鐔津文集 8

English (machine translation) 8

Language: English

8.15 — 6 parts

8.1

Composed by the Śramaṇa Qisong of Dongshan, Tanjin, Tengzhou

8.2

Miscellaneous Writings (Six Pieces): Free and Easy Wandering

Heaven and Earth are uniform in their efficacy. The myriad things are uniform in their life. The sun and moon are uniform in their illumination. The four seasons are uniform in their progression. The Way of generating life is the same, and yet how could the means by which they live be singular? If one were to say that efficacy is not diverse, life is not different, illumination is not twofold, and progression is not distinct, and if one were to make all things simply abandon themselves to spontaneous nature, humanity would then resemble tigers, wolves, flood-dragons, and horned dragons! When tigers, wolves, flood-dragons, and horned dragons are recalcitrant, contrary, and perverse toward their natures, how could they preserve heavenly simplicity? Therefore it is said: The Way is also natural spontaneity, and what is not the Way is also natural spontaneity. The Way is also self-attainment, and what is not the Way is also self-attainment. In antiquity, the Yellow Emperor, Gaoxin, Tang Yao, Yu Shun, Xia Yu, the Western Earl, Lord Millet, Confucius, Zeng Shen, Zilu, Boyi, Zhan Qin, Jie and Zhou, You and Li, E'lai, and Robber Zhi—did not these men all live? Yet how could the ways they lived ever have been uniform? In eating and breathing they were identical to other men, but in movement and stillness they differed from other men. If this is so, how may it be demonstrated? As for the Yellow Emperor's way of living: he cultivated virtue and mobilized arms; he harmonized the five atmospheric forces and planted the five grains; he pacified the myriad people and brought peace to all under Heaven; passing on, he ascended into the clouds and heavens. As for Gaoxin's way of living: he conformed to the righteousness of Heaven and understood the urgent needs of the people; he was benevolent yet august, gracious yet trustworthy; his countenance was radiant, his virtue loomed majestically; his actions were timely and his attire was that of a scholar; having grasped the center, he extended it throughout all under Heaven. As for Emperor Yao's way of living: his benevolence was like Heaven, his knowledge like a spirit; approaching him was like the sun, looking up to him was like clouds; wealthy without arrogance, noble without indolence; he harmonized the hundred surnames and united the myriad states. As for Emperor Shun's way of living: with a stubborn father and a treacherous mother, he accommodated them dutifully without failing in the filial way; at twenty his filial piety was renowned; in the end he ascended the imperial throne and illuminated virtue throughout all under Heaven. As for Xia Yu's way of living: his virtue did not deviate, his benevolence was accessible; assiduous and reverent, he served as guide and standard to control the great floodwaters, and thus his merit reached throughout all under Heaven. As for the Western Earl's way of living: he was sincere in benevolence, respected the aged, showed kindness to the young, and was courteous toward inferiors; he transformed harsh and tyrannical government, settled the dispute between Yu and Rui, received the luminous mandate of Heaven, and ruled the myriad states. As for Qi's way of living: he assessed the suitability of the soil and became the master of agriculture, and all under Heaven reaped the benefit. As for Qiu's way of living: he took Yao and Shun as his venerable models, patterned himself upon Wen and Wu; ritual and music were fulfilled through him, benevolence and righteousness were illuminated through him. As for Shen's way of living: filial piety shone brilliantly. As for You's way of living: utmost righteousness was made clear. As for Boyi's way of living: he roused great integrity. As for Liuxia Hui's way of living: he harbored utmost harmony. As for Jie's way of living: he devoted himself to vicious malice, harming and maiming the common people; he could not even preserve his own person, and was ultimately banished until he died. As for Zhou's way of living: he rejected remonstrance and glossed over his faults, indulged in wine and licentious music, doted on women, and utterly destroyed the innocent, until his body was trapped and he died in fire, reaching the extreme of ugliness. As for You and Li's way of living: they continued the wickedness of Jie and Zhou. As for E'lai's way of living: he sowed discord and confusion between lord and minister. As for Robber Zhi's way of living: with glaring eyes he gave free rein to villainy. Now, that 'the Way is also natural spontaneity' refers to the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun. That 'what is not the Way is also natural spontaneity' refers to Jie, Zhou, You, and Li. That 'the Way is also self-attainment' refers to Shen, You, Boyi, and Liuxia Hui. That 'what is not the Way is also self-attainment' refers to E'lai and Robber Zhi. Knives and swords are of the same iron; if one considers it natural spontaneity, does a sword attain sharpness by itself? In water it can sever flood-dragons and rhinos; on land it can cut down tigers and wild oxen; brandishing it and trying it out, it cuts with ample ease. But how could one know that the metallic nature is worn down thereby? For this reason, the sage relies upon the natural spontaneity of the Way, not upon the natural spontaneity of raw life; he attains the natural spontaneity of rectitude, not the natural spontaneity of depravity. Therefore in stillness he accords with Heaven and Earth, and in movement he is distinct from birds and beasts. Joy and anger cannot assail him; greed and cruelty find no room in him. Divorced from all existent things, he stands firm in the marvelous. Thus the gentleman cannot fail to know the Way. The Way is the name for the great marvel. It is supremely still, yet communicates with all movements; it is supreme non-being, yet encompasses the myriad existents. When leisurely and measured within sound, even those with keen hearing cannot exhaust its tones. When resplendent and glittering within form, even those with clear sight cannot fathom its light. If one calls it unattainable, it has not perished through the end of Heaven and Earth; if one calls it attainable, it fills Heaven and Earth yet possesses no form. Having being within non-being, having non-being within being; being and non-being are both discarded, returning to that which cannot be depicted. Therefore it is said: 'Were it not the supreme spirit under Heaven, who could take part in this?' Hence it can hold up Heaven and Earth and revolve the sun and moon. Although Heaven and Earth and the sun and moon are immense, when have they ever not served as the functioning of the Way? 'Nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; named is the mother of the myriad things'—this is what it means. Suppose there is a person here who does not trace the origin back to the Way, but dishevels his hair and acts wildly, saying, 'I am naturally spontaneous!' The heavenly boundaries are muddled within, and sight and hearing race after external things. He is about to cage and fetter his own nature; how then could he find harmony in life? Now, man possesses two great dimensions: the nature is great, and the emotions are great. Because the nature is great, it can spiritualize the life of the myriad things. Because the emotions are great, they can obscure the mind of a sage. When metal and wood are rubbed together, fire ignites; if the wood cannot endure it, it is inevitably burned. When the emotions and the nature constrain one another, confusion ensues; if the nature cannot endure it, it is inevitably extinguished. Who knows whether, if the nature were intact, a palanquin-bearer would not become a sage? Or if the emotions were fully dominant, a sage would not become a palanquin-bearer? Someone said: 'The Bright Hall, the Bi'yong academy, high gates, and towering portals are what elders long for and hasten toward; yet birds fly swiftly past them, beasts gallop hurriedly past them, and petty men chase the wind and depart from them. This being so, birds and beasts are born in groves and thickets, while petty men mature among the vulgar crowd. Their stations are fixed and their natures cannot be altered; these three together pass them by—is it not so? Yet here you say: if the nature is intact, a palanquin-bearer can become a sage; if the emotions are fully dominant, a sage can become a palanquin-bearer. Such a thing has never existed in the world!' The Free and Easy Wanderer said: 'If one does not wait for the Yellow Emperor before discussing great wisdom, a master carpenter will surely be humbled before a carver of trivia. If one does not require Pengzu before speaking of great longevity, the great chun tree will surely be humbled before the hibiscus plant. How could one fathom the ford of Meng with an awl? How could one view the cloudy heavens through a tube? How could one observe the Great Way through physical form? Therefore, only those whose spirit illuminates and whose mind is unobscured can be spoken to about the Way. Now, the children of the Yue and the Yixi barbarians cry with the same voice when born, but grow up with different customs. Formerly, Taijia was reckless, violent, and failed to follow the laws of Tang; yet Yi Yin instructed him for three years, whereupon he turned toward goodness, cultivated virtue, and ultimately received the feudal lords in audience. King Xuan of Zhou was the son of King Li; yet the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Shao assisted him in reforming governance, and he was thus able to revive the lingering traditions of Cheng and Kang. Duke Huan of Qi's indulgence in music and impropriety was due to Guan Zhong and Xi Peng, and so he was able to unite and rectify all under Heaven and become the chief of the Five Hegemons. Later, it was due to Shudiao and Yiya, and thus father and son grew suspicious and jealous, and his state fell into great turmoil. Zilu was a man of bravery over there, but was transformed by Zhongni, and so was able to make his name famous through righteousness. When Kui regulated the music, striking the stone chimes and patting the stone chimes, the hundred beasts were led to dance. When Master Cu dispensed the acorns, giving three in the morning and four in the evening, the horde of monkeys grew enraged. When Huba strummed the zither, swimming fish came out to listen; when Boya played the lute, the six carriage horses looked up from their fodder. Taijia and Duke Huan were dwellers within the worldly realm; what their eyes saw and their ears heard did not necessarily transcend the surface of things and events; their minds and emotions were locked in relentless inner struggle; yet once transformed by others and overcome by ritual and righteousness, they could still cast aside unworthiness and draw close to worthiness. If it is so with them, as for those birds and beasts, stirred by human emotions and pursuing things through desire, they can still be moved by music and obediently nourished. Did these nine arise from a different life or separate creative transformation? Why is it that they began with one and ended with the other, or that beasts dwelled apart while men followed along? How much more so for the Great Comprehension? How much more so for the Great Perfection? Vast and detached, it is purely spirit, unchanging through life and death. How could any person not become a sage? Therefore Xunqing said: "Of spiritual transformation, none is greater than transforming into the Way; of good fortune, none is greater than having no disaster." Yet one who travels to a foreign land must know the road; one who journeys ten thousand li must accumulate steps. If one goes without knowing the route to Hu or Yue, one will never see the foreign land in all one's life. If one departs without taking a single step, one will never leave the city gate till the end of life. Therefore the gentleman worries about not knowing the principle; he does not worry about his reputation not being fine. He worries about not practicing the Way; he does not worry about his mind not being spiritual. Let us venture to discuss it: As for the sage and the fool, Yao and Jie, their material pneumas differ, but their nature is constantly one. The nature does not exist apart from the material p ци; the material pneu does not arise apart from the nature. Therefore, the material pneu depends upon the nature, and the nature relies upon the material pneu; the material pneu and the nature have never been contrary to each other. The ancients, having attained the mother, already knew the child; having known the child, they returned to guard the mother, and to the end of life they were not in peril. Thus, the mingling of yin and yang generates the five agents. The nature mounts yin and yang and encounters their mingling; hence there are sages, worthies, benevolent persons, righteous persons, petty persons, and foolish persons. Just as the "Liyun" says: "Man is the virtue of Heaven and Earth, the mingling of yin and yang, the meeting of ghosts and spirits, and the finest pneu of the five agents." A sage attains the complete fullness of yin and yang; a worthy attains the subtlety of yin and yang and the primacy of the five agents; a benevolent or righteous person attains one of the five agents; a petty or foolish person attains the dregs of the five agents; birds and beasts attain that which is subtle among the dregs. The relation of the nature to the material pneu is like fire to firewood: the nature of fire is single in its radiance, but when it burns through grasses and trees, its brightness is never identical. For this reason, those of antiquity who attained the Way did not allow the mind to be enslaved by the pneu, nor the pneu to disturb the mind. When the mind is unmoved, one rectifies the nature and destiny. Thus Lao Dan said: "Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called returning to destiny." Returning to destiny, one marvels at form and progressively arrives at what is neither form nor emptiness. The non-empty is constant non-being and being; form alone is being that is non-constant. Knowing that form, though illusory, is empty, emptiness has never been merely empty. The confused are all trapped by form and obstructed by emptiness. Yet is not form something that can be relied upon? The myriad things are riotously diverse, yet how is this different? Thus, although one's knowledge does not yet equal the sage's, how could the means by which one becomes a sage be deficient? That which is called not-form is the great realm of the myriad things; that which is called not-empty is the great source of the myriad things. Therefore the Three Vehicles perceive equally: when the mind is empty, one enters the Way. Such being the case, one may pass through great disorder without being defiled, and walk in supreme danger without being imperiled; without doing, one is transformed of oneself; without grasping, one is rectified of oneself. Though Heaven and Earth perish, one never worries about an end; though the sun and moon pause, one never worries about exhaustion. Might this not be that toward which the wanderer in the free and easy play of the True Way directs his steps?'

