鐔津文集 8.3

8.3

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?'