top page

Array of Critiques Against Buddhism

Bulssi Japbyeon 佛氏雜辨

By Jeong Dojeon

Translated from the Hanmun Text

By Charles Muller

Table of Contents

1. Critique of the Buddhist Doctrine of Transmigration 佛氏輪迴之辨   [SBJ 1.75c]

人物之生生而無竆乃天地之化、 運行而不已 者也。原夫太極有動靜而陰陽生。陰陽有變合而五行具於是。無極太極之眞、陰 陽五行之精、妙合而凝、人物生生焉。其已生者、徃而過。未生者來而續、其間 不容一息之停也。佛之言曰人死、精神不滅、隨復受形。於是輪迴之說興焉。

The unending production and reproduction of human beings, along with the transformations of heaven and earth, operate continually without break. Originally the great polarity has motion and stillness, which generates yin and yang. Yin and yang undergo changes and recombination, and within this, the five phases are contained. The reality of the non-polarity and great polarity, and the germinative essence of yin/yang and the five phases mysteriously combine and congeal, and human beings are produced and reproduced. That which has once been born, goes away. That which is not yet born comes forth and continues, without a moment's interruption. The Buddha says that when people die their spirit is not annihilated, and they subsequently take on [new] form. The theory of transmigration starts with this.1

易曰、「原始反終故知生死」又曰 「精氣爲物 游魂爲變」 先儒解之曰、天地之化、雖 生生不竆、然而聚必有散、有生必有死。能原其始而知其聚之生、則必知其後之 必散而死。能知其生也、 得於氣化之自然。初無精神寄寓於太虛之中、則知其 死也、與氣而倶散無復更有形象。尚畱於冥漠之内。

The Yijing says: "[The sage] traces things to their beginning, and follows them to their end; thus he understands birth and death. [The union of] essence and breath form things, and the wandering away of the soul produces the change [of their constitution]." 2 An earlier scholar explained it by saying that even though the changes of heaven and earth are produced again and again without cease, what is gathered must [eventually] be scattered, and where there is birth, there must be death. If you are able to trace back to the origin and know the birth-taking that is gathering, they you will also necessarily know that subsequently there must be scattering and death. If you are able to know the way of taking birth, then you gain [understanding of] the natural course of the changes in pneuma. Since there are from the start no spirits hanging out in the great void, you can know that in the death [of beings] they are separated from their vital force, and there is no subsequent taking on of form. How could there be such a thing as abiding in a state of limbo? 3

又曰、精氣爲物、游魂爲變」天地陰陽之氣交 合便成人物。到得魂氣歸于天、 體魄歸于地。便是變了。精氣爲物、是合精與氣 而成物。精魄而氣魂也。游魂爲變。變則是魂魄相離。游散而變 變非變化之變。 旣是變、則堅者腐、 存者兦、更無物也。天地間如烘爐。雖生物、皆銷鑠已盡。 安有已散者復合、而已徃者復來乎。

Again [the commentator] says: "[The union of] germinative essence and vital force forms things, and the wandering away of the soul produces the change [of their constitution]," [which means that] the vital forces of heaven-and-earth and yin-yang combine and directly bring forth human beings. Having completed this, the vital force of the hun soul returns to heaven, and the bodily po soul returns to earth.4 Then these are once again fully transformed. As for the germinative essence and the vital force becoming beings, this means that the germinative essence and vital force combine to produce beings. The germinative essence is po, and the vital force is hun. [When the classics say] "the wandering away of the soul produces the change [of their constitution]," "transformation" here means that the hun and po souls separate from each other. It is a transformation of wandering away and dispersal. This "transformation" is not the kind of changing transformation [taught in Buddhism]. Once this kind of transformation occurs, then that which is solid decomposes, and that which exists, disappears, never to return as a living being. The space between heaven and earth is like an oven. Even though there are living things, they are all eventually burnt away. How can you possibly say that that which has been dispersed is again joined, and that which has gone away can return?

今且 驗之吾身、一呼一吸之間。氣一出焉、 謂之一息。其呼而出者、非吸而入之也。然則人之氣息亦生生不竆。而徃者過、 來者續之理可見也。外而驗之於物、凡草木自根而幹而枝而葉而華實、一氣通貫。 當春夏時、其氣滋至而華葉暢茂。至秋冬其氣收斂而華葉衰落。至明年春夏又復 暢茂。非已落之葉、返本歸源而復生也。

We can also test this concept in the case of our own bodies, in the space of a single inhalation and exhalation. When air goes out, we call it "one breath." But that which goes out in one exhalation is not what is taken in with the next inhalation. In this way then, the respiration of people is continually produced without end. The principle of the departing of that which goes forth, and the continuation of that which comes in can be seen in this. We can also test this on other living things in the world. In all kinds of vegetation, a single vital force penetrates from the roots through the trunk, the branches, the leaves, flowers and fruits. During the spring and summer, this vital force peaks in its activity, and flowers and leaves are abundant. Reaching fall and winter, the vital force contracts, and the flowers and leaves fall away. When the spring and summer of the next year arrive, they again grow apace. But it is not the case that the fallen leaves return to their roots — back to their origin to be reborn.

又井中之水朝朝而汲之爨飮食者、火煑而盡之。 濯衣服者、日曝[actually日*曓=]而乾之、泯然無跡。井中之泉、源源而出、無 有竆盡。非已汲之水返其故處而復生也。且 百穀之生也。春而種十石、秋而收百石。以至千萬其利倍蓰、是百穀亦生生也。

When we draw water from a well each morning to boil for cooking and drinking, it is eventually boiled away. When we wash our clothes and put them out to dry in the sun, the water disappears completely without a trace. The water in the well is drawn out continuously, but it never runs out. Yet it is not the case that that the water returns to its original place and is reborn.5 There is also the case of the grains that we farm. In the spring we plant ten bushels, and in the fall we gather one hundred bushels. We can keep going like this, multiplying the yield until we reach one hundred thousand [bushels]. So these grains are also produced again and again.

