法苑珠林 55.48

55.48

方外對曰。夫由余出自西戎。輔秦穆以開霸業。日磾生於北狄。侍漢武而除危害。臣既有之師亦宜爾。何必取同俗而捨其異方乎。師以道大為尊。無論於彼此。法以善高為勝。不計於遐邇。豈得以生於異域而賤其道。出於遠方而棄其寶。

The One Beyond the World replied: “Youyu came from the Western Rong, yet he assisted Duke Mu of Qin in establishing his hegemony. Jin Ridi was born among the Northern Di, yet he served Emperor Wu of the Han and eradicated peril. Since there are such cases among ministers, the same is surely true for teachers! Why must one accept only those of the same customs and reject those from foreign lands? A teacher is revered for the greatness of his Way, regardless of whether he belongs to here or there; the Dharma is supreme for the sublimity of its goodness, without reckoning whether it comes from far or near. How can one disdain the Way merely because it was born in a foreign realm, or discard the treasure merely because it emerged from a distant land?