汾陽無德禪師語錄 1.2

1.2

Formerly, Master Fengxue said to Shoushan: 'Unfortunately, the way of Linji will fall to the ground when it reaches me. Looking at this assembly, though the clever are many, those who have seen into their nature are few. Although I have long placed my hopes in you, I still fear that, indulging your attachment to this scripture, you cannot let it go.' Fengxue held high the patriarchal seal, striking a move directly upon the crowns of the thousand sages; it was indeed steep and towering. Yet Shoushan grasped the purport before words were spoken and illumined the source beyond ordinary forms, taking it upon himself right on the spot without leaving the slightest hairbreadth. Later, when Fengxue ascended the hall and brought up the World-Honored One gazing around at the great assembly with his blue-lotus eyes, Shoushan's magnificent capacity darted forth, and flicking his sleeves he walked out—deep as an abyss and towering as a peak; as it is said, 'The higher the melody is sung, the steeper the harmony.' Chan Master Fenyang came from the gate of Shoushan: he handled the Lion of Xihe, brandishing the claws and fangs emerging from the cave; with a single roar, the hordes of Māra fled. When an Indian monk requested the Dharma, he expounded it immediately, striking jade and sounding gold, transcending hearing and departing from views. The great vessels among the six persons are fully recorded in the canonical writings, shining upon antiquity and soaring through the present, a standard for the Chan groves. With the ancestral heritage thus transmitted, the correct tune has its discerning listeners—how could it be left untransmitted? In the past it had already been printed, but over the years it fell into oblivion. Head Monk Zicong of Tiantai, having long accorded with the marvelous functioning and personally received transmission from the master of the lineage, lamented the lasting darkness of the patriarchal house and deplored the decline of the true style. Grasping the black dragon's pearl, he intended to clarify the vast ocean; holding the axe of wisdom, he sought to cut down the forest of heresy. He solicited donations to reprint it, bestowing grace upon future students. Commending his aspiration, I have composed these opening remarks, hoping that those who hear and see it will gladly follow along, so that there may be glory brought to the patriarchal way.