今以佛氏輪迴之說觀之、凡有血氣者、自有定 數來來去去 無復增損。然則天地之造物、反不如農夫之生利也。且血氣之屬不 爲人類。則爲鳥獸魚鼈昆蟲其數有定。此蕃則彼必耗矣。此耗則彼必蕃矣。不應 一時倶蕃、一時倶耗矣。

Now if we look at it from the point of view of the Buddhist theory of transmigration, all animate creatures come and go in fixed numbers—there is never any increase or decrease [in the total]. But if this is the case, then the creation of living in beings by heaven and earth is not like the profitable work of the farmer. Also, these animate creatures do not become human beings. This being the case then the total number of all of the birds, fish and insects is also fixed. That means that if one increases in number, the other must decrease. Or if one decreases in number, the other must increase. It should not be the case that all simultaneously increase, or that all simultaneously decrease.6

自今觀之當盛世、人類蕃庶、當鳥獸魚鼈昆蟲 亦蕃庶。當衰世、人物耗損鳥獸魚鼈昆蟲亦耗損。是人與萬物皆爲天地之氣所生。 故氣盛則一時蕃庶。 氣衰則一時耗損明矣。予憤佛氏輪迴之說惑世尤甚。 幽而質諸天地之化、明而驗諸人物之生 得 其說如是此。與我同志者、幸共鑑焉。

From the present point of view [however], during times of prosperity, the population of human beings increases, and at the same time, the population of the birds, beast, sea-creatures and insects also increases. During a period of decline, the population of human beings decreases, as does the population of the birds, beasts, sea-creatures, and insects. This is because human beings and the myriad things are all born from the vital force of heaven and earth. Therefore, when the vital force is waxing, then [the number of all things] increases simultaneously. When the vital force is on the wane, [the number of all things] decreases simultaneously. I have had it with the Buddhist's teaching of transmigration, which is nothing but a hideous deception to the people of the world. If we deeply fathom all the transformations of heaven and earth, and clearly examine the production of human beings, then we cannot but understand it as I have explained here. For those who share my views, it would be best to reflect on this together.

2. Critique of the Buddhist Notion of Karma 佛氏因果之辨

或曰、吾子辨佛氏輪迴之說至矣。子言人物皆 得陰陽五行之氣以生。今夫人則有智愚贒不肖貧富貴賤壽夭之不同。物則有爲人 所逐畜役勞苦、至死而不辤者。有未免網羅釣弋之害、大小強弱之自相食者。天 之生物、一賦一與。何其偏而不均如是耶。以此而言、釋子所謂生時所作善惡皆 有報應者、不其然乎。且生時所作善惡、是 之謂因。 佗日報應、是之謂果。此其說不亦有所據歟。

Some say "Your criticism of the Buddhist notion of transmigration is extreme. You claim that human beings and the [myriad] creatures are born through the reception of the vital forces of yin/yang and the five phases." Well, in people there are the inequalities of wise and foolish, capable and incapable, poor and rich, noble and low-class, longevity and short life. In the case of the animals, there are those that are captured, raised as livestock, and made to suffer in labor, without remittance until their death. There are some that cannot escape the angler's and fowler's nets, the fisherman's hook or the hunter's arrow. The large and small, strong and weak eat, or are eaten by each other. In heaven's creation of the creatures, each receives its own lot. How can there be such a situation of inequality as this? With this in mind, are not the Buddha's teachings of the attainment of birth as a result of the good and evil actions of prior lifetimes on the mark? Those good and evil activities that one carries out in this life are called "causes." The rewards that appear at a later date, these are called the "fruits." 7 Doesn't this explanation seem reasonable?

曰、予於上論人物生生之理悉矣。知此則輪迴之說自辨矣。輪迴 之說辨則因果之說不辨而自明矣、然子旣有問焉。予敢不推本而重言之。夫所謂陰陽五 行者、交運迭行參差不齊。故其氣也、有通塞偏正淸濁厚薄高下長短之異焉。

[I answer by] saying that I have explained the matter in full in the above discussion on the continuous production of humans and things. Once you grasp my point, you cannot but be critical of the theory of transmigration. And even though the critique of the theory of transmigration [is properly grasped] then the [shortcomings of] the theory of karma are self-evident without any special effort at critique—you still ask this question? I take the prerogative of not repeating my explanation from the beginning again. Now, [in the activity of] yin/yang and the five phases, the twists of fate and the alternations in patterns are uneven and unequal. Therefore in their related vital force, there are differences of free flow and congestion, imbalance and balance, purity and pollution, substantiality and insipidity, high and low, long and short.

而人物之生、適當其時、得其正且通者爲人。 得其偏且塞者爲物。人與物之貴賤於此焉分。又在於人、得其淸者智且贒。 得 其濁者愚不肖。 厚者富而薄者貧。高者貴而下者賤。長者壽而短者夭。此大略 也、雖物亦 然。若麒麟龍鳳之爲靈、虎狼 虵虺之爲毒、椿桂芝蘭之爲瑞、烏喙堇荼之爲苦。是皆就於偏塞之中而又有善惡 之不同。

And in the production of humans and animals, if the timing is right, they obtain free flow and balance, becoming a human. If they end up with congestion and imbalance, they become animals. The respective nobility and wretchedness of humans and animals is differentiated in this. Furthermore, while existing as a human, those who attain purity are the wise and the adept. Those who end up being polluted are the foolish and the inadept. Those with thick [in virtue] attain wealth and those [whose virtue] is insipid end up in poverty. The high are ennobled and the low are miserable. The long are long-lived and the short die young. This discussion is greatly abbreviated, yet the case is the same with the things of the natural world. The Qilin, dragons, and phoenix are spiritual, while the tigers, wolves and snakes are poisonous. The camellia, cassia, iris, and epidendrum are auspicious, while the crow, {long-beaked animals? 喙}, poisonous herbs, and cogongrass bring suffering. Although these all lie in the category of the congested and imbalanced, there are still inequalities in relative good and evil.