8.4

Proclamation of Mount Xishan

8.5

Master Ziran is a man of the Way from the Western Mountains. He lived in humble circumstances for thirty years, mingling and wandering with old farmers and gardeners, never once using his words to cross worldly affairs. In the early Kangding era, the court sought scholars from the wilderness, and an intimate acquaintance intended to present him via the Way to the Son of Heaven. Master Ziran drew back and departed without looking back. I have an old acquaintance with Master Ziran. Hearing of this, I was puzzled, believing that Master Ziran is a worthy man who ought not to remain unseen. As I thought we were about to part far away and would not be able to converse, I wrote this text to admonish him, saying: “Sir, Master Ziran, you have read books and investigated the Way of Yao and Shun; how can it be right to be selfish when fulfilling your aspirations? One should extend it to all under Heaven and share it with others; only when there is no choice does one retreat to the mountain forests. In the past, Zeng Dian and Yan Yuan delighted in the Way, ending in obscurity without altering their purpose; they did so because the fortune of their times was vastly awry. Now, the ruler of men who unifies all under Heaven possesses the Way; your times, Master Ziran, are surely different. How can one speak of you in the same breath as those two gentlemen? I have often said that the way of the hermit has three kinds: the heavenly hermit, the nominal hermit, and the physical hermit. The physical hermit secretly conceals and deeply hides himself, going away and never returning; he is not fond of worldly affairs and disdains others. Changju and Jieni are such men. The nominal hermit pays no regard to order or disorder, drifting with the times; he is favored by those who comply with official stipends to preserve their lives. Dongfang Manqian and Yang Ziyun are such men. The heavenly hermit has a mind that is neither congealed nor obstructed, nor rigidly bound by affairs, free from dogmatism and obstinacy; he acts when it is permissible to act and stops when it is permissible to stop. He is favored by those who comprehend changes. Grand Duke Wang, Confucius, and Yan Yuan are such men. Sir, Master Ziran, your aspiration lies with Confucius, yet that which you keep to is of the kind of Changju and Jieni. Those men Changju and Jieni were petty and narrow, merely cultivating their own goodness and nourishing themselves, without any mind of concern for all under Heaven; they are not worthy of being associated with. Master Ziran, you ought surely to consider this. Rather than your Way remaining in the mountain forests, how much better if your Way were in all under Heaven? Rather than delighting with apes, monkeys, and deer, how much better to take joy with ruler and minister, father and son? If your aspiration is far-reaching and your integrity great, the reputation made by it will be illustrious, stirring heaven and earth and illuminating ten thousand generations—would that not be magnificent! Consider this, Master Ziran! Go forth, do not hesitate; how could those who know words regard my words as wild?”

