肇論 1.40

1.40

Yimin pays homage: Recently I have fed upon your fine reputation, cherishing thoughts [of you] from afar. As the year draws to a close and the cold grows severe, how fares your physical health? With communications blocked and separated, my inner concerns only increase. As for myself, your disciple, sinking into illness in this wild marsh, I am constantly plagued by debilitating ailments. Taking advantage of the monk Huiming's journey north, I briefly convey my sentiments. The ancients did not allow physical distance to lead to indifference; where understanding intersects, there is closeness. Therefore, although rivers and mountains lie far and wide, and we have not met face to face in our prime, when it comes to yearning for your character and flavor, and mirroring our minds in forms and traces, the diligence of my joyful longing is truly profound. Gazing distantly with no way [to meet], I look toward the sunset clouds with a long sigh, wishing you well and showing respect in accord with the season. I hope that by means of travelers I may frequently receive word from you. I prostrate in prayer that the great community there remains harmonious and healthy! May the foreign Dharma master rest well! As a vessel awakened and inspired, you, venerable sir, have encountered these profound exchanges; I think your achievements in open investigation are sufficient to exhaust more than half of my reflections. Thus, whenever I reflect on our separation, how deeply do I feel vexation and shame! The monks on this mountain maintain their purity as usual, their discipline on the Way even more rigorous; beyond their meditative retreat, they dedicate themselves solely to study and exposition. Dignified and serene, it is truly delightful! Having fulfilled my long-cherished aspiration and witnessing this supreme standard, your disciple's sincerity of devotion is inscribed deeper day by day. Dharma Master Yuan has recently been in good health; his intellectual endeavors are precise and accomplished, laboring diligently from dawn to dusk. Were it not that the functioning of the Way secretly flows within him and the ultimate principle governs his spirit, who, past the age of sixty, could possess a serene energy with such dedication as this? For this reason, my reliance and comfort are profound, and my upward gratitude is boundlessly deep.