然皆非有意而爲之。易曰、「乾、道變化各定 性命」。先儒曰、天道無心而普萬物是也。今夫醫卜小數也。卜者定人之禍福、 必推本於五行之衰旺。至曰某人以木爲命。當春而旺、當秋而衰。其象貌靑而長。 其心慈而仁。某人以金爲命。吉於秋而漕[probably=凶]於夏。其象貌白而方。 其心剛而明。曰水、曰火。莫不皆然。而象貌之醜陋 心識之愚暴。 亦皆本於五 行稟賦之偏。

Yet they do not become so by their own will. The Changes say: "Qian: The Way transforms, determining the constitution of each thing." 8 An earlier scholar said: "This indicates that Heaven's Way is distributed to the myriad things without awareness." [The same principle can be seen expressed] in the minor arts of the physicians and fortunetellers. When the fortune tellers determine people's ill and good destinies, they must inevitably trace back to the basis in the rise and fall of the five phases. For example, some people's destinies are determined by the phase of wood. In the spring they will flourish, and in the autumn they will decline. Their appearance tends to be green and tall, and their hearts tend to be warm and compassionate. Other people's destinies are determined by the phase of metal. They do well in the autumn and falter in the summer. Their appearance tends to be whitish and square, their minds are strong and bright. The same sorts of examples can be made from [the phases of] water and fire—there is no place where they do not have application. Also, ugliness in appearance, and coarseness and dullness of mind are also rooted in imbalances in the endowments gotten from the five phases.

醫者診人之疾病、又必推本於五行之相感。乃 曰某之病寒乃腎水之證。某之病溫乃心火之 證之類、是也。其命藥也、以其性之溫涼寒熱。味之酸醎甘苦分屬陰陽五行而劑 之、無不符合。此吾儒之說以人物之生、爲得於陰陽五行之氣者。明有左驗無可 疑矣。

When physicians are diagnosing people's sickness, they also must investigate to the root causes of the mutual influences of the five agents. This can be seen in the fact that sicknesses related to cold will be related to the water-based kidneys, and the sicknesses of heat will be related to the fire-based heart.9 The prescriptions given for treatment are adapted to the various natures of warm and cool, cold and hot, assigning tastes of salty and sour, sweet and bitter, which are in turn, categories related to the five agents. In this, there are no [remedies] that are not perfectly matched [to the disease and personal constitution]. This is what our Confucian teachers mean when they say that the production of people and things occurs based on the attainment of the vital forces through yin/yang and the five agents. This is supported by direct testimony that is beyond reproach.

信如佛氏之說、則人之禍福疾病無與於陰陽五 行 而皆出於因果之報應。何無一人、捨吾儒所謂陰陽五行、而以佛氏所說因果 報應、定人禍福診人疾病歟。其說荒唐謬誤、無足取信如此。子尚惑其說歟。

If you follow the explanations of the Buddhists, then fortune and misfortune, and sickness are unrelated to yin/yang and the five agents. Instead, all are manifested as the karmic retribution. [If this is so,] why is it that not a single person has abandoned our Confucian yin/yang-five agents paradigm, and adopted the Buddhist theory of karmic results, when it comes to the divination of fortune/misfortune, and the diagnosis of disease? Their theories are wild, empty and error-laden, and not worth being adopted. How can you allow yourself to be deceived by such teachings?!

3. Critique of the Buddhist Theory of Mind and Nature 佛氏心性之辨  

心者、人所得於天以生之氣。虛靈不昧以主於 一身者也。性者、人所得於天以生之理。純粹至善、以具於一心者也。葢心有知 有爲、性無知無爲。故曰心能盡性、性不能知檢其心。又曰心綂情性。又曰心者、 神明之舍。性則其所具之理。觀此心性之辨可知矣。

The mind is the pneuma that the human being takes from Heaven at birth. It is spiritually subtle and undarkened10 , and takes its position as lord of a single body. The nature is the principle that the human being takes from Heaven at birth. It is pure and perfectly good—the endowment of a single mind. The mind possesses both awareness and activity, while the nature possesses neither awareness nor activity. Therefore it is said that the mind is able to fathom the nature, but the nature is not able to take stock of the mind. It is also said that the mind encompasses the emotions and the natures. The mind is also said to be the abode of the spiritual luminosity, while the nature is the principle with which it is endowed. Observing this, the distinctions between the mind and nature should be understood!

彼佛氏以心爲性、求其說而不得。乃曰迷之則 心、悟之則性。又曰心性之異名。猶眼目之殊稱。至楞嚴曰圓妙明心明妙圓性[ Interlinear Note:按楞嚴經曰、汝等遺失本妙圓妙明心、寶明妙性。認悟中迷言。心 則從妙起明。圓融照了。如鏡之光、故曰圓明妙心。性則卽明而妙。寂然寂湛、 如鏡之體。故曰寶明妙性。 ]以明與圓分而言之。

The Buddhists take the mind to be the nature. But if you examine their theory thoroughly, it doesn't add up. They furthermore say that delusion is none other than the mind, and that awakening is none other than the nature. They also say that "mind" and "nature" are synonymous, just like the words yan and mu.11 And even the Śūraṃgama-sūtra says: "Complete, marvelous, luminous mind; luminous, marvelous, complete nature." [ Interlinear Note:This is a reference to the passage in the Śūraṃgama-sūtra that says: "You have abandoned the originally marvelous and completely marvelous luminous mind, the jeweled luminous marvelous nature. In the midst of the witnessing of awakening, you speak deludedly." ( (T 945.19.110c24) ) In the case of the mind it is from its marvelousness that the luminosity arises. It is completely interfused, and its illumination is complete. Its illumination is like that of a mirror, and therefore it is called the complete, luminous, marvelous mind. In the case of the nature, then it is simultaneously luminous and marvelous. It is silent and profound, like the essence of the mirror. Therefore it is called "jeweled luminous marvelous nature." ] They are named by discriminating luminosity from completeness.

普照曰、心外無佛 性外無法又以佛與法分而 言之、似略有所見矣。然皆得於想象髣髴之中、而無豁然眞實之見。其說多爲遊 辭而無一定之論; 其情可得矣。吾儒之說曰、盡心知性。 此本心以竆理也。

Bojo [the noted Seon master Jinul] said: "Outside of the mind there is no Buddha" 12 and "outside of the nature there is no dharma." 13 This also explains a distinction in terms of Buddha and dharma, seeming to indicate that there is [a distinction] to be seen. Yet this is all done based on nebulous supposition, rather than on explicit facts. The teachings of the Buddhists have lots of word play, but lack a definitive doctrine, and so their actual position can be understood. Our Confucian teachers say, "exhaust your mind to understand the nature." 14 Here the original mind is used to fathom a profound principle.

