宋高僧傳 29.13

29.13

釋神鼎者，不詳何許人也。狂狷而純直，髮垂眉際。每持一斗巡長安市中乞丐。得食，就而食之。人或施麁帛幣布，錦綺羅縠，並綴聯衣上而著，且無選擇。甞入寺中，見利貞法師講於座前，傾聽少時，而問貞曰：「萬物定已否？」貞曰：「定。」鼎曰：「闍梨若言定，何因高岸為谷，深谷為陵，有死即生，有生即死？萬物相糾，六道輪迴，何得定耶？」貞曰：「萬物不定。」鼎曰：「若不定，何不指天為地，呼地為天，召星為月，命月為星？何得不定耶？」貞無以應之。時眾驚其辯發如流。貞公奧學，被挫其鋒，頗形慚色。張文成見之，歎嗟謂之曰：「觀法師迅辯，即是菩薩行位人也。」鼎曰：「菩薩得之不喜，失之不怨，撻之不怒，辱之不瞋。鼎今乞得即喜，不得即怨，撻之即怒，辱之即瞋，由此觀之，去菩薩遠矣。」時眾錯愕，合掌而散焉。

Śramaṇa Shending was a man of unknown origin. He was eccentric, uninhibited, yet pure and straightforward, with his hair hanging down to his eyebrows. He constantly held a wooden dipper, strolling through the marketplaces of Chang'an to beg. When he obtained food, he ate it on the spot. If someone offered coarse silk, cloth, brocade, patterned silk, or fine gauze, he would patch and sew them onto his garment and wear them, making no distinctions. He once entered a temple and saw Dharma Master Lizhen lecturing before the seat. After listening attentively for a short while, he asked Lizhen: 'Are the myriad phenomena fixed or not?' Lizhen said: 'Fixed.' Shending said: 'If the ācārya says they are fixed, why do high banks become valleys and deep valleys become hills, why is there birth right after death and death right after birth? The myriad phenomena are intertwined, and beings transmigrate through the six realms—how can they be fixed?' Lizhen said: 'The myriad phenomena are not fixed.' Shending said: 'If they are not fixed, why not point to heaven as earth, call earth heaven, address the stars as the moon, and name the moon the stars? How can they not be fixed?' Lizhen had no reply. The assembly at the time was astonished at his fluent eloquence. Master Lizhen was profoundly learned, yet his sharpness was blunted and he showed considerable shame. Seeing this, Zhang Wencheng sighed in admiration and said to him: 'Observing the Dharma Master's swift eloquence, you are indeed one at the stages of the bodhisattva path.' Shending said: 'A bodhisattva is not joyful when gaining, nor resentful when losing; not angered when beaten, nor indignant when disgraced. Now, when Shending begs and receives, he is joyful; when he does not receive, he is resentful; when beaten, he is angered; when disgraced, he is indignant. Viewed from this, I am far from a bodhisattva.' The assembly was struck with amazement, pressed their palms together, and dispersed.