三三歸一
Three-Three Return to One (三三歸一, Sānsān Guīyī) is a foundational doctrinal dialogue of Yiguandao (一貫道, the Way of Pervading Unity), recorded in the third year of the Tongzhi reign (1864 CE) during the Qing dynasty. The text presents a conversation between Master Buxu (不虛先生, "Teacher of No-Emptiness") — identified as a man of "Jiaji" (甲己氏), who received the heart-transmission of the Three Teachings and vowed to help gather the original souls — and two of his disciples, Daoyuan (道源, "Source of the Dao") and Daocheng (道成, "Completion of the Dao").
The dialogue systematically expounds the Yiguandao cosmology of three returns to one: the Three Powers (heaven, earth, humanity) return to one Principle; the Three Teachings (Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism) return to one Source; and the Three Periods of universal salvation (past, present, future) return to one Gathering. It is in effect a catechism — the student asks, the teacher answers — covering the origin of the cosmos, the fall of humanity into suffering, the six realms of rebirth, the three great kalpas, the role of each Teaching in its age, the transmission of the Dao through the patriarchs, and the final gathering of souls under Maitreya. The argument is that Confucianism, as the Teaching of the third and final period, subsumes and completes the other two — not by replacing them, but by fulfilling what they began.
This is the first complete English translation. The Chinese source text is from the 善書圖書館 (Morality Books Library, taolibrary.com), which states: 歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通 — "Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate." The text is in the public domain (Qing dynasty, 1864 CE).
Preface
Before the Dao gave birth to the Three Powers, there was only undifferentiated Qi — one seamless breath. When heaven, earth, and humanity appeared, the Three Powers were complete; beyond these, all else is the realm of creatures. Before the Dao gave birth to the Three Teachings, there was only a single lineage. When Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism appeared, the Three Teachings were complete; beyond these, all else is side-gates and lesser paths.
That the Dao begins in one and unfolds into three is the pattern of things. But what begins as one and can unfold into three must also, having been divided into three, ultimately return to one. This is why the Three Periods of Universal Salvation exist. For if there were only one period, or merely two, the three would be incomplete, and the universal salvation of the Three Teachings could not be brought to fullness. If Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism — divided into three — cannot return to one, how then could humanity, heaven, and earth — divided into Three Powers — return to one?
Only through the Three Periods of Universal Salvation does this become possible. In the first period, Heaven opens the great salvation at the beginning; in the third period, Heaven completes the Gathering at the end. The ninety-six original souls all attain the Dao of Three-in-One. Those saved in the first and second periods gather together in the third period and return to one hall. The Dao transmitted by Daoism and Buddhism merges with Confucianism and returns to one source. Confucianism achieves the grand synthesis of Daoism and Buddhism; humanity attains the full merit of heaven and earth. The Three Powers and the Three Teachings all return to one in the third period. How great is the Dao — that what issued from one into three can return from three to one! "The Supreme Ultimate contains three and makes them one" — how profound this principle is.
I am fortunate to have encountered the third period of universal salvation, to have heard the heart-transmission of the Three Teachings, and to not have occupied my place among the Three Powers in vain. It happened that my teacher, Master Buxu, together with his companions Daoyuan and Daocheng, discoursed on the principle of Three-Three Return to One. I heard it and was so overjoyed I could not sleep. I therefore copied it out and sent it to the printer, that it might be disseminated throughout the realm, so that all who have the karmic affinity to read it may awaken in time, and together return to the One.
In the third dragon-year, the third autumn-month, the third watch-day of the Great Qing Tongzhi reign. Respectfully prefaced by Guiyizi, with incense in hand.
General Discourse on the Three Powers Returning to One, the Three Teachings Returning to One, and the Three Periods Returning to One
The man known as "Jiaji" was a native of the Divine Land of the Red County. He received the heart-transmission of the Three Teachings, vowed to save all people under heaven, and to assist the patriarchs in the Gathering. His students, observing that he preserved his true nature whole and did not pursue empty fame, called him Master Buxu — "Teacher of No-Emptiness."
One day, while discoursing with his students on the principle of heaven-and-earth's primal cycles and the workings of yin and yang's creative transformation, a disciple named Daoyuan came forward and asked:
"I have heard that Master Shao's reckoning gives one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years as one Great Cycle, that one Cycle governs twelve Epochs, and each Epoch governs ten thousand eight hundred years. Heaven opens at the Epoch of Zi, Earth is established at the Epoch of Chou, and Humanity is born at the Epoch of Yin. By the Epochs of Xu and Hai, all returns to primordial chaos. May I ask: before heaven and earth existed, when all was undifferentiated chaos — how was it that at the Epochs of Zi, Chou, and Yin, heaven, earth, and humanity all came into being? Was there a master who directed this?"
The Teacher answered: "This is the circulation of the Primordial Qi of the Prior Heaven — spontaneous and unable to be otherwise. When the Primordial Qi reaches the Epoch of Hai, yin has reached its extreme. When yin reaches its extreme, it must give birth to yang. Therefore at the Epoch of Zi, Heaven is born — Heaven is yang-qi. Movement gives birth to yang and stillness gives birth to yin; therefore at the Epoch of Chou, Earth is born — Earth is yin-qi. Heaven and Earth commingle, yin and yang conjoin — the way of Qian forms the male, the way of Kun forms the female. Therefore at the Epoch of Yin, Humanity is born — Humanity is half yin, half yang.
"But although heaven, earth, and humanity are all born of the Primordial Qi, the one who sets the Primordial Qi in motion and brings forth heaven, earth, and humanity is the Limitless Heavenly Venerable. The Limitless gives birth to the Supreme Ultimate; the Supreme Ultimate gives birth to the Two Modes; and the Three Powers are complete. Laozi said: 'The Dao gives birth to one; one gives birth to two; two gives birth to three.' The Dao is the Prior Heaven Dao-Mother, that is, the Limitless Heavenly Venerable. The one is the Qi of the primal unity. The two is yin and yang. The three is heaven, earth, and humanity. Thus heaven, earth, and humanity all take the Dao as their mother-qi, and are born from the Limitless Heavenly Venerable."
Daoyuan said: "Heaven and earth are wu-wei — effortless and eternally serene. It is well enough that they should be born. But humanity, in the Prior Heaven, possessed a single numinous true nature, pure and effortless — how free and at ease! Why then must humanity be made to be born in the five turbid evil worlds, drowning in the bitter sea? It seems a great deal of trouble. Moreover, when humanity is born into suffering, heaven and earth too must suffer on humanity's behalf — for they must circulate the two qi to produce all things and nourish the people, and this is the toil of heaven and earth. If humanity were not born, then humanity would not suffer, and heaven and earth could also be at peace. Would that not be better?"
The Teacher answered: "Humanity, together with heaven and earth, forms the Three Powers. If there were heaven and earth but no humanity, the Three Powers would be incomplete — how then could it be called a world? Besides, heaven and earth are brought into being precisely for the sake of humanity. If humanity were not to be born, what use would there be in bringing forth heaven and earth?
"Moreover, the qi of heaven and earth's yin and yang circulates and spreads everywhere; whatever receives this qi comes into existence and is born — this is an inevitable principle. Therefore the Dao-Mother, taking the truth of the Limitless primal unity, set it in motion through the refined essence of heaven-and-earth's Two-and-Five. Mysteriously conjoined and condensed, humanity was born between heaven and earth. Those who partook of the yang of heaven — by the way of Qian they became male. Those who partook of the yin of earth — by the way of Kun they became female. Qian uses the number nine; Kun uses the number six. Therefore the Dao-Mother, setting qi in motion and apportioning natures, gave birth in the Epoch of Yin to males and females called the Ninety-Six Original Souls. The 'Ninety-Six Original Souls' means the original number of human beings: a total of nine billion six hundred million. This is the origin of humanity."
Daoyuan said: "Since humanity has been born, then let humanity simply live and die between heaven and earth until the Epochs of Xu and Hai, when all returns to the Limitless along with heaven and earth. Why is it that before heaven and earth reach their end, a Universal Salvation is opened?"