8.6

Lament on the Dragon Slayer

8.7

In ancient times there was a dragon slayer named Zhu Pingman, who, misled by what he studied, was reduced to poverty in his day. It is unknown where Pingman came from. His nature was vigorous and firm; considering butchering a chicken or carving an ox insufficient to exhaust his valor, he thought to entrust himself to an extraordinary slaughter to satisfy his intellect. Therefore, exhausting a thousand pieces of gold in wealth, he studied under a master. After three years his study was complete (some texts say: his skill was complete), yet he had nowhere to employ his craft; ruggedly uncompromising in the world, he found nothing to give him credence. It happened that those who slit sheep and slaughtered dogs pranced proudly before him, while market folk pointed and laughed upon seeing him. Alas, Pingman has passed away! Across ten million years, having heard of his wind, I am moved within myself, and so write this text to express his story. The dragon is the essence of pure yang, the most spiritual among scaled creatures; having no fixed form, relying on the spirits and clouds, its transformations are unfathomable. Therefore, it is rarely glimpsed in the human world. Wishing to eliminate its monstrous nature, dispel its violence from rivers and seas, eradicate its physical life, and exterminate its kind—if one were not able to guide the blade through the spaces without thickness, how could intellect meet with spirit and the dragon be slaughtered? I once heard of a realm within the sea whose people are like clouds, riding the wind and mounting the sun, entering and leaving beyond heaven and earth, coming and going without a trace. They cut up dragon flesh to supply their sustenance; thus, slaying dragons is the business of those people. However, while dragon slaying was used in ancient times in their realm, now (in Pingman's day) it has perhaps vanished, almost ceased. Pingman's life and circumstances were different from those people; how could slaying dragons have been appropriate for him? Yet, did Pingman not know that it was not his role? It was because his nature coincided with that Way and he forgot external forms and traces; how could he have had leisure to calculate whether it was of use or no use to the worldly? Now, as a creature, the dragon is indeed spiritual; the art of slaughtering it is something humanly difficult to master. Faced with this, Pingman pursued it resolutely; though impoverished, he would not stop (some texts have 'desist' for 'stop')—this was Pingman's nature, a divine martiality marvelously derived from the courage of the sage! Alas! Dragon slaying was heard of in ancient times; now, across how many generations, has it not appeared once in Pingman's nature? The so-called sages and worthies are truly able to fulfill the nature of man and fulfill the nature of all things. Even sages and worthies have not yet been heard to distinguish Pingman's mind and rectify what he entrusted himself to; how much less could the trivial rabble understand Pingman? Was not the Way of dragon slaying brought to exhaustion? Between the vast six directions, ancient times turn again into the present: the departed are indeed lamentable, and those to come are indeed pitiable!

8.8

Record of the Dragon's Roar

8.9

When I was nineteen years old, I went to Ningfeng Township in my home county and arrived at the dwelling of Daoist Nun Yao. The Daoist nun was an extraordinary woman. Her dwelling was situated on the mountain ridge, and I stayed there for several days. Then I heard a sound from the flank of the mountain by her dwelling, emanating from between the ponds, pounding like the striking of a great bell. There were several such sounds, and at first I found it strange; looking about, there was no bell that could produce sound. Soon after, I asked the Daoist nun about it. The Daoist nun solemnly rose and said: “How marvelous! This is a dragon's roar. Hearing this is a great auspicious sign; you will surely fare well in the future.” When the Daoist nun was a maiden, she once fetched water from a stream and her body was affected by dragon saliva. On the night she was to be betrothed to a man, a dragon light issued from her room; the maiden vanished immediately. Having vanished and returned, she no longer took joy in family life. The villagers considered her divine, and so built a retreat for her to dwell in the mountains. Yet from her youth Maiden Yao kept to pure asceticism and fasting alone. At first, she foretold the good and bad fortunes of the human world, and her predictions were always verified. When I saw her, she was already old, over sixty years of age; her air and appearance were serene, and she no longer spoke of men's fortunes. Wearing a paper cap and cloth clothes, she perched in a high chamber, exclusively reciting Buddhist scriptures; though they were tens of thousands of words, day and night she would finish several fascicles (of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Dharma). In encountering creatures, she was kind and compassionate, so that the people of her village were transformed in harmony. I once asked her from where she had received the scriptures. She said: “When this old woman was young, divine monks frequently came riding upon the void to teach me, that is all.” I thus considered what she called the dragon's roar not to be false. In my reading of books, I have seen many among the ancients who were like this. For instance, when Fang Guan and Xue Lingzhi were of low status dwelling in the mountains, both were said to have heard a dragon's roar; thereafter, Fang indeed became Prime Minister, and Xue reached the post of Prince's Reader-in-Waiting. This was the verification of what they heard. Alas! Although I cannot compare to those two lords, yet in complying with the Way to conduct myself, how could I have betrayed the sages and worthies? Yet in the end, because of propagating the Dharma, I was falsely accused by mediocre men and made an object of disgrace before all under Heaven. Why is it that what was heard was no different, yet what was verified was not the same? What Yao said may be questioned. In my view, the dragon is the emblem of the ruler; could it not be that today all under Heaven is at peace, with glorious renown and cultural refinement flourishing, and encountering such times, I was able to sing of it? This is its verification. If not so, does even a divine dragon ever roar in vain? (One edition reads: "does a dragon ever roar in vain?")

8.10

Explanation of Master Jizi (probably what the master called himself when young, later changing his style to Jizi)

