撫州曹山元證禪師語錄 1.5

1.5

師諱本寂，泉州莆田黃氏子，少業儒，年十九往福州靈石出家。二十五登戒，尋謁洞山，山問：「闍黎名甚麼？」師曰：「本寂。」山曰：「向上更道。」師曰：「不道。」山曰：「為什麼不道？」師曰：「不名本寂。」山深器之，自此入室，盤桓數載，乃辭去，山遂密授洞山宗旨。復問曰：「子向甚麼處去？」師曰：「不變異處去。」山曰：「不變異處豈有去耶？」師曰：「去亦不變異。」遂往曹谿禮祖塔。回吉水，眾嚮師名，乃請開法，師志慕六祖，遂名山為曹，尋值賊亂，乃之宜黃。有信士王若一，捨何王觀，請師住持，師更何王為荷玉，由是法席大興，學者雲萃，洞山之宗至師為盛。

The Master's taboo name was Benji. He was a son of the Huang family of Putian in Quanzhou. In his youth he studied Confucianism, and at the age of nineteen he went to Lingshi in Fuzhou to leave home. At twenty-five he received the precepts, and soon after visited Dongshan. Dongshan asked, 'What is the ācārya's name?' The Master said, 'Benji.' Dongshan said, 'Speak further of the higher matter.' The Master said, 'I will not speak.' Dongshan said, 'Why will you not speak?' The Master said, 'It is not named Benji.' Dongshan regarded him highly as a vessel of the Dharma. From then on he entered [Dongshan's] room, remaining for several years. When he took his leave to depart, Dongshan secretly transmitted to him the essential teachings of Dongshan. Dongshan further asked, 'Where are you going?' The Master said, 'To the unchanging place.' Dongshan said, 'Can there be any going to the unchanging place?' The Master said, 'Going, too, is unchanging.' Thereupon he went to Caoxi to pay homage to the ancestral pagoda. When he returned to Jishui, the assembly looked up to the Master's reputation and invited him to inaugurate teachings. The Master cherished his aspiration for the Sixth Patriarch, and so named the mountain Cao. Soon after, meeting with bandit turmoil, he went to Yihuang. There was a faithful layman named Wang Ruoyi who gave up the Hewang Monastery and invited the Master to serve as abbot. The Master changed 'Hewang' to 'Heyu'. From this, the Dharma assembly greatly flourished, students gathered like clouds, and the school of Dongshan reached its height under the Master.