佛祖歷代通載 18.90

18.90

（三十八　癸辰）　三月廿八日帝崩○歐陽文忠公昔官洛中。一日遊嵩山。却去僕吏放意而往。至一山寺。入門脩竹滿軒。公休於殿陛。旁有老僧。閱經自若。與語不甚願答。公心異之。曰道人住山久如。曰甚久也。又問。誦何經。曰法華經。公曰。古之高僧臨生死之際。類皆談笑脫去。何道致之耶。對曰。定慧力耳。又問。今乃寂寥無有何哉。老僧笑曰。古之人念念在定慧。臨終安得亂。今之人念念在散亂。臨終安得定。文忠大驚。不自知膝之屈也。謝希深甞作文記其事。林間。

(38. Guichen) On the twenty-eighth day of the third month, the Emperor passed away. ○ Lord Ouyang Wenzhong was formerly an official in Luoyang. One day he went roaming on Mount Song; dismissing his servants and clerks, he went as he pleased. Arriving at a mountain temple, as he entered the gate, tall bamboos filled the courtyard. The Lord rested on the hall steps. Beside him was an old monk, reading a scripture with composed ease; when spoken to, he was not very willing to answer. The Lord found it unusual in his mind and said: "How long has the Man of the Way resided in the mountain?" He said: "Very long." He asked again: "What scripture are you reciting?" He said: "The Lotus Sūtra." The Lord said: "When ancient eminent monks faced the moment of life and death, they generally shed it laughing and talking. By what Way did they bring this about?" He replied: "Only the power of concentration and wisdom (samādhi and prajñā)." He asked again: "Why is it now desolate and without any such men?" The old monk smiled and said: "In ancient people, thought after thought was in concentration and wisdom—facing the end, how could they be confused? In people today, thought after thought is in distraction and confusion—facing the end, how could they have concentration?" Wenzhong was greatly astonished, and without realizing it, his knees bent. Xie Xishen once wrote an essay recording this event in the Linjian [lu].