatises composed by the two masters to guard against subtleties were instead stolen as tools to attack them.) Intending to bring security, they instead bought danger. Yet this discussion has not ended, and perverse objections have not ceased. The former kings used steelyards and bushels to eliminate theft, but people used them for theft (the sword was fashioned to kill bandits, yet now bandits turn it to their own use); they used weapons and spears to stop killing, but people used them for killing. Therefore, the more things are guarded against, the further their exploitation spreads. Alas, how difficult it is! Thus, those who preserve their original teaching have an excess of simplicity, while those who combine deviant teachings have an excess of contention. None but a noble man can maintain vigilance to the utmost limit (if one preserves the original tradition...).

9.2.5

[...one can keep oneself plain and unadorned. If, by studying other traditions, they come to dispute and quarrel often; yet if they can study other traditions and external teachings while remaining modest and cautious, they may be called a gentleman-monk.] Therefore, earlier sages said: "Learning to one's person is like food and like music." Now, food uses vinegar, meat sauce, salt, and plums to adjust its seasoning into harmony, supplementing what falls short and purging what is excessive; only after consuming it are the five viscera balanced. (Supplementing means adding to; purging means reducing. These are the words of Yanzi in response to the Marquis of Qi, when the Marquis and Liangqiuju were on the terrace of Yanchuan. It differs slightly from the text in Zuo zhuan, chapter 24.) Music uses metal, stone, silk, and bamboo to tune its pitch into harmony (metal is the bells; stone, the sounding stones; silk, the lute and zither; bamboo, the flutes, etc.; gourd is the sheng and yu; earth is the xun; hide is the drums; wood is the zhu and yu; these are called the eight tones), restraining what is about to lapse and curtailing what is wanton (after the five tones, wanton playing is not permitted; if there are excessive flourishes and licentious sounds, they should be pruned and moderated); only after listening to it are the five breaths aligned (the breaths of the Five Phases). If one exclusively clings to a single taste or a single tone, what can be gained from it? Formerly, Huiyuan wrote the Treatise on Śramaṇas Not Paying Homage [to Kings]: he merely sought to clarify his own principle without slandering Ruism or Daoism; to this day, people receive its benefits. In the Northern Zhou, Dao'an wrote the Treatise on the Two Teachings: forgetting their merits while pointing out their faults, his words arose from a contentious mind. When the Yuwen clan saw through it, they obtained Bian Zhuangzi’s method of stabbing the tigers. (Formerly, Bian Zhuangzi saw two tigers fighting over food and was about to slay them. A household servant admonished him, requesting that he wait for their fight: the larger would surely be wounded, and the smaller would surely die; stabbing them afterward, he could seize both at a single stroke. It turned out just as he had said. Now, when Dao'an and external traditions slandered one another, they both pushed their faults and flaws to the extreme. Emperor Wu of the Zhou was able to see through this and use their strategy.) Yet Emperor Yong relied on his might (Yong was the personal name of Emperor Wu of the Zhou. The emperor ascended the throne in the third year of Wucheng; in the second year of Jiande, he abolished both Buddhism and Daoism; in the first year of Dacheng, he died. The destruction lasted from the guisi year to the wuxu year). His lack of faith was no worse than that of Huan Xuan; yet Huan submitted while Zhou resisted. (Huan Xuan was going to order monks to pay homage and undergo defrocking; Master Yuan submitted a memorial to stop it, and also wrote the Treatise on Not Paying Homage.) Can this not be known through the depth or shallowness of their talent and insight? But in these times, there are unlearned individuals whose minds and wisdom are deaf and blind. Relying on their stubbornness and shallowness, like pigs and sheep, they band together in perversity; looking upon wisdom and the arts, they mock and laugh at them familiarly, considering that composing writings is an error heavier than Mount Heng or Mount Tai. (There are vulgar, ignorant, and shallow people, like pigs and sheep, who perversely consider those who study writing to be guilty of mountain-like faults.) Did the former sages not speak truly when they called them "a flock of sheep-monks"? (The sūtras and vinaya speak of "dumb-sheep monks.") Furthermore, there are wildly eccentric men who abandon their root teachings, casually browse through ancient classics, wander about leisurely, and despise what is within—like pigs bearing mire; when seeing purity, they abhor it. (The wildly eccentric are those who do not maintain moderation in their pursuits. There are those who leave their parents