傳法正宗記 9.8

9.8

評曰。始愚未得證於出三藏記時。有曰吾疑。祖位至師子絕。而其法普傳。猶此六祖大鑒禪師不其然乎。因嘗與其論曰。夫祖位之絕蓋非常事。前後賢聖亦當言之。若此祖數止於大鑒者。乃有般若多羅與夫達磨大士而預記之。六祖雖各授其法亦有人焉。若子所謂祖世絕於師子。必何以證之。其前祖孰嘗記耶。而分傳法者果何人。將之東乎。非人則其法安得至此。雖其旁出達磨達者自為枝派。其所出各不過四五人耳。非普傳也。亦未始聞其徒以法而東揚者。苟以達磨達為之普傳者。則達磨達何乃獨指二十五祖曰。我有同學號婆舍斯多。先師預以法付之。復授衣為信。已適南天竺也。其他同學者曷棄而不言耶。是不然也。子宜以理求之。不可恣其臆度。曰若然則達磨達既宗師子。安得不承之為其正祖。乃推於斯多乎。曰此蓋聖人宜其機緣而命之祖矣。亦以其悟之淺深而授之法印耳。若五祖傳之大鑒。而不付比秀。不其然哉。或者然之。適得僧祐之書。而吾言甚驗。不欲棄之。因系達磨達傳後。

An appraisal states: Earlier, when I had not yet obtained corroboration in the Chu sanzang ji [ji], someone said: "I suspect that the patriarchal status ended with Simha, and his Dharma was transmitted universally; is this not just like the Sixth Patriarch, Chan Master Dajian?" I therefore once debated with him, saying: "The cessation of patriarchal status is no ordinary matter; past and future sages and worthies would certainly have spoken of it. For example, regarding the number of patriarchs ending with Dajian, there were Prajñātāra and the Great Being Bodhidharma who foretold it. Although each of the Six Patriarchs transmitted their Dharma, there were indeed [specific] individuals. If, as you say, the patriarchal succession ended with Simha, by what can you prove it? Which of the previous patriarchs ever prophesied it? And who indeed were those who divided and transmitted the Dharma? Were they to head east? Without the [right] persons, how could their Dharma have reached here? Although his collateral branch Dharmatrāta established his own lineage, those he produced were each no more than four or five persons; it was not a universal transmission. Nor has anyone ever heard of his followers propagating the Dharma eastward. If Dharmatrāta were the one who transmitted it universally, why did Dharmatrāta single out the Twenty-fifth Patriarch, saying, 'I have a fellow student named Basiasita, to whom our late master foretold and entrusted the Dharma, and he also conferred the robe as proof; he has already gone to South Tianzhu'? Why would he omit and say nothing of the other fellow students? This is not so. You should seek it through reason and not give free rein to your conjectures." He said, "If so, since Dharmatrāta revered Simha, how could he not succeed him as the orthodox patriarch, but instead defer to [Basia]sita?" I replied, "This is because the sages designated patriarchs according to suitable capacities and conditions, and also conferred the Dharma seal according to the shallowness or depth of their awakening. Just as the Fifth Patriarch transmitted it to Dajian and did not confer it upon Shenxiu—is it not so?" The interlocutor agreed. Later, I happened to acquire Sengyou's book, and my words were thoroughly confirmed. Not wishing to discard them, I have attached them to the end of Dharmatrāta's biography.