廣弘明集 24.39

24.39

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.