and admire the Way, cutting off attachments to become monks, yet do not know how to spur themselves to cultivate and advance; completely abandoning the scriptural teachings, they devote themselves exclusively to external learning, chanting odes and poetry, yet inversely harboring contempt for their root teachings. Therefore, our men of high virtue look upon them with aversion, as if toward filth. This is what is called failing the former sages, bringing no benefit to patrons, sinking into the three destinies, and bringing blame upon oneself.) Such are of the ilk of Huilin and Huixiu of the Song dynasty. (Both of these were poet-monks of the Jiangbiao region, who had nothing to recommend them in virtue.) Huilin's literary scholarship was outstanding, and he was appreciated by Taizu (Taizu was Liu Yu). Whenever he mounted a solitary couch, Yan Yanzhi was jealous of his talent, sighing indignantly and saying, "This seat of the Three Terraces—how can it be occupied by an amputee?" Huilin was arrogant and conceited. His master, Daoyuan, possessed learning and conduct, and Emperor Wen regarded him highly. Daoyuan once visited Fu Liang’s residence, where Huilin was already seated; when Daoyuan arrived, Huilin did not pay him respect. Daoyuan looked angry, and Liang had Huilin flogged twenty times. Later, he wrote the Treatise on Black and White, broadly arguing that the six pāramitās and the five teachings operate in parallel, and that faithful compliance stands equal with compassion; within it, there was much self-infliction and disparagement. He Chengtian considered that the monk Huilin had hastily produced singular views. Yan Yanzhi said of him, "Residing within their gate yet watching for their shortcomings, he is a thief and menace to the Dharma—what place can tolerate him?" Later, he was convicted of a crime and banished to Jiaozhou, where he died in seething anger. Yet Master Fu’s punishment was truly that of a gentleman! He did not compromise the law through personal affection or partisanship for a fault; it was truly an instruction to discipline all things. The petty man is not like this: taking the side of a minister, he defies his ruler; relying on his lowliness, he insults the noble; rejoicing in what profits himself, he forgets monstrous shame. When Huixiu composed literature, his fame was pre-eminent among the top talents; but he indulged in wine and sex and lacked deportment. (The Shu monk Kepeng was also like this: he died in an inn, and his corpse was cast out into the wilderness.) Emperor Xiaowu, deeming him to have defiled the conduct of a śramaṇa, decreed that he be forced to return to lay life and appointed him as Literary Attendant of Yangzhou; grieved that he could not fulfill his ambitions, he ended his days as the magistrate of Jurong. There was a monk named Mingjie, who considered poetry, the zither, calligraphy, and painting to be supreme arts; looking upon junior students carrying their book-hampers, he called them "donkeys." In the Xianqing reign period (under Tang Gaozong), when Ximing Monastery was completed, a decree ordered Lingrun to select those of virtue to reside there. Some officials recommended Jie; Master Run said: "Gentlemen, you are vessels of state; when eminent ministers speak, words are not given lightly. You ought to seek learning in the precepts, dhyāna, and wisdom to increase the field of merit; how can you recommend a wine-drinking, meat-eating painter to bear such a great responsibility?" When Jie heard this, he harbored even deeper resentment. When an imperial decree summoned talents in the four subjects without distinguishing between monks and laity, he took the examination and passed. He rejoiced, saying: "Today I finally shed my donkey hide!" Later, divining his fortune for an official career, he accomplished nothing; suffering from cold, hunger, and chronic illness, when about to die, he saw ten beings of bizarre appearance holding blazing torches to welcome him—an inauspicious omen indeed. Therefore, when the capacity of a petty man possesses the arts of a gentleman, it never fails to end in ruin, defeat, and disgrace; truly, Heaven sends down misfortune upon them. It is just like tying torches to the tails of mad elephants (attaching bundles of reeds to the tails of elephants and burning them to make them trample the enemy; this is called torch-elephants), or fitting armor onto the wings of angry fighting-cocks (Ji and Hou were neighbors whose cocks fought; the Ji clan put metal armor on their wings, and the Hou clan put metal spurs on theirs; the two families attacked one another over this, causing turmoil). It only increases their harm. Therefore, the Yijing says: "Bearing a burden yet riding in a carriage invites the arrival of bandits." (This is the line commentary for the six-three line of the Xie hexagram in the Yijing. It means residing where one should not reside, and acting without propriety, riding the second and carrying the fourth to accommodate oneself, which invites the coming of bandits.)

