宋高僧傳 18.9

18.9

系曰：夫約佛滅後，驗入道之人，以教、理、行、果四法明之，則無逃隱矣！去聖彌近者，修行成，果位證也；去聖稍遙者，學教易，見理親也；其更綿邈者，學教不精，見理非諦。夫一念不生，前後際斷，斯頓心成佛也。理佛具足行布修行，曾未嘗述行佛。具體而微：東夏自六祖已來，多談禪理，少談禪行焉。非南能不說行，且令見道如救頭然之故。南岳思師切在兼修，乘戒俱急，是以學者驗諸行果。其如入火光三昧者，《處胎經》中以禪定攝意入火界三昧，剎土洞然。愚夫謂是遭焚。若入水界三昧，愚夫見謂為水，投物于中。菩薩心如虛空不覺觸嬈者，此非二乘所能究盡也。斯乃急於行果焉。無令口說而身意不修，何由助道耶？

The appraisal states: When assessing those who have entered the Path following the Buddha's nirvāṇa by clarifying them through the four dharmas of teaching, principle, practice, and fruition, none can remain hidden! Those closer to the sage had their cultivation fulfilled and the fruits of attainments verified; those somewhat further from the sage found it easier to study the teachings and had an intimate perception of the principle; while those still more remote were unrefined in their study of the teachings and their perception of the principle was not true. Indeed, when not a single thought arises and the anterior and posterior limits are severed—this is awakening to the mind and achieving Buddhahood. The Buddha in principle is fully endowed with the gradual stages of practice, yet has never elaborated upon the Buddha of actual practice. Having the essence in miniature: in the Eastern Xia since the Sixth Patriarch, people have mostly spoken of the principle of Chan and rarely spoken of the practice of Chan. It is not that Nanneng did not speak of practice, but rather that he made them perceive the Path as urgently as if saving one's head from burning. Master Si of Nanyue placed his emphasis on dual cultivation, treating both the vehicle and the precepts as urgent; hence his students verified all practices and fruits. As for those entering the fire-light samādhi, in the Chutai jing [it is said that] through dhyāna-concentration one gathers the mind and enters the fire-realm samādhi, and the land blazes bright. Fools consider this being burned. If one enters the water-realm samādhi, fools see it and consider it water, throwing objects into it. The bodhisattva's mind is like empty space, unaffected by disturbances—this is something that the two vehicles cannot fully comprehend. This shows urgency regarding practice and its fruition. If one merely speaks with the mouth while the body and mind remain uncultivated, how could that assist the Path?