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二曰── |
| | Secondly--
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審知生，聖人之要也；審知死，聖人之極也。知生也者，不以害生，養生之謂也；知死也者，不以害死，安死之謂也。此二者，聖人之所獨決也。 |
| | Shen Zhi sheng is the essential aspect of a sage. Understanding death thoroughly is the ultimate attainment of a sage. Knowing life means not harming it; this is called nurturing life. Understanding death means not causing harm to it; this is called finding peace in death. These two principles are what sages alone can determine.
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凡生於天地之間，其必有死。所不免也。孝子之重其親也，慈親之愛其子也，痛於肌骨，性也。所重所愛，死而棄之溝壑，人之情不忍為也，故有葬死之義。葬也者，藏也，慈親孝子之所慎也。慎之者，以生人之心慮。以生人之心為死者慮也，莫如無動，莫如無發。無發無動，莫如無有可利，則此之謂重閉。 |
| | All beings born between heaven and earth must inevitably die. This is something that cannot be avoided. Filial children's reverence for their parents, and kind parents' love for their children—this pain felt in the flesh and bones is a matter of human nature. Those whom one reveres and loves, to cast their bodies into ditches after death is something human feelings cannot bear to do; therefore, there is the moral principle of burying the dead. Burial means concealment; it is a matter approached with great care by kind parents and filial children. To be cautious in this matter means to consider it with the mind of the living. Considering on behalf of the deceased with the mindset of the living, nothing is better than no disturbance, and nothing is better than remaining undisturbed. No disturbance and no excavation are best achieved when there is nothing to be gained; this is what is meant by "double sealing" (chongbi).
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古之人有藏於廣野深山而安者矣，非珠玉國寶之謂也，葬不可不藏也。葬淺則狐狸抇之，深則及於水泉。故凡葬必於高陵之上，以避狐狸之患、水泉之溼。此則善矣，而忘姦邪盜賊寇亂之難，豈不惑哉？譬之若瞽師之避柱也，避柱而疾觸杙也。狐狸水泉姦邪盜賊寇亂之患，此杙之大者也。慈親孝子避之者，得葬之情矣。善棺槨，所以避螻蟻蛇蟲也。今世俗大亂，之主愈侈，其葬則心非為乎死者慮也，生者以相矜尚也。侈靡者以為榮，節儉者以為陋，不以便死為故，而徒以生者之誹譽為務，此非慈親孝子之心也。父雖死，孝子之重之不怠；子雖死，慈親之愛之不懈。夫葬所愛所重，而以生者之所甚欲，其以安之也，若之何哉？ |
| | Ancient people buried their dead in vast plains and deep mountains, where they found peace; this was not about burying pearls, jade, or national treasures. Burial must indeed be concealed. If burial is too shallow, foxes will dig it up; if too deep, it will reach the water table. Therefore, all burials must take place on high and elevated ground to avoid the troubles of foxes and the dampness from underground water. This is indeed good, yet it forgets the difficulties posed by wicked people, thieves, and marauding bandits—how mistaken this is! This is like a blind musician avoiding pillars, yet rushing into wooden stakes. The troubles of foxes, water sources, wicked people, thieves, and bandits are the greatest of such wooden stakes. Kind parents and filial children who avoid these dangers have truly grasped the essence of burial. Good coffins and caskets are used to avoid damage from worms, ants, snakes, and insects. In the present age of great disorder, rulers grow increasingly extravagant; their burials are not truly intended for the benefit of the deceased, but rather for the living to display vanity and competition. Extravagance is regarded as honorable, while frugality is considered vulgar; they do not act for the convenience of the deceased but merely pursue praise and criticism from the living. This is not the heart of kind parents or filial children. Even though a father may have died, a filial son does not relax in his reverence for him. Even though a child may have died, kind parents do not cease their love for them. To bury those one loves and reveres by fulfilling the intense desires of the living—how can this bring peace to the deceased?
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民之於利也，犯流矢，蹈白刃，涉血抽肝以求之。野人之無聞者，忍親戚兄弟知交以求利。今無此之危，無此之醜，其為利甚厚，乘車食肉，澤及子孫，雖聖人猶不能禁，而況於亂？國彌大，家彌富，葬彌厚。含珠鱗施，夫玩好貨寶，鍾鼎壺濫，轝馬衣被戈劍，不可勝其數。諸養生之具，無不從者。題湊之室，棺槨數襲，積石積炭，以環其外。姦人聞之，傳以相告。上雖以嚴威重罪禁之，猶不可止。且死者彌久，生者彌疏；生者彌疏，則守者彌怠；守者彌怠而葬器如故，其勢固不安矣。世俗之行喪，載之以大輴，羽旄旌旗、如雲僂翣以督之，珠玉以佩之，黼黻文章以飭之，引紼者左右萬人以行之，以軍制立之然後可。以此觀世，則美矣侈矣；以此為死，則不可也。苟便於死，則雖貧國勞民，若慈親孝子者之所不辭為也。 |
| | People, in pursuit of profit, will risk flying arrows, tread upon sharp blades, and even spill blood and extract their livers to obtain it. Ignorant commoners, heedless of reputation, will endure the loss of relatives, brothers, and friends in pursuit of profit. Now, without such dangers or disgrace, the profit is substantial—riding in carriages and eating meat, with benefits extending to descendants. Even sages cannot forbid this, how much less so during times of chaos? The greater the state, the wealthier the family, and the more elaborate the burial. They contain pearls and fish scales, indulge in playthings, treasures, and valuables; bronze bells, tripods, vats, chariots, horses, clothes, armor, and swords—too numerous to count. All the necessities for sustaining life are included without exception. Chambered tombs with multiple layers of coffins and caskets, surrounded externally by piled stones and charcoal. Wicked people hear of it and pass the news to one another. Even if superiors impose severe punishments and heavy penalties to forbid such acts, they still cannot be stopped. And the longer a person has been dead, the more distant their living relatives become; The more distant the living relatives become, the lazier those who guard the tomb grow; As guardians grow increasingly neglectful while burial goods remain as they are, such a situation is inherently unstable. The customs of the world in conducting funerals involve carrying the coffin on great carts, adorned with feathered banners and flags that trail like clouds; they are accompanied by large numbers of mourners, thousands on each side, dressed in elaborate patterns and embroidered robes, decorated with jade pendants. Only when arranged according to military formation is it considered acceptable. Viewing the world through this lens, it appears beautiful yet extravagant; To apply such practices to death is not acceptable. If it brings convenience to the deceased, then even if a poor state must labor its people, filial children and kind parents would not hesitate to do so.
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