三教平心論 2.18

2.18

Furthermore, he said: "Emperor Xianzong sought fortune yet met with disaster." Yet he failed to reflect that that which occurs without anyone doing it is Heaven, and that which arrives without anyone bringing it about is destiny. The Confucians call it the Mandate of Heaven; the Buddhists call it fixed karma (niyatavipāka). These are indeed unavoidable destinies. How could they be caused merely by the good and evil of the present moment? That the Robber Zhi died in old age while Zilu was minced into meat was not because the Confucian teaching is unverifiable. Furthermore, he said, "The Buddha is a great calamity for China." Yet he failed to reflect that while Confucians indeed transform China with the good, would the Buddha ever teach China with evil? Their ways of doing good differ, but they arrive together at good order; both are undeniable truths. What calamity could there possibly be? That heavenly and human beings turn toward him and ghosts and spirits revere him must bring great benefit to them. Generally speaking, his disparagement of Buddhism was modeled on [Han] Yu, and his conduct in life was likewise modeled on Yu: calling out his name in the imperial court and raising his voice to plead for imperial grace was just like Han Yu's presenting three memorials; taking the lead in proposing the Prince Pu debate and causing an uproar in public opinion was just like Han Yu's petitioning for the feng and shan sacrifices; in old age, sorrowful and grieving, looking back with anxious concern—as Zhang Wujin said, looking at Xiu's letters, he chattered incessantly in self-pity over old age and illness, and though dwelling in riches and nobility, he was distressingly ill at ease, displaying the very same outlook as Han Yu's failure to comprehend the Mandate of Heaven, seeking immortals and praying to spirits. In the Tang History he compiled, the gems did not cover the flaws; as Zhang Wujin said, he made arbitrary praise and blame based on personal conjectures, and Wu Zhen pointed out more than two hundred errors in it, showing the very same mindset as Han Yu's unbridled writing that contained quite a few fallacious arguments. Vehemently and fiercely he rejected Buddhism, yet in his late years he styled himself a 'layman' (jushi). Later, when he saw the Alternative Biography of Han Yu, he wrote a postscript to it, saying: "When I was an official in Langya, someone showed me the Alternative Biography of Han Tuizhi. Reading and chanting it repeatedly, I came to know that Dadian was indeed no ordinary man. I had always been distressed by the prominence of Buddhism and admired Tuizhi's assertions, but when I observed Dadian's words, I knew that Zihou had not gone too far." Having rejected Buddhism and yet later embraced it, his turnabout was identical to Han Yu's associating with Dadian, seeing off Gaoxian, and praising Ma Hui. Their fellowship in the Way and alignment in thought were such that calling him the 'Han Yu of today' is truly warranted!