廣弘明集 27.7

27.7

彭城劉遺民。以晉太元中。除宜昌柴桑二縣令值廬山靈邃。足以往而不反。遇沙門釋慧遠。可以服膺。丁母憂去職入山。遂有終焉之志。於西林㵎北。別立禪坊。養志閑處。安貧不營貨利。是時閑退之士輕舉而集者。若宗炳張野周續之雷次宗之徒。咸在會焉。遺民與群賢遊處。研精玄理。以此永日。遠乃遺其書曰。每尋疇昔遊心世典。以為當年之華宛也。及見老莊便悟名教是應變之虛談耳。以今而觀。則知沈冥之趣。豈得不以佛理為先。苟會之有宗。則百家同致。君諸人並為如來賢弟子也。策名神府為日已久。徒積懷遠之興。而乏因籍之資。以此永年。豈所以勵其宿心哉。意謂六齋日。宜簡絕常務專心空門。然後津寄之情篤。來生之計深矣。若染翰綴文。可託興於此。雖言生於不足。然非言無以暢一詣之感。因驥之喻。亦何必遠寄古人。於是。山居道俗日加策勵。遺民精勤偏至。具持禁戒宗張等所不及。專念禪坐始涉半年。定中見佛。行路遇像佛於空現光照天地皆作金色。又披袈裟在寶池浴。出定已請僧讀經。願速捨命。在山一十五年。自知亡日。與眾別已都無疾苦。至期西面端坐。斂手氣絕。年五十有七。先作篤終誡曰。皇甫謐遺論佩孝經。示不忘孝道。蓋似有意小兒之行事。今即土為墓。勿用棺槨。子雍從之。周續之等。築室相次。各有芳績。如別所云。

Liu Yimin of Pengcheng was appointed Magistrate of Yichang and Chaisang during the Taiyuan era of the Jin. Encountering the spiritual seclusion of Mount Lu, he found it sufficient to make him go without returning; meeting Śramaṇa Shi Huiyuan, he found someone he could venerate with his whole heart. Facing bereavement for his mother, he left office and entered the mountain, having the resolve to end his days there. North of the mountain torrent of Xilin, he built a separate meditation lodge, nourishing his aspiration in leisure, content with poverty and not pursuing goods or profit. At that time, gentlemen of leisure and retirement who gathered unencumbered included Zong Bing, Zhang Ye, Zhou Xuzhi, Lei Cizong, and their fellows, who were all present at the assembly. Yimin spent his days roaming and residing with these worthies, investigating subtle principles to lengthen the day. Yuan then sent him a letter, saying: 'Whenever I recall how in former times my mind roamed through worldly classics, I thought them the splendours of those years. When I saw Laozi and Zhuangzi, I realized that the teaching of names was merely empty talk for responding to changes. Looking at it now, I know that for the ultimate destination of the profound and obscure, how can one not place Buddhist principles foremost? If there is an underlying source to harmonize them, then the hundred schools arrive at the same destination. You gentlemen are all worthy disciples of the Tathāgata. You have long been enrolled in the spiritual register; but accumulating only the mood of cherishing what is distant while lacking the capital of causes and conditions—is this the way to pass the years and encourage your longstanding resolve? My thought is that on the six fasting days, one ought to leave off ordinary duties and concentrate the mind on the gate of emptiness. Thereafter, the sentiment of relying on the ferry will be sincere, and plans for the next life will be profound. If you take up the brush to compose texts, you can lodge your inspiration in this. Although words arise from insufficiency, yet without words there is no way to express a supreme realization. As for the metaphor of relying on a fine steed, why must one locate it distantly in the ancients?' Thereupon, the monastics and laity dwelling on the mountain redoubled their encouragement day by day. Yimin's diligence was singularly thorough; his complete upholding of the prohibitions and precepts was something Zong, Zhang, and the others could not equal. Concentrating on meditation for only half a year, he saw the Buddha in absorption. While walking on the road, he encountered an image: the Buddha appeared in the sky, his light shining upon heaven and earth, turning everything into a golden colour. He also donned the kāṣāya and bathed in a jewelled pool. Coming out of absorption, he asked the monks to recite the sūtras, wishing to relinquish his life quickly. Having resided in the mountain for fifteen years, he knew in advance the day of his death; after bidding farewell to the assembly, he had no illness or suffering. When the time arrived, he sat upright facing west, folded his hands, and ceased breathing. He was fifty-seven years of age. He had previously composed an admonition on his impending end, saying: 'Huangfu Mi's posthumous treatise spoke of carrying the Classic of Filial Piety to show not forgetting the filial way; this seems like an intentional, childlike gesture. Now make a grave directly in the earth, and do not use an inner or outer coffin.' His son Yong followed this. Zhou Xuzhi and others built dwellings in succession, and each had fragrant achievements, as recorded elsewhere.