廣弘明集 27.19

27.19

慧津和南竊聞尋師萬日以禮見知。而津伏奉未淹。過蒙優接。昔鄒陽上書。乃可引為上客。宋玉陳賦則賜以良田。且復康會來吳。才堪師表。摩騰入漢。行合律儀者哉。故知道寄人弘。德不孤立。儔今訪古並非其例。豈可虛佩寵靈坐安隆渥。便是名踰分外譽超身表。但法輪初啟。請業者如雲。非直四海同風天下慕義。遂令負笈之徒排肩自遠。歸仁之士繼踵來儀。華陰成市曾何足云。舉袂如帷。豈得獨高前代。況乃闡禪定之初門。開智慧之燈炬。信實傾河倒海宣說不窮。先進者陷於金城。後生者摧其利齒。可號熏修戒善。能令十地瓔珞守持身行。則使八正莊嚴允穆聖凡叶和幽顯。加有懷鉛握錐之好。聚螢流麥之勤。或剖蜯求珠。開河出寶。而慧津一介無取。內外靡聞。學謝懸鍾言慚散粉。同斯曲木空廁直蘭。類此蒹葭謬參玉樹。乃知滄溟汪濊。不待豪滴之珠。華嶽穹崇。寧俟遊塵之壤。譬茲秋鳳如彼春林。墜獨葉不預百枝。落一毛何關六翮。正言身名仰委觸途憑累。區區寸誠喻如皎日。不意三邊有務四郊多壘。致使虧替講筵請益成廢及言悲鯁寧可具披。所冀難靜障除更敦諮受。不任戀結。行遣祇承。慧津和南。

Huijin bows with folded hands. I have quietly heard that one may seek a master for ten thousand days before being recognised through courtesy; yet before I, Huijin, had served you for any length of time, I was favoured with an exceptionally generous reception. In antiquity, when Zou Yang submitted his memorial, he could indeed be engaged as an honoured guest; when Song Yu presented his rhapsody, he was rewarded with fertile lands. Furthermore, when Kang Senghui came to Wu, his talent was fit to be an exemplar; and when Kāśyapa Mātaṅga entered Han, his conduct accorded with the vinaya rules. Thus we know that the Dharma depends on individuals to be propagated, and virtue does not stand alone. Comparing present to past, my case is quite without precedent. How could I fruitlessly bear your gracious favour and sit idly enjoying such abundant generosity? This truly means my fame exceeds my measure, and my renown surpasses my person. Yet as the wheel of the Dharma begins its turning, those requesting instruction gather like clouds. Not only do the four seas share one style and the whole realm long for righteousness, but students bearing their book-boxes shoulder to shoulder have come from afar, and men devoted to benevolence arrive in continuous procession. How would the market of Huayin even be worth mentioning? Raising sleeves like curtains—how could former generations alone be extolled? What is more, you elucidate the primary gateway of meditative concentration and kindle the torch of wisdom; truly, pouring out rivers and overturning the sea, your expounding is inexhaustible. Seniors fall before your golden fortress, and juniors have their sharp teeth broken. You may be hailed as perfuming and cultivating precepts and virtue, able to cause the necklaces of the ten grounds to safeguard bodily conduct, thereby adorning the eightfold noble [path], harmonising the sage and the common, and uniting the unseen and the manifest. Added to this is your love of holding the lead and grasping the awl, and your diligence in gathering fireflies and scattering wheat. Some split shells to seek pearls, or open riverbeds to bring forth treasures. Yet I, Huijin, have no merit to show, unheard of within or without. My learning falls short of the hanging bell; my speech is shamed by the scattered powder. Like a curved piece of wood vainly placed beside upright orchids, or like reeds errantly mingled among gem-trees, I now realise that the vast ocean does not wait for a drop from a hair, and the towering Mount Hua does not rely on a speck of wandering dust. Compare this to the autumn phoenix and the spring grove: a single falling leaf does not affect a hundred branches; a single shed feather has no bearing on the six pinions. Truly, as my life and reputation look up to you, I have relied on and burdened you at every turn; my petty sincerity is clear as the bright sun. Unexpectedly, affairs have arisen along the three borders, and ramparts multiply in the four suburbs, causing the lecture platform to decline and requests for instruction to be abandoned. When I speak of this grief and sorrow, how could I express it fully? What I hope is that the turmoil may settle, obstacles be removed, and that we may once more apply ourselves to consultation and study. Unable to bear my longing, as I depart I respectfully attend to this. Huijin bows with folded hands.