廣弘明集 29.35

29.35

昨夜眠中意識潛通。類莊生之覩蝴蝶。如孔氏之見周公。雖夢想之虛偽。亦心事而冥同。爾乃見一奇賓。傲岸驚人。無名無姓。如鬼如神。姿容閑雅服翫光新。入門高揖詣席誇陳。余乃問曰。夫邪不干正。惡不亂善。清濁異流昇沈各踐。吾身披法鎧心遊妙典。六賊稍降四蛇方遣。大乘已駕小魔宜剪。君是何人。欲來何辨。客乃對曰。久承名行未遑修敬。常深注仰每軫翹詠。忽覩光儀良有嘉慶。欲申諮請。願垂高命。夫人生假借一期如擲。倏紅電之驚天。迅白駒之過隙。豈不及年時之壯美。取生平之歡適。或走名驥於長阡。或駕飛輪於廣陌。坐西園而召友。敞南齋而對客。出野外而摐金。入閨中而撫石。或復合罇促坐傳觴舉白。重之以笑歌。申之以燔炙。至如學富門昌德重名揚。江東獨步日下無雙。心為義窟身是智囊彫金往漢佩玉遊梁。高車駟馬桂戶蘭房。烈燕姬而滿側。奏秦女而盈堂。聞弦管之寥亮。聽絲竹之鏗鏘。何則一生之快樂。亦千載而流芳。豈能栖栖獨處傍無笑語。剃髮除鬚違親背主。形容憔悴衣裳藍縷。既闕田蠶復無商估。等碎繒之屢結。似破襖之千補。至如玉露朝團金風夜寒。老冉冉而行至。歲忽忽而將闌床空帳冷覆薄眠單。絕子孫於後胤。罷賓從而來歡。欲以斯而為道。亦何得道之量難。余乃忻然而笑。略陳心要。徐而答曰。省來說之嬌張。遂引誘於邪方。欲以井蛙共海鯤而論大。爝火與日月而爭光。無異蟭蟟之比鵬翼。㟝嶁之匹崑崗。爾既昏眠於生死。亦耽染於玄黃。唯知酣酒嗜欲峻宇彫牆。豈識多財之被害。寧信懷璧而為殃。佳味爽口美食爛腸。貪婬致患渴愛成狂。人生易盡物理無常。朝歌暮哭向在今亡。欣歡暫有憂畏延長。且世間紛壤竟無閑賞。萬苦競來百憂爭往。妻子翻為桎梏。親愛更如羅網。私里恒弊巑屼。王事徒勞鞅掌。榮華有同水沫。富貴實如山響。然自沈淪倒惑恒懷磣毒。不孝不慈無道無德。胸衿𢤱戾心府蠶賊。自大嬌奢志能苛剋。不行仁義誰論典則。無趣殺傷非理貪忒。見利爭往臨財苟得。失位失名亡家亡國。命繩溘斷身城倒匐。業掣其頭鬼穿其肋。氷池向踐火山方冐。忍痛自知銜悲誰惻。爾乃刀林擁聳劍嶺嵯峨。鑪飛猛焰鑊湧驚波。楞層鐵網𦾯簇灰河。凡諸苦難次第經過。頭逢鋸解骨被磨磨。舉身星散合體滂沱。一朝鍾此萬恨如何。若夫正法弘深。妙理難尋。非生非滅非色非心。隨機往赴逐應便臨。內宣萬德外啟八音。威降醉象影攝驚禽。形如滿月色似融金。遂令尼揵脫屣梵志抽簪。然而出家之為道也。則蕭散優游無欲無求。不臣天子不敬王侯。似無瑕之璧。如不繫之舟。聲樂不能動。軒冕不能留。無為無欲何懼何憂。戒忍雙集禪慧兼修。天人師範豪庶依投。若夫為學日益為道日損。損之則道業踰高。益之則學功踰遠。故形將俗人而永隔。心與世情而懸反。所服唯是布衣。所餐未曾再飯。從師則千里命駕。慕法則六時精懇。濯慮於八解之池。娛神於七淨之苑。至如道安道立慧遠慧持。赤髭法主青眼律師。弘經辯論講易談詩。開神悅耳析滯去疑。並皆揚名後代擅步當時。或與秦王而共輦。乍將晉帝而同幃。遂使桓玄再拜而弗暇。郗超千斛而無辭。爾乃行因已正方響餘慶。四梵爭邀六天俱聘。封畿顯敞國土華淨。寶樹瓊枝金蓮玉柄。風含梵響泉流雅詠。池皎若銀地平如鏡。妙香紛馥名花交映。近感樂神遠歸常命。若夫六度修成十地圓明。靈智既湛種覺斯盈。寂遼虛壑皎潔澄清。質非質礙之質。名非名相之名。水火衝天而不懼。雷霆震地而不驚。窮天下之至妙。誰能與之抗行。於是前來君子聞斯語已合掌曲躬斂眉彈指。魂飛氣讋神茹情否。踧踖無顏。逡巡敬起。自陳孤陋未知臧鄙。追用感傷實懷慚恥。今日奉教。謹從命矣。

Last night during sleep, my conscious mind subtly communicated, like Master Zhuang beholding the butterfly, or Master Kong seeing the Duke of Zhou. Though dreams and imaginings are illusory and false, in the affairs of the mind they secretly correspond. Thereupon I saw an extraordinary guest, haughty and astonishing, without name or surname, like a ghost, like a spirit. His demeanor was leisurely and graceful, his garments and ornaments shining and fresh. Entering the gate, he bowed high, came to the mat, and boastfully proclaimed. I then asked him: “Evil does not intrude upon righteousness; wickedness does not disturb the good. Pure and muddy flow in different streams; rising and sinking tread separate paths. My body is clad in the armor of the Dharma, and my mind roams in the wondrous scriptures. The six thieves are gradually subdued, and the four serpents are just now being dispelled. The Great Vehicle has already been harnessed; petty demons should be cut away. Who are you, sir, and what do you wish to argue by coming here?” The guest then replied: “I have long heard of your renowned practice, but have had no leisure to pay my respects. Deeply gazing up to you, I have often felt eager admiration. Suddenly beholding your radiant presence, I am truly filled with joy. I wish to express my inquiries; may you deign to impart your noble instruction. Human life is a temporary loan, a single span cast away in an instant: swift as the red lightning startling the sky, rapid as the white colt passing the crevice. How can one fail to take advantage of the prime of one's youth to seize the pleasures and comforts of a lifetime? Either ride renowned thoroughbreds along long country paths, or steer flying wheels upon broad avenues; sit in the Western Garden and summon friends, or open the Southern Study and face guests; go out into the countryside and strike the gong, or enter inner chambers and caress musical stones. Or again, gather wine jars, sit close, pass goblets, and drain them dry, augmenting this with laughter and song, extending it with roasted meats! As for having abundant learning and a flourishing household, weighty virtue and widespread fame, walking alone east of the River, matchless under the sun! With a mind that is a treasury of righteousness and a body that is a sack of wisdom, carving gold in the Han and wearing jade to roam in Liang; with tall carriages and four-horse teams, cassia doors and orchid chambers; arraying beauties of Yan along your flanks, having women of Qin perform