9.2.6

brought about by oneself.) This means that a petty person should not harbour thoughts of theft to seize it. Not only does this apply to talent and artistry, but it has never been otherwise regarding physical appearance as well. (Lacking the inner virtue of talent yet possessing its artifice is why one stumbles. Lacking the inner virtue of talent yet possessing such an appearance likewise brings ruin.) Therefore, Yang Huo resembled Confucius, (Yang Huo was a retainer of the Ji family of Lu. In appearance he resembled Confucius, yet he harmed the Ji family and raised a rebellion before fleeing Lu. Therefore, when Confucius once arrived in Kuang, he was mistakenly surrounded by the people of Kuang, who took him for Yang Hu, because Yang Hu had previously acted violently in Kuang.) and Xiang Ji resembled Emperor Shun; (Xiang Yu. Shun had double pupils in his eyes, and Xiang Yu also had double pupils in his eyes.) both were like patterned calves resembling tigers, and in the end they cut short their lifespans. Today, if one becomes a follower of the Śākya clan not through the Way, but merely gains renown through Ruist learning, he is nothing more than a worldly person who has shaven his head. How could he be allowed to endure for long? (In recent times, the poet-monk Zhaofu of Mount Yunding disparaged the Buddha and slighted others; he threw himself into a river and died. Chuluan of Dongchuan hung himself and died. Pingying died in a guest lodging, destitute, freezing, starving, and perishing upon the bare ground. Guifu was covered with sores all year round—all of them were men of arrogance and flippancy.) Formerly, Dao Bao of the Jin, on the verge of tonsure, composed a poem: ‘Only now do I know the river of ten thousand miles / begins its course from an overflowing cup.’ This is truly a carefree aspiration for the Way! Those of discernment are moved by his words and encourage themselves to advance; this is what is called literary refinement. Indeed, making garments like paddy fields and vessels of fired clay (paddy-field garments are the kāṣāya; fired clay is the earthenware bowl) leads one to wear them and hold them, placid and detached in wuwei. Only thereafter, taking the sūtras and vinaya as the carpenter’s ink-line and literary compositions as embellishment, can one reflect on one's appearance and robes—and what blessings would the spirit not have? The *Classic of Poetry* says: ‘The pelican is on the weir, / but does not wet its wings. / That person there / does not match his robes.’ (A pelican is a marsh bird. A weir is a fish weir. Now, for a marsh bird to perch on a weir without wetting its wings is something unheard of. This poem originally satirized Duke Gong of Cao, who was fond of employing petty persons and promoting them to official ranks, yet they merely kept their robes clean and idled about, with no heart to govern the state, just like a pelican on a weir. Today, if sons of the Śākya do not practice the conduct of monks yet dwell in the monastic fields, they are just like this.) I have often observed those in black robes who read books and write literature: they only know worldly sentiments and know nothing else. When they fall ill and gasp for breath, tears stream across their eyes, and they regret the errors of the past. Though they repent, can it be undone? How sorrowful! (Dwelling in the land of paved gold, receiving food from dānapatis, and wearing robes of faithful offerings, yet they sink bewildered into the ancient classics, do not attend to cultivation and progress, rely on their meager talents to demean the worthy and good, and look down on their own root teaching as discarded refuse. These are base-dwelling bhikṣus. Once the candle in the wind approaches, can they not be in panic?) Yet there are those who embrace vessels of jade, radiate the bearing of dragons and elephants, rise high above the dusty world, and are both broad-minded and wise. With sincere resolve they love learning, opening scrolls to seek what they have not yet heard, striving to nurture their excellence so as to elevate their virtue. As for observing Boyi and Shuqi yielding the state, one attains their benevolence. When Zengzi would not enter a hamlet named Shengmu (‘Exceeding the Mother’), one attains his filial piety. (Zeng Shen was exceedingly filial; while travelling, there was a hamlet named Shengmu. Shen detested its name and