人天眼目 5.25

5.25

問曰。傳法偈無翻譯。暨付法藏傳中無此偈。以致諸家多說無據。願垂至誨。答曰。噫子孫支分是非蜂起。不能根究耳。只如達磨未入此土。已會唐言。何以知之。初見梁武時對問。其事即可知矣。後又二祖可大師。十年侍奉。以至立雪斷臂。志求祖乘至勤誠矣。後達磨告曰。吾有一袈裟。付汝為信。世必有疑者云。吾西天之人。子此土之子。得法實信。汝當以吾言證之。又云。自釋迦聖師至般若多羅。以及於吾。皆傳衣表法。傳法留偈。吾今付汝。偈曰。吾本來茲土。傳法救迷情。一花開五葉結果自然成。因引從上諸祖偈。一一授之。內傳法印以契證心。外付袈裟以定宗旨。以此則知。達磨付二祖決矣。此乃單傳口授。何暇翻譯哉。

He asked: 'There are no translations of the Dharma-transmission verses, nor are these verses in the *Fu fazang zhuan*, which has caused various authors to claim they lack foundation. I pray you grant your supreme instruction.' He answered: 'Alas! The descendants have divided into branches, and disputes have arisen like swarming bees, simply because they cannot investigate to the root. Consider how, before Bodhidharma entered this land, he already understood the language of Tang. How is this known? One can know it simply from his dialogue upon his first audience with Emperor Wu of Liang. Later, the Second Patriarch, Great Master Ke, served him for ten years, going so far as standing in the snow and cutting off his arm; his determination to seek the patriarchal vehicle was diligent and sincere to the utmost. Later, Bodhidharma told him: "I have a kāṣāya to bestow on you as a pledge of faith. People in the world will surely doubt, saying: 'I am a man of India, while you are a son of this land; how could there be true faith in attaining the Dharma?' You should use my words as proof." He also said: "From the holy teacher Śākyamuni down to Prajñātāra and down to me, all transmitted the robe to symbolize the Dharma and left verses upon transmitting the Dharma. I now confer them upon you." The verse says: "I originally came to this land / to transmit the Dharma and save deluded beings. / A single flower opens into five petals; / the fruit forms naturally of itself." Thereupon he cited the verses of the successive patriarchs from above and conferred them one by one. Internally he transmitted the Dharma seal to tally and verify the mind; externally he conferred the kāṣāya to fix the cardinal lineage. From this, one knows that Bodhidharma's conferral upon the Second Patriarch was decisive. This is solitary transmission and oral instruction—what leisure was there for translation?'