The Teacher answered: "When humanity was first born, heaven and earth were the furnace, creative transformation was the smith, the Five Phases were the mold and casting. The Primordial Qi was tightly knit, and humanity came forth. The qi was so abundant, overflowing and pervasive, that what humanity received of it was inexhaustible, and all creatures flourished without harming one another. Therefore when a person died, they were reborn as a person; when a creature died, it was reborn as a creature.
"But in later ages, the cleverness and scheming of the human heart gradually increased. People began to seize and eat the tamer creatures, while the fierce ones, whom people could not seize, turned instead to devour people. Humanity and creatures began to harm one another. Yet the nature of heaven and earth holds humanity as most precious, and the later sages provided everything: food and drink, clothing, dwellings, and implements — nothing was lacking. As for creatures, some were domesticated and slaughtered at home, others were hunted and fished in the wild. Thus humanity gained the power to harm creatures, while creatures could no longer harm humanity.
"But humanity clings to life, and creatures also cling to life. Humanity fears death, and creatures also fear death. Would they willingly submit to being killed and eaten without seeking recompense? And would heaven and earth — the father and mother of all things — simply allow humanity to slaughter creatures without enabling creatures to seek recompense? This is why the six paths of reincarnation exist, and why humans and beasts exchange places across lives. When a human falls into the form of a beast, the degradation is wretched indeed. And with killing begetting more killing, with sins towering to heaven, the accumulated karma ripens into great catastrophe. When original souls have fallen into the beast-realm and further into the realm of catastrophe, they sink through ten thousand kalpas with no way to return to their origin. Therefore whenever a great catastrophe approaches, a Universal Salvation must be opened."
Daoyuan said: "I have heard that every five hundred years there is a great catastrophe. Does this mean a Universal Salvation is opened every five hundred years?"
The Teacher answered: "The five-hundred-year catastrophe is great compared to ordinary small catastrophes, but compared to the catastrophe that occasions a Universal Salvation, it is still small. The great catastrophes of which I speak are these: in the Epoch of Chen, the Longhan Catastrophe; in the Epoch of Si, the Chiming Catastrophe; and in the present Epoch of Wu, the Yankang Catastrophe."
Daoyuan said: "The Epochs of Chen, Si, and Wu all have great catastrophes — does that mean all three have Universal Salvations?"
"Indeed."
Daoyuan said: "Since the original souls all possess the Buddha-nature of the Prior Heaven, they should awaken at a single call. Why must the Universal Salvation come once, then twice, then three times?"
The Teacher answered: "Though the original souls possess the Buddha-nature of the Prior Heaven, once they are born into the dusty world they are constrained by the endowment of their temperament and stained by material desires. The karmic bonds of countless kalpas cloud their hearts, and to save them is exceedingly difficult. Therefore in the Epoch of Chen only two hundred million were saved; in the Epoch of Si, likewise only two hundred million. The remaining nine billion two hundred million still await the Gathering of the Epoch of Wu. The saying goes: 'Three assemblies bring completion,' and 'Three rounds make it settled.' This is the hidden meaning: the original souls can only be fully saved through three assemblies, and all Buddhas can only attain their fixed fruition through three rounds."
Daoyuan said: "May I ask: who opened the Universal Salvation in the Epoch of Chen?"
The Teacher answered: "The Daoist Teaching. And who presided? The Lamp-Lighter Lord and Laozi. It is called the Daoist Teaching because 'Dao' means 'road' — it shows the original souls the road out of suffering and homeward. The Lamp-Lighter symbolizes the Prior Heaven's primal spirit — the light of one's nature. Laozi symbolizes the Prior Heaven's primal yang — the treasure of one's destiny. Therefore what the Daoist Teaching transmitted was the practice of cultivating the heart and refining one's nature, the dual cultivation of nature and destiny. This was the first period of Universal Salvation."
Daoyuan said: "Who opened the Universal Salvation in the Epoch of Si?"
The Teacher answered: "The Buddhist Teaching. And who presided? Shakyamuni and Amitabha. It is called the Buddhist Teaching because 'Buddha' means 'awakened one' — it awakens all sentient beings, enabling them to escape suffering and return to the origin. Shakyamuni signifies 'releasing the ten thousand entanglements, drawing out the yang from the yin.' Amitabha signifies 'one nature pervading all, the radiance round and full.' Therefore what the Buddhist Teaching transmitted was entirely the teaching of illuminating the heart and seeing one's nature — the dual cultivation of nature and destiny. This was the second period of Universal Salvation."
Daoyuan said: "Laozi and Shakyamuni both appeared alongside Confucius during the Zhou dynasty — they are all figures of the Epoch of Wu. How then can you say Laozi belongs to the Epoch of Chen and Shakyamuni to the Epoch of Si?"
The Teacher answered: "The Laozi of the Epoch of Chen and the Shakyamuni of the Epoch of Si refer to the previous incarnations of Laozi and Shakyamuni. Since the catastrophes of the Epochs of Chen and Si are too remote to verify, they reappeared in the Epoch of Wu to compose and preserve their scriptures, to illuminate the heart-dharma, and to serve as evidence for the unification of the Three Teachings in the third period of Universal Salvation."
Daoyuan said: "In the first and second periods, the time was not yet far from humanity's original birth, and yet each period saved only two hundred million. By the third period, the distance from humanity's origin is even greater, the submersion even deeper, and salvation even harder. How can you say that nine billion two hundred million will all be gathered in the Epoch of Wu?"
The Teacher answered: "The Universal Salvation and Gathering are truly not easy. The Limitless Heavenly Venerable, seeing that the nine billion two hundred million had become remnant spirits, difficult to awaken at a stroke, therefore commanded the four hundred million saved in the Epochs of Chen and Si to descend again into the Eastern Lands in the Epoch of Wu — to take up positions in the Three Teachings, to compose their respective scriptures as evidence for the third period, and to establish many auxiliary paths as a prelude to the Gathering.
"Therefore the Epoch of Wu is the juncture that heaven and humanity must ride together, one that cannot be missed. The reason is this: by the Epoch of Wu, the six yangs are fulfilled and the first yin is born. Heaven opens the mechanism of destruction and gathers in all the wicked to fill the catastrophe. If the nine billion two hundred million are not saved at this time, they will fall into the catastrophe and sink endlessly. Moreover, humanity is born at Yin and reaches its zenith at Wu; to seize this moment for the Universal Salvation and Gathering is the original souls' one thread of living hope. Past this point, there is no further chance of restoration. This is why the Gathering must occur in the Epoch of Wu — the third period is an opportunity that cannot be lost."
Daoyuan said: "May I ask: who opens the Universal Salvation and Gathering in the third period?"
The Teacher answered: "The Confucian Teaching. Who presides over the salvation? The Confucian Youth. Who presides over the Gathering? The Celestial Origin.
"The third period must use the Confucian Teaching because Confucianism encompasses all the good men and women of an entire age — none stand outside its teaching. The character 儒 is composed of 人 (person) and 需 (need), signifying that this is the age the original souls need and have been waiting for. All Buddhas need this moment to attain their fixed fruition, and the remnant spirits need this moment to return to their root and restore their destiny.
"The Confucian Youth must preside over the salvation because the Confucian Youth is a divided emanation of Confucius — the ancestral patriarch of the Confucian Teaching — who remained unmarried his whole life, symbolizing the primal yang within the trigram Kan. The salvation is like the work of extraction: true water ascending. The Celestial Origin must preside over the Gathering because the Celestial Origin is an incarnation of Maitreya, signifying the gathering of all the body's spirits and qi to return to the Primordial Qian — Maitreya pervading all without gap. The Gathering is the work of the full cycle: ten thousand channels returning to the Origin.
"Together, this is nothing other than the learning of preserving the heart and nourishing one's nature, cultivating the body and establishing one's destiny — the dual cultivation of nature and destiny. The immortals and Buddhas of the first and second periods gather together in the third period in one hall. The practices of the Daoist and Buddhist teachings merge with the Confucian Teaching and converge in one direction. A thousand gates and ten thousand teachings are all subsumed. This is why the third period does not merely open a Universal Salvation, but must also complete the Gathering."
Daoyuan said: "If the Confucian Teaching opens the Universal Salvation, then everything should follow Confucian ways. Why then do practitioners observe vegetarian abstinence and precepts — which are Buddhist methods?"
