---
title: "闢邪集（選錄〈翻刻闢邪集序〉、〈天學初闢〉、〈統正序〉、〈原道闢邪說〉、〈跋〉） · ○揭邪見根源"
description: "鍾始聲即明末高僧蕅益智旭所著《闢邪集》選錄，是明清之際護教闢邪的重要文獻。該書撰於明末天主教傳入中國之時，針對當時天主教教義與中國傳統儒佛思想的衝突，從佛教立場系統批駁其神創論、靈魂說等核心觀點，並捍衛緣起性空、因果輪迴等佛教教義。本書不僅反映了明清中西文化交流與思想碰撞的歷史背景，更展現了佛教在面對外來宗教挑戰時的理論回應與適應性，被視為漢傳佛教護法文獻的典範之作，對研究佛教與跨宗教對話具有重要價值。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmcwpk4sv25q3js04rfevw0fj"
---

### ○揭邪見根源

> Uncovering the Roots of Wrong Views

按利瑪竇。邪見妄著天主寔義一書。列為八篇。而𩠐篇論天地萬物布置安排皆繇天主所生。論至天主則曰。天主之稱謂物之原。如謂有所生則非天主也。物之有始有終者。鳥獸艸木是也。有始無終者。天地鬼神及。人之靈魂是也。天主則無始無終。而為萬物始焉。㨿此便是利瑪竇𡚶執無始無終。為天主之邪見根源矣。殊不知此無始無終。正是吾大道之元。亦是吾全真之旨。且此全真之旨。人人具足。大道之元。個個不無。在聖無增。處凡不減。抑亦在天而天。在人而人。至于物物。如是法法亦然。固無二。無二分。無別無斷。故悟此謂之聖人。迷之謂之凡夫。要且凡夫之與聖人。初無二致。如此則聖凡靡間。而物我匪虧。顯見大道之元。無彼無此全真之體。無始無終一道平等。而浩然大均矣。蓋瑪竇不悟此意。專用心意識。向天地萬物上。妄自推窮計度。以心意識。向天地萬物上。推窮計度。到虛玄深邈處。自家體貼不來。便妄執有個天主具無始無終之量。能育天地健生萬物。而萬物則有始。有始謂鳥獸艸木是也。有始無終則天地鬼神。及人之靈魂是也。惟天主無始無終。能制造幹旋。且指物比類。要人欽奉遵守。而矯為過高之論。卑劣今古聖賢。指人都無有主。而引誘多方黨于邪見。假詞擊難。辨駁繁端。不啻枝上生枝。而蔓上生蔓。興如此煩碎之辨。正眼觀之何益于事。所謂毫釐之差有千里之謬。信不誣焉

> According to Matteo Ricci, in his book \*The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven\*, he divides his arguments into eight chapters. The first chapter discusses how the arrangement and order of heaven, earth, and all things are brought forth by the Lord of Heaven. When discussing the Lord of Heaven itself, he says: "The term 'Lord of Heaven' refers to the origin of all things. If something is said to be born, then it is not the Lord of Heaven. Things that have both a beginning and an end are birds, beasts, and plants. Things that have a beginning but no end are heaven, earth, spirits, and the human soul. The Lord of Heaven, however, has neither beginning nor end, and is the origin of all things." Based on this, we can see that Ricci's erroneous attachment to the idea of "no beginning and no end" is the root of his heretical view of the Lord of Heaven. What he fails to realize is that this "no beginning and no end" is precisely the origin of our Great Way, and it is also the essence of our Complete Perfection (Quanzhen) tradition. Moreover, this essence of Complete Perfection is fully present in every person, and the origin of the Great Way is present in everyone without exception. In sages, it is not increased; in ordinary people, it is not diminished. It is present in heaven as heaven, and in humans as humans. As for all things, it is so in each one, and in every phenomenon it is likewise so. There is no duality, no division, no distinction, and no interruption. Therefore, those who awaken to this are called sages, and those who are deluded about it are called ordinary people. Yet, between ordinary people and sages, there is ultimately no difference. Thus, there is no gap between the sacred and the mundane, and no loss to either self or others. Clearly, the origin of the Great Way has no "this" or "that," and the essence of Complete Perfection has no beginning or end—one single Way, perfectly equal, vast and harmonious. Ricci, however, does not awaken to this meaning. He exclusively relies on the mind and consciousness to speculate and calculate about heaven, earth, and all things. When he pushes his mental reckoning to the point of profound mystery, and finds that he cannot personally grasp it, he then falsely insists that there must be a Lord of Heaven who possesses the quality of being without beginning or end, who can nurture heaven and earth and generate all things. He claims that all things have a beginning—those with a beginning being birds, beasts, and plants—and those with a beginning but no end being heaven, earth, spirits, and the human soul. Only the Lord of Heaven has no beginning and no end, and can create and govern all. He then draws analogies from physical things, demanding that people revere, worship, and obey this being. He further crafts lofty-sounding arguments that demean the sages of past and present, claiming that humans have no true master, and he leads many astray into his heretical views. He uses clever words to attack and refute, raising endless disputes, branching out like branches upon branches and vines upon vines. Such fragmented and trivial arguments, when viewed with the true eye, are of no benefit whatsoever. It is said that "a hair's breadth of error leads to a thousand miles of mistake," and indeed this saying is not false.

