四明尊者教行錄 6.156

6.156

全三學，法智門下之高者也，作法智行業錄。其間言：法智傳持四十年，妙玄文句講七八遍，摩訶止觀五遍，其餘小部或講十遍，以至不可得記其數者。時人語曰：法智講經明覺頌，慈雲談辯梵才詩。夫如是法智真講經者也。近世號講者，十載有一部未終者安在，其能七八至不可勝紀耶？或謂余曰：古今不同也。今之人既尚展演，說須入時。余對之曰：大凡學道，直須遠追古人。若里巷兒女輩，結束粉飾，當入時也。此癡人，何足與語。

Quan Sanxue was an eminent disciple under Fazhi; he composed the *Record of the Deeds of Fazhi*. In it he states: "Fazhi transmitted and maintained [the teachings] for forty years. He lectured on the *Miao xuan* and *Wenju* seven or eight times, on the *Mohe zhiguan* five times, and on other smaller works ten times, or so many times that their number could not be recorded." People of the time had a saying: "Fazhi's lecturing on the sūtras, Mingjue's verses; Ciyun's eloquence in debate, Fancai's poetry." Thus was Fazhi truly one who lectured on the sūtras! Among those known as lecturers in recent times, where is one who has not taken ten years without even finishing a single work? How could they manage seven or eight times, up to numbers impossible to fully record? Someone said to me: "Past and present are not alike. People nowadays value elaboration, and preaching must suit the times." I replied to him: "Generally, in studying the Way, one must directly emulate the ancients. If one is like the youth of the alleyways, dressing up and applying rouge and powder, that indeed suits the times. With such foolish people, how is it worth conversing?"