大慧普覺禪師語錄 23.3

23.3

天台智者大師，悟法華三昧，以空假中三觀，該攝一大藏教，無少無剩，言空者無假無中無不空，言假者無空無中無不假，言中者無空無假無不中，得斯旨者，獲旋陀羅尼，是知從上諸佛諸祖，莫不皆從此門證入。故大師證入時，因讀《法華經》，至「是真精進，是名真法供養如來」，乃見釋迦老子在靈山說此經儼然未散。或者謂之表法，唯無盡居士張公，因閱《首楞嚴經》，至「是人始獲金剛心中」處，忽思智者當時所證，見靈山一會儼然未散，非表法也。嘗謂余曰：「當真實證入時，全身住在金剛心中，李長者所謂：『無邊剎境，自他不隔於毫端。十世古今，始終不離於當念。』智者見靈山一會儼然未散，唯證是三昧者，不待引喻，而自默默點頭矣。」眾生境界差別不等，所見不同，互有得失，除夙有靈骨，不被法縛、不求法脫，於經教及古德入道因緣，捨方便而自證入，則亦不待和會差排，自然見月亡指矣。昔藥山和尚初發心求善知識時，到南嶽石頭和尚處，遂問：「三乘十二分教，某甲粗亦妍窮。承聞南方有直指人心見性成佛。實未明了，乞師指示。」石頭云：「恁麼也不得，不恁麼也不得，恁麼不恁麼總不得。」藥山聞而不領，良久無言，石頭云：「會麼？」藥山云：「不會。」石頭云：「恐子緣不在此，往江西問取馬大師去。」藥山依教直至江西見馬師，以問石頭話端依前問之，馬師曰：「我有時教伊揚眉瞬目，有時不教伊揚眉瞬目，有時教伊揚眉瞬目者是，有時教伊揚眉瞬目者不是。」藥山聞馬師語，便獲金剛心中，更無奇特玄妙可通消息，但作禮而已。馬師知其已證入，亦無別道理傳授，只向他道：「汝見箇甚麼便禮拜？」藥山亦無道理可以呈似馬師，但云：「某在石頭如蚊子上鐵牛相似。」馬師亦無言語與之印可。一日忽見便問：「子近日見處如何？」山曰：「皮膚脫落盡。唯有一真實。」馬師曰：「子之所得可謂協於心體、布於四肢。既然如是，將三條篾束取肚皮，隨處住山去。」藥山云：「某甲又是何人，敢言住山？」馬師云：「未有長行而不住，未有長住而不行。欲益無所益，欲為無所為，宜作舟航，無久住此。」遂辭馬師去住山。此亦獲金剛心中之效驗者。仲堪道友，妙喜與之素昧平昔，紹興丙子冬，邂逅宛陵，一見風采，未語而心已許之，嘗過其舍，遂蒙傾倒，因而詰之，自言於中字法門而有趣向，自爾每與對談，未嘗一語及世間事，古人隔江橫趨時節亦有之矣。為政不苛不察，而姦蠹為之膽落，此亦證中字法門效驗也。別來恰九箇月，忽專介以此軸來求道號，因思無盡張公之言，頗與仲堪所入門戶略相似，故不覺引前葛藤，仍為立道號，曰中證居士。中證之義，在吾佛則曰金剛心，心至中曰忠，中無定方見於行事，而利他自利，世出世間，了無遺恨矣。中證不偏，而上下相應，如析栴檀片片非別木。非如他人說得盛水不漏，於行事時手足俱露，如此等輩，欲入中字法門，大似掉棒打月，不亦難乎。中證居士勉之，妙喜異日忽地撞到面前，那時相見，更若守著這一字，則不中矣。

