廣弘明集 24.39

24.39

菩薩戒弟子王筠。法名慧炬。稽首和南。問訊東陽盛法師。弟子昔因多幸早蒙覲接。歲月推流踰三十載。欽慕風德獨盈懷抱。間以山川無由禮敬。司馬參軍仰述存眷曲垂訪憶。既荷錄舊之情。兼佩殷勤之旨。歡欣頂戴難為譬說。仰承乘和履福享年九十有四。蚩絳人之未高。同殷宗之遐壽。且耳長真已過項。齒剛曾不先落。延華駐釆怡神輔性。自非宿植善因。何以招斯勝果。尊年尚齒之誠。懷德敦舊之款。依風慕道之深。欣羨景仰之至。興居在念寤寐載懷。弟子限此樊籠。迫茲纓瑣。無由問道。撫躬如失。庶心期冥會咫尺江山。道術相忘棄置形迹。唯願敬勗保此期頤。赤松朱髮復何足貴。飛錫騰軀真在旦夕。指陳丹款殊未申暢。儻惠一言豈不幸甚。弟子筠稽首和南。

Your disciple of the bodhisattva precepts, Wang Yun, Dharma name Huiju, bows his head in prostration and sends greetings to Dharma Master Sheng of Dongyang. Formerly, out of great good fortune, your disciple was blessed early on to meet and attend upon you. As months and years have flown by, more than thirty years have passed. My admiration for your demeanor and virtue fills my heart alone. Separated by mountains and rivers, I have had no means to pay reverence. When the Adjutant of the Commander conveyed your kind regards and your thoughtful inquiries from afar, I felt both gratitude for your remembrance of old times and deep appreciation for your earnest intentions; my joy and reverent acceptance are difficult to express in words. I have respectfully learned that you ride upon harmony and tread upon fortune, enjoying the age of ninety-four, mocking the Jiang man as not yet advanced in years and matching the longevity of the Yin sovereign. Moreover, your ears are so long they truly surpass your neck, and your firm teeth have never fallen out beforehand. Extending your splendor and retaining your vitality, you gladden your spirit and nourish your nature. If you had not planted good causes in past lives, how could you have obtained such supreme fruition? My sincerity in revering age and honoring seniority, my devotion in cherishing virtue and solidifying old ties, the depth of my yearning for your manner and longing for the Way, and the utmost degree of my delight and admiration—in activity and rest you are in my thoughts; waking and sleeping you remain in my heart. Held back by this worldly cage and constrained by these official ribbons, I have had no way to inquire about the Way, and reflecting on myself, I feel at a loss. I hope that our hearts' aspiration may subtly unite across the nearby rivers and mountains, that we may forget each other in the arts of the Way and cast aside physical forms. I only pray that you take reverent care to preserve this centenarian age; what value is there in Chisongzi's vermilion hair? Flying with your staff and elevating your body will truly happen in the morning or evening. Directly expressing my sincere feelings has not yet been fully accomplished; if you would deign to grant a single word, how could it not be my greatest fortune? Your disciple Yun bows his head in prostration.