續傳燈錄 22.27

22.27

泐潭文準禪師。興元府唐固梁氏子。生始幼見佛像輒笑。童子不喜聞酒胾。金仙寺沙門虛普乞食至其家。師膺門酬酢如老成。時年八歲即辭父母願從普歸。授以法華經伊吾即上口。元豐僧檢童子較所習。以籍名先後度。師藝精坐年少不得奏名。陝西經略范公過普盧。普臘高應對領略。師侍其傍伸辯詳明進止可喜。范公欲携與俱西。師辭曰。登山求玉入海求珠。人各有志。本行學道世好非素心。茫公陰奇其語。度以為僧剔髮。既往依梁山乘禪師。呵曰驅烏未受戒敢學佛乘乎。師捧手曰。壇場是戒耶。三羯磨梵行阿闍梨是戒耶。乘大驚。師笑曰。雖然敢不受教。遂受具足戒於唐安律師。遍遊成都講肆唱諸部綱目。即棄去曰。吾不求甚解。法師曇演佳其英特撫之曰。汝法船也。南方有大開士若溈山真如九峯真淨者。可往求之。師拜受戒。與同學志恭詣大溈久之不契。乃造九峯見真淨問曰。甚處來。曰興元府。問近離甚處。曰大仰。問夏在甚處。曰溈山。真淨展手曰。我手何似佛手。師罔然。真淨呵曰。適來句句無絲毫差錯靈明天真。纔說箇佛手便成隔碍。病在什麼處。師曰。不會。淨曰。一切見成更教誰會。師服膺就弟子之列餘。十年所至必隨。紹聖三年真淨移居石門衲子益盛。凡入室扣問必瞑目危坐無所示。見來者必起從園丁壅菜率以為常。師每謂恭曰。老漢無意於法道乎莫能測也。一日舉杖決渠水濺衣因大悟走敘其事。真淨罵曰。此中乃敢用藞苴耶。自是迹愈晦而名愈著。待制李景真守豫章。仰其風請開法於雲岩。未幾殿中監茫公。師南昌移居泐潭。師辭辯注射迅機電掃。衲子畏而慕之。槌拂之下常數千指。自號湛堂。每曰。我只畜一條拄杖佛來也打祖來也打。不將元字脚涴汝枯膓。如此臨濟一宗不致冷落。一日新到相看展坐具。師曰。未得人事上座近離甚處。曰廬山歸宗。師曰。宗歸何處。僧曰嗄。師曰。蝦蟇窟裏作活計。僧云。和尚何不領話。師曰。是爾豈不是從歸宗來。僧云是。師曰。驢前馬後漢。問第二上座。近離甚處。僧云。袁州。師云。夏在甚處。曰仰山。師曰。還見小釋迦麼。僧云見。師曰。鼻孔長多少。僧擬議。師云。話墮阿師。問僧。爾來作麼。曰特來問訊和尚。師云。雲在嶺頭閑不徹。水流㵎下太忙生。僧云。和尚莫瞞人好。師曰。馬大師為什麼從闍梨脚跟下走過。僧無語。師云。却是闍梨謾老僧。僧云。有口道不得時如何。師云。洞庭湖裏倒撐船。雪居先馳到。師問。未離歐阜文彩已彰。既到寶峯如何吐露。馳云。目前有路。師舉起書云。既是雲居底。為甚在寶峯手中。馳云。兵隨印轉將逐符行。師云。下坡不走拍一拍。馳擬議。師曰。想先馳。只有先鋒且無殿後。一日法堂上逢首座。便問。向什麼處去。座云。擬與和尚商量一事。師云。便請。座曰。東家杓柄長西家杓柄短。師云。為甚拈起鞏縣茶瓶。却是饒州[茲/瓦]碗。座云。臨崖看滸眼特地一場愁。師叫屈。座吐舌而退。師在分寧遇死心和尚。問爾此回到山裏麼。師云。須去禮拜師兄。心云。爾來時善看方便。師曰。何故。心云。我黃龍路滑。師云。曾躂倒幾人來。心云。爾未到黃龍早脚澁也。師云。和尚何得閉門相待。死心又問。準老爾安許多僧。只是聚頭打鬨了噇飯。爾畢竟將何為人。師云。因風吹火。心云。亂統作麼。師云。從來有些子。師却問。和尚山中安多少眾。心云。四百人盡是精峭衲子。師云。師子窟中無異獸。心云。爾來時也須照顧。師云。也待臨時。心云。臨時作麼生。師云喚來洗脚。心云。爾川僧家開許大口。師云。準上座從來如此。心云。三十年弄馬騎。問僧。鄉里甚處。云青州。師曰。近離甚處。云雲居。師曰。安樂樹下道將一句來。僧無語。師却問傍僧云。爾道得麼。僧云。某甲道不得。却請和尚道。師云。向北驢似馬大。僧云。與麼那。師云。爾鼻孔為甚麼在寶峯手裏。僧便喝。師云。水裏火發。見僧看經。問看什麼經。曰金剛經。師云。經中道。是法平等無有高下是否。僧云是。師云。為什麼雲居山高寶峯山低。僧云。是法平等無有高下。師曰。爾却做得箇坐主使下。僧云。和尚又作麼生。師云。且放爾鼻孔出氣。一日廊下見僧問。爾還會也未。僧云。不會。師曰。左青龍右白虎。僧云。久嚮寶峯元來只是箇賣卜𨑾官。師乃點指云。上座今日不好。僧云。老漢敗闕也。師云。路逢劍客須呈劍。師問僧。安樂麼。僧云。無事。師云。爾大有事在。曰未審某甲有甚事。師云。近日上藍金剛與天寧土地相打。僧無語。師云。元來無事。問僧。如何是上座得力處。僧便喝。師云。好好相借問何得惡發。僧又喝。師云。元來是作家。僧以坐具便打。師低頭噓一聲。僧云。放過一著。師云。者裏不可放過隨後便打。師普說次眾欲散。忽問僧。明來明打暗來暗打。爾作麼生會。僧便喝。師云。點即不到。僧又喝。師云。到即不點。僧云。忽遇不明不暗來時又作麼生。師云。今日天寒且歸堂向火隨後。喝一喝便起。一日上堂云。寶峯一夜睡不著計較。今日上堂揣腹搜胸。總思量不就。而今臨時逼節事出急家門。遂拈起拂子云。準上座近日作得一柄拂子。且權將供養大眾。乃擲下云。竹根椶葉麻繩繫。樣度天然別一家。政和五年夏六月寢疾。首坐問。和尚近日尊位如何。師云。跛驢上壁。坐云。和尚也好喫一服藥。師云。朽木搭橋。座云。也知和尚不解忌口。師云。爾作麼生。坐擬進語。師云。爾也好喫一服藥。以七月二十二日更衣說偈而化。閱世五十五。坐三十五夏。靈骨舍利塔于石門之南源。丞相張無盡製其碑。諫議洪駒父敘語錄。名士李商老撰次逸事。同門弟德洪覺範紀師行實。其高道碩德可想見矣。琇公稱。雲居真牧和尚謂人曰。出關走江淮閱三十年。參一十八人善知識。於中無出佛果佛眼死心靈源湛堂五大士而已。誠哉斯言。蓋真正宗師攷其全才如此之難。若佛果佛眼死心靈源之嗣固已光明于世。獨湛堂開法日淺。未有繼其高躅者。然覽其遺編想其胸次。信餘子未易企及也。覺範稱。準於真淨之門。所謂家名辨才氣宇逸群者。抑知言哉。

Chan Master Wenzhun of Letan was a native of Tanggu in Xingyuan Prefecture, born to the Liang family. When he was just an infant, whenever he saw a Buddha statue he would smile. As a child, he took no pleasure in smelling wine or meat. When the śramaṇa Xupu of Jinxian Temple came to his house begging for food, the master received him at the door and conversed with him like a seasoned elder. At the time, he was eight years of age, and at once bade farewell to his parents, wishing to follow Pu back. Pu gave him the Lotus Sūtra, and he recited it fluently upon opening his mouth. During the Yuanfeng era, an examination was held for monastic youths to evaluate their studies, and ordinations were granted according to the order of the registry. Though the master was exceptionally proficient in his art, because of his youth his name could not be memorialised to the throne. When Lord Fan, pacification commissioner of Shaanxi, passed by Pu's hermitage, Pu, advanced in monastic years, received him and grasped his words, while the master stood in attendance