或云。人物鳥獸與天地鬼神。如何見得是無始無終之旨耶。曰前已總明。今又復問。姑分二說。一者因人契證。以顯人物天地及其鬼神俱是無始無終底意耳。就當人心念上。返照窮元。則過去心念無有。而未來心念無起。現在心念無住。三際既無。則心念全無始而亦全無終矣。若心念既無始。而又無終則身體脫然無繫。亦無前後三際。了無生死去來。直下披露無始無終。即色身五蘊完全解脫。而大道全真備在我矣。既人人返照窮元。契無始終。則艸木鳥獸天地鬼神。當前廓爾。邈無形迹。便是艸木等類。全無始終。而顯大同之旨也。且艸木自不云艸木。鳥獸自不云鳥獸。天地自不云天地。鬼神自不云鬼神。皆是當人識心。分別見有差殊。若無識心分別。則頭頭是道。物物全真。故楞嚴經佛對阿難云。汝今諦觀。法法何狀。正此之謂也。又馬祖云。凢所見色。皆是見心。亦不外此意。又玄沙禪師一日手斫柴。次見一老虎面前。傍僧云。和尚虎。玄沙云是汝虎。玄沙歸院。傍僧問適來見虎云。是汝未審尊意如何。玄沙云。娑婆世界。有四種極重事。若人透得。不妨出得隂界。可見無識心分別則物物契同。縱猛虎當前亦無可懼矣。又天何言哉。四時行焉。百物生焉。則天亦無識心分別。故能行四時生百物。而與四時百物。冥相溥洽更無缺悖者矣。又鬼神之為德其盛矣乎。視之而弗見。聽之而弗聞。體物而不可遺矣。鬼神既非視聽可及。又能體物不遺。則鬼神亦無識心分別。而其德固為盛也。且孔子推鬼神之德如此之盛。而瑪竇謂有始無終豈其宜乎。然則鬼神天地鳥獸艸木。雖因人契證顯其無始無終。要且自性如是。而亦自離意言境。故經云諸法不自生。亦不從他生。不共不無因。是故說無生。無生之體渾然一致。默識心通而與契合。無容妄想執著擬議分別于其間矣。二者以明天地人物及其鬼神不因人證。本來是無始無終全無間隔之差且據寔約多廣。而論則虛空無盡。而所包世界亦無盡。以所居眾生亦無盡。乃至天地鬼神草木鳥獸悉皆無盡。不得而數量之。以虛空無有邊際。則凢所有物悉無邊際。法爾如是非是強為使之然也。又據實約久常而論。則虛空無終始。而世界亦無終始。眾生亦無終始。并及天地鬼神草木鳥獸悉無終始。覓其終始起伏了不可得。以顯虛空世界一切眾生。及天地鬼神草木鳥獸。同時同際無分前後。永久常存熾生不息。葢亦不期然而然。非使之然也。然我土傳說謂。盤古之時始有天地人物等類。而盤古之前無有天地人物一切等類者。此據理推之。係一切眾生情分召感。以成生息始終之道。正我佛說隨一切眾生差別之性。故有成住壞空之劫不同。至于纖悉之物。皆具此劫。劫數因緣載藏經惡字函起世因本經內住世品備悉又據理推之。世界有多多無盡。則此世界成而彼世界壞。彼世界住而此世界空。空而復成。成而復住。住而復壞。亦不期然而然。勢之必然。非此世界壞。而彼一切世界悉皆壞之也。如是則盤古之前。無有世界人物。據我娑婆世界之說。非極空際所有世界悉無之也。理亦明矣。譬如一州城市。自有方隅。據方隅中。俱有屋宅。毋論一隅。屋遭回祿。一回祿後則屋又仍依襲始造。據始造中。又有最初第一始造之者。就最初第一始造之者。比一物之始生而後依襲多生。一物如是眾物亦然。此便是喻利瑪竇𡚶執天地人物及草木鳥獸。有最初始生之謂也。然各方隅中所有屋宇。有遭回祿及不遭者。喻之劫數有住有壞。此約別分以明天地萬物有始有終也。一州縣中城市屋宇望之儼然。無有燬者及不燬者。喻之極空所有世界終古象立無有壞者及不壞者。此約同分以明天地萬物無始無終也。以同分言而該多廣眾󳑆故。以別分言。而就約略窄狹故。總以同分明之。虛空無盡。眾生無盡。世界無盡。乃至天地萬物悉皆無盡。既皆無盡。則無始無終。既無始終則天地萬物皆無始終。而眾生世界亦無始終。乃至極虛空際。凢所有物悉無始終。如是則縱目所觀。縱手所指。物物頭頭。事事法法。本來無始而本來無終。自具大道之元全真之旨。又會而歸之。總備當人自心。顯為一體焉。今略比明。葢當人有心思及一物。則一物可知可見。并及可聞。一物不思則不可見。亦不可聞。并不可知。類而推之。一物如是眾物亦然。乃至一世界如是。多世界亦然。既爾則一人有心一世界現。多人有心多世界現。無多人心無多世現。一人無心無一世現。如是則世界之廣多。事物之彌盛。總在一心。包羅該博無一法而不具攝者。故孟子曰。萬物皆備於我。子思曰。致中和天地位焉。萬物育焉。程子曰。放之則彌六合。卷之則退藏於密。經亦曰。心生則種種法生。心滅則種種法滅。又云心也者總持之大本。萬物之洪源。不可以知知。不可以識識。知莫能知。識莫能識。默契其旨。存乎其人也。又於此當立三支比量。以防外道毀法之謬。葢西域菩薩與外道論義。要顯三支。齊備則義勝許立。若宗因喻三支不齊。或宗與因相違。而因與宗相違。而喻與宗因相違等。皆不能立。自墮赤幡之下。甘倒著衣而出。或自斬首立誓。以見法有輸勝故也。今初立量以先明天地萬物皆是無始無終為原道全真。故此當先立量云大道全真為有法。天地萬物具該為宗。一於無始無終為因。同喻如虛空。以虛空亦綿亘不斷。無有邊際而具該萬象。故。異喻如龜毛兔角。以龜毛兔角本無所有。異于無始無終。不能與萬象具該也。次當立量以萬法會歸唯心。則立量云。唯心為有法。萬物具備為宗。亦以無始無終為因。同異二喻一如前例。茲不煩贅。且瑪竇妄執。有天主獨具無始無終。而生萬物為有始有終。理甚乖舛。誠不足信。試以辨明。蓋萬物既有最初始生之時。則最初始生之前。無有萬物。既無有萬物。則必彼時天主能生之功。亦必有滅有終。以因天主能生之功。有滅有終。故顯萬物最初始生之前無功。既彼時無有能生之功。又無所生之物。則顯無有天主唯一混沌空晦而已。照如前論。眾生召感混沌空劫是也。而瑪竇不悟。錯認𡚶計為天主以具無始無終。寧不邪謬之甚乎。且伊既謂天主具無始無終。則應知能體用悉無始終。方顯為全智全能有健生不息之道。若有間隔空缺於其中。則非是健生不息之道。亦非全智全能之理。而亦愈顯非具無始無終之體量也。譬如虛空詼羅萬象。無時間離。而亦無可逃遁。直與萬象無始無終。方稱全功。豈有天主具無始無終為全智全能。而獨生物有間有缺有減有終乎。然則據伊𡚶計天主。錯認雖多。不用盡究。就此最初生物一端。反覆辨論理窮於是。顯見無有天主。明而且著。誰有智者受伊外道之所惑哉。又縱伊謂天主則無始無終。而生物謂有始有終。今以三支比量照破。宗因相違。試外道法固不能立。理無可信也。於此當立量云。天主為有法。能生有始有終鳥獸艸木為宗。自以無始無終非所繇生為因。同喻如龜毛生物。以龜毛非所繇生。本無所有則無生物之理。既無生物之理。則因與宗相違。而亦宗與因相違。既宗因相違。則伊所立天主之義不極成矣。唯是自法相違。矯亂不一者。異喻如人生人以人同人類。故異於無始無終。非所繇生之天主生出有始有終之鳥獸艸木也。智者於此推而鑒之。則知伊之妄計天主固為無根之談也。然瑪竇全不省天地萬物備于自己。而自己與天地萬物。具足無始無終本來者一著子。向天地萬物之外。妄執有一天主獨具無始無終。誠為邪見外道也。葢不信大道本來具足。向外別立有法。名為外道。不見大道本來自具。𡚶見別有一法。為之企慕。名為邪見。故命名曰揭邪見根源。然則其書總明是邪見。而稱天主寔義者。正是妄執有天主。為邪見之寔義。則其書當叱為邪見書云。

> Some might ask: "How can we see that humans, animals, birds, the heavens, the earth, and ghosts and spirits are without beginning or end?" As I have already explained this broadly, and you now ask again, let me address it from two perspectives. First, through personal realization. When one looks inward upon their own mind, tracing thoughts back to their origin, they find that past thoughts are gone, future thoughts have not yet arisen, and present thoughts do not abide. With these three periods of time transcended, the mind itself is seen to be without beginning and without end. If the mind is without beginning and end, then the body too is free from clinging, beyond past, present, and future, and utterly liberated from birth and death. This very body—this aggregate of form and consciousness—is