鐔津文集 11.53

11.53

余去潯陽五年而法師真公自廬山來會于錢唐。聞其始至且喜且驚。師曾不顧宰相所得。拂衣去濠入山中。誓終其身不踐俗境。此胡為而來哉。及相與語。始知其謀為佛塔非以常事而移其志也。余在潯陽嘗與周叔智評人物。以師潔清能以其道訓學者。叔智頗以重語相推。故與吾洎郭叔寶裴長言數造其門。迭為歌詩以揚其美。師亦忻然相德。今出數千里。復與之會迨將半載。接其言益文其道益親。契義篤厚百倍於初也。秋之八月而真師以所謀事集命拏舟欲行。杭人敬慕稽首告留者甚勤。終亦引去不顧。余游四方獨去潯陽。戀戀若懷父母之國而不能忘。蓋以其有仁賢君子篤實誠信於交游用道德而相浸潤。又以匡廬奠其左嶄崒高拔其氣象窅然深幽。使人翫之有高天下之志。今真師復歸焉。余牽於事不得偕往。惟浩然之思益紛於胸中。因師為我謝潯陽君子。窮達榮悴勞吾之形。謀慮得喪萬端勞吾之心。人生適如一夢焉。何長與物旁礴乎世。此宜深探佛道澄汰其神明。真師其引道者。宜命之游可也。

Five years after I left Xunyang, Dharma Master Zhen came from Mount Lu to meet me in Qiantang. When I first heard of his arrival, I was both delighted and astonished. Formerly, the Master had completely disregarded what the prime minister could offer him, shaking out his robes, leaving Haozhou, and entering the mountains, swearing never to set foot in the mundane world for the rest of his days. Why then had he come here? Only when we spoke together did I learn that he was planning the construction of a Buddhist pagoda, and that it was not an ordinary matter that had changed his resolve. When I was in Xunyang, I once evaluated personalities with Zhou Shuzhi. Because the Master was pure and upright, able to instruct students with his Way, Shuzhi commended him with weighty words. Therefore, together with me, Guo Shubao, and Pei Changyan, he frequently visited the Master’s door, taking turns composing songs and poems to proclaim his excellence, and the Master also joyfully appreciated our goodwill. Now, coming from several thousand li away, I have met with him again for nearly half a year. Listening to his words, they have become even more refined; his Way has grown even more intimate; and our bond of mutual understanding is a hundred times firmer than at first. In the eighth month of autumn, as Master Zhen’s planned affairs were accomplished, he ordered a boat prepared, intending to depart. The people of Hangzhou, out of reverence and admiration, bowed their heads and earnestly begged him to stay, yet in the end he took his leave without looking back. As I wander in all four quarters, it is only Xunyang that, when leaving, I yearn for as if longing for the land of my parents, unable to forget it. This is because there are benevolent and worthy gentlemen there who are sincere, solid, and truthful in their friendships, steeping one another in virtue and the Way; and furthermore, because Mount Kuanglu rests to its left, towering lofty and steep, its atmosphere profoundly deep and secluded, so that gazing upon it inspires one with aspirations that transcend the world. Now Master Zhen is returning there once again. Tied down by affairs, I cannot accompany him. I have only a vast longing that swirls ever more intensely in my breast. On my behalf, may the Master convey my regards to the gentlemen of Xunyang: adversity and success, glory and decline wear out our bodies; countless plans, calculations, gains, and losses exhaust our minds. Human life is just like a dream. Why should one forever mingle confusedly with worldly affairs? Here, one ought to deeply explore the Buddha’s Way and purify one’s spiritual radiance. Master Zhen is the one who leads the way; you would do well to follow him in your travels.