佛氏之說曰、觀心見性、心卽性也。是別以一 心見此一心。心安有二乎哉。彼亦自知其說之竆。從而遁之曰、以心觀心如以口 齕口。當以不觀觀之、此何等語歟。

The Buddha's teaching says, "observe the mind and see the nature," 15 and "mind is none other than the nature." 16 " This means that you use a separate one mind to observe this one mind. But how can a person have two minds? From this we can also readily know the impoverishment of their theories. We can sum it up by saying that using one's mind to observe the mind is like using the mouth to eat the mouth. What kind of nonsense is this to say that we will use the unobserving to observe?!

且吾儒曰、方寸之間 虛靈不昧、具衆理應萬事。其曰虛靈不昧者、心也。具衆理者、性也。應萬事者、情也。惟其此心、具衆理。 故於事物之來、應之無不各得其當。所以處事物之當否、而事物皆聽命於我也。

Moreover, when our Confucian teachers say, "within the space of a square inch, [all matters and all creatures have their definite principle]" 17 and "the rarefied spirit is undarkened, [including within it a multitude of principles, responding to myriad circumstances.]" 18 The rarefied spirit which is undarkened is the mind. That which contains a multitude of principles, is the nature. Those things which respond to a myriad circumstances are the sentiments. Now, since this mind is endowed with a multitude of principles, upon the arrival of all affairs and things, there are none that are not responded to appropriately. Therefore affairs and things are treated according to their correctness and incorrectness, and affairs and things follow the lead of the self.

此吾儒之學。内自身心、外而至事物、自源徂 流。一以通貫、如源頭之水流於萬派、無非水也。如持有星之衡、稱量天下之物。 其物之輕重與權衡之銖兩相稱。此所謂元不曾間斷者也。

This is the learning of our Confucian masters. From inside the body and mind, extending out to [all] affairs and things—from the source, flowing out to the branch streams. All are penetrated by one, like the water that comes down from the fountainhead to flow out to a myriad streams—there is no place where it is not water. It is like holding the handle of the Great Dipper, which assesses the worth of all things under heaven. The relative worth of those things is just like the weighing of zhu and liang on a scale. This is what is meant by saying that there has never been a moment of interruption.

佛氏曰、空寂靈知 隨緣不變19 。[ Interlinear Note:按佛氏以爲眞淨心隨緣是 相、不變是性。如一眞金、隨大小器物等、是隨緣相也。本金不變是性也。一眞淨心隨 善惡染淨等。是隨緣相也。本心不變、性也。 ]無所謂理者具於其中。故於事物 之來、滯者欲絶而去之、達者、欲隨而順之。

The Buddhists say that the spiritual wisdom of emptiness accords to conditions without changing. [ Interlinear Note:The Buddhists take the pure mind's accordance with conditions as "marks" and its changelessness as its "nature." It is like the single element of true gold, the marks of which change according to its usage in larger and smaller vessels, and so forth. This accordance with conditions is called "marks." The fact that the original gold does not change, is called its "nature." The single true and pure mind adapts to good and evil, defilement and purity, and so forth. This accordance is called its "marks." The original changelessness of the mind, is called its "nature." ] There is no principle contained here. Therefore, upon the arrival of events and things, those who can't keep up with them, desire to sever and escape from them. Those who are capable, desire to follow and accord with them.

其絶而去之者、固已非矣。隨而順之者、亦非也。其言曰、隨緣放曠、任性逍遙。聽其 物之自爲而已。無復制其是非而有以處之也。是其心如天上之月。其應也、如千 江之影; 月眞而影妄。其間未嘗連續。如持無星之衡、稱量天下之物、其輕重低 昂。惟物是順而我無以進退稱量之也。故曰、釋氏虛、吾儒實。釋氏二、吾儒一。 釋子間斷、吾儒連續。學者所當明辨也。

Now, cutting off and escaping is definitely unacceptable. Following and according are also unacceptable. What [the Buddhists] are saying is, follow conditions in a state of detachment from the world. Just let things be what they are, according to their nature. Pay attention to into what things develop, and nothing more. Do not repeatedly regulate their correctness and try to manage them. This kind of mind is like the moon in the sky. Its adaptation is like the reflection in a thousand rivers—the moon is real and its reflections are false. Between the two there has never been any connection. It is like using a starless scale to evaluate the worth of the things under heaven, their lightness and heaviness, their highness and lowness. Things can only be accorded with, and the individual has no means to appropriately evaluate them. Therefore I say: Buddhism is void, while Confucianism is substantial; Buddhism has two realities, while Confucianism has one; Buddhism has gaps, while Confucianism is consistent. This is something that learned people should clarify and discern.

4.  Critique of the Buddhists' Conflation of Function and Nature  佛氏作用是性之辨 [78d]

愚按佛氏之說、以作用爲性。龎居士曰、連水搬柴無非妙用 是 也[ Interlinear Note:按龎居士偈曰、日用事無別。唯吾自偶諧。頭頭須取舍。 處處勿張乖。神通幷妙用。運水及搬柴 ]

I submit to you that in the discourse of the Buddhists, functional activity is taken to be nature. For instance, Layman Pang said: "Hauling water and carrying firewood are nothing but marvelous function." [ Interlinear Note:This is from the verse of Layman Pang that says "in daily activities, no discrimination, only oneself merging. Each moment grasping and letting go, at each point, no antagonism. Supernatural power together with marvelous functioning; hauling water and carrying firewood." ]20

葢性者、人所得於天以生之理也。作用者人所 得於天以生之氣也。氣之凝聚者、爲形質、爲神氣。若心之精爽、耳目之聰明、 手之執、足之奔、凡所以知覺運動者皆氣也。

The "nature" [of something] is the principle that one obtains from heaven in order to be born. "Functional activity" is the vital force that one obtains from heaven in order to be born. The congealment of the vital force brings about substantial form and spiritual pneuma. The acuity of the mind, sharpness of the eyes, grasp of the hands, and speed of foot—all kinds of sensation and movement are all [manifestations of] the vital force.