8.11

Jizi is one who studies the Buddha. Because the Way he has attained is tranquil, serene, profound, and wondrous, he is called Jizi. Having cultivated his Buddhist studies, Jizi also took pleasure in studying Confucianism. He studied Confucian books deeply and delighted in literary composition; therefore he was debated by scholars. Students of the Buddha said: "Is Jizi not fickle of mind? Unable to devote himself purely to his Way, why does he engage in such a heterodox mix?" Students of Confucianism said: "Jizi is not truly a Buddhist; he merely lodges his traces within the Dharma of the Śākya clan." Jizi privately considered that both sides failed to understand the matter, and that they must be told. Thereupon he addressed the two guests, saying: "That I take pleasure in Confucianism is simply because I adopt where it accords with our Way and practice it. What Confucianism calls benevolence, righteousness, ritual propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness—how does that differ from our Buddha speaking of compassion, giving, reverence, freedom from conceit, wisdom, and refraining from false speech and frivolous talk? Although their rubrics differ, how could that whereby they establish sincerity, cultivate practice, benefit the world, and instruct people be different? The mind of the sage desires that all people be good, causing them certainly to cast aside sin and evil. If they equally possess a Way to bring people to goodness, would one say: 'Although their goodness is good, because it does not stem from my teaching, I do not consider it good'? How could such a one be called a sage? Therefore, in taking pleasure in Confucianism, I also desire to aspire to the sages' will and join with others in doing good. Furthermore, our Buddha has the myriad practices for the sake of people. Are not the benevolence, righteousness, ritual propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness of contemporary Confucianism precisely the myriad practices set forth by our Buddha? Being part of our myriad practices, what heterodoxy is there?" He further said to them: "Do not take my liking for Confucianism as merely lodging my traces to find an easy accommodation within the Dharma of the Buddhist clan. Though Jizi has no great superiority over others, could I not have kept watch at the gates, struck the clappers, or engaged in the trade of fish, salt, and building walls with beaten earth to accommodate myself? I willingly shaved my hair, renounced what I loved, and did not dare taste pungent or blood foods with my mouth to serve the Buddha, truly because his teaching is vast and his Way is genuinely profound. Using it to cultivate the body, one is pure, abstinent, and disciplined; using it to cultivate the mind, one is upright, tranquil, and free of delusion; using it to extend to others, one turns from evil to good, and those who are good become sincere; using it for life, death, beginning, and end, one penetrates the transformations of ghosts and spirits. Though famished, emaciated, and withered, cast into the weeds, I cannot bear to turn away, precisely because what is preserved within is like this. Now, petty market people take one another as teachers according to the ways of commerce; if there is a single word that benefits their undertakings, they can still bear the virtue of their teacher all their lives. Lowly though Jizi is, am I not worthier than the market folk? To obtain someone's Way, yet through opportunism betray his teaching and treat him as a servant—this, people cannot bear to do. Would Jizi do so? Looking up to Heaven and looking down to Earth, I do not deceive the sages. Guests, please do not speak like this." The two guests had previously debated their teachings with each other. Jizi followed up by instructing them, saying: "Guests, do not dispute. Confucianism and Buddhism are both teachings of the sages. Though where they issue forth differs, they return together to good order. Confucianism represents the great active engagement of the sages; Buddhism represents the great non-action of the sages. That which is active brings order to the world; that which is non-action brings order to the mind. Bringing order to the mind does not engage in worldly affairs; not engaging in worldly affairs, the resolve to treat good as good and evil as evil cannot be applied. Bringing order to the world should engage in worldly affairs; engaging in worldly affairs, the rites of rewarding the good and punishing the evil cannot fail to be raised. When the mind is ordered, this is called the feelings and nature being upright and true. When feelings and nature are upright and true, does this not converge with what is guided and attained through ritual and righteousness? Confucians wish people to rectify their lives through the teaching; Buddhists wish people to rectify their minds through the teaching (some say: wish people to rectify their minds to practice its teaching). The mind penetrates to the spiritual and luminous; the spiritual and luminous cannot be heard or seen in the world. Therefore, those who speak of the spiritual and luminous must explain it through transcendence of the world. Now, being tied to the world while debating transcendence—this is extreme unreflectiveness. Therefore, to bring order to the world, nothing other than Confucianism will do; to bring order to transcendence, nothing other than Buddhism will do." The two guests again debated the trivialities of their teachings at length. Jizi instructed them further, saying: "In dealing with matters, a gentleman should estimate the root to align the branches; then his purpose will always be attained and his words will not err. Now, without examining that by which they constitute teachings, you each debate what teachings you uphold. I have not seen anyone attain it. If you debate their branches, what is not debatable? Guests, let it cease." Thus when Jizi associated with others, he did not court their power, serve their arrogance, or seek their praise. Only with those who comprehended the Way and harmonized with him did he associate; seeing those who babbled and maligned each other, he remained aloof and took no pleasure in following them. Someone asked Jizi: "You seem adept at Buddhism; why not display your Way to reveal it to the world?" Jizi said: "My Way is difficult to express. Spoken of near at hand, it can never be exhausted; spoken of far off, it is always self-possessed. It resides in human beings, penetrates to the spiritual, and reaches the sage; it passes through life, death, and transformation without being lost. It is not easy to speak of it one by one with commoners. If one truly wishes to seek it, one should explore the esoteric writings that Jizi has composed."

