北山錄 9.2.7

9.2.7

[Confucius said:] "To see the small and be blind to the great, not knowing what one should apply oneself to; to follow along with external things like a rushing current, not knowing what to hold fast to—this is an ordinary man. As for a scholar-gentleman (shi): his mind has a settled aim, and his plans have principles he holds fast to. Although he cannot fully exhaust the root of the arts of the Way, he must have that which he follows (following and pursuing); although he does not encompass all hundred forms of goodness, he must have a firm footing. For this reason, in wisdom he does not strive for mere quantity, but must carefully examine what he knows; in speech he does not strive for mere quantity, but must carefully examine what he says; in action he does not strive for mere quantity, but must carefully examine the path he treads. Once his wisdom has understood it, his words have spoken it, and his actions have traversed it, it is as unalterable as his own nature, life, and bodily form. Wealth and noble status are not enough to augment him; poverty and lowliness are not enough to diminish him. This is a scholar-gentleman. As for a noble person (junzi): his words are necessarily loyal and trustworthy, and his mind is free of falsehood (having no deceitful or false feelings); benevolence and righteousness are embodied in his person, yet in his demeanor there is no boastfulness (having no self-pride); his reflections are penetrating and luminous, yet his expressions are never dogmatic. Earnest in conduct and faithful to the Way, he strives ceaselessly to strengthen himself; with an easy self-possession (the appearance of effortless ease), he seems within reach of being surpassed, yet ultimately cannot be equaled—this is a noble person. (A noble person, though able to make himself worthy of honor, trust, and employment, cannot force others to honor, trust, or employ him. For this reason, he is ashamed of being untrustworthy, not of being mistrusted; he is ashamed of incompetence, not of not being employed. He is not seduced by praise nor resentful of slander, but walks in accordance with the Way.) As for a worthy person (xianren): his virtue does not overstep the bounds (the norms); his actions conform to the carpenter's compass and line. His words are sufficient to serve as a model for the entire world without bringing harm upon his own person; his Way is sufficient to transform the common people without bringing harm to its root. (When his words fill the world, there is no slip of the tongue; when his actions fill the world, there is neither resentment nor malice.) If he is wealthy, there is no hoarded wealth under heaven (the Changduan jing says: 'accumulated wealth'; here it means that under heaven there is no resentment, meaning it is gained through righteousness); when he bestows charity, the world does not suffer from poverty (illness and distress)—this is a worthy person. As for a sage (shengren): his virtue joins with Heaven and Earth; his adaptability is boundless. He exhausts the beginnings and endings of the myriad affairs; he harmonizes with the natural spontaneity of all things. He unfolds the Great Way and thereby brings forth nature and disposition; his brilliance rivals the sun and moon, and his transforming work operates like spirits. The common people below are unaware of his virtue, and those who behold him do not perceive where he abides (the common people use it daily without knowing it)—this is a sage." The Duke said: "Excellent! Were it not for your worthiness, I would never have heard these words." Now, measuring these five kinds of people to constitute five kinds of monks, they indeed do not depart from their fundamental nature. If we cause their ranks to be regulated, encourage their moral character, reject the lower and choose the higher, transforming ordinary men into scholar-gentlemen, and scholar-gentlemen into worthies and sages, then all the monks under heaven would be eminent monks! Therefore, when one carves stone, sculpts wood, or casts an image in bronze: stone remains stone, wood remains wood, bronze remains bronze; without transformation, their original nature cannot be altered. Yet among human beings, some are born with knowledge, while others acquire knowledge through learning. Provided one possesses knowledge, it is not difficult to advance (moving from ordinary to wise, moving from commoner to sage); the difficulty lies only in not knowing. In the world, some point to Pantha's lack of study as evidence that he did not lack the Way (throughout his life he recited only half a stanza, yet attained the holy fruit; the stanza said: "Guard the mouth, rein in the mind, commit no offense with the body; a practitioner like this attains deliverance"), and say that Śunakṣatra's extensive learning did not establish a single virtue (the monk Śunakṣatra was originally of the Śākya clan; clever as he was, he falsely disguised himself as a bakkula ghost to frighten the Buddha, and fell into hell alive). They simply fail to realize that Pantha was a sage, while Śunakṣatra was an ordinary man. Pantha did not study because he was born with knowledge; Śunakṣatra, though he studied, did not truly know. If Pantha had lacked innate knowledge, he would not have been a sage; if Śunakṣatra had possessed knowledge acquired through learning, he would have advanced toward the good. Now, those born with knowledge appear once in a thousand years, while those who attain knowledge through learning are found everywhere under heaven. To discard all under heaven on account of the one in a thousand years is not the intention of the sages. Moreover, learning serves to assist innate knowledge, just as metal needs a whetstone (a grinding stone; though the nature of metal is sharp, it further relies on grinding), and a boat needs oars (a class of paddle; the Classic of Documents says: "If crossing a river, use you as a boat and oars"). When sharpness is combined with speed, nothing can surpass it. In antiquity, Zhongni said: "A noble person cannot fail to study." Zilu said: "On the Southern Mountain there is bamboo; without being bent, it is naturally straight. If cut and used as an arrow, it can penetrate rhinoceros hide. Judging from this, what need is there for study?" Confucius said: "If you notch it, feather it, and sharpen its point with a whetstone, will it not penetrate even deeper?" (Because the point and feathers make it go deeper.) Zilu bowed twice and said: "Indeed! Just as wood is made straight by the ink-line and earth is leveled by water, so the ruler employs men of talent; never has there been one who without study was able to achieve extraordinary merit on his own and understand the Way." When an ordinary person does not study, he is like one facing a wall (seeing nothing); when a person learns broadly, without stepping out the door he knows all under heaven. When I first heard this, I kept it in mind and tested it myself: regarding what I had not studied, it was truly as if my eyes were veiled; regarding what I knew from afar, it was genuinely not due to my feet having traveled there. Therefore, in the realm of living beings (realm means limit), value lies in learning; once one has learned, value lies in knowing. Once one knows, one yearns for the vast illumination of the Great Awakened One, and the achievement of universal omniscience draws nearer by the day. Therefore, advancing day by day and progressing month by month, one still fears falling short. The Buddha was impassioned; [Dong] Zhongshu lowered his curtain—both lamented that time does not return (Dong Zhongshu lowered his curtain to read for three years without casting a glance at the garden; the Buddha was as noted above). In antiquity, Huang Ba (a Han prime minister) and Xiahou Sheng were imprisoned together. Huang Ba wished to receive the classics from Xiahou Sheng, but Sheng declined on the grounds that their crimes warranted death. Huang Ba said: "If one hears the Way in the morning, one may die in the evening without regret." Xiahou Sheng deemed his words worthy, and thereupon taught him through two prison-guard shifts, lecturing and reading without wearying. (When Emperor Zhao of Han discussed establishing a temple for Emperor Wu with the temple name Shizong, Sheng memorialized that Emperor Wu was extravagant and murderous, and should not have a temple established; he was thus convicted of slandering the late emperor and imprisoned together with Huang Ba. Ba then asked to study under him; upon an imperial amnesty, both were spared.) Sadāprarudita sought the Dharma from Dharmodgata (Bodhisattva Sadāprarudita in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra); he offered his bones to obtain incense and flowers, and also waited at the palace gate for seven full years before he had the opportunity to hear something extraordinary. With my own humble aspirations, I have genuinely acquired knowledge through learning, yet I lack the capacity to teach and instruct others. Pained by this, I have been fearful, diligent, and ashamed of wasting this life. (From here on, Beishan gives his own account.) I once compiled the Chronological Records of the Śākya Clan, arranging the years and organizing the events to form a vast forest of materials (the Chronological Records in thirty fascicles; I also composed the Arcane Subcommentary to the Lotus Sūtra in ten fascicles,