鐔津文集 10.4

10.4

月日沙門某。謹奉書于彥長祕校。前辱彥長關侯。得潛子輔教之說喜與已合。遺書論大公之道百餘言。迺相稱太多。而潛子因彥長西行。方致書丞相。盛推此道。惟恐書不盡其意。復敘彥長見丞相。為益言之。夫大公之道者聖人之道之至者也。大公之道行則不以天下苟親疎。不以忠孝要勢利。蓋臣合忠子合孝。可親者親之。可疎者疎之。是皆堯舜嘗之者也。然故大公之道其本在乎誠與明也。聖人存誠所以與天地通。聖人發明所以與皇極合。猶中庸曰。喜怒哀樂未發謂之中。發而皆中節謂之和。中也者天下之大本也。和也者天下之達道也。堯舜所以至其道者。蓋能誠明而持其本也。夫誠明之道而聖人猶難之。孔子曰。大道之行也。丘未之逮也。而有志焉。後世忠孝以勸慕致則以忠孝矜之逞之。而勢利忠孝者競作紛綸漫漶交於天下。誠忠誠孝不苟不黨者。柰何與其混淆一世。又豈能自白。彼矜者逞者亦以自謂人之為心而與己相類。不復信有誠之之謂也。故誠明之道蕩然不復見矣。大公之道之本。亦不復知之矣。況復能守而持之者也。彥長當是獨能毅然推誠與明而持論大公之道。豈天資自得其高遠。非習之炙之而然乎。始潛子之書既出。而縉紳先生之徒第稱之其文善。吾粗能讀百氏之書耳。獨彥長謂我存心於大公。其書勤且至矣。非篤好其道相知之深。安能若此耶。方今大聖大賢相會於朝。適以至公之道而治天下。宜彥長振其本原。力以誠明之道駕說。資其所以為教化。則功德勝業效白益又大矣。勉之哉勉之哉。不宣。某謹白。

On such a month and day, the śramaṇa [Qisong] respectfully presents this letter to Collator of the Secretarial Court Guan Yanchang. Previously, honoured by Lord Guan Yanchang obtaining Qianzi’s discourse on assisting the teachings and rejoicing that it accorded with his own views, you sent a letter discussing the Way of Great Impartiality in over a hundred words, praising me excessively. Because Yanchang was traveling west, Qianzi then sent a letter to the Prime Minister extolling this Way, fearing only that the letter would not fully express his intent, and recounting that Yanchang was to meet the Prime Minister to speak of it further on his behalf. Now the Way of Great Impartiality is the utmost of the Sage's Way. When the Way of Great Impartiality is practiced, one does not treat all under heaven with casual closeness or distance, nor does one demand power and profit under the guise of loyalty and filiality. For a subject ought to be loyal, and a son ought to be filial; one should be close to those who can be treated with closeness, and distant from those who can be treated with distance. These are what Yao and Shun practiced. Yet the root of the Way of Great Impartiality lies in sincerity and illumination. The Sage preserves sincerity so as to communicate with Heaven and Earth; the Sage displays illumination so as to accord with the August Ultimate. Just as the Zhongyong says: 'When pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy have not yet arisen, it is called the mean; when they arise and all hit the proper measure, it is called harmony. The mean is the great root of all under heaven; harmony is the penetrating Way of all under heaven.' That Yao and Shun reached this Way was because they were able to be sincere and illuminated, and to maintain its root. Even sages found the Way of sincerity and illumination difficult. Confucius said: 'When the Great Way was practiced, I did not attain it, but my aspiration was there.' In later ages, when loyalty and filiality were encouraged and admired, people took loyalty and filiality to boast and show off, so that those who used loyalty and filiality for power and profit competed in confusion, swarming and blurring across the realm. How could those of genuine loyalty and genuine filiality, neither improper nor partisan, avoid being mixed up with them in the same age? How could they make themselves clear? Those who boast and show off also assume that the minds of others are like their own, no longer believing that there is such a thing as making oneself sincere. Therefore, the Way of sincerity and illumination is swept away and seen no more. The root of the Way of Great Impartiality is likewise no longer known. How much less can anyone keep and maintain it! In these times, Yanchang alone has been able resolutely to promote sincerity and illumination and sustain discourse on the Way of Great Impartiality; is this not because his natural endowment attained what is lofty and far, rather than being merely the result of habitual training and cultivation? When Qianzi's book first came out, the gentlemen of the official class merely praised the fineness of its prose; I have only roughly read the books of the hundred masters. You alone, Yanchang, said that I kept my mind on Great Impartiality, and your letter was diligent and thorough. If not for an earnest love of the Way and deep mutual understanding, how could it be like this? At present, great sages and great worthies gather at court, governing all under heaven precisely through the Way of Utmost Impartiality. It is fitting that Yanchang stir up its source, vigorously setting forth discourse by means of the Way of sincerity and illumination, using it to aid education and transformation; then the efficacy of your meritorious virtue and excellent work will become all the greater. Strive on! Strive on! Respectfully submitted.