to fill the hall; listening to the clear strains of strings and pipes, hearing the resonance of silk and bamboo! What could surpass the joy of a lifetime, leaving a fragrant name for a thousand years? How could one live in solitary distress without laughter and conversation around, shaving the head and removing the beard, turning against parents and abandoning the lord? One’s appearance haggard, garments tattered and torn, lacking both field-farming and sericulture, having neither trade nor commerce; like shredded silk repeatedly knotted, resembling a ragged robe with a thousand patches! And when jade dew gathers in the morning and golden winds chill at night, old age creeps on apace, and the year swiftly draws to an end, with the bed empty, curtains cold, coverings thin, and sleep solitary; cutting off descendants of future generations, ending guests and followers coming to make merry. If you wish to attain the Way through this, how could attaining the Way be so immensely difficult?” I then smiled joyfully, briefly set forth the essentials of the mind, and replied slowly: “Reflecting on the boastful arrogance of your words, you are merely leading toward evil paths. You wish to discuss greatness with a well-frog against the ocean's kun-fish, or compete in brightness with a tiny torch against the sun and moon. It is no different from comparing the wings of a cicada to the roc’s wings, or matching an anthill to the Kunlun peaks. You are already sleeping blindly in birth and death, and also indulging in worldly colors. You know only of carousing with wine, indulging desires, towering mansions, and carved walls; how could you know the harm brought by abundant wealth, or believe that carrying jade brings calamity? Delicious flavors ruin the palate, and rich foods rot the intestines; greed and lust bring disaster, and craving thirst turns one mad. Human life is easily exhausted; the principles of things are impermanent. Singing in the morning and weeping in the evening; alive just now and dead at this moment. Joy and delight exist only for a moment; anxiety and dread extend for long. Moreover, the worldly dust is in chaos, with nowhere any leisurely enjoyment: myriad bitternesses vie to arrive, a hundred worries contest to come. Wife and children turn into shackles; loved ones become a snaring net. Village affairs are ever distressingly burdensome; royal duties are vainly exhausting. Glory and splendor are like water foam; wealth and nobility are truly like mountain echoes. Yet sinking in inversion and delusion, one continually harbors bitterness and cruelty: unfilial and uncompassionate, without the Way and without virtue; with a rebellious breast and a heart like a silkworm-parasite; arrogant and extravagant, with an intention prone to harsh severity; failing to practice benevolence and righteousness, who would speak of codes and standards? Recklessly killing and wounding, greedily deviating against principle; vying to pursue profit when seen, improperly seizing wealth when approached; losing status and losing name, destroying family and ruining the state! When the rope of life snaps suddenly, the fortress of the body collapses prostrate; karma yanks one's head, and demons pierce one's ribs. One is about to tread the icy pool, just about to brave the mountain of fire; bearing pain that only oneself knows, harboring grief that none commiserates. Thereupon forests of knives tower up, ridges of swords rise jagged, furnaces blast fierce flames, cauldrons boil with alarming waves; tier upon tier of iron nets, densely arrayed rivers of ash. All manner of tribulations are passed through one by one: heads meet with the saw's dissection, bones are ground by the mill; the whole body is scattered like stars, the entire frame pours down in torrents. Once this falls upon you in a single morning, what can be done about the myriad regrets? Now, the True Dharma is vast and profound, its wondrous principle hard to seek: