唐護法沙門法琳別傳 3.28

3.28

勅縱遷琳益部。寧成伐罪。於琳佛法今且晏然。此豈謂為翻覆。昔屈原被讒放逐原。豈不為忠。卞氏獻璧加刑。誰言是瑕。此亦時君用與不用也。屈原雖經放逐。離騷盛行。卞氏縱復加刑。連城尚寶。但清水圓米行處豈無所恨。世人莫知我也。言訖泣數行下。因為詩曰。僕秉屈原操。不探漁父篇。問言蓬轉者。答為直如絃時掩泣吞聲哽咽而言曰。琳也不遇今被南遷。幸希諸德。寄目傳書。時訪生死。時道俗送餞。填咽郊畿。敬若明神。步輦徐逝。法師辭訣友人。又為詩曰。非意延非罪。離友復離親。山川萬里隔。方勞七尺身。遊魂長去楚。分念獨留秦。自匪相知者。誰憐死別人。夏六月丁卯行至百牢關菩提寺。因苦痢疾遂致不救。臨終而歎曰。大丈夫泡幻之軀。信為無用。觀斯惡露。深可厭哉。本期殉道以立身。不獲從志。泣麟傷鳳。能無悲心。言訖而卒。即貞觀十四年秋七月二十三日也。春秋六十有九。道俗摧慟如喪所親。因葬於東山之巔。高樹白塔。行侶來往莫不傷嗟。人物周旋知便下淚。但法師藝業優贍墳素必該。世號詞林時稱學海。或復風前月下之詠。春蘭秋菊之篇。體物緣情並多麗落。前祕書監虞世南者。名超振古道邁當今。乃集法師之文。為之敘引云爾。

Although the imperial decree banishes me to Yi Prefecture, how could this be deemed a punishment for a crime? As for me, the Buddha-Dharma is now peaceful and calm. How can this be called an overthrow? Formerly Qu Yuan was slandered and banished; was Qu Yuan not loyal? When Bian He presented the jade disc, he suffered punishment; who said it had a blemish? This is merely a matter of whether the rulers of the age employ one or not. Although Qu Yuan underwent banishment, his 'Encountering Sorrow' circulated widely; although Bian He was indeed subjected to punishment, [his jade] worth several cities was still treasured. Yet when clear water and round grains go forth, how could there be no regret? The people of the world do not know me! Having spoken, his tears fell in several streams. He then composed a poem, saying: / 'I maintain the integrity of Qu Yuan, / And do not study the chapter of the Old Fisherman. / When asked about tumbling like tumbleweed, / I reply that I am straight as a bowstring.' / Then choking back his tears and suppressing his voice, he sobbed and said: 'I, Lin, have met with misfortune and am now banished south. I only hope that the reverend masters will look after me by sending letters, and occasionally inquire whether I am alive or dead.' At that time, monastics and laypeople saw him off, crowding the suburban roads. They revered him as a brilliant spirit. Walking beside his carriage, he slowly departed. The Dharma Master took leave of his friends and also made a poem, saying: / 'Unexpectedly brought under an uncommitted crime, / Parted from friends and parted from kin. / Mountains and rivers separated by ten thousand li, / Only now exhausting this seven-foot body. / My roaming soul departs forever from Chu, / My divided thoughts alone remain in Qin. / Were it not for those who understand me, / Who would pity a man parted in death?' / In the summer, the sixth month, on a dingmao day, he arrived at Bodhi Monastery at Bailao Pass. Afflicted by severe dysentery, he could not be saved. Facing the end, he sighed, saying: 'The foam-and-illusion body of a great man is truly of no use. Contemplating these vile impurities, it is deeply repulsive! Originally I hoped to sacrifice my life for the Way to establish myself, but I could not fulfill my intent. Weeping for the qilin and grieving for the phoenix, how can I be without a sorrowful mind?' Having spoken, he died. That was on the twenty-third day of the seventh month in the autumn of the fourteenth year of Zhenguan [640 CE]. His spring and autumn were sixty-nine. Monastics and laypeople were shattered with grief as if mourning a parent. Thereupon they buried him on the summit of the Eastern Mountain and erected a high white stupa. Wayfarers coming and going never failed to lament; men of letters who visited and learned of it wept immediately. The Dharma Master's literary arts and scholarship were abundant and comprehensive, thoroughly covering ancient classics and silk scrolls. The world called him a Forest of Words; the age praised him as a Sea of Learning. Whether chanting before the wind and under the moon, or penning verses on spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, his depicting of things and expressing of feelings were exceedingly splendid and elegant. The former Director of the Palace Library, Yu Shinan, whose renown transcended antiquity and whose virtue surpassed the present age, collected the Dharma Master's writings and wrote a preface for them as follows: