宏智禪師廣錄 5.2

5.2

The Old Man of Tiantong early on became renowned in Handong for his brilliant subtlety. His Dharma and teachings gradually flourished in the Jiang and Huai regions, and widely covered Wu and Yue. Wherever he traversed, capitals and cities turned out for him; the eminent and prominent figures of the time vied to hasten to him, as if fearing they would not make it. At the end of the Jianyan era, responding to conditions, he succeeded to the post at the foot of Mount Taibai. In this secluded corner of the sea, he built a hut and practiced quiet meditation. Those who gathered to study, coming and going, were constantly numbered in the thousands. The Master was guiding the assembly with stillness, motionless like a propped tree-stump; yet shoes filled the doorway, so that he could not remain silent to the end. Therefore, taking the main seat, he would raise up [the teachings], or respond with Dharma essentials according to inquiries, or conclude his discourses based on principle. His disciples caught his words and recorded them; before long, they overflowed the bamboo tablets. Only the correct lineage of Wuben was roughly continued and barely preserved; the original school of Dayang was on the brink of ruin and rose again. Passing through three or four generations, it has now attained flourishing succession. Swift thunder in the sky shakes through the nine earths; sprouts and shells burst open, naturally flourishing into life. Yet how could the vast creation of that primal energy have had any intention from the start? Future students, reading this book, will know the valley's response to a sound; realizing this principle, they will be like water passing through vessels. Only then will they believe that Buddhas and sentient beings all receive the power of his grace—how could these be empty words? Preface by the practitioner Ping Wenshu on New Year's Eve of the dingsi year of Shaoxing [1137 CE].