佛祖歷代通載 18.78

18.78

（三十二）　浮山法遠禪師遷化。鄭圃田人也。出于王氏。年十九遊并州。見三交嵩公求出世法。嵩曰。汝當剃髮墮三寶數。乃可授法。遠曰。法有僧俗乎。嵩曰。與其為俗。曷若為僧。僧則能續佛壽命故也。於是斷髮受具。謁汾陽昭公。又謁汝海省公。皆受記莂。天禧中游襄漢隋郢。至大陽機語與明安延公相契。延嘆曰。吾老矣。洞上一宗遂竟無人耶。以平生所著直裰皮履示之。遠曰。當為持此衣履。求人付之如何。延許之曰。他日果得人出吾偈。為證偈曰。楊廣山前草。憑君待價焞。異苗蕃茂處。深密固靈根。其尾云。得法者潛眾十年。方可闡揚。遠拜受辭去。依滁之瑯瑘覺公。應舒之太平興國寺請說法。為省公之孠。次住姑胥天平。又住浮山。既老退休於會聖岩。遠玉骨插額目光外射。狀如王孫。凜然可畏。初歐陽文忠公。聞遠奇逸造其室。未有以異之。與客棊。遠坐其旁。歐收局。請遠因棊說法。乃鳴鼓升座曰。若論此事如兩家著棊相似。何謂也。敵手知音當機不讓若是綴五饒三。又通一路。始得有一般底。只解閉門作活。不會奪角衡關。硬節與虎口齊彰。局破後徒勞逴斡。所以道。肥邊易得瘦肚難求。思行則往往失粘。心麁而時時頭撞。休誇國手謾說神仙。贏局輸籌即不問。且道黑白未分時一著落在什麼處。良久曰。從前十九路。迷悟幾多人。文忠加歎久之。遠偈語妙密。諸方服其工。作三交嵩公讚曰。黃金打作鍮石筋。白玉碾成象牙梳。千手大悲拈不動。無言童子暗嗟吁。又作明安玄公贊曰。黑狗爛銀蹄。白象崑崙騎。於斯二無碍。木馬火中嘶。歿時已七十餘。雅自稱柴石野人（餘如本傳）。

Chan Master Fushan Fayuan passed away. He was a native of Putian in Zhengzhou, born of the Wang clan. At the age of nineteen he traveled to Bingzhou, where he visited Venerable Song of Sanjiao to seek the world-transcending Dharma. Song said, 'You should shave your hair and join the ranks of the Three Jewels; only then may the Dharma be conferred upon you.' Yuan asked, 'Does the Dharma distinguish between monk and layperson?' Song replied, 'Rather than remaining a layperson, how could it not be better to become a monk? It is because a monk can continue the Buddha's life-span.' Thereupon he cut his hair and received the full precepts. He paid homage to Venerable Zhao of Fenyang, and also to Venerable Sheng of Ruhai, receiving predictions [of enlightenment] from both. During the Tianxi reign era, he traveled through Xiang, Han, Sui, and Ying. Arriving at Dayang, his conversational dynamic accorded with Venerable Ming'an Yan. Yan sighed and said, 'I am old. Has the Dongshan lineage truly come to have no one left?' He showed him the direct-seamed robe and leather sandals he had worn throughout his life. Yuan said, 'I shall keep this robe and sandals for you, and seek someone to transmit them to—how would that be?' Yan consented, saying, 'In the future, if you indeed find the person, bring forth my gāthā to serve as proof.' The gāthā said: / 'The grass before Mount Yangguang: / Rely on you to await its value burning bright. / Where the rare sprout flourishes, / Deep and secret, its numinous root is firm.' / At the end it said: 'The one who attains the Dharma must remain concealed among the assembly for ten years; only then may he propagate it.' Yuan bowed, received it, and took his leave. He relied on Venerable Jue of Langya in Chu, and accepted an invitation to preach the Dharma at Taiping Xingguo Monastery in Shu, becoming Venerable Sheng's heir. Next he resided at Tianping in Guxu, and also resided at Fushan. Having grown old, he retired to Huisheng Rock. Yuan had jade-like bones protruding from his forehead and eyes whose light beamed outward, resembling an imperial scion, stern and imposing. Earlier, when Duke Ouyang Wenzhong heard of Yuan's extraordinary eminence, he visited his chamber but found nothing [yet] unusual about him; he was playing chess with a guest, and Yuan sat by his side. When Ouyang packed up the board, he asked Yuan to preach the Dharma using chess as an analogy. Yuan thereupon sounded the drum, ascended the seat, and said: 'If we discuss this matter, it is just like two opponents playing chess. What do I mean? When worthy opponents and discerning friends meet, facing the decisive moment neither yields. If one connects five stones or concedes three, and another path opens up, only then do you have someone of this kind. They only understand working behind closed doors, but know not how to seize corners and block the passes. Hard joints and the tiger's mouth appear simultaneously, but once the game is lost, in vain does one struggle to turn it around. Therefore it is said: A fat edge is easy to gain, but an empty belly is hard to find. When thinking before moving, one often loses cohesion; when the mind is coarse, one repeatedly bumps heads. Do not boast of being a national champion, nor speak vainly of immortals! Winning the game or losing counters—let us not speak of that now; tell me: when black and white are not yet divided, where does that single move fall?' After a long pause, he said: 'On the nineteen lines from of old, / How many people are deluded or enlightened?' Wenzhong sighed in admiration for a long time. Yuan's gāthās were subtle and profound, and all quarters admired their craftsmanship. He composed a praise for Venerable Song of Sanjiao: / 'Pure gold is beaten into brass chopsticks; / White jade is ground into an ivory comb. / The Thousand-Armed Great Compassionate One cannot lift it; / The Wordless Boy secretly sighs.' / He also composed a praise for Venerable Ming'an Xuan: / 'The black dog has shining silver hooves; / The white elephant is ridden by a Kunlun slave. / In these two there is no hindrance; / The wooden horse neighs amidst the fire.' / At the time of his death he was over seventy. He elegantly referred to himself as the 'Rustic of Chaishi'. (The rest is as in his individual biography.)