佛遺教經論疏節要 1.504

1.504

佛云：「吾言如蜜，中邊以甜。」又云：「治世語言，以即實相。」故三祖不難至道而嫌揀擇，有以也。今時人喜玄，一大藏教，凡入理深談，兢互傳誦；至平易切近處，或弁髦之。抑揀蜜於中邊而實相顧不遍耶？嗟乎！最後叮嚀，言猶在人耳也。鏤骨銘肌共報恩，於是乎刻《遺教》。古杭雲棲袾宏跋

The Buddha said: "My words are like honey: sweet both in the middle and at the edges." He also said: "The words that order the world are themselves the dharmatā." Therefore, the Third Patriarch did not find the supreme path difficult, but only disliked picking and choosing, and not without reason. People nowadays take pleasure in the abstruse: throughout the entire Tripiṭaka, whenever there is profound discourse on principle, they vie with one another to recite and transmit it; but when it comes to what is plain, simple, and close at hand, they sometimes cast it aside as useless. Would one pick and choose honey between the middle and the edges, or does dharmatā fail to be all-pervasive? Alas! The final exhortation—its words still ring in our ears! With bones engraved and flesh inscribed to repay together our debt of gratitude, we thereupon carved the blocks for the Bequeathed Teaching. Colophon by Zhuhong of Yunqi in ancient Hangzhou.