故曰、形旣生矣。神發知矣。人旣有是形氣、卽是理具於形氣 之中在心爲仁義禮智之性、惻隱羞惡辤讓是非之情。在頭容爲直。在目容爲端、在口容 爲止之類。凡所以爲當然之則而不可易者、是理也。劉康公曰、人受天地之中以生所謂 命也。故有動作威儀之則、以定命也。

Thus it is said: "Form is already produced, the spirit generates awareness." 21 People are already possessed of the vital force as shape, and the principle is already endowed in this shaped vital force in the mind as the natures of humaneness, justice, propriety, and wisdom, as well as the feelings of sympathy for the sufferings of others, shame and disgust, courtesy and respect, and right and wrong. It exists in the brain as correctness, exists in the eyes as precision, and exists in the mouth as restraint. All norms that are regarded as proper behavior and which are not to be taken lightly are principle. The prince Liu Kang said: "What human beings receive within heaven and earth in order to be born, is called 'life.' Therefore there are norms of behavior and deportment, to give order to life." 22

其曰、天地之中者、卽理之言也。其曰威儀之 則者、卽理之發於作用者也。朱子亦曰、若 以作用爲性、則人胡亂執刀殺人敢道性歟。且理形而上者氣形而下也。佛氏自以 爲高妙無上而反以形而下者爲說可笑也已。學者須將吾儒所謂威儀之則與佛氏所 謂作用是性者、内以體之於身心、外以驗之於事物。則自當有所得矣。

The phrase "within heaven and earth" refers to principle. The phrase "norms of [behavior and] deportment," is principle manifesting itself in functional activity. Zhuxi also said "if you take functional activity [of something] to be [the same as] its nature, then are not peoples' irresponsible actions such as taking a sword to murder someone, and transgressing the way [also] the nature?" Now, principle is something metaphysical, while vital force is something physical. Is not the Buddhists' taking the highest, sublime, peerless [principle] and reducing it to something physical, indeed ridiculous? Learned persons must take our Confucian norm of deportment and [compare them with] the Buddhist identification of functional activity with the nature, and examine them in one's own mind and body, and test them in external things and events. Then they will naturally understand.

5. Critique of the Buddhist Notion of the Mind and its Functions 佛氏心跡之辨 [79b]

心者、主乎一身之中。而跡者、心之發於應事 接物之上也。故曰、有是心必有是跡。不可判而爲二也。葢四端五典萬事萬物之 理、渾然具於此心之中。其於事物之來、不一其變。而此心之理、隨感而應各有 攸當而不可亂也。

The mind is the master residing in a single body. Traces are externalia that appear as the mind is activated in response to events and contact with things. Therefore it is said that when this mind exists, its traces necessarily exist. They cannot be separated into two. Now the principles of the four beginnings, the five constants of the myriad events and things are integrated and replete within this mind. When these principles are faced with the arrival of events and things, they do not transform to become identical with them. Yet the principles [contained in] this mind receive impressions and respond to each, treating each appropriately, and cannot be confused.

人見孺子匍匐入井便有怵惕惻隱之心。是其心 有仁之性。故其見孺子也、發於外者、便惻然心與跡、果有二乎。曰羞惡、曰辤 讓、曰是非。莫不皆然。次而及於身之所接。見父則思孝焉。見子則思慈焉。至 於事君以忠、使臣以禮、交友以信、是就使之然也。以其心有仁義禮智之性、故 發於外者。

When a person sees a toddler about to stumble into a well, they spontaneously react with sympathy.23 This means that their mind has an altruistic nature. Therefore their seeing of the child, which happens externally, directly results in the mind of sympathy and its traces. How could they be two [separate things]? Whether you are talking about [the basic sense of] shame and disgust [for one's own evil activities], the basic sense of courtesy and respect, [the basic sense of] right and wrong, there are none that do not operate like this.24 Next is the case of the relationships between people. When you see your father you think in a filial way; when you see your children you think with love; so it is with serving your ruler with loyalty, treating your subjects with propriety, and interacting with friends with trust.25 These are all viable examples. Since their minds possess the natures of humaneness, giving due, and propriety, they are manifested externally.

亦如此所謂體用一源、顯微無間者也。彼之學 取其心、不取其跡。乃曰、文殊大聖遊諸酒肆 跡雖非而心則是也。侘如此類者、 甚多。非心跡之判歟。程子曰、佛氏之學於敬以直内則有之矣。義以方外則未之 有也。故滯固者入於枯槁。疏通者、歸於恣 肆、此佛之教。所以隘也、然無義以方外。其直内者、要之亦不是也。王通、儒 者也、亦曰心跡判矣。葢惑於佛氏之說而不知者也。故幷論之。

It is like the saying "essence and function spring from the same source; the manifest and the subtle have no gap between them." 26 The Buddhist's method of study treats the mind, but does not treat its traces [activities]. This can be seen in their saying things like "The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī wanders through the taverns, but these traces are not his mind." 27 Excuses like this for sloppy behavior abound [in the Buddhist teachings]. Is this not a separation of the mind from its activities? Chengzi said: "The study of the Buddhists includes reverence to correct the internal, but does not include due-giving to straighten the external." 28 Therefore those who are stuck in these [incorrect views] wither away. First excelling, then returning to waywardness—this is Buddhism. It contains the means for internal discipline, but lacks justice to straighten the externals. But even in the matter of correcting the internal, they still miss the essential points. Wangtong was a Confucian, and he also proposed the division of the mind from its activities.29 Well, he was deceived by the Buddhist teaching and did not know it. Therefore I devote myself to explaining this.

