緇門警訓 8.94

8.94

惠懃啟上。昔奉祖峯老師左右。嘗聞其語。今時叢林學道之士。而聲名不揚。匪為人之取信者。良由梵行不清白。為人不諦當。輒欲苟異名聞利養。乃廣衒其華飾。遂為有識者所譏。故蔽其要妙。爾輩他後忽風雲際會。出來為人天師範者。切宜以此事自勉。某得聞此語。遂書諸紳銘於心。終身誦之不敢忘。近有禪客至此傳聞。夾山禪師邇來為兄弟請益雪竇。其洪機捷辨出沒淵奧。頗異諸方。自古今未有也。某聞之不覺洒涕。自謂高蹈之士何至此矣。老兄何不激揚達磨未來時因緣誘接學者以報先聖之德。無乃牽蔓至此。何太錯也。此蓋老兄博覽古今所蘊之妙。而不憤今時邪黨異說。有昧古人之意故。奮發大用益舒卑願。開顯先德之機以破其蔽意在此。然高明遠識者有以見亮必無外也。第恐晚進後昆。疑其言句尖新。以為佛法只如此矣。遂坐守化城不能進至寶所。為害非淺。就此而言不唯有損宗教。亦乃無益於學者。某不懼罪責。敢以先師所授之言。以告於左右。倘能自勉則幸莫大焉。苟或以此見棄於我者。亦不罪於左右也。不宣。

Huiqin respectfully writes: Long ago, when I served at the side of our venerable master of Zufeng, I once heard him say: 'In the monasteries of the present day, when practitioners of the Way do not have their names spread abroad and are not trusted by people, it is truly because their brahmacarya is not pure and white, their conduct as humans is not solid and reliable, and they recklessly desire fame and gain out of the ordinary, widely flaunting their superficial embellishments, so that they are mocked by the discerning and their essential subtleties are thereby obscured. If you, in days to come, suddenly meet with the gathering of wind and clouds and come forth to serve as models for humans and devas, you must earnestly spur yourselves on with this matter.' Having heard these words, I wrote them on my sash and engraved them upon my heart, reciting them throughout my life without daring to forget. Recently, a Chan traveler arrived here and reported that the Chan Master of Jiashan has lately been requesting guidance on Xuedou on behalf of the brethren; your magnificent capacity and swift eloquence plunge into and emerge from the abyssal depths, quite surpassing all quarters, something unprecedented from ancient times to the present! Hearing this, I unwittingly shed tears, wondering how a person of noble flight could stoop to this! Why, elder brother, do you not stimulate and promote the circumstances of Bodhidharma's coming from the west to guide and receive students so as to repay the virtue of the ancient sages? Have you not become entangled in trailing vines to such an extent? What an immense mistake! This is undoubtedly because, elder brother, you have read widely of past and present and store subtle wisdom within, and not tolerating the heterodox factions and divergent theories of today that obscure the intention of the ancients, you have aroused great function to further unfold your humble vow, manifesting the dynamic operation of past virtues to break through their delusion—your intention lies here! Those of elevated clarity and far-reaching insight will surely understand and not take it amiss. I only fear that latecomers and future generations, being intrigued by the sharp and novel phrases, will assume that the Buddhadharma is merely like this; they will then sit and guard the conjured city, unable to advance to the place of jewels, causing no small harm! Speaking from this perspective, it is not only detrimental to the ancestral school, but also of no benefit to students. Regardless of blame and reproach, I dare to take the words transmitted by our late master to inform you. If you can spur yourself on, nothing could be more fortunate; if by any chance you cast me aside on account of this, I shall not blame you either. Respectfully submitted.