廣弘明集 24.79

24.79

On the twenty-third day of the eighth month, [I, Xue] Daoheng, pay homage. The mundane realm is impermanent; Dharma Master Yan has passed away. My feelings of grief and sorrow are profound and cannot cease. Only this mournful longing that cuts so deeply must be truly unbearable. In his tender youth, the Dharma Master renounced the mundane world and trod lofty beyond the dust of worldly cares. His resolve and magnanimity were vast, and his discernment of principle was exquisitely awakened. His spiritual platform and transcendent realm could be looked up to, yet could not be peered into; his ocean of wisdom and source of Dharma could be waded into, yet could not be plumbed. Like a clear mirror, though reflecting repeatedly, he never grew weary; like a great bell, whenever struck, he responded. In the past, when encountering the decline of the Way, the dark warp [of order] lost its tie, he lodged his will in secluded crags, steadfast and unyielding. High office and lavish courtesy could not turn his thoughts; stern awe and harsh laws were insufficient to frighten his mind. In walking meditation and tranquil sitting, through ease and danger, he remained one and the same; his moral virtue and monastic deportment were consistent from beginning to end. When the Sagely Emperor inaugurated his dynastic fortune, the Semblance Dharma flourished anew; preeminent in the black-robed forest, [the Master] was acclaimed as its foremost head. [The Emperor] bent the majesty of the imperial throne to extend the bond of master and disciple. The triratna was propagated and protected on his account; the two truths were expounded and proclaimed through his aid. Truly, it was enough to follow the footsteps of [Zhu Fo]tudeng and [Kumāra]jīva, and to surpass [Dao]an and [Hui]yuan! Yet the pillar of the Dharma has suddenly collapsed, and the vessel of benevolence has swiftly foundered. Not only is grief intertwined with the four assemblies, but the One Man [the Emperor] is surely also moved with sorrow. Holding the staff and carrying the water-vase, you, Master, have long received his instructions; entering the hall and penetrating his inner room, you embodied his model in miniature. In the sentiments toward the three [revered bonds of father, master, and lord], reasons for perpetual grief are a hundredfold. He is gone—what can be done? Impermanence—what can be done? Kept by illness from extending my consolations in person, I am filled only with profound and knotted sorrow. Respectfully I send this plain letter, composed in disarray amidst grief. Disciple Xue Daoheng pays homage.