The Teacher answered: "Without holding the vegetarian discipline, one's karmic debts remain unsettled — how then can one escape the wheel of rebirth? Without keeping the precepts, the root of one's destiny is not firm — how then can one transcend birth and death? Therefore in matters of human relations and moral rectitude, one follows the Confucian Teaching entirely; but in vegetarian discipline and precepts, one must follow the Buddhist dharma.
"Among sages, worthies, immortals, and Buddhas, it is the Buddhist dharma that is deepest, the Buddhist precepts that are strictest, the Buddhist vows that are most vast, and the Buddhist compassion that is most boundless. Only by becoming a Buddha can one transcend birth and dwell forever in the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. The final secret — the last move — is the esoteric key to Buddhahood, which until now has never been lightly revealed. When people encounter the third period and the time has come, although the Universal Salvation is opened through the Confucian Teaching, the people of all Three Teachings take Buddhahood as their ultimate destination. This is what is meant by 'the Saha world transforms into a Buddha-land.'"
Daoyuan said: "The Buddhist Teaching has no ruler-minister or father-son relationships, and knows nothing of rites, music, punishments, or governance. How can it be practiced in China?"
The Teacher answered: "If Buddhism had no ruler-minister relationship, then Buddhist nations should have no sovereigns. If Buddhism had no father-son relationship, then Buddhist nations should have no people. How then do they persist to this day with rulers and subjects, fathers and sons, generation after generation? To say that Buddhism does not know rites, music, punishments, and governance, and therefore cannot be practiced in China — consider the Buddhist lands: in their beginnings they too delighted in killing. But when the Buddha taught compassion and skillful means, several dozen nations of the West all came to observe vegetarianism and refrain from killing, treating others with kindness. From the Zhou dynasty to the present — more than two thousand years — their wholesome customs remain as they were. If the Buddhist dharma can be practiced in those nations, why not in China?
"To say that China has rites, music, punishments, and governance, and should therefore enjoy lasting peace and stability — yet why is it that dynastic revolutions occur time and again, that usurpations and assassinations are commonplace? Can China's governance truly be said to surpass that of Buddhist nations? And yet you say the Buddhist dharma cannot be practiced here?
"Consider: if one day a sagely ruler were to champion the Buddhist teaching from above, and ministers and people all practiced the Buddhist dharma below — governing with rites, music, punishments, and governance while augmenting them with compassion and skillful means; penetrating the ultimate principle of the Three Powers so that the Dao of giving birth to heaven, earth, and humanity is cultivated by the whole age; transmitting the heart-dharma of the Three Teachings so that the practice of embracing, returning to, and pervading the One is pursued by all within the four seas; observing the Three Refuges, keeping the Five Precepts, eliminating the Ten Evils, abandoning the Eight Deviations, observing the Three Reverences, embodying the Nine Contemplations — ruler benevolent, minister loyal, the court enjoying the elegance of unified virtue; father compassionate, son filial, the home free from the troubles of discord; rites perfected, music complete, every person treading the Middle Way in harmony; governance simplified, punishments few, every person practicing solitary vigilance and self-examination; not brewing wine, not raising livestock, so that grain becomes inexhaustible; not drinking wine, not eating flesh, so that wealth becomes inexhaustible; treating people with humanity, caring for all creatures, taking nourishment from virtue and drinking from harmony, so that birds, beasts, fish, and turtles all fulfill their natures — this is what is meant by 'all under heaven one family, China one person, all things one body.' The Dao would be unified, customs harmonized, and the whole age would be raised to the realm of benevolence and longevity, achieving ten thousand years of Great Peace under the Dao. Then China would itself be a Buddha-land. How wonderful! How magnificent!"
Daoyuan said: "That China can become a Buddha-land, accomplished through the Confucian Teaching's opening of the Universal Salvation — there should be clear evidence of this in the Confucian texts as well. Why does this teaching seem to appear only in the Buddhist scriptures?"
The Teacher answered: "The sagely classic says: 'From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all without exception take the cultivation of the person as the root.' Is this not evidence that China will become a Buddha-land?"
Daoyuan said: "Cultivating the person is a Confucian matter. How can it be called Buddhist teaching?"
The Teacher answered: "What the later Confucians call 'cultivating the person' is merely correcting one's desires, being careful in one's movements — cultivating the false body of the later heaven, which is born and dies. But what the sagely classic means by 'cultivating the person' is the cultivation of the Prior Heaven's truth.
"Consider: 'Illumining virtue, renewing the people, resting in the highest good' — what thing is 'illumining virtue'? What matter is 'renewing the people'? What place is 'the highest good'? The passage on 'knowing where to rest' is in truth the oral formula for refining the self, sustaining the heart, completing one's nature, and fulfilling one's destiny — the cultivation of the true body.
"For humanity's true body originally dwelt in the palace of Qian in the Prior Heaven — a single nature perfectly luminous, wholly the Heavenly Principle, without thought or contrivance, pure and at ease. When the Later Heaven came, Qian transformed into Li, and Kun transformed into Kan. The Prior Heaven's true body fell captive in the palace of Kan. Therefore one must take the fire of Li and illuminate downward, burning away all the yin-qi of the Kan palace, recovering the Prior Heaven's true body and returning it to the palace of Qian. Then, using the true fire of the Three Concentrations, it is refined into the Vajra Body — indestructible through ten thousand kalpas. This is what the Buddhist teaching calls 'cultivating the person,' and it is also what the sagely classic calls 'cultivating the person.' To cultivate the true body, one cannot neglect the false body either; but in borrowing the false to cultivate the true, one must know there is a body beyond the body, and must not mistake the false body for the true."
Daoyuan said: "What you cite from the sagely classic is indeed sufficient to prove that China will become a Buddha-land. But perhaps this is merely a coincidence. Are there other passages that can serve as evidence?"
The Teacher answered: "The Doctrine of the Mean says: 'Cause all the people under heaven to observe purification and fasting, and don splendid garments, in order to attend the sacrifices.' If all people under heaven observe vegetarian fasting and illuminate their hearts to see their true nature — is this not a Buddha-land?"
Daoyuan said: "The word 齊 (purification) here means to purify one's heart — it does not mean vegetarian abstinence."
The Teacher answered: "The chapter on Xiang Dang states: 'When fasting, one must change one's food.' The Rites of Zhou states: 'On fasting days, one does not feast.' These clearly state that to fast means not drinking wine and not eating meat. How can you say it merely means purifying the heart? Yet fasting of the mouth is also fasting of the heart. The ancients used the character 齊 for 齋 precisely to make clear that fasting must align heart and mouth, inner and outer as one. Later sages, fearing people would only know to fast with the mouth and not with the heart, added a 心 (heart) radical inside the character 齋, to show that fasting must purify the heart and not merely the mouth. But later Confucians thereupon claimed that fasting means only purifying the heart, not vegetarian abstinence — this is error propagated from error. Or perhaps, in their zeal to refute the Buddhist teaching, they deliberately avoided equating fasting with vegetarianism."
Daoyuan said: "All the people under heaven fasting and donning splendid garments — that refers only to the time of attending sacrifices. When not attending sacrifices, there would be no need to fast."
The Teacher answered: "Confucius told Duke Ai: 'Fasting, adorning oneself in splendid garments, and not moving except in accordance with ritual — this is how one cultivates the person.' Cultivation of the person takes fasting as its first task. Since the text says 'from the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all take cultivation of the person as the root,' then there is no one under heaven who does not cultivate the person, and no one who does not fast and purify.
"Nor is this all. The passage on 'utmost sincerity, fully realizing one's own nature, fully realizing the nature of others, and thereby fully realizing the nature of things, so as to assist in the transforming and nourishing of heaven and earth' — to 'fully realize the nature of things and assist in transforming and nourishing' requires that all things fulfill their nature, and only then can one speak of fully realizing. It requires that each thing's nature and destiny be properly established, and great harmony preserved — only then can one speak of assisting in the transforming and nourishing. If one were to slaughter creatures wantonly, wounding the benevolence by which heaven and earth give birth to all things — how could one fully realize the nature of things? How could one assist in the transforming and nourishing?
"Again it says: 'All things are nourished together without harming one another.' Without vegetarian discipline and the abstention from killing, how could all things be nourished together without harming one another?