6. Critique of the Buddhists' Obscuration of [Transcendent] Principles and Concrete Entities  佛氏昧於道器之辨 [79d]

道則理也、形而上者也。器則物也、形而下者 也。葢道之大原出於天 而無物不有、無時不然。卽身心而有身心之道。近而卽 於父子。君臣、夫婦、長幼、朋友。遠而卽於天地萬物。莫不各有其道焉。人在 天地之間、不能一日離物而獨立。是以凡吾所以處事接物者、亦當各盡其道而不 可或有所差謬也。此吾儒之學所以自心而身而人而物、各盡其性而無不通也。

" 'Way' refers to principle, which is metaphysical. 'Concrete entities' are things, and are material." 30 Now, the great fount of the Way issues forth from heaven;31 there is no thing that does not exist, and no time that it is not so. Whereever there are body and mind, there is the Way of body and mind. Close at hand [it is seen in the relationship between] father and son, ruler and minister, husband and wife, elder and younger, and between friends. Further-reaching, it is found in heaven and earth and the myriad things. There are none that do not possess their own Way. The person who abides in the space between heaven and earth is not able to exist independently of things for a single day. Therefore it is universally the case that in each person's treatment of affairs and relationship with things is as well replete with its own Way. It can't be the case that there is variation here. This is the way the discipline of we Confucians goes from mind to body to people to things, each one fulfilling its nature with no place left untouched.

葢道雖不雜於器亦不離於器者也。彼佛氏於道、 雖無所得、以其用心積力之久、髣髴若有見處。 然如管窺天。一向直上去 不能 四通八達。其所見必陷於一偏。 見其道、不雜於器者。則以道與器歧而二之。 乃曰、「凡所有相、皆是虛 妄。若見諸相非相、卽見如來」[ Interlinear Note:按此一段出般若經 言目前無法 觸目皆如 [芻? probably 是] 知如是 卽見如來 ] 必欲擺脫羣有、落於空寂。

Now the Way is not mixed with concrete entities, nor is it distinct from concrete entities. The way of the Buddhists is such that even though [they say] there is nothing to be attained, due to the length of time of accumulating concentration, they give the appearance of having some kind of vantage point. Yet [this perspective] is like peeping at the heavens through a narrow tube. They one-pointedly depart straight upwards, but are not able to [practice their realizations] pervasively throughout the world. That which they perceive cannot but fall into one-sidedness. When you observe their Way, it is not mixed with concrete activity. Thus they take the Way and concrete activity and separate them into two. They say "Wherever there are marks, all are nothing but voidness. If you observe all marks to be no-marks, then you are seeing the Tathāgata." 32 [ Interlinear Note:This passage comes from the Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra, which says that before the eyes there are no phenomena. When all that the eyes touch upon becomes like this, and awareness is like this, then you are seeing the Tathāgata. ] One is expected to seek to disentangle oneself from all existent things, and drop away into oblivion.

見其道不離於器者、則以器爲道。乃曰善惡皆心、萬法唯識。 隨順一切任用無爲 猖狂放恣 無所不爲。[ Interlinear Note:按。善心將生 隨 順一切任用無爲。 惡心將生 猖狂放恣、無所不爲。心之所有識乃爲之惟善惟惡。 非 心無識、非識無心。心識相對善惡生滅。 ]此程子所謂滯固者入於枯槁、疏通者 歸於恣肆者也。然其所謂道者、指心而言、乃反落於形而下者之器而不自知也。惜哉。

When [the Buddhists] see their Way as not distinct from concrete entities, then they take concrete entities to be the Way. Thus they say "Good and evil [phenomena] are all mind. The myriad phenomena are nothing but consciousness." According with all things, going along with their activity without contrivance; acting wildly and arbitrarily, there is nothing that they do not do. [ Interlinear Note:This means that the good mind, up attaining rebirth, follows all the myriad phenomena going along without contrivance; the evil mind that is attains rebirth acts wildly and arbitrarily, and there is nothing that it will not do. The consciousness that the mind possesses, then, is only good or only evil. Without mind there is no consciousness, and without consciousness there is no mind. The mind and consciousness are concomitant, good and evil arise and cease. ] This is what is Chenghao meant when he said "those who are rigid become like dry wood, and those who are unrestrained end up being arbitrary and reckless." 33 Yet when [the Buddhists] talk about their Way, they are referring to the mind. But they end up falling back down into the physical realm of concrete things, without even being aware of it themselves. How regrettable!

7. Critique of the Buddhists' Abandonment of the Basic Human Relationships 佛 氏毀棄人倫之辨 [80b]

明道先生曰、「道之外無物、物之外無道。是 天地之間、無適而非道也。卽父子而父子在所親。卽君臣而君臣在所嚴。以至爲 夫婦爲長幼爲朋友無所爲而非道。所以不可須臾離也。然則毀人倫去四大[ Interlinear Note:按四大受想行識 ]其分於道遠矣。」 又曰、「言爲無不周徧、而實則外於倫理。」先生之辨盡矣。

The teacher Mingdao34 said:

Outside of the Way there are no things; outside of things there is no Way. Thus within heaven and earth, there is nowhere without the Way. It is found in the relations between father and son, and the way of father and son lies in intimacy. It is found in the relation between ruler and minister, and the way of ruler and minister lies in respect for authority. It is the same with the relationship between husband and wife, elder and younger, and friends: [in these relationships] there is no activity that is not the Way. That is why '[the Way] cannot be separated from for a moment.' 35 This being the case, to abandon human relationships and do away with the four elements[ Interlinear Note:The four elements here are feeling, perception, impulse and consciousness. ] is to deviate far from the Way.36

8. Critique of the Buddhist Notion of Compassion 佛氏慈悲之辨 [80c]

天地以生物爲心。 而人得天地生物之心以生。 故人皆有不忍人之心。 此卽所謂仁也。佛雖夷狄、亦人之類耳。安得獨無此心 哉。吾儒所謂惻隱、佛氏所謂慈悲、皆仁之用也。其立言雖同、而其所施之方、 則大相遠矣。

Heaven and earth take living beings as their mind;37 human beings take this mind of the living beings of heaven and earth to be born. Therefore people are uniformly endowed with the mind that cannot bear to watch the suffering of others.38 Even though the Buddha was a foreigner, he was still a human being. So how could he alone lack this mind? What we Confucians call the feeling of sympathy for the suffering of others, the Buddhists call "compassion." Both are functions of humaneness (Kor. in 仁). Even though these two verbal expressions are basically the same, huge differences can be seen in the way that they are actually carried out into practice.

