緇門警訓 10.19

10.19

臨川陳宗愈。於永安長老會中得大法。喜捐其家貲。為建丈室作修廊。方且鳩林以新法堂。而宗愈死。其二子號訴於常曰。吾先子之未奉佛也安且強。既奉佛也病且亡。佛之因果可信耶。其不可信耶。常曰。吾野叟也不足以譬子。子第成父之志而卒吾堂。吾先師有得法上首無盡居士。深入不二辨才無礙。隨順根性善演音。法堂成當為子持書求誨決子之疑。紹聖元年春常遣明鑑至山陽以書來言。會予方以諫官召還未暇。明年鑑又至京。待報於智海禪剎。爾時居士默處一室。了明幻境。鐵輪旋頂。身心泰定。明鑑雨淚悲泣。殷勤三請。大悲居士。佛法外護付與王臣。今此眾生流浪苦海。貪怖死生迷惑因果。惟願居士作大醫王。施與法藥居士曰。善哉善哉。汝乃能不遠千里。為陳氏子諮請如來無上祕密甚深法要。諦聽吾說。持以告之。善男子。大空寂間妄生四相。積氣為風積形為地。積陽為火積陰為水。建為三才。散為萬品。一切有情水火相摩。形氣相結以四小相具四大界。因生須養因養須財。因財須聚。因聚成貪。因貪成競。因競成瞋。因瞋成狠。因狠成愚。因愚成癡。此貪瞋癡諸佛說為三大阿僧祇劫。人於百年劫中。或十歲二十歲。或三十四十歲。或五六十歲或七八十歲。各於壽量自為小劫。於此劫中而欲超越不可數劫。譬如蚯蚓欲昇烟雲。無有是處。諸佛悲愍。開示檀波羅蜜大方便門。勸汝捨財。汝財能捨。即能捨愛。汝愛能捨。即能捨身。汝身能捨。即能捨意。汝意能捨。即能捨法。汝能捨法。即能捨心。汝心能捨。即能契道。昔迦葉尊者行化。有貧媼以瓦破器中潘汁施之。尊者飲訖踴身虛空。現十八變。貧媼瞻仰心大歡喜。尊者謂曰。汝之所施得福無量。若人若天。輪王帝釋四果聖。人及佛菩提。汝意所願。無不獲者。媼曰。止求生天。尊者曰。如汝所欲。過後七日命終。生忉利天受勝妙樂。又罽賓國王在佛會聽法。出眾言曰。大聖出世千劫難逢。今欲發心造立精舍。願佛開許。佛云。隨爾所作。罽賓持一枝竹插於佛前曰。建立精籃竟。佛云。如是如是。以是精籃含容法界。以是供養。福越河沙。鑑來為吾持此二說歸語檀越。善自擇之。汝父所建堂室廊廡。比一器潘得福甚多。生天受樂決定無疑。若比罽賓國王插一枝竹。乃能含容無量法界。汝欲進此聽吾一偈。一竿修竹建精籃。風捲蟭螟入海南。惡水潑來成第二。鈍根蹉過問前三。於是明鑑踴躍信受。歸告其人筆集緒言。刻以為記。