"And again it speaks of the utmost sage's influence 'overflowing throughout China, extending to the barbarian lands, until all who have blood and breath without exception honor and love' — merely to say that all people honor and love is already remarkable, already difficult. Consider: from antiquity, the most celebrated era of great governance was that of Yao and Shun, and yet even then Gong Huan conspired in factions and the Sanmiao stubbornly refused to submit. No one said 'without exception they honored and loved.' Therefore 'giving broadly and aiding the multitudes' was something even Yao and Shun found difficult. But here the text says that those who honor and love include all who have blood and breath — and blood and breath are not the possession of humans alone. Creatures born from the womb, from eggs, from moisture, from transformation — which of these does not have blood and breath? That they all without exception honor and love — this must be because the benevolence of broadly cherishing living things has penetrated deeply into the multitude of sentient beings; because the virtue of abstaining from killing and releasing life has spread universally among all that is sentient and numinous. Were it otherwise — if one killed and ate those who have blood and breath, they would hate us bitterly — how then could we cause them to honor and love without exception?
"All these passages reveal in advance the celestial secret that China will become a Buddha-land. Yet unless one possesses the understanding of a sage, the wisdom of one who has penetrated the virtue of heaven — who could perceive it?"
At this, Daoyuan was overcome with mixed sorrow and joy. He knelt for a long time, weeping, and gave thanks, saying: "To have heard this discourse today is truly a wondrous affinity across ten thousand kalpas. Otherwise, stubbornly clinging to my established views and thinking myself right, I would have fallen into the catastrophe and sunk endlessly through ten thousand kalpas."
At that moment, another disciple named Daocheng came forward and asked: "Having just heard the Master's discourse, I feel as though waking from a dream — what great fortune! But you say the third period of Universal Salvation is opened through the Confucian Teaching, and Confucius is the patriarch of the Confucian Teaching. Then the transmitted lineage should descend from Confucius. Why is it that the present succession follows the patriarchal line of the Buddhist Teaching?"
The Teacher answered: "The Buddhist Teaching held the Dao of the second period; the Confucian Teaching holds the Dao of the third period. In Confucius's time, the third period was still far off, and the Dao was still in the custody of the Buddhist Teaching. Therefore the sagely Dao was transmitted only through Yan, Zeng, Si, and Meng, and then stopped. The books of the Four Masters were merely preserved for the final age as evidence. When the Liang dynasty came and the third period drew near, Bodhidharma brought the great meaning from the West to continue the orthodox transmission of Eastern Lu. One flower, five petals — the second patriarch of White Horse Temple took up the Buddhist succession, and from that point the Dao passed into the custody of the Confucian Teaching. Therefore although the present succession follows the lineage of the Buddhist patriarchs, what is transmitted is still the Dao of Pervading Unity. The Dao transmits the Pervading Unity; the lineage inherits the Buddhist patriarchs. This is why the Universal Salvation opens through the Confucian Teaching, and yet those who attain the Dao ultimately become Buddhas."
Daocheng said: "That the Confucian Teaching inherits the patriarchal lineage I now understand. May I ask: on what basis does the Confucian Youth preside over the Universal Salvation?"
The Teacher answered: "The orthodox lineage of the Confucian Dao begins with Fuxi. Fuxi was born at the end of the Epoch of Si — the catastrophe of the second period having passed, Heaven prepared anew for the third period's Universal Salvation. It specially commanded the Water Essence of the First Heavenly Stem to manifest as Fuxi, and further dispatched the dragon-horse bearing the River Diagram to reveal the secrets of creation. Fuxi accordingly drew the Eight Trigrams, and the great origin of the Dao was opened. Yet at that time there was only the Prior Heaven — the Later Heaven had not yet appeared. Therefore at the end of the Shang dynasty, Fuxi was again reincarnated as King Wen, who developed the Later Heaven's Eight Trigrams, and the substance and function of the Dao were at last fully prepared.
"But although the Dao now had both substance and function, people knew only that the Prior Heaven transforms into the Later Heaven — they did not know how to reverse the Later Heaven back into the Prior Heaven. Although the Duke of Zhou composed the line-commentaries, the principle remained unclear. Therefore at the end of the Zhou dynasty, the Water Essence was once more incarnated as Confucius, who completed the Ten Wings. The words 'one yin and one yang — this is called the Dao' and 'the unfathomable in yin and yang — this is called spirit' were then clearly revealed to humanity as the marvel of transcending the ordinary and entering sagehood.
"Alas, the common people use it daily and do not understand. They take the study of 'exhausting principle, fully realizing nature, and arriving at destiny' for nothing but a book of divination — utterly losing the true transmission of the Water Elder. This is why in the third period of Universal Salvation, the Water Elder must come in person, and only then does the heart-dharma emerge. Moreover, the Confucian Teaching takes Confucius as its patriarch. Confucius is the Water Elder; the Water Elder is the Confucian Youth. Now that the Confucian Teaching opens the Universal Salvation — if Heaven does not command the Confucian Youth to preside over the Dao, whom would it command?"
Daocheng said: "And on what basis does Maitreya preside over the Gathering?"
The Teacher answered: "According to the Primordial Orthodox Lineage Chapter and the Long Song of the Moon-Flower Elder, when the original souls were first born, they went forth in the morning and returned in the evening, unwilling to dwell long in the turbid world. The Dao-Mother therefore conferred with the Buddhas of the Three Heavens and commanded Maitreya to lead the multitude to bathe in the river waters, while secretly plucking away half of their nature-light and storing it in the Qiankun Pouch. The multitude thereupon drifted and forgot to return, drowning in the bitter sea.
"Now, to accomplish the Gathering, if Maitreya is not commanded to preside, who will open the Qiankun Pouch? Who will restore the nature-light of men and women? Even if the Universal Salvation is opened, the original souls will never be able to return to their origin. This is why the Dao of the Gathering must be entrusted to Maitreya."
Daocheng said: "If the Universal Salvation can only succeed through Maitreya completing the Gathering, then Maitreya should have descended into the world at the very beginning of the third period. Why does he come only at the end?"
The Teacher answered: "The opening of the Universal Salvation is not the work of a few decades. How could the master of the Gathering be born at its beginning? Therefore the Doctrine of the Mean says: 'Wait for the right person, and then it can be carried out.' All who are in the path of cultivation say: 'We are waiting for that person to come.' The pioneers of the Universal Salvation clear the ground and sow the seeds for Maitreya. Maitreya arrives only when the Gathering begins."
Daocheng said: "The Dao of Universal Salvation and Gathering must rely on human transmission — anyone who claims divine transmission is a demon. May I ask: does the presiding teacher also transmit from patriarch to patriarch?"
The Teacher answered: "Transmission from patriarch to patriarch is the normal principle. But there are breaks and continuations in the Dao-lineage, and risings and fallings in the Dao's fortune. When the lineage is unbroken, each predecessor passes directly to the next — person transmits to person, memorials are submitted to the Three Heavens, and the Heavenly Mandate rests with that individual.
"But when the Dao-lineage has been severed and person cannot transmit directly to person, then Heaven must dispatch celestial spirits to make the transmission. For example, the lineage of the Ninth Patriarch succeeded the Eighth Patriarch, but the heart-dharma was actually received from a mysterious stranger — which is to say, a celestial spirit. Since more than a thousand years separated the Ninth from the Eighth Patriarch and the Dao-Mother had already withdrawn the robe and bowl, Heaven had to manifest a stranger to bestow the transmission, and only then could the Eighth Patriarch's lineage be continued.
"Likewise, the Dao of Patriarch He was transmitted from Patriarch Wu, but the true fire of inner alchemy was received from a mysterious youth — again, a celestial spirit. From the Ninth to the Tenth Patriarch, only the Mysterious Pass had been transmitted, but the indestructible body of ten thousand kalpas requires the true fire to be perfected. Therefore Heaven manifested a mysterious youth to bestow it upon Patriarch He, and only then could the Universal Salvation be opened. This is the distinction between breaks and continuations in the lineage, and why transmission sometimes comes from heaven and sometimes from humans.
