禪林寶訓 3.2

3.2

雪堂行和尚住薦福。一日問暫到僧。甚處來。僧云。福州來。雪堂云。沿路見好長老麼。僧云。近過信州。博山住持本和尚。雖不曾拜識好長老也。雪堂曰。安得知其為好。僧云。入寺路徑開闢廊廡修整。殿堂香燈不絕。晨昏鐘鼓分明。二時粥飯精潔僧行見人有禮。以此知其為好長老。雪堂笑曰。本固賢矣。然爾亦具眼也。直以斯言達于郡守吳公傅朋曰。遮僧持論頗類范延齡薦張希顏事。而閣下之賢不減張忠定公。老僧年邁。乞請本住持。庶幾為林下盛事。吳公大喜本即日遷薦福（東湖集范延齡事出皇朝類苑）。

When Master Xuetang Xing resided at Jianfu, one day he asked a newly arrived monk: "Where do you come from?" The monk said: "I come from Fuzhou." Xuetang said: "Did you see any good elders along the road?" The monk said: "Recently I passed through Xinzhou; Master Ben, the abbot of Boshan, though I have not paid homage to him in person, is a good elder." Xuetang said: "How do you know he is good?" The monk said: "Upon entering the monastery, the pathways were cleared and opened, the corridors and verandas were orderly and well-kept, the incense and lamps in the halls were never extinguished, the morning and evening bells and drums were clear and precise, the gruel and rice for the two meals were pure and clean, and the monks and postulants treated guests with propriety. By this I knew he was a good elder." Xuetang smiled and said: "Ben is indeed worthy, but you too possess the eye." He immediately reported these words to the prefect, Lord Wu Fupeng, saying: "The discussion upheld by this monk is quite similar to Fan Yanling's recommendation of Zhang Xiyan; and your lordship's worthiness is no less than that of Lord Zhang Zhongding. This old monk is advanced in years; I beg you to invite Ben to be the abbot, so that it may be a grand event for the monastic forest." Lord Wu was greatly pleased, and Ben was transferred to Jianfu that very day.