Great Master Tiantai Zhiyi awakened to the Lotus Samādhi and, by means of the three contemplations of emptiness, provisionality, and the middle, subsumed the entirety of the Great Canon without a shortfall and without a surplus: speaking of emptiness, there is no provisionality and no middle that is not empty; speaking of provisionality, there is no emptiness and no middle that is not provisional; speaking of the middle, there is no emptiness and no provisionality that is not the middle. One who attains this essential aim obtains the revolving dhāraṇī; from this we know that all the buddhas and patriarchs from of old have without exception entered through this gate of verification. Therefore, when the Great Master entered realization, it was because in reading the *Lotus Sūtra* he reached 'this is true vigor, this is called the true dharma offering to the Tathāgata,' and thereupon saw the Old Shakya preaching this sūtra on Vulture Peak, solemn and not yet dispersed. Some have called this metaphorical expression. Only Layman Wujin, Lord Zhang, while reading the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra* and reaching the passage 'this person first attains the center of the vajra-mind,' suddenly reflected upon what Zhiyi had verified at that time—seeing the assembly on Vulture Peak solemn and not yet dispersed was not a metaphorical expression. He once said to me: 'When one genuinely enters realization, one's whole body abides in the center of the vajra-mind. As Elder Li said: "The boundless lands and realms, self and other, are not separated by a hair's tip. The ten ages of past and present, beginning and end, are never apart from the present thought." Zhiyi saw the assembly on Vulture Peak solemn and not yet dispersed; only one who verifies this samādhi, without waiting for metaphors to be drawn, will silently nod to himself.' The realms of sentient beings are varied and unequal, and what they see is not the same, mutually having gains and losses. Unless one inherently possesses spiritual bones, is not bound by dharmas, does not seek deliverance from dharmas, and, regarding the scriptural teachings and the conditions for ancient worthies entering the Way, abandons expedient means and enters realization by oneself, then one will also not wait for harmonization and arrangement, but naturally will see the moon and forget the finger. Formerly, when Venerable Yaoshan first generated the mind to seek a good spiritual friend, he went to Venerable Shitou at Nanyue and asked: 'As for the three vehicles and twelve divisions of the teachings, I have roughly investigated them. I have heard that in the south there is the direct pointing to the human mind and seeing into one's nature to become a buddha. Truly I have not understood it; I beg the master to give instruction.' Shitou said: 'Thus will not do; not thus will not do; thus and not thus both will not do at all.' Yaoshan heard this but did not grasp it; for a long time he was speechless. Shitou said: 'Do you understand?' Yaoshan said: 'I do not understand.' Shitou said: 'I fear your affinity does not lie here; go to Jiangxi and question Master Ma.' Yaoshan followed the instruction and went straight to Jiangxi to see Master Ma, and questioned him using the same topic he had asked Shitou. Master Ma said: 'Sometimes I have him raise his eyebrows and blink his eyes; sometimes I do not have him raise his eyebrows and blink his eyes. Sometimes having him raise his eyebrows and blink his eyes is right; sometimes having him raise his eyebrows and blink his eyes is not right.' Upon hearing Master Ma's words, Yaoshan immediately attained the center of the vajra-mind; with no other extraordinary or abstruse marvel by which to convey news, he simply made a bow. Master Ma knew he had entered realization and likewise had no other principle to transmit; he merely said to him: 'What did you see that you make a bow?' Yaoshan also had no principle he could present to Master Ma, but only said: 'When I was at Shitou's, it was like a mosquito on an iron bull.' Master Ma also gave no words of certification. One day, suddenly seeing him, [Ma] asked: 'What is your view these days?' Yaoshan said: 'The skin has completely fallen off; there is only one reality.' Master Ma said: 'What you have attained can be said to accord with the mind-essence and spread through the four limbs. Since it is so, take three strips of bamboo splints to bind your belly, and go dwell in the mountains anywhere.' Yaoshan said: 'What kind of man am I, that I would dare speak of dwelling in the mountains?' Master Ma said: 'There has never been long traveling without stopping; there has never been long stopping without traveling. Desiring to benefit, there is nothing to benefit; desiring to act, there is nothing to act. You should become a boat and raft; do not dwell here long.' Thereupon he took leave of Master Ma to go dwell in the mountains. This is also an efficacy of attaining the center of the vajra-mind. My fellow-practitioner Zhongkan and Miaoxi were completely unacquainted in the past. In the winter of the *bingzi* year of the Shaoxing era, we met by chance in Wanling; at the first sight of his demeanor, before speaking my heart already approved him. I once visited his residence and received his devoted attention, and thereupon questioned him; he said of himself that he had an inclination toward the dharma-gate of the character 'center' (zhong). From then on, whenever I conversed with him, not a single word ever touched upon worldly matters; the ancients' 'running across the river from the opposite bank' was also like this at times. In governing, he was neither harsh nor inquisitorial, yet the treacherous and corrupt were terrified by him—this is also the efficacy of verifying the dharma-gate of the character 'center'. Since parting it has been precisely nine months, when suddenly a special messenger arrived with this scroll to request a religious name. Recalling the words of Lord Zhang Wujin, which are rather similar to the portal Zhongkan has entered, I therefore unintentionally drew forth the preceding entanglements, and have also established a religious name for him, calling him Layman Zhongzheng ('Center-Verification'). The meaning of Zhongzheng: in our Buddha['s teaching] it is called the vajra-mind; when the mind reaches the center, it is called loyalty (zhong); when the center has no fixed place, it appears in deeds, and benefiting others and benefiting oneself, both worldly and supramundane, will be completely without regret. Center-verification is without bias, and above and below correspond with each other, like splitting sandalwood: piece by piece, it is no other wood. It is not like other people, who speak so water-tightly, yet when acting expose both hands and feet. For such fellows as these to wish to enter the dharma-gate of the character 'center' is very much like swinging a staff to strike the moon—is it not difficult? Layman Zhongzheng, exert yourself! If Miaoxi should one day suddenly bump into you face to face, when we meet at that time, if you still cling to this single character, then you will have missed the mark (zhong).