neither arising nor ceasing, neither matter nor mind. Responding to faculties, it proceeds to its destination; following resonance, it immediately arrives. Internally it proclaims myriad virtues; externally it reveals the eight sounds. With majesty it subdues drunken elephants; with its shadow it gathers startled birds. Its form is like the full moon; its complexion is like molten gold. It leads Nirgranthas to cast off their sandals and brahmacārins to draw out their hairpins. As for leaving household life to practice the Way: it is carefree and rambling, without desires and without seeking; not serving the Son of Heaven, not bowing to princes and marquises. Like a flawless jade, like an unmoored boat: sounds and music cannot move it; carriages and caps of office cannot detain it. Being without action and without desires, what fear, what worry? Precepts and patience are both gathered; dhyāna and wisdom are cultivated together. A teacher and model to gods and humans, a refuge for the noble and common alike. As for: 'In pursuing learning, one increases daily; in pursuing the Way, one decreases daily.' Decreasing it, the karma of the Way rises ever higher; increasing it, the achievements of learning reach ever further. Therefore, one's form is forever separated from worldly people, and one's mind is completely contrary to worldly sentiment. What one wears is only cotton robes; what one eats is never a second meal. Following a master, one orders the carriage for a thousand miles; yearning for the Dharma, one is diligent and sincere during the six periods of the day. One washes thoughts in the pond of the eight liberations, and delights the spirit in the park of the seven purifications. Such were Dao'an and Daoli, Huiyuan and Huichi, the red-bearded Dharma master and the blue-eyed Vinaya master: propagating sutras and debating, lecturing on the Changes and discoursing on the Odes, opening the spirit, pleasing the ear, resolving blockages, and removing doubts. All of them spread their renown to later generations and strode unmatched in their time. Some shared a carriage with the King of Qin; others shared a curtain with the Emperor of Jin. They caused Huan Xuan to lack the time to bow twice, and Xi Chao to offer a thousand bushels without refusal. Thereupon, when the cause of practice is perfected, the remaining blessings echo forth: the four Brahmā heavens vie to invite them, and the six desire heavens together summon them. The domains are vast and open, the lands splendid and pure; with precious trees and jasper branches, golden lotuses and jade stems. The wind contains Brahmā sounds, and the springs stream with noble chants; ponds are clear as silver, and the ground is level as a mirror. Wondrous fragrances are intensely sweet, and renowned flowers reflect one another; nearby, the music-spirits are moved, and afar, one returns to eternal life. When the six perfections are cultivated and completed, and the ten grounds are fully luminous, the spiritual wisdom is calm and deep, and the wisdom of all kinds is completely fulfilled. Quiescent and vast as an empty valley, bright and clean, pure and clear. Its substance is not the substance of material hindrance; its name is not the name of nominal characteristics. Though water and fire surge to heaven, it is not afraid; though thunder and lightning shake the earth, it is not startled. It fathoms the ultimate wonder under Heaven; who could ever stand as its rival?” Thereupon, the gentleman who had come before, having heard these words, folded his hands, bowed low, knitted his brows, and snapped his fingers. His soul took flight, his spirit was terrified, his vital breath consumed, and his feelings dismayed. Restless and shamefaced, he stepped back and rose in reverence, declaring his own ignorance, unaware of good and bad; reflecting with distress, he truly harbored shame and disgrace: “Today, having received your instruction, I respectfully obey your command.”