廣弘明集 27.19

27.19

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.