佛祖歷代通載 13.50

13.50

（三十七　甲午）　左溪玄朗法師卒。朗如意中得度。就會稽叩宗法師商略律部依恭禪師研究心法行頭陀教。初南岳惠文禪師。悟法華宗旨以授惠思禪師。思授天台智顗。顗授章安灌頂。頂授縉雲智威。威授東陽惠威。朗奉事東陽盡傳其道。重山深林怖畏之地。獨處岩穴凡三十年。宴坐左溪。因以為號。每曰。泉石可以洗昏蒙。雲松可以遺身世。吾以此始亦以此終。建立精舍約而不陋。跪懺其間。奉觀音上聖。願生兜率親近彌勒。心不離定口不嘗藥。或衣弊食絕。布紙而綻掬泉而齋。如繒纊之溫。如滑甘之飽。或問。萬行俱空云何苦行。答曰。本無苦樂妄習為因。眾生妄除我苦隨盡。又問。山水自利如聚落何。對曰。名香挺根於海岸。如來成道於雪山。未聞籠中比夫寥廓也。一日告門人曰。吾五印道成萬行無得。戒為心本。爾等師之。言訖而逝。春秋八十有二。弟子神邕玄淨法燈消辯湛然等數十人傳其教。補闕李華誌其碑陰。略曰。禪師誨人匪勌。謂不待眾。一欝多羅四十餘載。一尼師壇終身不易。食不重味居必遍廈。非披閱聖教。不空然一燭。非瞻禮尊儀。不虛行一步。其微細修心。皆循律法之制。是以遠方沙門隣境耆宿擁室填門。

([Year] thirty-seven, jiawu [754 CE]) Dharma Master Xuanlang of Zuoxi passed away. Xuanlang was ordained during the Ruyi era. He went to Kuaiji to consult Dharma Master Zong to discuss the Vinaya division, and relied on Chan Master Gong to investigate the mental teaching and practice the dhūta teachings. Formerly, Chan Master Huiwen of Nanyue awakened to the essential principle of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka and transmitted it to Chan Master Huisi. Huisi transmitted it to Tiantai Zhiyi; Zhiyi transmitted it to Guanding of Zhang'an; Guanding transmitted it to Zhiwei of Jinyun; Zhiwei transmitted it to Huiwei of Dongyang. Lang served Dongyang and fully transmitted his Dao. In places of fear amid repeated mountains and deep forests, he dwelt alone in rock caves for a total of thirty years. He sat in tranquil meditation at Zuoxi, and consequently took it as his appellation. He often said, "Springs and rocks can wash away obscurity and blindness; clouds and pines can make one forget body and world. With these I began, and with these I shall end." He built a hermitage that was simple but not shabby, kneeling and repenting therein. He revered the Supreme Sage Avalokiteśvara and vowed to be born in Tuṣita to be close to Maitreya. His mind did not depart from samādhi, and his mouth tasted no medicine. When his clothes became tattered and his food was exhausted, he patched cloth with paper and took meals with scoops of spring water, feeling as warm as with silks and padded cotton, and as full as with fine delicacies. Someone asked, "Since the myriad practices are all empty, why engage in ascetic practices?" He answered, "Originally there is neither suffering nor pleasure; delusional habits are the cause. When sentient beings' delusions are removed, my suffering will likewise come to an end." Another asked, "Benefiting oneself amid mountains and waters—what about the villages?" He replied, "Famous incense sprouts its roots on the sea coast; the Tathāgata achieved enlightenment in the Snowy Mountains. I have never heard of a cage being compared to vast boundless space." One day he told his disciples, "My Dao of the Five Indias has been accomplished; in the myriad practices there is nothing to be attained. Precepts are the root of the mind; take them as your teacher." Having finished speaking, he passed away at the age of eighty-two. Several tens of his disciples, including Shenyong, Xuanjing, Fadeng, Xiaobian, and Zhanran, transmitted his teachings. Reminder Li Hua composed the inscription on the back of his stele, which said in brief: "The Chan Master instructed people untiringly, saying that he would not wait for the multitude. A single uttarāsaṅga lasted over forty years; a single niṣīdana was never changed throughout his life. He ate nothing of rich flavor, and when dwelling he always stayed under lean-to eaves. Unless opening and reading the holy teachings, he would not burn a candle in vain; unless gazing upon and paying homage to the venerable images, he would not take a step in vain. His subtle mental cultivation all conformed to the regulations of the Vinaya Dharma. For this reason, śramaṇas from afar and elders from neighboring regions packed his room and filled his gate.