鐔津文集 2.16

2.16

The teachings must not be clung to; the Way must not be disregarded. Clinging to the teachings leads to excessive preoccupation with traces; disregarding the Way leads to abandoning the root. Clinging is excess; disregarding is falling short. Excess and falling short are alike in being harmful. Therefore, in what the sage does for the fundamental principle, he is inevitably sincere; in what he does for practical affairs, he is inevitably expedient; and both practical affairs and the fundamental principle are attained through the Great Mean. Practical affairs have what is appropriate; the fundamental principle has its ultimate. Following what is appropriate and treating it as appropriate is how the sage establishes his teachings. Approaching its ultimate and treating it as ultimate is how the sage establishes his Way. Did not the two emperors of the Liang and the Qi (Emperor Wu of the Liang and Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi) act contrary to what was appropriate in serving the teachings, and was this not clinging? Did not the two rulers of the Wei and the Zhou (Emperor Wu of the Northern Wei and Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou) obliterate its ultimate in treating the Way, and was this not disregarding? The teachings of the sage are simply goodness. The Way of the sage is simply correctness. Correct the person with what is correct; treat affairs well with what is good. One need not insist on the Sangha, nor insist on the literati; one need not insist on that, nor insist on this. That and this are matters of emotion; the Sangha and the literati are traces. The sage leaves traces behind in order to preserve the root; the sage acts with human emotion in order to accord with nature. Preserving the root without being impeded by traces is what may be called expediency. According with nature without drowning in emotion is what may be called reality. In former times, when Shi Hu, through holding the reins of the state with executions and punishments, doubted within himself whether his serving the Buddha brought no protection, Fotudeng said to Shi Hu: 'A sovereign should internally embody great accordance and in his movements harmonize with the Three Jewels. If the fierce and foolish cannot be transformed by moral instruction, how could they not be executed? Only punish those who may properly be punished, and penalize those who may properly be penalized. If executions and punishments do not hit the mark, even if one spends wealth freely to revere the Buddha, how could it be of any benefit?' Emperor Wen of the Song said to Guṇavarman: 'I am ashamed that, dedicating my person to the affairs of state, though I wish to maintain the vegetarian fast and precepts, how can my non-killing conform to the Dharma?' Guṇavarman said: 'What is cultivated by an emperor and what is cultivated by an ordinary man should be different. An emperor need only rectify the decrees he issues and the commands he gives, causing humans and spirits to be pleased and harmonious. When humans and spirits are pleased and harmonious, the wind and rain are seasonal; when the wind and rain are seasonal, the myriad things achieve their growth. By this means to uphold the fast is fasting in its ultimate. By this means not to kill makes one's virtue great indeed. Why must one abandon half a day's meal or preserve the life of a single fowl to practice it?' The emperor stroked his table and praised him, saying: 'The worldly are confused by distant principles; monks are constrained by immediate teachings. Words such as yours are truly what the world calls the universal Way, capable of discussing the boundary between Heaven and man.' Fotudeng and Guṇavarman were consummate persons of antiquity; can they not be said to have understood expediency?