at his side, setting forth explanations clearly and moving about with admirable deportment. Lord Fan wished to take him along to the west. The master declined, saying: "Climbing a mountain to seek jade, entering the sea to seek pearls—each person has their own aspiration. My fundamental journey is to study the Way; worldly pursuits are not my original mind." Lord Fan inwardly marvelled at his words, gave him ordination, and tonsured him. He then went to rely on Chan Master Cheng of Liangshan, who reproved him, saying: "A crow-scarer who has not yet taken the precepts dares to study the Buddha vehicle?" The master clasped his hands and said: "Is the ordination platform the precepts? Are the three karmans and the celibate ācāryas the precepts?" Cheng was greatly astonished. The master smiled and said: "Nevertheless, how would I dare not accept your teaching?" He then received the full ordination under Vinaya Master Tangan. Traveling throughout the lecture halls of Chengdu, he chanted the outlines of the various collections, and then abandoned them, saying: "I do not seek superficial understanding." Dharma Master Tanyan admired his outstanding brilliance, patted him, and said: "You are a Dharma vessel. In the south there are great bodhisattvas such as Zhenru of Guishan and Zhenjing of Jiufeng; you may go seek them out." The master bowed and received this admonition. Together with his fellow student Zhigong, he went to Da'gui, but for a long time found no accord. He then went to Jiufeng to see Zhenjing, who asked: "Where do you come from?" He said: "Xingyuan Prefecture." He asked: "Where did you recently leave?" He said: "Dayang." He asked: "Where did you spend the summer?" He said: "Guishan." Zhenjing extended his hand and said: "How does my hand resemble a Buddha's hand?" The master was bewildered. Zhenjing rebuked him, saying: "Just now, every sentence was without the slightest error, luminescent and natural. As soon as a 'Buddha's hand' was mentioned, an obstruction arose. Where is the sickness?" The master said: "I do not understand." Jing said: "Everything is fully manifest; who else is there to understand?" The master took this to heart and joined the ranks of disciples. For more than ten years, wherever [Zhenjing] went, he invariably followed. In the third year of Shaosheng, Zhenjing moved to Shimen, and the patch-robed monks flourished even more. Whenever someone entered the room to question him, Zhenjing would invariably close his eyes and sit erect without showing anything. When he saw visitors coming, he would invariably rise and follow the gardeners mounding soil for vegetables, making this his regular practice. The master often said to Gong: "Has the old fellow no mind for the Dharma Way? It cannot be fathomed." One day, Zhenjing raised his staff to clear a ditch; the water splashed upon [the master's] robe, whereupon he had a great awakening. He ran to recount the matter. Zhenjing scolded him, saying: "How dare you make use of such slovenliness here?" From then on, his traces became ever more hidden and his fame ever more renowned. When Daizhi Li Jingzhen governed Yuzhang, he admired his style and invited him to open the Dharma hall at Yunyan. Before long, when Lord Mang, director of the Palace Buildings, supervised Nanchang, the master moved his residence to Letan. The master's eloquence was like a torrential