Chen Zongyu of Linchuan attained the Great Dharma in the assembly of the sthavira [Cun]chang of Yong'an. Delighted, he donated his family wealth to build an abbot's quarters and long corridors. Just as he was gathering timber to renew the Dharma hall, Zongyu died. His two sons wailed and made an appeal to Chang, saying: 'Before our late father served the Buddha, he was peaceful and robust; yet once he served the Buddha, he fell ill and passed away. Can the Buddha's cause and effect be believed, or can it not be believed?' Chang said: 'I am a rustic elder, not adequate to instruct you. You need only fulfill your father's aspiration and complete my hall. My late master had a foremost disciple who attained the Dharma, the Layman Wujin. He has penetrated deeply into non-duality, his eloquence is unhindered, and following individual capacities he is skilled at expounding the Dharma sound. When the Dharma hall is finished, I will carry a letter for you to seek his instruction and resolve your doubts.' In the spring of the first year of Shaosheng, Chang sent Mingjian to Shanyang with a letter to explain this. It happened that I had just been recalled as a remonstrance official and had no leisure. The following year, Jian came to the capital again and awaited a reply at the Zhihai Chan monastery. At that time, the Layman was dwelling silently in a single room, clearly understanding illusory realms: though an iron wheel revolved above his head, his body and mind were tranquil and settled. Mingjian wept profusely in sorrow, earnestly entreating three times: 'Greatly compassionate Layman, the outer protection of the Buddhadharma has been entrusted to kings and ministers. Now these sentient beings wander in the sea of suffering, greedy and fearful of birth and death, deluded about cause and effect. We pray only that the Layman act as a great king of physicians and bestow the Dharma medicine.' The Layman said: 'Excellent, excellent! That you could come without regarding a thousand li as far to consult and request on behalf of the sons of the Chen family the Tathāgata's unsurpassed, secret, and profound Dharma essentials! Listen attentively to what I say, and take it back to inform them. Good men, within the great void and stillness the four marks falsely arise. Accumulated breath becomes wind; accumulated form becomes earth; accumulated yang becomes fire; accumulated yin becomes water. They are established as the Three Talents and dispersed into the ten thousand kinds [of things]. All sentient beings rub together water and fire, and form and breath intertwine, possessing the four great realms by means of four minor marks. Because of birth there must be sustenance; because of sustenance there must be wealth. Because of wealth there must be gathering; because of gathering, greed is formed. Because of greed, contention is formed; because of contention, anger is formed. Because of anger, cruelty is formed; because of cruelty, folly is formed. Because of folly, ignorance is formed. This greed, anger, and ignorance are spoken of by the Buddhas as the three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas. In a human life of a hundred-year kalpa, whether ten or twenty years, thirty or forty years, fifty or sixty years, or seventy or eighty years, each takes their own lifespan as a minor kalpa. In this kalpa, to wish to transcend incalculable kalpas is like an earthworm wishing to ascend into the mists and clouds—it is impossible. The Buddhas took pity and revealed the great expedient gate of dānapāramitā, encouraging you to abandon wealth. If you can abandon wealth, you can abandon attachment. If you can abandon attachment, you can abandon the body. If you can abandon the body, you can abandon intention. If you can abandon intention, you can abandon dharmas. If you can abandon dharmas, you can abandon the mind. If your mind can be abandoned, you can accord with the Way. Formerly, when the Venerable Kāśyapa was wandering to convert beings, an impoverished old woman offered him rice water in a broken earthenware vessel. Having drunk it, the Venerable bounded into the empty sky and manifested the eighteen transformations. The old woman looked up with great joy in her heart. The Venerable said to her: "What you have offered yields immeasurable merit. Whether as human or deva, wheel-turning king or Śakra, noble person of the four fruits, or Buddha's bodhi—whatever your mind desires, there is none that you will not attain." The old woman said: "I seek only to be born in heaven." The Venerable said: "As you wish." After seven days she died and was born in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, enjoying supreme and wondrous bliss. Furthermore, when the king of Jibin was in the Buddha's assembly listening to the Dharma, he stepped forward from the assembly and said: "The Great Sage's appearance in the world is difficult to encounter in a thousand kalpas. Now I wish to resolve to build a vihāra; may the Buddha grant permission." The Buddha said: "Act as you wish." The king of Jibin held a stalk of bamboo, planted it before the Buddha, and said: "The construction of the vihāra is finished." The Buddha said: "Thus it is, thus it is. Because this vihāra contains the dharmadhātu, by this offering your merit surpasses the sands of the Ganges." Jian, come carry these two accounts for me, return, and speak them to the dānapatis; let them choose well. The merit of the halls, chambers, and corridors built by your father is vastly greater than that of a vessel of rice water; his birth in heaven to enjoy bliss is certain without doubt. If compared to the king of Jibin's planting of a single stalk of bamboo, it can contain the immeasurable dharmadhātu. If you wish to advance further into this, listen to my gāthā: / A single stalk of tall bamboo built a vihāra; / The wind swept the tiny midges into the southern sea. / When the foul water is splashed, it becomes the second; / The dull-rooted stumble past and ask about the first three.' Thereupon Mingjian leapt for joy, faithfully accepted it, returned to tell those people, and committed these remaining words to brush, carving them as an inscription.