續傳燈錄 17.38

17.38

郢州興陽賢禪師江州人。叢林所謂賢蓬頭是也。真如哲會中號稱角立。見地明白機鋒穎脫有超師之作。而行業不謹一眾易之哲結菴於方丈後令師獨處。惟通小徑直方丈前過。不許眾僧往來。後二年遂舉立僧秉拂。議論超詣。一眾始大服。住興陽數載法道大著。及示寂肉身不壞。圓悟勤在溈山目擊其事。妙喜果游興陽時尚及見其肉身。

Chan Master Xian of Xingyang in Yingzhou was a native of Jiangzhou. He was the one known in the monastic groves as 'Disheveled-Hair Xian'. In the assembly of Zhenru [Ling]zhe, he was acclaimed as standing out prominently. His understanding was clear, his sharp wit was unrestrained and outstanding, and he produced works surpassing the master; yet his practice was not strict, so the whole assembly held him lightly. Zhe built a hermitage behind the abbot's quarters and had the master dwell there alone, with only a small path leading straight past the front of the abbot's quarters, not permitting the monks to come and go. Two years later, [Zhe] then appointed him as the standing monk to hold the whisk. His discourse was transcendent and profound; the whole assembly was only then greatly won over. He resided at Xingyang for several years, and his Dharma way flourished greatly. When he showed nirvana, his physical body did not decay. Yuanwu Keqin witnessed this matter in person at Mount Guishan; when Miaoxi Foguo visited Xingyang, he was also still in time to see his physical body.