completely released, and the great Way in its wholeness resides fully within oneself. Since everyone who looks inward and traces thoughts to their origin can realize this beginninglessness and endlessness, then plants, birds, animals, heaven, earth, ghosts, and spirits all stand revealed as boundless and traceless before them. This is how all things are seen to be without beginning or end, revealing the great unity of all existence. Moreover, plants do not call themselves "plants," birds do not call themselves "birds," heaven does not call itself "heaven," and ghosts and spirits do not call themselves "ghosts and spirits." These distinctions arise entirely from the discriminating mind of the observer. If there is no discriminating consciousness, then everything one encounters is the Way, and every thing is wholly true. This is why the Buddha said to Ananda in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra: "Now look carefully—what form does each dharma actually have?" This is exactly the point. Master Mazu also said: "Whatever colors you see, you are seeing the mind." This is no different. There is also the story of Master Xuansha, who was cutting firewood one day when he saw a tiger before him. The monk beside him said, "Master, a tiger!" Xuansha replied, "It's your tiger." When they returned to the monastery, the monk asked, "When you said 'It's your tiger,' what did you mean?" Xuansha answered: "In this Sahā world there are four kinds of extremely weighty matters. If a person can penetrate them, they can transcend the realms of form and consciousness." From this we can see that when there is no discriminating mind, all things are realized as one. Even a fierce tiger before you holds nothing to fear. And what about heaven? Confucius said: "Does heaven speak? Yet the four seasons turn and the hundred things are born." Heaven has no discriminating mind, and so it can turn the seasons and nurture all things, working in perfect harmony with them without conflict or deficiency. As for ghosts and spirits—Confucius said: "How abundant is their virtue! Look for them and you do not see them; listen for them and you do not hear them. Yet they permeate all things and cannot be separated from them." Since ghosts and spirits cannot be grasped by sight or hearing, yet pervade all things without omission, they too have no discriminating mind, and their virtue is indeed abundant. Now, if Confucius could extol the virtue of ghosts and spirits so greatly, how could Matteo Ricci claim they have a beginning but no end? That hardly seems fitting. Still, although ghosts and spirits, heaven and earth, birds, animals, and plants are shown to be without beginning or end through human realization, the truth is that this is their very nature. They are also inherently beyond the realm of words and conceptual thought. Thus the scriptures say: "No dharma arises from itself, nor from another. They do not arise together, nor without a cause. Therefore they are said to be unborn." The unborn nature is wholly one and undivided. It is known through silent recognition and the mind's direct understanding, with no room for vain imaginings, attachments, or intellectual distinctions. Second, let me clarify that heaven, earth, humans, things, and ghosts and spirits are originally without beginning or end, entirely without separation, even apart from human realization. Looking at the matter in terms of vastness and multiplicity: space is endless, and the worlds it contains are endless. The beings dwelling in them are endless. Heaven, earth, ghosts, spirits, plants, birds, and animals are all without limit—they cannot be counted or measured. Because space has no boundary, everything