鐔津文集 5.22

5.22

Someone asked: 'Nowadays, people speak of the August Ones (huang) but do not set forth their way. True scholars doubt it and cannot debate it. Moreover, the hundred schools proliferate, and the gentleman considers them untrustworthy. Did such a way truly exist, or was there really none? Your learning is consummate and does not stray from the sages; you can surely resolve this and make it clear to me.' I replied: 'Why do you say this? Could the Way of the August Ones not exist? It is simply not seen, that is all. The Way of the August Ones is simple, great, and non-active; it cannot be captured in words. Remote and silent, it unites in substance with the Primal Ultimate. The "primal" is the chief of the four virtues, the root of the five beginnings. To embody it and preserve it is how the sage transforms; to extend it and put it into practice is how the sage teaches. "Teaching" refers to the Five Thearchs; "transforming" refers to the Three August Ones. If one skillfully traces teaching and transforming, the way of the August Ones and Thearchs is bright and clear. An ancient saying states: "One whose virtue accords with the primal is an August One; one whose virtue accords with Heaven is a Thearch; one who accords with benevolence and righteousness is a King." Who can say that the August Ones lacked the truth of the way?' He said: 'If it is so, why did Confucius not extend and broaden it, and why in transmitting ancestral tradition did he honor only Yao, Shun, Wen, and Wu?' I replied: 'Whatever the sages do must be suitable to their time. If it is not suitable, even Yao and Shun could not act in vain. Thus it is said: Confucius was the sage of timeliness; this means he acted when the time called for action. Anciently, Confucius lived in the declining age of Zhou; inferring that times in later ages would inevitably become thinner and more deceitful, he did not proclaim the transformation of the simple and great way. For this reason, he extended down to rites, music, punishments, and administration, so as to accord with the timeliness of later ages as the appropriate means of governance. Yet for the grand establishment of rites and music, none surpassed Yao and Shun; for the complete provision of punishments and administration, none surpassed Wen and Wu. This is why Confucius praised and honored Yao, Shun, Wen, and Wu. Therefore, the sage preserved the Way of the August Ones without promoting it, while he promoted the Way of the Kings without yielding. The Book of Changes says: "When Baoxi passed away, Shennong arose; Yao and Shun simply let their robes hang down and the world was well governed." This is the sage revealing the Way of the August Ones and preserving it. The Record of Rites says: "When the Great Way prevailed, and in the flourishing eras of the Three Dynasties, I, Qiu, did not witness it, yet I have my aspirations set upon it." This is the sage lamenting that he could not practice the Way of the August Ones. Suppose someone with abundant provisions hurries on a journey, yet does not examine where he is going and rushes onward, merely squabbling over taking steps along the road—even a fool would laugh at his ignorance of the way. How is this different from the debates among scholars today? Laozi and Zhuangzi also discussed the Way of the August Ones considerably, but scholars often regarded their texts as mixed up with the sages' writings and despised them; this too is inexact. Speaking of the Way of the August Ones in terms of the Changes, King Wen and the Duke of Zhou were its earlier exemplars; how could Laozi and Zhuangzi have originated it?' He said: 'Master Kong said: "The books of Fuxi, Shennong, and the Yellow Emperor are called the Three Graves, speaking of the Great Way; the books of Shaohao, Zhuanxu, Gaoxin, Tang, and Yu are called the Five Canons, speaking of the Constant Way." Now that you discuss the August Ones and Thearchs, how do you see their so-called Great Way and Constant Way?' I replied: 'Master Kong designated them by tracing their teachings and transformations; I speak of them by getting to the root of the truth of their way. Teaching and transformation are traces; the way is the fundamental substance. If one examines the traces, it is fitting that there be the great and the constant; if one reaches the root, the August One and the Thearch are fittingly one. Master Kong may be said to have seen their outer limits; how could he suffice to know the depth of the way?' The questioner was enlightened and arose.