葢親與我同氣者也。人與我同類者也。物與我 同生者也。故仁心之所施、自親而人而物。如水之流盈於第一坎而後達於第二第 三之坎。其本深故、其及者遠。擧天下之物、無一不在吾仁愛之中。故曰「親親 而仁民、仁民而愛物。」 此儒者之道。所以爲一爲實爲連續也。

My family members and I share the same vital force. Other people and I are of the same species. Other living beings and I share in being alive. Therefore, in the manifest expression of the mind of humaneness, one starts with one's family, then extends to other people, and then to other beings.39 It is like water overflowing from one hole, and then to a second and third hole. The source of humaneness is deep, and its extent is far-reaching. Including all the creatures in heaven and earth, there is not one that does not exist within our heartfelt love. Therefore [Mencius] said: "[The Superior Man] loves his parents intimately and loves people as people. He loves people as people and cares about creatures." 40 This is the Confucian Way. Therefore it is unitary, it is substantial, and it is consistent.

佛氏則不然。其於物也、毒如豺虎、微如蚊虻、 尚欲以其身、餧之而不辤。其於人也、越人有飢者、思欲推食之。秦人有寒者、 思欲推衣。而衣之所謂布施者也。若夫至親如父子、至敬如君臣、必欲絶而去之。 果何意歟。

The Buddhists are different. In their treatment of other living beings, even if the beings are fierce animals like tigers and leopards, or insignificant bugs, like mosquitoes and flies, they shamelessly desire to feed them with their own bodies. In their treatment of people, if a man from Yue41 is hungry, they are concerned about giving their food to him. If a man from Qin is cold, they want to donate their clothing to him. And this offering of clothing is the so-called dāna. But in the case of someone extremely close, like one's father or son, or someone to whom great respect is due, such as the prince or minister, they unfailingly seek to sever the relationship and run away.42 What is the meaning of this!?

且人之所以自重愼者、以有父母妻子、爲之顧 藉也。佛氏以人倫爲假合。子不父其父、臣不君其君。虻[恩]義衰薄。視至親如 路人、視至敬如辯髦。其本源先失。故其及於人物者、如木之無根、水之無源。 易致枯竭。卒無利人濟物之效、而拔劒斬蛇虵。 略無愛惜。

Moreover, the way that people learn to act with care and discretion, is by virtue of their having fathers and mothers, wives and children. This causes them to learn proper values. The Buddhists regard human relationships as provisional combinations. The son does not treat his father as a father, and the minister does not treat his prince as a prince. Human warmth and justice go down the drain. People regard their most intimate family members like passersby on the street, and they treat the most venerable person like a capped boy.43 The original basis has already been lost. Therefore, if they try reach out to other people and beings, it is like a tree without roots—a river without a spring, which easily dries up. In the end there is success neither in bringing benefit to people nor giving aid to living beings, and the sword is drawn to kill the snake.44 They haven't the slightest bit of feeling for them.

地獄之說、極其阿慘酷。反爲少虻[恩] 之人。尚之所謂慈悲者、果安在哉。然而此心之天、終有不可得而昧者。故雖昏 蔽之極、一見父母則孝愛之心油然而生。盍亦反而求之、而乃曰、多生習氣未盡 除故、愛根尚在、執迷不悟。莫此爲甚。佛氏之教所以無義無理而名教所不容者、 此也。

[The Buddhists'] teaching about the hells is extreme in its cruelty, and reflects upon them as people of little feeling. Where is the so-called "compassion" to be seen in this? Nonetheless, in the end the spirituality of this mind cannot be completely darkened. Therefore, even though one may be in the most extreme state of blindness [regarding the principle of human relationships], with just one meeting with one's father and mother, the heart of filial love spontaneously springs forth. [The Buddhists] even trace back to the roots and seek [the basis of love] and then say: "Since the karmic impressions created over many lifetimes are not yet eliminated, the root of love still remains. One is attached to delusion and does not awaken." 45 Is this not extreme!? This is what is meant when we say that the teaching of the Buddhists lacks meaning and lacks principle, and therefore does not really qualify to be called a genuine teaching.

9. Critique of the Buddhist Notion of Real and Expedient  佛氏眞假之辨

佛氏以心性爲眞常、以天地萬物假合。其言曰 「一切衆生種種幻化皆生如來圓覺妙心猶如空華及第二月」[ Interlinear Note:按此一段出圓覺經言衆生業識不知自身内如 來圓覺妙心。若以智照用、則法界之無實如空華。衆生之妄相如第二月。妙心本 月、第二月影也。 ]

The Buddhists regard the nature of the mind to be real and enduring, and take heaven and earth and the myriad things to be provisional combinations. They say "Good sons, all sentient beings' various illusions are born from the perfectly enlightened marvelous mind of the Tathāgata, just like the sky-flowers come to exist in the sky....just like a second moon." 46 [ Interlinear Note:This passage comes from the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment, where it explains how the karmic consciousness of sentient beings is not aware of the mysterious mind of the tathāgata's perfect enlightenment that resides within their own bodies. If one uses wisdom to illuminate the matter, then the unreality of the existent world is comparable to [illusory] flowers seen in the sky, and the false marks of sentient beings are like seeing a second moon. The mysterious mind is represented by the original moon, and the second moon is only a reflection. ]

又曰、「空生大覺中、如海一漚發。有漏微塵 國皆依空所立。」 [ Interlinear Note:按此一段出楞嚴 經、言大覺海中、本絶空有、由迷風飄鼓、妄發空漚而諸有生焉。迷風旣息、則 空漚亦滅。所依諸有、遂不可得而空覺圓融復歸元妙。 ] 佛氏之言、其害 多端。然滅絶倫理略無忌憚者。此其病根也、不得不砭而藥之也。

[The Buddhists] also say: "Space arises in the midst of Great Enlightenment, like the ocean producing a single bubble [of foam]. A myriad contaminated lands all arise based on space." "Space arising from the midst of Great Enlightenment is like the ocean producing a single bubble; a myriad defiled lands are born from the sky." 47 [ Interlinear Note:This passage comes from the Śūraṃgama-sūtra, which explains that within the sea of great enlightenment, which is originally completely separated from emptiness and existence, due to the stimulation from the winds of delusion, mistakenly produce air bubbles — referring to all living beings. Once the winds of delusion have stilled, then the air bubbles also disappear. All the existent things that depend upon this, if sought for, cannot be found, and emptiness and enlightenment perfectly merge, returning to their original mystery. ] The Buddhist's teachings contain much that is harmful. In this way they nullify human mores with not even the slightest reservation. This is a sickness at the very foundations, which cannot go untreated.