"When the Dao's fortune is ascendant, one need only follow the patriarchal rules: person transmits to person, memorials are submitted to the Three Heavens, and the Heavenly Mandate rests with that individual. But when the Dao's fortune occasionally declines — when the Heavenly Mandate is violated, the patriarchal laws are disrupted, and saving people becomes harming people — then Heaven must separately select a person of virtue and confer the Mandate upon them, so that the crooked may be made straight and failure turned to success.
"Therefore the lineage of Xu and Yang was never directly received by the Water Patriarch, yet the Water Patriarch holds the Dao of the Universal Salvation — because Heaven itself commanded it. This is the difference between risings and fallings of the Dao's fortune, and why the Heavenly Mandate sometimes shifts."
Daocheng said: "That the Celestial Origin presides over the Gathering is certainly true. But the Water Patriarch's lineage was received from Heaven specifically because the orthodox transmission had been disrupted. As for the Gathering, why not follow the normal course of patriarch-to-patriarch succession?"
The Teacher answered: "This is what is called the Test of the Extraordinary — or the Test of Reversal. The heart of Heaven is supremely impartial. Of the ninety-six original souls, nine billion two hundred million are remnant spirits, and the four hundred million are those who must establish their merit and attain fruition at this time.
"If the Gathering's lineage also followed the normal patriarchal succession, then the leaders of the Universal Salvation would also become the leaders of the Gathering, and those who had not yet realized their ambitions during the salvation would never have their time. Therefore Heaven secretly turns the hub of the wheel: those who aspired to great things during the salvation but never achieved them are all given the chance to display their talents, to share in the great enterprise, and to establish imperishable merit and attain imperishable fruition."
Daocheng said: "Those who preside over the Universal Salvation have their assistants, and those who preside over the Gathering have theirs — this principle is correct. But if the leaders of the salvation are willing to come and assist the Gathering, would the master of the Gathering refuse them?"
The Teacher answered: "Not only would he not refuse them — he would welcome them. For when the leaders submit, all their followers submit with them, and the accomplishment becomes easier. But the leaders of the Universal Salvation will never come to submit to the Gathering. This is the design of Heaven, but it is also a matter of people missing their own opportunity and ruining their own future.
"Those who managed the salvation have been laboring for years, toiling for years. Now at last they command a region — with devoted followers, with people who run to serve them. Their authority, their prestige — how splendid it all is! Then suddenly they hear that the latecomers have surpassed them. Who among them would lower his head and humble his heart to submit? This is why they will never come to join the Gathering."
Daocheng said: "If they will not submit, they will certainly slander and obstruct. With every leader of the salvation slandering and obstructing, how will the Gathering ever succeed?"
The Teacher answered: "The Gathering does not mean that all nine billion six hundred million original souls are gathered at once. Among the original souls, the Buddhas number only four hundred million, and the Jade Lotuses number only ten thousand. Those who manage the Gathering must, from among the four hundred million, select ten thousand spirits — those whose virtue matches the heart of Heaven and who can receive the ten thousand Jade Lotuses without shame. Once the three vehicles and nine grades are determined, in a flash the celestial mechanism will stir, and a thousand gates and ten thousand teachings will all converge in one hall.
"This is possible because the Gathering is carried out under the Mandate of Heaven, and Heaven itself will bring it to completion. How could mere humans obstruct it?"
Daocheng said: "The number of ten thousand spirits was already filled during the Universal Salvation. If the Gathering also selects ten thousand spirits, does that mean ten thousand more Jade Lotuses have been added?"
The Teacher answered: "The number of ten thousand spirits is determined by human selection, but the ten thousand Jade Lotuses are fixed by Heaven. If the leaders of the salvation cannot complete the selection of the ten thousand spirits, the task continues into the Gathering. Or if among the Gathering's leaders there are those who prove unworthy of the ten thousand spirits' selection, Heaven will again choose persons of great merit and great virtue — those who have never held leadership — to replace them and complete the count. This is why the ten thousand spirits are determined by Heaven, not by humans."
Daocheng said: "Now the Universal Salvation is open and the Gathering draws near. What must those who manage the Gathering do in order to be worthy of the ten thousand spirits' selection?"
The Teacher answered: "The work of the Gathering is easier to accomplish than the Universal Salvation, but the person who manages the Gathering is harder to find than the person who manages the salvation. The salvation is like breaking new ground — therefore it is very difficult. The Gathering is like the autumn harvest — therefore it is relatively easy. As for the person who manages the salvation, if they can save themselves they can save others; anyone with talent, knowledge, and courage can do it. But the person who manages the Gathering must first gather their own completeness before they can gather the completeness of all under heaven. Without virtue, they cannot move people.
"Why is this so? Since the salvation began, all manner of cleverness, scheming, and deception have been seen — people have witnessed much and guard themselves tightly. A single misplaced word, a single misstep — it is not merely that one arouses suspicion, but that one hands others ammunition for attack. Therefore one must first gather one's own completeness, and only then can one gather the completeness of all under heaven."
Daocheng said: "How does one gather one's own completeness?"
The Teacher answered: "It is like the inner alchemy of gathering completeness within the body. One must rein in the monkey of the mind, rein in the horse of intention, and refine the self to perfect purity before one can return the elixir. One must also gather the four gates, gather the six consciousnesses, unite the three flowers, condense the five qi, and return the ten thousand channels to the root — only then is the single nature perfectly luminous. If the inner gathering of completeness is already so difficult, how much more so the gathering of all under heaven?
"Therefore one must inwardly gather one's temperament and outwardly gather one's conduct. Every trace of self-aggrandizement, deceit, greed, jealousy — everything that displeases others — must be gathered into the Bag of Patient Endurance. And yet one must also be lively and adaptable, never showing sharp edges. Inwardly, one must be supremely discerning; outwardly, supremely plain. Respectful to those above, loving to those below. Self-restraining, conciliatory. The Buddha-regulations must be scrupulously maintained, yet one's bearing must be calm and harmonious. In ordinary times, one is trustworthy, sincere, warm, and reverent — leading by personal example. When events arise, one is broad-minded, patient, and considerate of others' feelings. The influence of great virtue upon people is like the spring wind touching all things.
"Only then will those nearby submit with delight and those far away turn toward you with longing. Only then can one gather the completeness of all under heaven and be worthy of the ten thousand spirits' selection. Otherwise — if one's speech and actions are unbridled, if one does not know how to gather oneself, if one is harsh and angular and cannot be accommodating — everyone will fear and resent you, and Heaven too will secretly remove your name, selecting instead a person of virtue to take your place. Though you manage the Gathering's work, you will never accomplish its merit. Though you stand among the ten thousand spirits' number, you will never hold your position. This is why whoever would gather the completeness of all under heaven must first gather their own completeness."
Daocheng said: "One must first gather one's own completeness before one can gather the completeness of all under heaven, and thereby fulfill the ten thousand spirits' number. From this I understand: those who use scheming and deception are not among the ten thousand spirits' chosen. Those who seize merit and snatch fruition are not among the chosen. Those who are greedy for wealth, who serve themselves, who enrich their own households — they are not among the chosen. Those who destroy their patriarch and deceive their teacher, who act perversely and absurdly — they are not among the chosen. Those who love flattery, who delight in sycophancy, who use power to oppress others — they are not among the chosen. Those who love extravagance, who enjoy thick blessings, who spend money recklessly — they are not among the chosen. Those who divide into factions, who set up their own schools, who call themselves patriarchs and teachers, who deceive others and deceive their own hearts, who deceive principle and deceive Heaven — they are not among the chosen. Those who say one thing to your face and another behind your back, who outwardly comply and inwardly dissent, whose tongues wag both ways and whose feet straddle two boats — all these are not among the ten thousand spirits' chosen.
"The Doctrine of the Mean says: 'Without the utmost virtue, the utmost Dao will not coalesce.' The Three Powers share this one Dao — without virtue, the Three Powers cannot return to one. The Three Teachings share this one Dao — without virtue, the Three Teachings cannot return to one. The Three Periods share this one Dao — without virtue, the Three Periods can never return to one.
"Now I understand: the Universal Salvation, the Gathering, the ten thousand spirits' determination of rank — to establish great merit and attain great fruition — without great virtue, none of this can be sustained.