within it is also without boundary. This is the natural order of things, not something forced upon them. In terms of duration: space has no beginning or end, worlds have no beginning or end, beings have no beginning or end. Heaven, earth, ghosts, spirits, plants, birds, and animals likewise have no beginning or end. Search as you may for where they start or finish, or where they rise and fall, you will never find it. This reveals that space, worlds, all beings, heaven, earth, ghosts, spirits, plants, birds, and animals exist simultaneously, on the same plane, with no distinction of before or after. They abide forever, constantly arising and never ceasing. This is not something that was arranged—it is simply so of itself. Now, our tradition says that at the time of Pangu, heaven, earth, and all things first came into being, and before Pangu there was nothing. But if we reason this through, this arises from the karmic affinities of all beings, forming the cycle of arising and ceasing. This is precisely what the Buddha taught: because beings have different natures, there are different eons of formation, abiding, destruction, and emptiness. Even the smallest thing participates in these eons. <note>The details of these eons are recorded in the Treasury of Scriptures, in the "World-Abiding Chapter" of the Sūtra of the Arising of the World.</note> Furthermore, by this same reasoning: there are countless worlds without end. When this world is forming, another is disintegrating; when that world is abiding, this one is empty. Emptiness gives way to formation, formation to abiding, abiding to destruction. This too is not deliberately arranged—it is the inevitable pattern of things. It is not that when this world is destroyed, all other worlds are destroyed as well. Thus, when we say that before Pangu there were no worlds or beings, this refers only to our Sahā world—not to every world throughout all space. The principle is clear. Consider an analogy: a province contains cities, each with its own districts. Within these districts there are houses. Suppose one house burns down; after the fire, it is rebuilt. Looking at the chain of rebuilding, one might identify a "first house ever built." Taking that first house as the origin, one might think of it as the beginning of all houses. One house is like this, and all things are like this. This is the kind of error Matteo Ricci makes when he insists that heaven, earth, humans, animals, birds, plants, and trees all had a single, first moment of beginning. But within those same districts, some houses burn down and others do not. This is an analogy for eons that include both destruction and abiding—it speaks of distinguishing particular things, showing that individual things have beginnings and ends. Yet when you look at the whole city or province with its houses standing intact before you, with no part destroyed and no part undestroyed, this is an analogy for all worlds throughout all space, which have stood from beginningless time and will never be destroyed. This speaks of the shared reality of all things, showing that heaven and earth and all beings have no beginning and no end. The perspective of shared reality encompasses vastness and multiplicity. The perspective of individual distinction is narrow and limited. Therefore, we should rely on the broader view: space is endless, beings are endless, worlds are endless. Heaven, earth, and all things are likewise endless. Since all is endless, there is no beginning and no end. Since there is no beginning or end, heaven and earth and all things have no beginning or end. Beings and worlds likewise have no beginning or end. Even to the very edge of space, everything without