8.12

Jizi Explains Arrogance

8.13

Jizi was a recluse of the Hao clan. By nature, he was simple and tranquil, not bothering himself with pedantic formalities. Hence, he was slandered and detested by worldly folk, who in the end mocked him as arrogant and extravagant. At first, Jizi considered worldly talk unworthy of attention; even when clear-sighted peers admonished him, he never followed their instruction. By the time he reached his prime, his cultivation of the Way progressed, yet the slander grew all the more severe, and those who came to admonish him became even more diligent. Jizi sighed wistfully and said: "The world truly has no one who understands me." He then had the admonisher sit down and said to him: "The worldly call me arrogant—is it not because I stand apart and walk alone, not mingling with the world? And is it not because I cannot offer sweet words and compliant expressions to follow the worldly nodding and bowing?" The admonisher said: "It is nothing other than this." Jizi said: "In speaking of the Way, virtue, ritual, and music, the essential thing lies in sincerity; it is not merely adorning one's facial expression and attending to nodding, bowing, and words. I despise worldly etiquette: people merely have reverent appearances and bent bodies, yet if you examine their sincerity, they do not have even one in ten thousand. Internally they deceive themselves; externally they actually deceive others. Therefore, regarding others, I desire sincerity and trust, not focusing solely on words, facial expressions, nodding, and bowing. Among those called human beings, who cannot be engaged with sincerity and trust? When sincerity and trust penetrate, are not even appearances, bows, and yields merely secondary? Long ago, Yan Ziling simply lay in bed in the Han, and Lu Hong refused to bow in the Tang; this was precisely treating the world with sincerity and trust. Do you consider these two gentlemen wrong or right? If one must consider this arrogance, then there is nothing I can do. What the worldly nowadays call respect takes no heed of whether someone is benevolent or base, righteous or unrighteous; wherever power and profit reside, people bow and scrape, scurrying beneath them and willingly serving as drudges without weariness. But if power and profit are absent, even toward the worthy and righteous, they will surely sit arrogantly and glare, strutting about with an overbearing air. The Book of Documents says: 'Arrogant and perverse, while treating the brilliant virtue as upright'—this is what it means. Alas! Such is the conduct of the worldly, yet instead of citing their own faults, they turn around to mock me. It is just like being smeared with filth and laughing at the unclean. Go on your way; do not admonish me further."

8.14

Ten-Thousand-Word Memorial Presented to Emperor Renzong

8.15.1

On the [blank] day of the [blank] month of the [blank] year, Śramaṇa, your subject, Qisong of the Yong'an Aranya at Lingyin in Hangzhou, respectfully braving death, submits this memorial to Your Imperial Majesty: I have heard that not forgetting the Way in poverty is the virtue of scholars; not forgetting righteousness in peril is the virtue of men of purpose. Here is a man who, though lacking such virtue and worth, has never forgotten their way and righteousness. Now wishing to plumb the subtleties of the Sage's Dharma—this is what is meant by not forgetting the Way. Now fearing harm to Your Majesty's governance—this is what is meant by not forgetting righteousness. I am that man. I have observed that throughout ancient and modern times, whenever literature flourished, Confucians used writing to reject Buddhism, so that the Buddha's Way gradually declined, and those who would do good in the world became greatly bewildered. Yet this concerns Your Majesty's governance and edification; if no strenuous effort is made to rescue it, then that Way and edification will be lost. Therefore, living in the mountains, I have privately authored writings to instruct the world. Nevertheless, I also hoped these would be presented to Your Majesty's cinnabar steps; yet my modest sincerity could not move the throne above. I often feared that I would grow old and die in the crags and valleys, running counter to my aspiration. Now, braving the capital penalty of death, I once again embrace my writings and hurry to the foot of your imperial chariot. I truly hope that Your Majesty will perceive that I plan for the Way and not for myself, that I act for the Dharma and not for fame, and will open my writings and glance at them briefly. Even if I must face the executioner's block, I shall have no regrets. The writers of today all say that Buddhism must be rejected and therefore not employed by the world, while honoring the way of the unified monarch and longing for the governance of the Three Dynasties. How can they fail to know that the Buddha's Way accords with the Kingly Way? Now, the Kingly Way is the Imperial Ultimate; the Imperial Ultimate means the Middle Way. And the Buddha's Way is also called the Middle Way. How could it be otherwise? Indeed, to hit the mean and correctness, being neither biased nor perverse, is in broad terms identical to Confucianism; but when it comes to plumbing the principles of things, exhausting the spiritual, and fathoming the wondrous, it differs from the worldly by ten-thousandfold. Therefore, its methods are said to be: according with desires, according with what is fitting, according with antidotes, and according with the primary truth. This is what is meant by its teaching people to practice the Middle Way. As for 'according with desires,' let us set that aside for now. What is called 'according with what is fitting' means that in all matters one must accord with what is appropriate and treat it as appropriate. What is called 'according with antidotes' means treating the good with good methods and treating the evil with evil methods. How far removed are these two