stream, his swift mechanisms sweeping like lightning. Patch-robed monks both feared and admired him. Beneath his mallet and whisk, there were often several thousand hands. He gave himself the sobriquet Zantang. He often said: "I only keep one staff; if a Buddha comes I strike, and if a patriarch comes I strike. I will not take a stray character's foot to soil your withered guts. In this way, the Linji lineage will not fall into desolation." One day, a newly arrived monk came for an audience and spread his sitting mat. The master said: "Before the customary courtesies, where did the elder recently leave?" He said: "Guizong on Mount Lu." The master said: "Where does the lineage (zong) return?" The monk said: "Eh?" The master said: "Making a living inside a frog's cave." The monk said: "Why does the upādhyāya not accept my words?" The master said: "Is it that you came from Guizong, or not?" The monk said: "I did." The master said: "A fellow trotting in front of donkeys and behind horses." He asked a second elder: "Where did you recently leave?" The monk said: "Yuanzhou." The master said: "Where did you spend the summer?" He said: "Yangshan." The master said: "Did you see the Little Śākya?" The monk said: "I did." The master said: "How long are his nostrils?" The monk hesitated. The master said: "You have fallen into words, teacher." He asked a monk: "Why have you come?" He said: "I have come specially to inquire after the upādhyāya." The master said: "Clouds on the ridge cannot be idle; water flowing beneath the ravine is far too rushed." The monk said: "It would be best if the upādhyāya did not deceive people." The master said: "Why did Master Ma run past beneath the ācārya's heels?" The monk was speechless. The master said: "It is rather the ācārya who is deceiving this old monk." A monk asked: "When one has a mouth but cannot speak, how is that?" The master said: "Rowing a boat backwards in Lake Dongting." Xianchi of Xueju arrived. The master asked: "Before you left Mount Oufu, your literary brilliance was already apparent. Now that you have reached Baofeng, what will you express?" Chi said: "Before my eyes there is a path." The master held up a letter and said: "Since this belongs to Yunju, why is it in Baofeng's hands?" Chi said: "Soldiers follow the seal's movement; generals march as the tally dictates." The master said: "Going down a slope without running, give a clap." Chi hesitated. The master said: "Thinking of Xianchi: he has only an advance guard and no rearguard." One day, meeting the head monk in the Dharma hall, he asked: "Where are you going?" The head monk said: "I intend to deliberate a matter with the upādhyāya." The master said: "Please proceed." The head monk said: "The ladle handle of the eastern house is long; the ladle handle of the western house is short." The master said: "Why is it that when you pick up a Gongxian tea kettle, it turns out to be a porcelain bowl from Raozhou?" The head monk said: "Looking at the riverbank on the edge of a cliff, one's eyes are filled with an extraordinary sorrow." The master cried out: "Injustice!" The head monk stuck out his tongue and retreated. While at Fenning, the master met Upādhyāya Sixin, who asked: "Will you be returning to the mountains this time?" The master said: "I must go pay homage to my elder Dharma brother." Sixin said: "When you come, you must take good care