葢未有天地萬物之前、畢竟先有太極而天地萬 物之理。已渾然具於其中。故曰「太極生兩儀、兩儀生四象。」千變萬化皆從此 出。如水之有源、萬派流注。如木有根、枝葉暢茂。

Now, prior to the existence of heaven and earth and the myriad things, there is at the extreme beginning the principle of the great polarity, heaven and earth and the myriad things, already fully integrated in their midst. Therefore it is said: "The great polarity gives birth to the two primary forces, the two primary forces give rise to the four forms." 48 A thousand transformations and a myriad changes all manifest following this. It is like when a river has a source, pouring water into the ten thousand branch streams. It is like a tree that has roots, whose branches and leaves grow thickly.49

此非人智力之所得而爲也。亦非人智力之所得 而遏也。然此固有難與初學言者。以其衆人所易見者而言之。自佛氏殁至今數千 餘年、天之昆侖於上者。若是其確然也、地之磅礴於下者。若是其隤然也、人物 之生於其間者。若是其燦然也、日月寒暑之徃來。若是其秩然也、是以天體至大、 而其周圍運轉之度、日月星辰逆順疾徐之行。雖當風雨晦明之夕、而不能外於八 尺之璣、數寸之衡。

This is not something that comes to be through the power of human wisdom; nor can it be halted by human wisdom. Yet it is certainly hard to teach to beginning students, and therefore we explain it through phenomena that people can readily see [for themselves]. For the thousands of years from the death of the Buddha to the present, heaven has existed in amorphous form above. Once heaven is discerned, then the earth spreads out limitlessly below. If the earth is obediently accorded with, then humans and other living beings are born in the space [between heaven and earth]. If these are vividly distinguished, then the sun and moon, cold and heat come and go. If these are well-ordered, then the heavenly bodies of extremely great size, revolve in their systematic orbits; the sun, moon, stars and other bodies move this way and that, and at varying rates of speed. Yet even on a stormy twilight, none of this lies outside the purview of the eight-foot turntable, and several-inch crossbar.50

嵗年之積至於百千萬億之多、而二十四氣之平 分。與夫朔虛氣盈餘分之積 至於毫[釐-未+牙(釐)][絲+系(絲)]忽之微 而亦不 能外於乘除之兩(算?)。孟子所謂「天之高也、星辰遠也。苟求其故、千嵗之日 至 可坐而致者」此也。

The years pass and pile up in the millions, yet are divided equally into the twenty-four [two-week] periods. The shortfall and excess adjustments on the calendar accumulate, reaching the subtlety of a hair's breadth. Yet none fall outside of the [mathematical principles of] multiplication and division. When Mencius said: "Heaven is so high; the stars are so distant. If we investigate their works, through the solstices of a thousand years, we can sit and attain them," 51 he was referring to the same sort of principle.

是亦孰使之然歟。必有實理爲之主張也。假者、 可暫於一時、而不可久於千萬世。幻者可欺於一人而不可信於千萬人。而以天地 之常久、萬物之常生謂之假且幻。抑何說歟。豈佛氏無竆理之學。求其說而不得 歟。抑其心隘天地之大、萬物之衆不得容於其中歟。

Then who is it that is causing these things to be such? There has to be a true principle that is acting as the director [of these events]. The provisional can only last for a short time, and cannot endure for millions of generations. An illusion can only work its deception on one individual, and cannot be believed by millions of people. Yet the eternal existence of heaven and earth, and the endless production of the myriad living beings is said by the Buddhists to be provisional and illusory. What kind of theory is this?! What a joke the Buddhist's study is, in its failure to investigate principles. If we interrogate their theories, there is nothing of substance to be found. How could they be so narrow in mind so that the greatness of heaven and earth, and the abundance of the myriad things cannot be contained within [their minds]?

豈樂夫持守之約、而厭夫竆理之煩、酬酢萬變 之勞歟。張子曰「明不能盡誣天地日月以爲幻妄」 則佛氏受病之處、必有所自 矣。要之其所見蔽、故其所言詖如鳴呼、惜哉。予豈譊譊而多言者歟。予所言之 而不已者。正惟彼心之迷昧爲可憐。而吾道之衰廢、爲可憂而已耳。

How is it that they can enjoy paying strict attention to the essentials, and yet dislike the labor of fully investigating principles, and the suffering of responding to the endless changes of life. Zhangzai said: "Obviously, they are not able to fathom [existence] completely, and so they disparage heaven and earth and the sun and moon, regarding them as illusion and falsity." 52 Therefore, when the Buddhists are diseased, there must certainly be a reason. They place priority on the obscuration that they perceive, and therefore their discourse is unbalanced—and is like the chirping of birds, lamentable indeed! Why do I carry on with my prolix arguments [against them]? No matter what I say, the point cannot be exhausted. From the standpoint of correct thinking their delusion is pitiable. And the decline of our own Way is distressful indeed.

10. Critique of the Buddhist Notion of Hells 佛氏地獄之辨 [82a]

先儒辨佛氏地獄之說曰、世俗信浮屠誑誘。凡 有嗇事、無不供佛飯僧。云、爲死者滅罪資福、使生天堂受諸快樂。不爲者必入 地獄 剉燒舂磨受諸苦椘殜。不知死者形旣朽滅、神亦飄散。雖有剉燒舂磨、且 無所施。

An earlier Confucian philosopher criticized the Buddhist notion of hells, saying that people in the world who believe the Buddha are deceived. Whenever they have a harvest, they do not fail to make offerings to the Buddha and feed the saṅgha. He says that this is so that the deceased may have their crimes erased and increase their merit, bringing about rebirth in the heavenly realm, and experiencing all types of bliss. If [the offerings] are not made, then they will desce