from the King's law, which encourages the good with rewards and chastises the evil with punishments? It is only that the Buddha's mind is completely impartial; its sole concern is the goodness of the realm's ways. It does not necessarily love what originates from itself, nor despise what does not originate from itself. Yet sages surely act with spiritual subtlety; who knows whether the Two Emperors and Three Sovereigns were not transformations of the Buddha? Might the Buddha not be the very root of the Two Emperors and Three Sovereigns? The Classic of Poetry says: 'The arrival of the spirits / cannot be fathomed; / how much less can it be dismissed with disdain!' This speaks of how the spiritual is unfathomable. If one has that by which to accord with what is fitting and treat it appropriately, then Your Majesty is the true lord among emperors and kings, and it is fitting to make good the way of emperors and kings. Now Your Majesty devotes your mind to sage decisions, increasingly upholding the Imperial Ultimate to preside over the realm; you employ the worthy and talented, ensuring that affairs of state, whether great or small, find their proper place; commands do not fail in their trustworthiness; institutions and cultural forms do not fail in what is fitting; those who deserve reward are rewarded, and those who deserve punishment are punished. Causing Your Majesty's Yao- and Shun-like virtue and Way to become ever brighter and more vigorous—then the Buddha's Way indeed resides within Your Majesty's body of governance! A sutra states: 'The worldly words and professions of livelihood all accord with the True Dharma.' This is what it refers to. This traces the Sage's profound essence, not merely debating his superficial traces. Yet few men perceive this profound essence, while monks mostly cling fast to the superficial traces. Only Your Majesty is a sage who observes both the profound and the superficial. I hope Your Majesty will reveal this profound essence so that Confucians may understand it, and clarify these superficial traces so that monks may comprehend them. The traces belong to the teaching, while the essence belongs to the Way. Without the Way, the teaching has no root; without the teaching, the Way cannot be manifested. Therefore, the teaching and the Way depend upon each other. In the past, Emperor Dezong of the Tang longed for its Way but did not uphold its teaching; this was not truly knowing the Way. Emperor Yizong was mired in its teaching and did not embody its Way; this was not truly knowing the teaching. Emperor Wuzong despised Buddhism, showing that he understood neither its teaching nor its Way. I have privately observed Your Majesty's writings praising and reciting the Buddha vehicle; Your Majesty can truly be called profoundly enlightened regarding the Buddha's teaching and Way. Yet among scholars there are some who do not understand that Your Majesty's sage virtue is like this; how thoughtless they are! The 'Great Plan' states: 'Assemble in the ultimate, and return to the ultimate.' This summarizes what is meant by 'the sovereign sets up his supreme standard.' It clarifies that the Kingly Way takes only the Great Middle as its standard, necessarily having no faction, no bias, no deflection, and no deviation. Bringing together those who possess the Middle Way, they all return to that Middle Way. The method of the Spring and Autumn Annals honors the central lands and disdains the barbarian tribes. In that era, even if a feudal lord belonged to the central lands, if he lost his righteousness, he was treated as a barbarian; even if one was a barbarian, if he attained righteousness, he was treated as belonging to the central lands. This too was Confucius's application of the Great Middle Way. Thus the commentary says: 'The gentleman, in dealing with the realm, has no absolute predetermined inclination nor refusal; he sides with what is right.' Righteousness is principle. The sage merely takes what accords with principle as correct; how could it be otherwise? Why then do modern scholars not examine the purport of the 'Great Plan' and the Spring and Autumn Annals, or weigh the words of Zhongni to formulate their discourses? Why do their choices and rejections conflict so sharply with the sage's methods, merely wishing to long blindly for the Three Dynasties while excluding Buddhism? In the time of the Three Dynasties, the people were initially suited to be governed by a single teaching; therefore, that single teaching alone was used. After the Three Dynasties, a single teaching could no longer manage to govern the people; could it be that Heaven brought in the Buddhist teaching to govern together with it? Now, regarding that in which the world cannot be deceived, nothing is greater than the juncture between Heaven and mankind. If one wishes to clarify this today, there is no better way than to test it against Heaven and mankind. Buddhism has been transmitted to the Hua-Xia realms for nearly a thousand years. Whenever its teachings have been upheld, Heaven, Earth, ghosts, and spirits have surely complied with them, and the common people have followed them; those who have been deeply moved and grandly transformed have grown ever more numerous. These events, witnessed and heard from ancient times to the present, can all be listed item by item and counted. All that are called 'teachings' were established by ancient sages in accordance with the seasons of Heaven and what was suited to the people, in order to save the world and govern it. Now the mind of the sage should be identical to the mind of Heaven: it consists simply in pursuing people so that they do not fall into evil. How could it be restricted to just one or two teachings? Does the Book of Documents not state: 'The practice of goodness differs, but they all converge in good governance'? Yet the commentators of today do not plumb the profound and far-reaching reasons for which these teachings were established.

