續傳燈錄 16.36

16.36

哲宗皇帝遣中使降香。師陞座問答罷。乃曰。傳持此事豈以搖唇鼓舌馳騁言鋒而可議。然於方便門中事無一向。是故文殊以無住為本。曹溪以無念為宗。無念之宗。為萬法之宗。無住之本為萬法之本。眾生棄本逐末背覺合塵。一失其源迷而不復。故祖師西來不立文字特唱宗乘。只教諸人明見自性與佛同壽。歇則菩提不從人得。佛言。我於然燈佛所無一法可得。然燈佛方與我受記。若有一法可得。然燈佛即不與我受記。如是舉唱猶是化門。且道不落化門一句作麼生道。冬無寒臘下看。復曰。諸仁者。道非隱顯遇緣即宗。法無去來因時而會。若緣時而未會。雖佛祖亦何為。且恢張祖席創立叢林。豈一僧之所能。必假國王大檀越為之護助。佛日乃可光揚。自昔京城未聞是道。先帝始建法幢。延四海之高流。為一時之大事。故今日佛道如此之盛　皇帝陛下少踐丕圖早聞妙法。不忘佛記克紹前芳。遂令山野之人獲預朝廷之命。即將此開堂善利。上祝聖壽無疆。伏願舜日與佛日齊明。堯風與祖風並扇。萬邦無事。時當熙盛之年。四海晏清。人樂昇平之化。久立珍重。洎哲宗升遐。百日入內。賜號佛陀禪師。未幾太后上仙。師又被詔入內升座舉揚般若。賜賚甚厚。黃龍法道至是始盛於京都。於大觀間示寂。

Emperor Zhezong dispatched a palace envoy to present incense. The master ascended the seat, and after the questions and answers were concluded, he said: "How could upholding this matter be discussed by moving the lips, drumming the tongue, or brandishing the tip of words? Yet within the gate of expedient means, things are not one-sided. Therefore Mañjuśrī took non-abiding as the root, and Caoxi took no-thought as the lineage tenet. The lineage tenet of no-thought is the lineage tenet of the ten thousand dharmas; the root of non-abiding is the root of the ten thousand dharmas. Sentient beings abandon the root to chase the branches, turn their backs on enlightenment to merge with the dusts. Once they lose its source, they wander in delusion without returning. Therefore the Patriarch came from the West, not establishing written words, but specially proclaiming the lineage vehicle, merely instructing all people to clearly see their own nature and share longevity with the Buddhas. Resting, then bodhi is not attained from another. The Buddha said: 'I did not attain a single dharma from Dīpaṃkara Buddha, and only then did Dīpaṃkara Buddha bestow a prophecy upon me. If there had been a single dharma that could be attained, Dīpaṃkara Buddha would not have bestowed a prophecy upon me.' Proclaiming in this way still belongs to the gate of conversion. Tell me, how do you express the phrase that does not fall into the gate of conversion? In winter there is no cold; look at the twelfth month." He also said: "Kind sirs, the Way is neither hidden nor manifest; meeting conditions, it is immediately the lineage tenet. The Dharma has neither going nor coming; according to the time, it convenes. If conditions and time do not convene, what could even the Buddhas and Patriarchs do? Furthermore, expanding the ancestral seat and establishing a monastery—how could this be accomplished by a single monk? One must rely on the protective aid of the sovereign, the great dānapati, and only then can the Buddha's sun shine brightly. In the past, this Way was unheard of in the capital. The late Emperor first raised the Dharma banner, welcoming eminent talents from the four seas as the great matter of an era. Hence today the Buddha's Way flourishes like this. His Imperial Majesty assumed the great throne in his youth and early on heard the wondrous Dharma. Not forgetting the Buddha's prophecy, he has succeeded to the ancestral fragrance, allowing a man of the mountain wilderness like me to receive the imperial decree. I now dedicate the auspicious merit of this opening of the hall to pray for the boundless longevity of the Emperor. I humbly wish that the sun of Shun and the sun of the Buddha shine with equal brilliance, and that the breeze of Yao and the breeze of the Patriarchs fan together. May the ten thousand states be free of troubles in this era of prosperity and abundance. May the four seas be serene and pure, and the people rejoice in the transforming influence of peaceful governance. You have been standing a long time; take care." When Zhezong passed away, after one hundred days the master entered the palace and was granted the title 'Chan Master Fotuo'. Shortly thereafter, the Empress Dowager passed away; the master was again summoned into the palace to ascend the seat and proclaim prajñā, and was rewarded very lavishly. The Huanglong Dharma Way only now began to flourish in the capital. He manifested nirvana during the Daguan era.