"I am blessed to have received the Master's teaching. How dare I not engrave it upon my bones and imprint it upon my heart, and serve it faithfully for the rest of my life?"
The Three-Three Return to One is complete.
Colophon
Three-Three Return to One (三三歸一) is a doctrinal dialogue of Yiguandao (一貫道), recorded in the third year of the Tongzhi reign (1864 CE) during the Qing dynasty, by a disciple signing as "Guiyizi" (歸一子, "Child of Return to One"). The dialogue presents a conversation between Master Buxu (不虛先生, the Fifteenth Patriarch's circle) and two disciples, Daoyuan and Daocheng, on the cosmic framework of the Three-in-One: Three Powers, Three Teachings, and Three Periods of salvation converging in a single Gathering. It is the theological catechism of the tradition — the clearest systematic statement of why the Three Teachings must return to One and why Maitreya presides over the final harvest.
First translated from Classical Chinese for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. This is a Good Works Translation — an original rendering from source, not a reproduction of existing scholarship.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: 三三歸一
Chinese source text from the 善書圖書館 (Morality Books Library, taolibrary.com). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
三三歸一序
原夫道之未生三才也，渾然一氣耳，至有天地人則三才備矣，外此皆物類矣，道之未生三教也，統共一宗耳，至有道釋儒則三教全矣，外此皆旁門矣，道之始於一而成於三者類如此，顧始於一者既可發為三，而分為三者終當歸於一，則三期之普渡尚焉，蓋祇有一期，或僅有二期，則三期不全，即三教之普渡不圓，將儒與道釋分為三教者，且不能歸於一，而人與天地分為三才，又何能歸於一乎，惟有三期之普度，天一開普渡於前，天三成收圓於後，九六原人，盡得三一之道，一期二期所度之人，至三期而共歸一室，道教釋教所傳之道，合儒教而同歸一源，儒也而集道釋之大成，人也而得天地之全功，則三才三教，皆於三期而盡歸於一矣，是道能以一而發為三者，復能以三而返於一，甚矣道之大也，太極涵三為一，旨良深乎。
愚幸逢三期普度，得聞三教心傳，不枉三才忝列矣，適吾師不虛先生，與友人道源道成等，講論三三歸一之理，愚聞之喜而不寐，因繕寫付梓，普傳海內，俾有緣見之者，及早醒悟，咸歸於一焉。時大清同治三龍年三秋月三候日歸一子薰手敬序
三才歸一三教歸一三期歸一總論
甲己氏者，神州赤縣人也，得三教心傳，立願普渡世人，助祖收圓，學者以其自全真性，不務虛名，故稱不虛先生，一日與諸生講論天地元會之理，陰陽造化之機，座中有一弟子，名曰道源進而問曰，聞邵子一十二萬九千六百年為一元，一元管十二會，一會管一萬八百年，天開於子，地闢於丑，人生於寅，至戌亥而復歸於混沌。
敢問未有天地之先，混混沌沌，何以至子丑寅而天地人皆生乎？其亦有主之者乎？
答曰：此先天元氣之流行，自然而不容己者也，元氣至亥，則陰極矣，陰極必生陽，故子會則生天，天者陽氣也，動生陽而靜生陰，故丑會則生地，地者陰氣也，天地氤氳，陰陽交媾，乾道成男，坤道成女，故寅會則生人。人者半陰半陽也，但天地人雖皆元氣所生，而運元氣以生天地人者，則無極天尊也，無極生太極，太極生兩儀，而三才備焉。老子曰，道生一，一生二，二生三，道者先天道母，即無極天尊也，一者一元之氣也，二者陰陽也，三者天地人也，是天地人皆以道為母氣，而生於無極天尊也。
源曰：天地無為，終古清寧，生之可也，若人在先天，一靈真性，清靜無為，何等自在，而必使之生於五濁惡世，沉淪苦海，殊覺多事，且人生而苦，天地亦因人之生而為人苦，何也？運二氣以生萬物而養人者，天地之苦也，使人不生，則人不受苦，天地也可以無事，豈不妙哉？
答曰：人與天地為三才，若有天地而無人，則三才不全，何以成為世界，且生天地正為生人也，若不生人，又何用生天地哉，況天地陰陽之氣，流行布濩，得其氣者即有即生，此必然之理也。故道母以無極一元之真，運於天地二五之精，妙合而凝，而生人於天地之間，象天之陽者，則乾道成男，象地之陰者，則坤道成女，乾用九，坤用六，故道母運氣分性，生於寅會之男女，謂之九六原人，九六原人者，言原來之人，共九十六億也，此人之生所由來也。
源曰：人既生矣，則當任生任死於天地之間，至戌亥而與天地復歸於無極可也，何以天地未終，而人又開普度乎？
答曰，人之初生也，以天地為爐，以造化為工，以五行為陶鑄，元氣密結，而人生焉，其氣之充周洋溢，而人鐘之不盡者，萬物並育而不相害。故人死為人，物死復為物，至後人心機巧漸生，乃於物之馴柔者，搏而食之，而獰惡之物，則不為人所搏，而反以噬人，人物於是乎相害，但天地之性人為貴，後聖有作，凡人之飲食衣服，宮室器用，無一不備，而於物則或畜牧於家而殺之，或漁獵於野而殺之。故人能害物，而物不能害人矣，夫人貪生，物亦貪生，人畏死，物亦畏死，豈肯任人之殺而食之，而不思報乎，且天地萬物父母，又豈能任人之殺物，而不使物有以報之乎，此所以六道輪迴，而人畜轉變也，夫人變為畜，則墮落難堪矣，且爭殺相尋，罪孽滔天，而更釀成大劫矣，以原人而墮入畜中，又墮入劫中，則萬劫沉淪，何由返本還原，故逢大劫，必開普度也。
源曰：聞之五百年一大劫，豈五百年一開普度乎？
答曰：五百年之劫，較之尋常小劫，則為大，而較之開普度之劫，則猶為小也，此所謂大劫者，在辰會則龍漢劫，在巳會則赤明劫，而在今之午會，則延康劫也。
源曰：辰巳午三會，皆有大劫，即皆開普度乎？
曰然。
源曰：既是原人，皆屬先天佛性，宜一唱則醒矣，何用普度之一而再再而三乎？