8.15.2

They merely see that his followers do not engage in worldly affairs, leave their families and flee, cast off their physical bodies, and do not personally produce their clothing and food; regarding this as bizarre and far removed from common custom, they criticize it deeply and sharply. They merely hate freckles and dark spots as an affliction, but do not see that the sickness of the pulse is profound. Dark spots do nothing more than alter the skin; when the sickness of the pulse is extremely profound, it cuts off a person's life. Now, the Sage leads them to sever affection and love, and to entrust their bodies beyond the mundane world, wishing that they preserve the ultimate root of nature and life in order to cure the great disease of birth and death; this is what is called treating that which transcends the world. It is as Laozi said: 'The reason I have great calamity is that I have a body; when I have no body, what calamity do I have?' Nowadays, people do not express the slightest gratitude for its ability to cure this great affliction for the realm; instead, they invariably compare it to worldly teachings and criticize it. This is also because their insight has not penetrated. Moreover, I have heard that in all things, that which takes form is easy to see, while that which lies in principle is difficult to perceive. For what takes form is conspicuous, while what pertains to principle is subtle and obscure. Although the present teachings of the Buddha bring vast benefits to worldly affairs in great abundance, because their principles are profound and mysterious, few scholars are able to see them. Although I am unworthy of understanding them, let me now venture to deduce their broad outlines, presenting them straightforwardly to Your Majesty, in the hope that Your Majesty will deign to impart them to instruct the scholars of the world; that would be the greatest good fortune for life and death. I have heard that the essence of the Buddha's Dharma lies in people rectifying their minds. If one's mind is truly rectified, then its Way is supreme and its virtue is abundant. For in what it expounds, passions and nature are distinguished, and the true and the false are examined. Today, if Your Majesty nurtures sincerity through Great Harmony and embraces the realm with benevolence, grace, ritual, and righteousness, then although Your glorious excellence has already proven efficacious, if You rectify Your mind through the Buddha's Dharma, Your Way and virtue will become ever more full and flourishing. The sutra says: 'The wondrous, pure, and luminous mind natures all minds.' This is what it means. In the past, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang initially enlisted the followers of the Buddha and Laozi to perceive the nature through non-action, and thereupon became pure of himself, engaging in cultivation and perfume; thus, during the Kaiyuan era, the realm was well ordered for thirty years, richly possessed of the style of the Zhenguan reign, and the Son of Heaven lived to the age of seventy-eight, enjoying the state for forty-five years. How could one know that this was not due to the Buddha's Dharma assisting his Way and virtue in this way? Emperor Wu of the Liang kept the fasts and maintained purity surpassing that of eminent monks, and he also enjoyed the throne for nearly fifty years; the Jiangbiao region enjoyed modest prosperity, and his lifespan was exceptionally long. This is also proof of the Buddha's Dharma assisting government. If the Tang emperor had not indulged his passions and the Liang emperor had not become excessively humble, if both had known men and employed them, and had been cautious in their virtue from beginning to end, would they not have been completely good and completely beautiful? Yet these are matters upon which Your Majesty has long set Your mind; that which secretly assists Your Majesty's sagacious wisdom is what Your Majesty knows and attains of Yourself. How could it rely on the words of a mere wood-gatherer? Nevertheless, the reason I must set this forth at length is in the hope that Your Majesty will issue an edict to show it to scholars, so that they may know that the Buddha's Dharma benefits the Way and virtue of sovereigns in this manner. Furthermore, I have heard that the Buddha's Dharma takes the promotion of good and the cessation of evil as its primary principle. This is also what benefits Your Majesty's transformative teachings the most. Please allow me to test and compare them. Today, in our realm and state, prefectures establish schools and districts set up academies in order to arouse transformative teachings. The discourses of the Odes, Documents, ritual, and righteousness are practiced among the people, wishing that their good deeds will increase day by day and hoping that villainy and evil will not sprout in their hearts. Officials and teachers are further relied upon to proclaim government and transformation, and the flourishing of literary scholars cannot be surpassed even by the Three Dynasties or the Two Han Dynasties. Yet in the homes of the village lanes and rural hamlets, there are still people with ears who have never heard the sounds of the Odes and Documents, and with mouths that do not speak the words of ritual and righteousness; how could there be a limit to such people? Furthermore, they are accustomed to hearing what the Buddha taught—that doing good brings about fortune, and doing evil brings about guilt; guilt extends to the ghosts and spirits, while fortune extends through birth and death. From the foolishness of men and women, husbands and wives below, up to the ranks of the worthy and wise above, there are few who are not transformed by this. Restraining themselves, observing the fasts, releasing life, and stopping killing, whether for days, months, or years, or cultivating their bodies, chanting Buddhist sutras—within the four seas of the realm, it pervades almost all the neighborhoods and garrisons. Meanwhile, there are not a few whose hearts have repented and whose conduct has changed, who practice benevolence, compassion, filial piety, incorruptibility, deference, obedience, truthfulness, and sincerity. These are matters that the ears and eyes of both past and present constantly encounter. If one were to visit house to house and door to door and observe them in this way, I fear they would constitute no less than half the realm. Although the starting point of their practice differs from that of the Ruists, as for entering goodness and achieving good order, how does it differ from what is brought about by the Odes, Documents, ritual, and righteousness? What is meant by 'benefiting Your Majesty's transformative teachings the most' is precisely this. The Book of Tang says: 'Although it is a teaching from a foreign land, it does not harm the source of principle.' This is what it means. Moreover, I have heard that the Dharma of the Buddha uses the five precepts and ten good deeds to teach and guide the worldly, meaning that the cultivation of the five precepts is that by which one becomes a human, and the cultivation of the ten good deeds is that by which one is born in heaven. If one does not regulate either of these two and gives free rein to one's mind in the ten evils, not only will one fail to reach the realms of devas and humans, but one's spirit will subsequently sink into fallen places. Today, the people of the realm who cultivate themselves through the five precepts and ten good deeds are already numerous. In general, following good leaves no room for evil; when there is no evil, punishments need not be troubled. Today, because people follow the precepts and virtues so that Your Majesty's penal laws need not be troubled, how could the realm claim there is no benefit? This is realized of itself without investigation. And in the commanderies and districts throughout the realm, punishments are sometimes curtailed and prisons are sometimes emptied; how could one know that this is not due to hidden assistance? He Shangzhi of the Song said to his ruler: 'If one can practice one good deed, then one evil is eliminated; when one evil is eliminated, one punishment is halted. When one punishment is halted in a family, ten thousand punishments are halted in the state. Thus Your Majesty's words about sitting back and bringing about Great Peace are true.' Indeed, that the Buddha's Dharma can reduce punishments and prisons for Your Majesty is also like this. Furthermore, I have heard that the Buddha is a person of spiritual, divine, and sagacious wisdom, whom the ancients called a 'great and fathomless person.' Birth, death, and transformations left him unperturbed, and birth and death could not transform him. This is because the Way he attained was supremely wondrous; it was more wondrous than heaven, earth, ghosts, and spirits, and heaven, earth, ghosts, and spirits praised it. As a sage, he was also different from what the world calls a sage. Fan Ye's Treatise on the Western Regions states: 'The place where the divine and sagacious descend and gather, the place where the worthy and noble are born.' Pei Xiu also said: 'We know that the Buddha is a great sage, and his teaching has inconceivable matters.'

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鐔津文集 — Classical Chinese