樂邦遺稿 2.105

2.105

《湘山野錄》云「王文正公且為宋真廟之良相，平生勤儉多衣布褐，補衮之餘尤通內典。一日因讀《高僧傳》有遺世絕俗者，遂表之曰：昔之有道者，功業尚不足以累其懷，況身後之名乎？如亮師之逃西山、常公之菴大梅、歸宗之昧其跡、法正之不言名姓，是諸老皆能踐其所聞者也。且又自念，淪於仕宦，恨不早為釋子。忽病革，召內翰楊大年，囑以後事曰：『且深厭俗塵，志慕釋典，願未來世得為比丘，林間晏坐，觀心為樂。將易簀之時，君為我剃鬚髮服壞色衣，勿以金帛等置棺內。用荼毘法，藏骨於先瑩之側，起一卵塔，以酬宿願。吾雖已深誡子孫，恐其循俗，託子叮嚀之。』大年曰：『餘事敢不如教。若剃髮三衣事，此必難遵。公三公也，若薨背，鑾輅必有挑被之臨，自當殮贈公衮，豈可加於僧體乎？』至薨日，大年與諸孤協議，但以三衣置柩中，不藏寶貨而已。」

The Xiangshan yelu states: 'Wang Dan (Duke Wenzheng) was an excellent minister to Emperor Zhenzong of Song. Throughout his life he was diligent and frugal, frequently wearing plain linen clothes; in the intervals of mending the imperial robes, he was especially well versed in Buddhist scriptures. One day, on reading the Biographies of Eminent Monks where there were those who renounced the world and severed ties with the mundane, he expressed his praise, saying: "For the men of the Way in the past, even their achievements and endeavors were not enough to burden their hearts, not to mention fame after death! Such as Master Liang fleeing to the Western Hills, Master Chang hermitizing at Damei, Guizong obscuring his traces, and Fazheng not speaking his name and surname—these venerable masters could all practice what they had heard." Moreover, he personally reflected that, having sunk into the life of an official, he regretted not having become a disciple of Śākya earlier. Suddenly falling critically ill, he summoned Hanlin Academician Yang Danian and entrusted him with the subsequent arrangements, saying: "I deeply loathe worldly defilements and in my aspirations admire the Buddhist scriptures. I vow that in future lives I may become a bhikṣu, sitting peacefully among the groves, delighting in contemplating the mind. When I am about to change mats, you must shave my beard and hair for me, clothe me in dyed garments of bad color, and place no gold, silks, or the like in the coffin. Use the method of cremation (jhāpeti), store my bones beside the ancestral graves, and erect an egg-shaped stūpa, so as to fulfill my former vow. Although I have already deeply admonished my sons and grandsons, I fear they will follow worldly customs, and so I entreat you to impress it upon them." Danian said: "Regarding the other matters, how would I dare not follow your instructions? As for shaving the hair and dressing in the three robes, this will surely be difficult to comply with. You are one of the Three Excellencies; if you pass away, the imperial carriage will surely make an imperial visitation to cover your remains with a coverlet. You naturally ought to be encoffined and bestowed with a ducal robe; how could it be placed upon a monk's body?" When the day of his death arrived, Danian consulted with the bereaved orphans and merely placed the three robes in the casket, simply not storing treasures or goods.'