傳法正宗記 6.7

6.7

評曰。唐僧傳謂。可遭賊斷臂。與予書云曷其異乎。曰余考法琳碑曰。師乃雪立數宵。斷臂無顧。投地碎身。營求開示。然為唐傳者與琳同時。琳之說與禪者書合。而宣反之。豈非其採聽之未至乎。故其書不足為詳。

An appraisal says: The Tang Biographies of Monks states that Ke was attacked by bandits who cut off his arm. How is this different from what is stated in my book? I say: I have examined Falin’s stele, which states: ‘The Master stood in the snow for several nights, and without a backward glance severed his arm; he cast himself to the ground to shatter his body, striving to seek instruction.’ Now, the author of the Tang biographies was contemporary with Falin; Falin’s account accords with the Chan texts, whereas [Daoxuan] contradicted it. Is this not because what he gathered and heard was incomplete? Therefore his book is insufficient as a detailed account.