禪林寶訓 2.15

2.15

Lingyuan said to Fojian: 'Whenever I receive a letter from senior brother Dongshan, he never speaks of worldly matters; he only urges me earnestly to forget oneself to propagate the Way and to guide the younger generation. Recently I received a letter saying: "I have no worry at all about the drought damage to the manors; I only worry that Chan practitioners have no eyes. This summer there were more than a hundred people, yet when I brought up the topic in the room of whether a dog has buddha-nature, not a single person understood it. This is what is worth worrying about." How profound are these words! Compared with those who worry that monastic matters will not be settled, who fear reproach from officials, who fret that their reputation and position will not spread, and who dread that their followers will not be numerous, the difference is truly between heaven and earth. Whenever I think of these truthful words, how could I ever hear them again? As his legitimate Dharma heir, you are capable of vigorously reviving the family style. You should comfort the hopes of our lineage; this is my earnest prayer.' (*Chan shizhe rilu*).