法苑珠林 55.57

55.57

方外對曰。若夫事君親而盡節。雖殺身而稱仁。虧忠孝而偷存。徒全膚而非義。論美見危而致命。禮防臨難而苟免。何得一概而避死傷。雷同而顧膚髮。割股納肝為傷甚矣。𩮜鬚落髮其毀微焉。立忠不顧其命。論者莫之咎。求道不愛其毛。何獨以為過。湯恤蒸民尚焚軀以祈澤。墨敦兼愛欲磨足而至頂。況夫上為君父深求福利。鬚髮之毀何足顧哉。且夫聖人之教。有殊途而同歸。君子之道。或反經而合義。則太伯其人也。廢在家之就養。託採藥而不歸。棄中國之服章。依剪髮以為飾。反經悖禮莫甚於斯。然而仲尼稱之曰。太伯可謂至德矣。其何故也。雖迹背君親。而心忠於家國。形虧百越而德全乎三讓。故太伯棄衣冠之制。而無損於至德。沙門捨搢紳之容。亦何傷於妙道。雖易服改貌違臣子之常儀。而信道歸心願君親之多福。苦其身意修出家之眾善。遺其君父以歷劫之深慶。其為忠孝不亦多乎。謂善沙門為不忠未之信矣。

The One Beyond the World replied: “If in serving one’s lord and parents one exhausts one’s integrity, though one dies, it is called benevolence; if one violates loyalty and filial piety to cling shamefully to life, merely keeping one's skin intact is unrighteous. The Analects praises giving up one's life when seeing danger; the Rites guards against illicit escape when confronting hardship. How can one uniformly shun death and injury, or blindly cling to skin and hair? Slicing the thigh and offering the liver are extreme injuries; shaving the beard and hair is a trifling alteration. When one establishes loyalty without regard for life, commentators find no fault with it; when one seeks the Way without begrudging one's hair, why consider it alone a transgression? Tang took pity on the multitude and would even have burnt his body to pray for rain; Mozi promoted universal love and was willing to wear his body down from head to heel. How much more so when one deeply seeks blessings and benefits for one's lord and father above—how could the alteration of beard and hair be worth begrudging? Furthermore, in the teachings of the sages there are different paths that lead to the same end; in the Way of the gentleman, one may sometimes deviate from normal rules to accord with righteousness. Taibo was such a man: he abandoned caring for his parents at home, pretending to gather herbs and not returning; he discarded the clothing and insignia of the Central State, cutting his hair as an adornment. Deviating from standard rules and violating ritual could not be more extreme than this. Yet Zhongni praised him, saying: ‘Taibo may indeed be said to have possessed the supreme virtue.’ What was the reason? Though in his outer traces he turned his back on his lord and parents, in his heart he was loyal to his family and state; though his body was marred among the Baiyue, his virtue was perfected through his three declinations. Thus Taibo discarded the customs of robes and caps without harming supreme virtue; how does a śramaṇa's relinquishing the appearance of the gentry harm the wondrous Way? Though changing robes and altering appearance violates the ordinary deportment of subjects and sons, having faith in the Way and taking refuge in one’s heart, they pray for abundant blessings for their lord and parents. By afflicting their bodies and minds to cultivate the manifold good deeds of the monastic life, they bequeath deep celebrations spanning kalpas to their lords and fathers. Are not their loyalty and filial piety abundant? To say that good śramaṇas are disloyal is truly unbelievable.”