of the expedient means." The master said: "Why?" Sixin said: "The roads of my Huanglong are slippery." The master said: "How many people have slipped and fallen?" Sixin said: "Before you even arrive at Huanglong, your feet will already be stuck." The master said: "Why must the upādhyāya close the gate to wait for me?" Sixin asked again: "Old Zhun, you shelter so many monks, yet they just gather their heads together, clamour, and wolf down food. In the end, how do you help people?" The master said: "Kindling a fire with the aid of the wind." Sixin said: "Why talk such nonsense?" The master said: "There has always been a little something." The master then asked: "How many monks are lodged in the upādhyāya's mountain?" Sixin said: "Four hundred men, all of them sharp and resolute patch-robed monks." The master said: "In a lion's den there are no other beasts." Sixin said: "When you come, you must also watch out." The master said: "I shall wait for the moment." Sixin said: "When the moment comes, how will it be?" The master said: "Call them over to wash my feet." Sixin said: "You Sichuan monk open such a big mouth!" The master said: "Elder Zhun has always been like this." Sixin said: "Thirty years playing with horses to ride." He asked a monk: "Where is your homeland?" He said: "Qingzhou." The master said: "Where did you recently leave?" He said: "Yunju." The master said: "Say a word from beneath the tree of peace and happiness." The monk was speechless. The master then asked a monk standing nearby: "Can you say it?" The monk said: "I cannot say it; I ask the upādhyāya to say it." The master said: "To the north, donkeys are as big as horses." The monk said: "Is it so?" The master said: "Why are your nostrils in Baofeng's hands?" The monk then shouted. The master said: "Fire erupts in the water." Seeing a monk reading a sūtra, he asked: "What sūtra are you reading?" He said: "The Diamond Sūtra." The master said: "The sūtra says: 'This Dharma is equal, without high or low.' Is that so?" The monk said: "It is." The master said: "Why is Mount Yunju high and Mount Baofeng low?" The monk said: "This Dharma is equal, without high or low." The master said: "You can only act as a lecturer's servant." The monk said: "How does the upādhyāya take it?" The master said: "For now, I let your nostrils breathe out air." One day, seeing a monk under the corridor, he asked: "Do you understand yet?" The monk said: "I do not understand." The master said: "Azure Dragon on the left, White Tiger on the right." The monk said: "I have long heard of Baofeng, but it turns out you are merely a divining fortune-teller." The master pointed his finger and said: "The elder is unlucky today." The monk said: "The old fellow is defeated!" The master said: "When meeting a swordsman on the road, one must present a sword." The master asked a monk: "Are you peaceful and happy?" The monk said: "Nothing is the matter." The master said: "You have a great deal of business!" He said: "I do not know what business I have." The master said: "Recently the Vajrapāṇi of Shanglan and the Earth God of Tianning fought with each other." The monk was speechless. The master said: "Indeed, nothing is the matter." He asked a monk: "What is the elder's point of strength?" The monk shouted. The master said: "I questioned you civilly; why flare up in anger?" The monk shouted again. The master