景德傳燈錄 20.75

20.75

京兆永安院善靜禪師京兆人也。姓王氏。父任牧守。母因夢金像覺而有娠。師幼習儒學博通群言。年二十七忽厭浮幻。潛詣終南山禮廣度禪師披削受具。唐天復中南謁樂普安禪師。師器之容其入室。仍典園務力營眾事。有僧辭樂普。樂普曰。四面是山闍梨向什麼處去。僧無對。樂普曰。限汝十日內下語得中即從汝發去。其僧冥搜久之無語。因經行偶入園中。師怪問曰。上座豈不是辭去。今何在此。僧具陳所以堅請代語。師不得已代曰。竹密豈妨流水過。山高那阻野雲飛。其僧喜踊師囑之曰。秖對和尚。不須言是善靜語也。僧遂白樂普。樂普曰。誰下此語。曰某甲。樂普曰。非汝之語。其僧具言園頭所教。樂普至晚上堂謂眾曰。莫輕園頭。他日住一城隍五百人常隨也。師尋辭樂普。北還故山結盧而止。道俗歸向。復遊峨眉迴住興元。連帥王公禮重。後歸故鄉屬兵火之後舊寺荒廢。節帥創永安禪苑以居之。徒眾五百餘。僧問。知有道不得時如何。師曰。知有箇什麼。曰不可無也。師曰。恁麼即合道得。曰道即不無爭奈語偏。師曰。水凍魚難躍山寒花發遲問如何是衲衣向上事。師曰。龍魚不出海水月不吞光。問不可以智知不可以識識時如何。師曰。鶴鷺並頭蹋雪睡。月明驚起兩遲疑問如何。是西來意。師曰。壁上畫枯松蜂來不見蘂。問牛頭未見四祖時如何。師曰。異境靈松覩者皆羨。曰見後如何師曰。葉落已枝摧風來不得韻。問如何得生如來家。師曰。披衣望曉論劫不明。曰劫後如何明。師曰。一句不可得。師往遊棘道。避昭宗蒙塵之亂。以漢開運丙午歲冬。鳴犍稚集僧囑累。入方丈東向右脅而化。壽八十有九。臘六十。勅諡淨悟禪師。

Chan Master Shanjing of Yong'an Monastery in Jingzhao was a native of Jingzhao. His surname was Wang. His father served as a prefectural governor. His mother dreamed of a golden statue, awakened, and found herself pregnant. In his youth, the Master studied Confucian learning and was widely versed in the various classics. At the age of twenty-seven, he suddenly grew weary of fleeting illusions. Secretly going to Mount Zhongnan, he paid homage to Chan Master Guangdu, shaved his head, and received the full precepts. During the Tianfu era of the Tang dynasty, he went south to visit Chan Master An of Lepu. Lepu recognized his capacity and allowed him into his chamber, and further assigned him to manage the garden and labor in community affairs. A monk took leave of Lepu. Lepu said, "Mountains surround you on all four sides; where will the ācārya go?" The monk had no answer. Lepu said, "I give you a limit of ten days: if you produce a fitting phrase, I will allow you to depart." The monk searched in obscurity for a long time without a word. While doing walking meditation, he happened to enter the garden. The Master was surprised and asked, "Has the sthavira not already taken his leave? Why are you still here?" The monk related the whole reason and earnestly begged for a turning phrase in his stead. Having no choice, the Master spoke on his behalf, "Can dense bamboos hinder the flowing water from passing? How could high mountains block the wild clouds from flying?" The monk leaped with joy. The Master admonished him, "Just answer the upādhyāya; do not say these were Shanjing's words." The monk then reported to Lepu. Lepu asked, "Who delivered this phrase?" The monk said, "I did." Lepu said, "These are not your words." The monk then told him everything the head gardener had taught him. That evening, Lepu ascended the hall and said to the assembly, "Do not look down on the head gardener. In the future he will dwell in a city where five hundred people will constantly follow him." The Master soon took leave of Lepu, returned north to his native mountain, built a hut, and stayed there. Monastics and laypeople turned to him in devotion. He then traveled to Mount Emei and returned to reside in Xingyuan. The regional commander, Duke Wang, treated him with great reverence. Later he returned to his home region, which was after the ravages of war; the old monastery was deserted and ruined. The military commissioner founded the Yong'an Chan Cloister for him to reside in, with an assembly of more than five hundred followers. A monk asked, "How is it when one knows it is there, but cannot speak of it?" The Master said, "What is it that you know is there?" The monk said, "It cannot be non-existent." The Master said, "If so, then you ought to be able to speak of it." The monk said, "Speaking is not non-existent, but what can be done when the words are one-sided?" The Master said, "When the water freezes, the fish struggle to leap; when the mountain is cold, the flowers are late to bloom." A monk asked, "What is the transcendental matter of the patched robe?" The Master said, "The dragon and fish do not leave the sea; the water and moon do not swallow each other's light." A monk asked, "How is it when it cannot be known by intellect nor cognized by consciousness?" The Master said, "Cranes and herons sleep head to head stepping on the snow; when the moon shines brightly, both are startled awake in hesitation." A monk asked, "What is the meaning of coming from the West?" The Master said, "On the wall a withered pine is painted; when the bees arrive, they find no stamens." A monk asked, "How was it before Niutou met the Fourth Patriarch?" The Master said, "A numinous pine in an extraordinary landscape; all who beheld it envied it." The monk asked, "How was it after he met him?" The Master said, "Its leaves fallen and branches broken; when the wind comes, it produces no melody." A monk asked, "How can one be born into the house of the Tathāgata?" The Master said, "Putting on robes and gazing at dawn; discoursing for kalpas brings no clarity." The monk asked, "How is it clear after the kalpas?" The Master said, "Not a single phrase can be attained." The Master went traveling to Jidao to escape the turmoil of Emperor Zhaozong's flight into exile. In the winter of the bingwu year of the Kaiyun era of the Han dynasty, he sounded the gaṇḍī, gathered the monks, and gave his final admonitions. Entering the abbot's quarters, he faced east, lay on his right side, and passed away. He lived to eighty-nine, with sixty years as a monk. By imperial decree, he was posthumously bestowed the title Chan Master Jingwu ("Pure Awakening").