宋高僧傳 13.41

13.41

重之曰：「夫禪之為物也，其大矣哉！」諸佛得之昇等、妙，雌龍得之破障、纏，率由速疾之門無過此。故今之像末，鬪諍復生，師足既傷，資爭未已。如聞此心是佛，便言三十二相何無？或聞一路涅槃，則曰八萬法門何在？曾不知經中發菩提心，此見佛性也。云何修菩薩行？此行布修行也。因信不及，無明所迷，弱喪忘歸，何由復業？或舉經以示之，則對曰：「此性宗法」；或謂之曰：「莫是魔說，還可焚毀否？」且置而勿論。又欲棄之，又欲存之，不其惑乎？昔者于闐諸部謂《道行經》為婆羅門書，烏茶小乘謗大乘學作空華外道。西乾尚爾，此何驚乎？良以六代宗師，一期舉唱，但破百年之暗，靡營一室之隳。殊不知禪有理焉，禪有行焉。脫或戒、乘俱急，目足更資，行不廢而理逾明，法無偏而功兼濟。然後始可與言禪已矣。其如玄學多斥講家，目為數寶之人，終困屢空之室。那不見經是佛言，禪是佛意，諸佛心口，定不相違。施設逗根，用有時處。況以經江高國紀之名；論海總朝宗之會；毘尼一學，軌範千途。授形俱築釋子之基，唱隨行淨沙門之業，擬捐三事，何駕一乘？終包不足之羞，豈到轉依之地？通人不誚，豎子何知？佛事門中不捨一法，吠聲貽責，遷怒傷人，因擊鼠以破盆，為爭摶而噬主，自他俱有，彼我須均，縱橫盡而成一秦，氣劑和而成一味者也。今從貞觀及于宋朝，於山選山，露須彌而出海；於羽求羽，放金翅以騰空。令其鑽仰之儔，慕此堅高之道矣。吾徒通達，無相奪倫，譬若文武是一人之藝，不能兼者，互相非斥耳。若相推重，佛法增明，酬君王度己之恩，答我佛為師之訓。慎之哉！慎之哉！

I further say: "How great indeed is the matter of Chan!" All Buddhas attained it to ascend to equal and wondrous enlightenment; the female dragon attained it to shatter hindrances and fetters; among the swift gates, none surpasses this. Thus in the present age of the Semblance and Final Dharma, disputes arise again; the master's feet are already injured, yet the disciples' contention has not ceased. When hearing that this mind is the Buddha, they immediately say: "Why are the thirty-two marks absent?" Or hearing of the single road to nirvāṇa, they ask: "Where are the eighty-four thousand Dharma gates?" They do not know that bringing forth the bodhicitta in the sūtras is seeing the Buddha-nature. How does one cultivate the bodhisattva practices? This is gradual and sequential cultivation. Because their faith does not reach it, they are deluded by ignorance, and like a youth lost and forgetting to return, how could they recover their original state? When someone points to the sūtras to show them, they reply: "This is the teaching of the Nature School." Or someone says: "Could this be the speaking of Māra? Can it be burned and destroyed?" Let us set this aside and not debate it. Yet wanting to discard it, while also wanting to keep it—is this not delusion? In the past, the various schools of Khotan called the Daoxing jing a book of the Brahmins, and the Hīnayāna of Oḍra slandered the Mahāyāna studies as sky-flower outsiders. If it was so even in the Western Heavens, what is there to be surprised at here? Truly, the ancestral masters of the six generations, in their temporary proclamations, merely shattered a century of darkness without intending to dismantle the entire room. They little knew that Chan has principle and Chan has practice. If discipline and the vehicle are both urgent, and eyes and feet support each other, practice will not be abandoned while principle becomes even clearer; the Dharma will not be biased and its efficacy will save all. Only then can one begin to speak of Chan. As it is, those of the profound study mostly disparage the expositors, viewing them as people who count others' jewels, remaining forever destitute in a house often empty. How do they not see that the sūtras are the Buddha's words, and Chan is the Buddha's intent; the minds and mouths of all Buddhas certainly do not contradict each other? Their establishment responds to capacities, their application having its proper time and place. Furthermore, the river of sūtras bears the name of the state's highest norm; the sea of treatises gathers the assembly that faces the court; the single study of vinaya provides the model for a thousand paths. Bestowing the physical form builds the foundation of the Śākya disciples; walking in concord purifies the vocation of the śramaṇas. If one intends to abandon these three matters, how could one mount the Single Vehicle? In the end, one will harbour the shame of insufficiency; how could one reach the realm of the transformation of the basis? Thoroughly understanding people do not scoff, so what do mere youths know? Within the gate of Buddhist works, not a single phenomenon is discarded; barking at shadows invites blame, and transferring anger harms others, like breaking a basin to hit a rat, or biting the master in a fight over food. Both self and other exist; that and this must be equalized. Vertically and horizontally united, they become one single Qin; blended in due measure, they become of a single flavor. Now, from the Zhenguan era down to the Song dynasty, selecting mountains among mountains, Mount Sumeru emerges from the ocean; seeking feathers among wings, the garuḍa takes flight into the void. This causes those who strive and look up in reverence to admire this firm and lofty Dao. May our fellows be thorough and penetrating, and not usurp one another's roles. Just as civil and military arts are the talents of a single person, those who cannot combine them merely criticize each other. If they respect each other, the Buddha's Dharma will shine all the more, repaying the kindness of the ruler who ordained them and answering the instructions of our Buddha who is our master. Be cautious! Be cautious!