exception has no beginning and no end. With this understanding, wherever your eyes look, wherever your hand points—each thing, each event, each dharma—all are originally without beginning and originally without end, inherently embodying the great Way in its wholeness and truth. And if we gather it all back to its source, everything is contained within one's own mind, revealed as a single body. Let me offer a simple analogy. When a person's mind thinks of one thing, that thing becomes knowable, seeable, and hearable. When the mind does not think of it, it cannot be seen, heard, or known. Extending this: one thing is like this, and all things are like this. One world is like this, and many worlds are like this. If this is so, then when one person has a mind, one world appears. When many people have minds, many worlds appear. Without many minds, no many worlds appear. Without one mind, not even one world appears. Thus the vastness of worlds and the abundance of things are all contained within the one mind. It embraces everything—no single dharma is left outside it. Therefore Mencius said: "All things are complete within me." Zisi said: "When equilibrium and harmony are perfected, heaven and earth are in their proper positions, and all things are nurtured." Master Cheng said: "Expand it, and it fills the six directions; roll it up, and it retreats into hidden subtlety." The scriptures also say: "When the mind arises, all dharmas arise. When the mind ceases, all dharmas cease." And again: "The mind is the great root that upholds all things, the profound source of all beings. It cannot be known by knowledge, nor grasped by consciousness. No knowing can know it; no consciousness can grasp it. Silent understanding of its meaning depends on the person." At this point, we should establish a three-part logical proof to guard against the mistaken views of those outside the Way. In the Western Regions, when bodhisattvas debated with non-Buddhists, they used a three-part syllogism: the proposition, the reason, and the analogy. If all three parts were complete and consistent, the argument stood. If any of the three were missing, or if the reason contradicted the proposition, or the analogy contradicted either, the argument failed. Those who lost had to take down the red banner, put on their robes backwards, or even cut off their own heads as a vow, acknowledging that the dharma had been defeated. Now, first let us establish the thesis that heaven, earth, and all things are without beginning or end, manifesting the original Way in its fullness. The proposition: The great Way in its wholeness is the subject. The claim: It encompasses heaven, earth, and all things. The reason: Because it is uniformly without beginning or end. The analogy: Like space—for space is continuous, without boundary, and embraces all phenomena. The counter-analogy: Like a turtle's hair or a rabbit's horn—these have no existence at all, unlike the beginningless and endless, and cannot embrace all phenomena. Next, let us establish that all dharmas return to the mind alone. The proposition: The mind alone is the subject. The claim: All things are fully contained within it. The reason: Also because of being without beginning or end. The analogies: The same as above. Matteo Ricci's stubborn insistence that God alone has no beginning or end, while all beings have beginnings and ends, is deeply flawed and not worthy of belief. Let us examine this. If all things had a first moment of arising, then before that first moment, there were no things. If there were no things, then at that time God's creative power would itself have had a beginning and an end. Because God's creative power would have a beginning and an end, it is clear that before the first arising of things, there was no such power at work. With neither a power to create nor anything created, this reveals nothing but a single, undifferentiated darkness—just as we discussed earlier regarding beings creating an empty eon through their karmic affinities. Ricci failed to understand this. His mistaken imposition of "God" as beginningless and endless is deeply misguided. Moreover, if he claims God has no beginning or end, then he should recognize that God's essence, function, and activity are all without beginning or end. Only then could he be called all-wise and all-powerful, with the unceasing vitality of continuous creation. If there were gaps or interruptions within this, then it would not be the way of unceasing life, nor the principle of all-wisdom and all-power. It would also show that God is not truly without beginning or end. For example, space embraces all phenomena without the slightest pause or gap, and nothing can escape it. It is entirely without beginning or end with all things—only then can it be called fully accomplished. How could God, being beginningless and endless, all-wise and all-powerful, produce things with gaps, deficiencies, diminishment, and endings? Given all his mistaken notions about God, we need not examine them all. Just on this single point of the first arising of things, the argument collapses. It becomes clearly evident that there is no God. Who with any wisdom would be misled by such a non-Buddhist teaching? Even if we grant his claim that God is without beginning or end, and that created things have beginnings and ends, we can defeat this with the three-part syllogism, showing the mutual contradiction between proposition and reason. His doctrine cannot stand. Let us establish the syllogism: The proposition: God is the subject. The claim: He creates birds, animals, plants, and trees that have beginnings and ends. The reason: Because he himself is without beginning or end—yet this is not the basis from which such things arise. The analogy: Like a turtle's hair giving birth to something. A turtle's hair cannot be the source of birth, having no existence at all—so there is no principle by which it could give birth. Since there is no such principle, the reason contradicts the claim, and the claim contradicts the reason. With proposition and reason in mutual contradiction, the concept of God cannot be established. The counter-analogy: Like a human giving birth to a human, for humans are of the same kind. This is unlike the proposed God, who is without beginning or end and yet supposedly gives rise to birds, animals, and plants that have beginnings and ends. A wise person can see from this that Ricci's invention of God is utterly groundless. Ricci completely failed to see that heaven, earth, and all things are complete within oneself, and that oneself and all things are inherently without beginning or end. Instead, he looked outside of heaven, earth, and all things and stubbornly posited a God who alone is without beginning or end. This is truly a false view and a teaching of the outsiders. Not believing that the great Way is originally complete within oneself, and searching outside for some other entity—this is what is called "externalist." Not seeing that the great Way is originally self-sufficient, and vainly imagining some separate thing to revere—this is what is called "false view." This is why this chapter is titled "Revealing the Root of False Views." His book, which claims to present the "True Meaning of God," is in fact a book of false views—its very essence being the false attachment to a God. It should be called "A Book of False Views" and rejected as such.