傳法正宗記 9.4

9.4

序曰。旁出善知識者。已載於他書。此復見之。蓋以其皆出於正宗。的庶雖異。其法一也。周封同姓之國。以貴其宗。親親之義。則文武成康為正。方之大迦葉直下之相承者。亦可知矣。其傳起於末田底。而止乎益州神會禪師者。凡二百有五人。

The preface states: Good spiritual friends of collateral branches have already been recorded in other books. That they are presented again here is because they all derived from the orthodox lineage; although the direct and collateral lines differ, their Dharma is one. The Zhou dynasty enfiefed states of the same surname to honor their lineage; in the principle of affection among kin, Wen, Wu, Cheng, and Kang were the principal line. Comparing this to the direct succession from Mahākāśyapa, one can understand it. These transmissions begin with Madhyāntika and end with Chan Master Shenhui of Yizhou, totaling two hundred and five persons.