答曰：原人雖先天佛性，然既生於塵世，則為氣稟所拘，物欲所染，歷劫孽冤矇心，度之甚不易也。故辰會僅度有二億，巳會亦僅度有二億，餘九十二億，尚待午會收圓也，諺曰三會圓滿，又曰三回為定，暗言原人必三會始能度圓，諸佛必三回乃能定果也。
源曰：請問辰會開普度者何人也？
答曰：道教也。掌教者誰，燃燈老君也，謂之道教者，道猶路也，所以示原人以出苦歸家之路也，必燃燈與老子掌教者，燃燈喻先天元神，性光也，老子喻先天老陽，命寶也。故道教所傳，乃修心煉性，性命雙修之功也，此一期之普度也。
源曰：巳會開普度者，何人也？
答曰：佛教也，掌教者誰，釋迦彌陀也，謂之佛教者，佛者覺也，所以覺悟眾生，使之出苦還原也，必釋迦與彌陀掌教者，釋迦明釋去萬緣，撥陰取陽也，彌陀明一性彌綸，圓光陀陀也。故佛教所傳，皆明心見性，性命雙修之旨也，此二期之普度也。
源曰：老子釋迦與孔子並顯於周，則皆午會中人也，今曰老子在辰會，釋迦在巳會，此何說也？
答曰：所謂辰會之老子，巳會之釋迦，乃老子釋迦之前身也，以辰巳過劫，則無可考矣，故復顯於午會，著留經典，闡明心法，以為三期普度三教合一之憑證也。
源曰：一期二期，去生初猶未甚遠，而每會所度僅二億，至三期則去初生愈遠，陷溺愈深，度之更不易，而謂九十二億，必在午會收圓何也？
答曰：普度收圓，真非易也，無極天尊以九二已為殘靈，一時難以喚醒。故命辰巳所度之四億，復於午會降生東土，分任三教，各著經典，以為三期證據，多設旁門，以為收圓先聲。故午會者，天人之所共乘，而不可錯過者也，所以然者，時至午會，六陽畢，一陰生，天開殺機，收盡惡人，以充劫運，若九十二億，不於此時度圓，則墮在劫中，沉淪何極，且人生於寅，旺於午，乘此時而普度收圓，正原人一線之生機，過此則無復原之期矣，此收圓者所以必在午會，三期為不可失之時也。
源曰：敢問三期普度收圓者何人也？
答曰：儒教也，掌教者誰，普度乃儒童，收圓乃天元也，三期必用儒教者，儒則統一世之善男信女，無不在教中，故儒字從人從需，言原人之所需，待者此時也，蓋諸佛需此時而定果成真，殘靈需此時而歸根復命也，普度掌教，必用儒童者，儒童乃孔子分性，謂為儒教之宗，而終身童真，象坎中元陽也。故普度如採取之功，真水上升也，收圓必用天元者，天元乃彌勒化身，謂收周身之神氣，而歸於先天乾元，彌羅無間也，故收圓周天之功，萬脈朝元也，合之乃存心養性，修身立命，無非性命雙修之學也，一期二期之仙佛，至三期而共萃一堂，道教佛教之功修，合儒教而同歸一致，收千門，並萬教，此三期所以不僅普度，而又必收圓也。
源曰：既是儒教開普度，則一切宜從儒教，何以持齋守戒，又是佛法？
答曰：不持齋則孽賬不清，何以脫輪迴，不守戒則命根不固，何以了生死。故敦倫飭紀，一切盡從儒教，而持齋守戒，則必遵佛法，蓋聖賢仙佛，惟佛法最深，佛律最嚴，佛願最洪，佛量最大，必成佛而後能超生西天，永住極樂也。故末後一著，乃成佛之祕訣，前此未敢輕洩者，人逢三期時至，普度雖開於儒教，而三教之人，皆以成佛為要歸，所謂娑婆變為佛國也。
源曰：佛教無君臣父子，不知禮樂刑政，何可行於中國？
答曰：使佛教無君臣，則佛國應無主矣，使佛教無父子，則佛國應無人矣，何以至今猶是君臣父子相承乎？謂佛教不知禮樂刑政，不可行於中國，考佛國其先亦好殺，至佛以慈悲方便為教，故西方數十國，皆持齋戒殺，方便與人，自周至今，二千餘年，其風俗之厚猶是也，佛法既可行於彼國，而顧不可行於中國乎？謂中國有禮樂刑政，可以致治，宜其長治久安，何以不時而革命，不時而易性，爭奪篡弒者比比也，則中國之治，果勝於佛國乎？而謂佛法不可行於中國乎？有如一日者，聖天子倡行佛教於上，臣民皆奉行佛法於下，治之以禮樂刑政，而濟之以慈悲方便，貫三才之至理，而生天生地生人之道，舉世同修，衍三教之心傳，而抱一歸一貫一之功，率土共勉，遵三皈，守五戒，除十惡，去八邪，遵三畏，體九思，君仁臣忠，朝有一德之雅，父慈子孝，家無不順之虞，禮明樂備，箇箇皆履中蹈和，政簡刑清，人人盡慎獨自訟，不造酒，不飼畜，而穀不可勝食，不飲酒，不食肉，而財不可勝用，仁民愛物，食德飲和，鳥獸魚鱉，咸若其性，所謂天下一家，中國一人，萬物一體者此也，道一風同，胥一世而躋於仁壽之域，於以成萬年太平有道之長，則中國也即佛國矣，豈不休哉，豈不盛哉。
源曰：中國可為佛國，既成於儒教之開普度，則儒書所載，亦宜顯有明徵，何以此語僅見於釋典乎？
答曰：聖經自天子以至於庶人，壹是皆以修身為本，非中國化為佛國之證乎？
源曰：修身乃儒者之事，何得謂為佛教？
答曰：儒者之所謂修身，不過端好惡，慎言動，修後天有生有死之假身而已，若聖經所謂修身，固修先天之真也，試思明德新民止至善，明德何物也，新民何事也，至善何地也，知止一節，實煉己持心，了性了命，修身成真之口訣也，蓋人之真身，先天居於乾宮，一性圓明，渾然天理，無思無為，清淨自在，至後天乾變為離，坤變為坎，先天真身，失陷坎宮。故必取離火下照，盡坎宮陰氣，將先天真身，取歸乾宮，用三昧真火，鍊成金剛之身，萬劫不壞，此佛教所謂修身，即聖經所謂修身也，夫修真身者，假體亦不可不修，然而借假修真，當知身外有身，不可誤認假身為真身也。
源曰：聖經所云，固足以證中國為佛國之語，然亦偶合耳，他處尚有可以為證者乎？
答曰：中庸言使天下之人，齊明盛服，以承祭祀，夫天下之人，皆持齋茹素，明心見性，非佛國而何？
源曰：齊者所以齊潔其心，非茹素之謂也？
答曰：鄉黨章言齊必變食，周禮言齋日不舉，明言齋者，不飲酒食肉也，何得謂齋止齊其心乎？但齋口亦齋心，故古人以齊字為齋字，所以明齋必心與口齊，內外如一也，後聖恐人只知齋口，不知齋心，故於齋字內添一心字，乃示人以齋必潔其心，不徒潔其口也，而後儒遂謂齋只齋潔其心，非茹素以潔其口也，抑亦以訛傳訛之誤耳，否則力闢佛教，故諱言持齋為茹素也。
源曰：天下之人，齋明盛服，固謂承祭時然也，倘非承祭，未必齋也。
答曰：孔子告哀公曰：齋明盛服，非禮不動，所以修身也，修身以齋為首務，既曰自天子以至於庶人，皆以修身為本，則天下無一人不修身，既無一人不齋明也，不但此也，至誠盡己性盡人性，以盡物性，而贊化育，所謂盡性贊化育者，必咸若其性，而後可謂之盡性，必各正性命，保合太和，而後可謂之贊化育也，向使恣殺物命，傷天地生物之仁，何以能盡物性，又何以能贊化育乎？又云萬物並育而不相害，若不持齋戒殺，何以能並育而不相害乎？又謂至聖之聲明，洋溢中國，施及蠻貊，以至凡有血氣者，莫不尊親，夫僅曰人莫不尊親，亦難，試思從古稱盛治者，莫過於堯舜，然而共讙朋比為奸，三苗負固不服，未聞莫不尊親，故博施濟眾，堯舜猶病也，今則尊親者，凡有血氣者皆然，血氣豈徒人有乎？胎卵濕化之物，誰非有血氣者，乃莫不尊親，必其博施愛物之仁，有以深入乎含生賊性之眾也，必其戒殺放生之德，有以遍洽乎蠢動含靈之繁也，非然者，於有血氣者殺而食之，彼方且讎我實甚，而豈能致彼之尊親，而莫不皆然乎，歷歷所載，皆預洩中國化為佛國之天機，然茍不固聰明聖知達天德者，其孰能知之。
源乃悲喜交集，長跪涕泣而謝曰：源今得聞此論，真萬劫奇緣也，不然，固執成見，自以為是，將墮入劫中，不免萬劫沉淪矣。
是時復有一弟子，名曰道成，進而問曰：適聞先生之論，如夢初覺，真萬幸也，但所言三期之普度，既開於儒教，孔子為儒教之宗，則所傳道統，宜自孔子而來，何以今之相承者，乃為釋教之祖派乎？
答曰：釋教掌二期之道，儒教掌三期之道，孔子之時，去三期猶遠，道還掌自釋教，故聖道僅傳顏曾思孟而止，而四子之書，不過留之末後以作憑證，至梁時，三期將近，達摩乃以西來之大意，續東魯之道統，一花五葉，白馬二祖，始接釋氏之傳，而道於是掌之儒教矣。故今之所承者，雖佛祖之派，而所傳者，猶是一貫之道也，道傳一貫，派承佛祖，此普度所以開自儒教，而得道者又終成佛也。