would not enter.) In Liuxia Hui sheltering the widow, one attains his chastity. In Yan Shuzi turning away the neighbouring maiden, one attains his prudence. In Sunshu Ao, the higher his rank, the lowlier his person, (serving as Prime Minister of Chu, he remained ever humble) one attains his prevention of evil. In Zheng Kaofu walking along the wall at his third appointment, one attains his reverence. (Zheng Kaofu was the ancestor of Zhongni. When the lord of Song gave him his first appointment, he bowed his head; at the second, he bent his back; at the third, he stooped low and walked along the wall.) In Meng Zhifan not boasting, one attains his yielding. (This is Meng Zhice. Lu fought with Qi and Lu was defeated. Meng Zhifan fled bringing up the rear; as they were about to enter the city gate, the countrymen praised his merit. He whipped his horse and said, ‘It was not that I dared to be behind; my horse would not advance.’ He did not wish to claim the merit, hence it is said that he attained yielding.) In Lie Yukou refusing the grain from Ziyang of Zheng, one attains his foresight of peril. (Lie Yukou was a man of Zheng. His family was poor. A guest spoke of him to Ziyang of Zheng, and Ziyang sent him grain. Liezi bowed twice and refused it. His wife looked on, beat her breast and said, ‘I have heard that the wives and children of those who possess the Way all live in ease and joy. Now we look famished. When the lord sends grain to you, Master, why do you not accept it?’ Liezi said, ‘The lord did not know me of himself; he sent me grain because of another's words, and he might likewise blame me because of another's words.’ Later Ziyang indeed met with disaster.) In Yuan Jingmu spitting out the food of the elder of Huqiu, one attains his hatred of evil. (Yuan Jingmu begged for food from the elder of Huqiu. The elder brought down a pot of food to feed him. After Jingmu had eaten, he asked, ‘Who are you, sir?’ The man replied, ‘I am a person of Huqiu.’ Jingmu said, ‘Are you not a robber?’ He then vomited the food out and died. The people of Huqiu were robbers; he detested his unrighteousness.) In Xie An, whose joy and anger did not show on his face, one attains his magnanimity. (Xie An, courtesy name Anshi, served as minister to Emperor Xiaowu of Eastern Jin. When Fu Jian led an army of a million to attack Jin, An showed no fear. When Xie Xuan and the others defeated them, An likewise showed no joy. From this his magnanimity may be known.) In Wang Jingzhi walking with measured steps out of the burning house, one attains his composure. (Wu means stepping. Wang Yuandu, courtesy name Zijing, was the son of the General of the Right Army of Jin. When his house caught fire, Zijing adjusted his robes and cap and walked out leisurely.) In Dai Kui refusing to play the zither at the gates of the prince, one attains his integrity. (Gengjie means unyielding and upright. Dai Kui and Dai Yong were two brothers, both skilled at the zither. Both visited the gate of the Wang family. Someone asked Yong to play the zither, and Yong played it at once. When they asked Kui, Kui said to the messenger, ‘The zither Kui plays is not for the entertainers at a prince's gate.’ Thereupon, facing the messenger, he smashed his zither. From this the relative superiority of the two Dais can be known.) If drawing even a single goodness into oneself is sufficient to bring glory to one's rotting bones, how much more so for one who combines them? (A gentleman hates that his name should not be praised after his death. In learning, one should feel as if one cannot catch up, yet still fear losing it.) Confucius said to Duke Ai of Lu: ‘Among human beings there are five standards: there are the mediocre, there are the scholars, there are the gentlemen, there are the worthy, and there are the sages. The mediocre person is one whose mind does not take the regulations of prudent endings as a model, whose mouth does not utter words of exemplary instruction, (Ge means standard. The Zuo zhuan says: ‘When the mind does not model itself on the norms of virtue and righteousness, one is called stupid; when the mouth does not speak words of loyalty and trustworthiness, one is called duplicitous.’) who does not select the worthy to entrust himself to, and who does not exert himself in practice to settle his resolve.’

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北山錄 — Classical Chinese