said: "Turns out you are an expert." The monk struck him with his sitting mat. The master bowed his head and let out a sigh. The monk said: "I let you off this move." The master said: "Here, one must not let it off!" and immediately struck him. Once, during a general discourse, when the assembly was about to disperse, the master suddenly asked a monk: "When light comes, strike in light; when darkness comes, strike in darkness. How do you understand this?" The monk shouted. The master said: "If pointed out, it is not attained." The monk shouted again. The master said: "If attained, it is not pointed out." The monk said: "If suddenly you encounter one who comes neither in light nor in darkness, what then?" The master said: "Today it is cold; return to the hall for now and face the fire." Then he gave a shout and rose. One day he ascended the hall and said: "All night at Baofeng I could not sleep, calculating. Today as I ascended the hall, I searched my belly and ransacked my breast, but could not think of anything. Now that the moment presses close, business arises from an urgent household." He then held up the whisk and said: "Elder Zhun recently made a whisk; for the time being, I offer it to the great assembly." Then throwing it down, he said: / "Bamboo roots and palm leaves tied with hemp rope, / Its style is naturally of a separate house." / In the summer, the sixth month of the fifth year of Zhenghe, he fell ill. The head monk asked: "How is the upādhyāya's health recently?" The master said: "A lame donkey climbs a wall." The head monk said: "The upādhyāya would do well to take a dose of medicine." The master said: "Rotten wood builds a bridge." The head monk said: "I also know the upādhyāya does not know how to abstain from harmful foods." The master said: "How about you?" The head monk was about to say something. The master said: "You too would do well to take a dose of medicine." On the twenty-second day of the seventh month, he changed his robes, recited a gāthā, and transformed. He lived fifty-five years and sat for thirty-five summers. His numinous bones and śarīra were stupaed at Nanyuan in Shimen. Grand Councillor Zhang Wujin composed his stele inscription, Policy Reviewer Hong Jufu prefaced his recorded sayings, the celebrated scholar Li Shanglao compiled anecdotes about him, and his fellow disciple Dehong Juefan recorded the master's conduct and deeds. His lofty Way and great virtue can well be imagined. Master Xiu praised him: "Upādhyāya Zhenmu of Yunju said to people: 'Leaving the passes and roaming the Jiang and Huai regions for thirty years, I visited eighteen kalyāṇamitras. Among them, none surpassed the five great beings: Foguo, Foyan, Sixin, Lingyuan, and Zantang.' Truly are these words! For examining the complete talent of a true ancestral master is this difficult. While the heirs of Foguo, Foyan, Sixin, and Lingyuan have already shone brightly in the world, Zantang alone opened the Dharma hall for only a short time, and no one has continued his lofty footsteps. Yet when looking at his remaining writings and reflecting on his mindset, one truly believes that other men cannot easily attain to him." Juefan praised him: "Zhun, within the gate of Zhenjing, was one who possessed the reputation of the lineage, whose eloquence and bearing stood out above the crowd. How could this be anything but knowledgeable words!"