成曰：儒教承祖派，既聞命矣，敢問儒童掌普度之教，此何據乎？
答曰：儒道之統，肇自伏羲，伏羲生於巳會之末，蓋二期之劫既過，天又為三期之普度，故特命天一之水精，化身為伏羲，又使龍馬負圖，以洩造化之秘，伏羲因畫八卦，而道之大原以開，然祇有先天，尚無後天，故商末，伏羲又轉化為文王，復演後天八卦，而道之體用，於是乎大備，但道雖有體有用，而人止知先天變後天，不知後天轉先天，周公雖作爻詞，而其理猶未昭明，故周末，水精又倒裝為孔子，贊成十翼，而一陰一陽之謂道，陰陽不測之謂神，乃明示人以超凡入聖之妙矣，奈何百姓日用而不知，以窮理盡性至命之學，而專只為卜筮之書，大失水老之真傳，所以三期普度，水老必親臨，而心法始出也，況儒教以孔子為宗，孔子即水老，水老即儒童，今儒教開普度，天不命儒童掌道而命誰也。
成曰：彌勒當收圓之教，又何據乎？
答曰：考元始正宗篇，及月華老人長歌，皆言原人初生之時，朝往暮歸，不肯久居濁世，道母乃與三天諸佛共議，命彌勒引眾沐浴河水，暗摘性光之半，藏於乾坤袋中，眾遂流而忘返，苦海沉淪，今欲收圓，若不命彌勒掌教，乾坤之布袋誰開，男女之性光誰復，普度縱開，而原人終不能返本還原，此收圓之道，所以必掌之彌勒也。
成曰：普度必彌勒始成收圓，則三期之初，彌勒當早下世，何以至末後始來乎？
答曰：普度之開，非數十年不為功，收圓之主，何可生於普度之初，故中庸云，待其人而後行，凡在修門者皆曰：等箇人來，蓋普度之人，原為彌勒開荒打草，而彌勒必收圓始至也。
成曰：普度收圓之道，必賴人傳，自謂神傳者即魔也，敢問掌教者亦必祖祖相傳乎？
答曰：祖祖相傳，此是常理，但道脈有斷續，道運有污隆，道脈有續者，前後相繼，但須以人傳人，表奏三天，而天命即屬於斯人矣，若道脈既斷者，人與人不能親傳，則必借天神以傳之，如九祖之盤，繼夫八祖，而心法實得之異人，異人者何？天神也，蓋九祖與八祖相去千有餘年，道母已收衣缽，故九祖之盤，天必化異人以授之，而後可續八祖也，又如何祖之道，傳自吳祖，而自家水火乃得之奇童，奇童者何？天神也，蓋九祖十祖相承，惟玄關一竅，而萬劫不壞之身，必得火始成，故何祖之全功，天必化奇童以授之，而後可開普度也，此道脈有斷續之分，授受所以有天人之別也，道運之隆者，謹遵祖規，亦祇以人傳人，表奏三天，而天命即注於是人矣，若道隆偶污，違逆天命，變亂祖法，度人而適以害人，天必別擇有德者，以與之使之易邪為正，轉敗為成也，故徐楊之盤，水祖未嘗親受，而水祖掌普度之道，天自有以命之也，此道運有污隆之異，天命所以有轉移之殊也。
成曰：天元掌收圓，固真矣，然水祖之盤，由天授，實因道統之有變也，而天與天元之盤，何弗循祖祖相傳之常乎？
答曰：此所謂希奇考也，亦顛倒考也，蓋天心最公，原人九六，九二為殘靈其四億，則皆於此時而立功證果，若收圓之統，亦循祖祖相傳之常，則普度之領袖，復為收圓之領袖，普度未得志者，終無展布之時矣，故暗轉盤心，使普度有志未逮之人，皆得以大展經綸共襄盛舉，而立不世之功，證不朽之果也。
成曰：有掌普度之教者，即有佐普度之人，有掌收圓之教者，即有佐收圓之人，此理誠正，但普度之領袖，若肯來助收圓，掌收圓者，其能拒之乎？
答曰：不惟不拒之，而且迎之也，蓋領袖歸，則所屬盡歸，其成功為較易，但普度之領袖，必不來歸收圓，此固天意，亦人之自失機緣，自誤前程也。蓋辦普度者，經營有年，辛苦有年，今幸而當一方之領袖，竭力供奉者若而人，奔走承順者若而人，喜怒由己，威福由己，其尊榮為何如，忽焉而聞後來者居上，其誰肯低首下心以相從乎？此所以必不來歸收圓也。
成曰：既不來歸，則必謗阻，以普度之領袖，而人人謗之，人人阻之，收圓何由得成乎？
答曰：所謂收圓者，非謂九六原人，一時盡圓也，蓋原人九六，諸佛則止四億，而玉蓮又僅萬朵，辦收圓者，於四億之中，選擇萬靈，但使德當天心，可受萬朵玉蓮而無愧者，三乘九品既定，忽之間，天機一動，而千門萬教，皆歸於一堂矣。所以然者，奉天命以收圓，天自有以成之，而豈人之所能阻乎？
成曰：萬靈之數，普度已取齊矣，收圓又取萬靈，玉蓮豈其又增萬朵乎？
答曰：萬靈之數，固由人取，而萬朵之蓮，則自天定，蓋普度之領袖，未能畢萬靈之選，又一之以收圓，或收圓之領袖，又有愧萬靈之選者，天必復擇大功大德，未當領袖者以易之，而足萬朵之數也，此萬靈所以由天定非人定也。
成曰：今者普度開，收圓期臨，辦收圓者，必如何行之而始可，當萬靈之選也？
答曰：收圓之事，較普度為易成，而辦收圓之人，則較辦普度為難得，蓋普度如開荒故甚難，收圓如秋收故較易也，至於辦普度之人，但能度己，即能度人，茍有才識有膽量者，皆可為之，若辦收圓之人，必收自己之圓，乃可以收天下人之圓，非德不足以感人，是何也？蓋自普度以來，一切機巧變詐之事，見之多故防之密，一言偶失，一行偶差，不惟動人之疑，而且予人以口實，故必先收自己之圓，而後可收天下人之圓也。
成曰：請問收自己之圓何如？
答曰：如身內之收圓，然必收心猿收意馬，鍊己純熟，而後可以還丹，又必收四門收六識，三花聚，五氣凝，萬脈歸根，而後一性圓明，身內之收圓不易如此，況收天下人之圓乎？是必內收氣質，外收行持，一切人我摃高，奸貪嫉妒，種種不悅於人者，一併收之忍辱袋中，而又活潑圓通，不露圭角，內極精明，外極渾厚，敬上愛下，克己和人，佛規則甚嚴整，氣象卻又和平，平時信實溫恭，以身作則，臨事寬容忍耐，曲體人情，盛德之感人，如春風之被物，夫然後近者悅服，遠者懷之，乃可以收天下人之圓，而當萬靈之選也。不然，言動放肆，不知收束，棱角峭厲，不能圓融，人皆畏之忌之，天亦必陰除其名，而另選有德者當之，是雖辦收圓之事，而終不能成其功，雖在萬靈之數，而終不能保其位也，此所以欲收天下人之圓，必先收自己之圓也。
成曰：必收自己之圓，而後可收天下人之圓，而備萬靈之數，是知使奸用詐者，非萬靈之選也，搶功奪果者，非萬靈之選也，貪財利己肥家潤身者，非萬靈之選也，滅祖欺師違悖謬行者，非萬靈之選也，愛奉承喜逢迎權勢壓人者，非萬靈之選也，好奢華享厚福銀錢濫用者，非萬靈之選也，分門別戶，稱師作祖，欺人欺心，欺理欺天者，非萬靈之選也，面是背非，陽奉陰違，口弄兩舌足踏兩船者，皆非萬靈之選也，中庸曰：茍不至德，至道不凝。
三才同此一道，三才非德，不能歸於一也，三教同此一道，三教非德，亦不能歸於一也，三期同此一道，三期非德，總不能歸於一也，今而知普度收圓，萬靈定品，立大功而證大果，非大德不足以載之也，幸承先生之教，敢不刻骨銘心，終身佩服乎。
三三歸一終
Source Colophon
Source: 善書圖書館 (Morality Books Library, taolibrary.com), category9/c904.htm. The Chinese text is presented as transmitted by the tradition. The site states: 歡迎轉載，上傳，翻印，流通 — "Welcome to reprint, upload, reproduce, and circulate." The text is in the public domain (Qing dynasty, 1864 CE, author deceased over 100 years).
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