鐔津文集 9.9

9.9

月日沙門某謹伏揖。再獻書于昭文相公閣下。某近者以書西來進之天子。誠以閣下當國至公盡善其心。方西趨之日。汲汲惟恐後時。及幸見之。閣下溫然以禮接之。其後奏書垂之政府。而閣下面獎特比之史筆。當此大幸謂其平生為善之勤果遭遇而得其發揚矣。又其後竊聞。閣下益以其文與諸公稱之於館閣。而士大夫聞者有曰。大丞相真公與人為善矣。若某者乃異教方外之人耳。其道方少有可觀。乃特與公卿譽之。如此天下學者切當自患其為道不專也。何慮乎朝廷賢賢之不至邪。然某學佛之餘。粗事乎翰墨欲發揮其本教耳。豈有高文遠識。當乎公相大賢所稱獎耶。此可謂大幸大忝也。然其預閣下之賜不為不大。其區區之志不為不得。此固宜翻然便還山林。今猶徘徊京師未即去者。蓋其所來之意未盡未果。奉閣下尊留之命。故敢不避其干冒之誅。乃益進說于閣下之左右也。幸閣下寬而念之。某山林著書討論。內外經書不啻數千卷。積數十年頗亦焦勞其神形。又不遠千里齎來而奏之者。非苟如他輩僥倖欲其私有所求耳。其實患乎本教之宗祖不明。古今學佛輩不見其大統妄相勝負。殊失吾先聖人之意故。其拳拳懇懇乃務正之。仰憑朝廷垂於藏中者。百世之為佛教立勝事也。庶其學者遵為定斷。又欲自效身為佛子其微為善者也。方其出山中之日道屬耆舊輩皆以某識心為法。莫不祝之。願成其事而返。今其書既奏。待命已六十餘日。而未有所聞。其中頗自疑之。或其書尚有所謬。不足大賢之所取耶。或閣下當國大事殷未暇盡其是非乎。都邑浩壤久留則弊其風塵。拂衣林薄而其本末之志未遂。惟恐負其道屬所祝之意。不惟負其所祝之意。亦恐其平生所存無效。而其教法祖宗萬世終不復正也。以故益欲幸閣下大惠。重念其為法不為身。為道不為名。為其教道萬世之必正。不為其己而要國家一時之恩渥耳。神明在上。實聞斯語。抑又聞。佛法者神妙不測。固通於天地神明。其為勝緣乃妙乎無窮也。今所謂其宗者。乃其教之大本也。所謂其祖者。乃其法之大範也。方今天子聖明。而閣下賢哲公正。佛法祖宗苟得預閣下執政之中斷而定之。使後世學佛仰而信之曰。在大宋天子相國韓公嘗裁而定之矣。其徒之三學者。不敢胥亂而佛法更明。果有天地神明陰為其助。則景福勝緣豈不歸于天子與閣下乎。某忝閣下之惠愛稱獎若前之所云。如此願幸閣下始終其大賜。使早施行無令疾忌之徒得輒以生橫議。以成就其平生區區之志幸及春水東歸山林。乃其大幸甚矣。當決勵精誠竭思行道。以報閣下之德惠顒顒恭俟嘉命于旦夕也不宣。某惶恐謹白。

On the [blank] day of the [blank] month, the śramaṇa [Qisong] respectfully bows with hands clasped, once again offering this letter to the Chancellor of Zhaowen Pavilion, beneath his seat. Recently, I came westward carrying my writings to present them to the Son of Heaven, truly because your Excellency directs the state with supreme impartiality and complete goodness of mind. In the days when I was hastening westward, I was anxious only that I might arrive too late. When I was fortunate enough to see you, your Excellency received me warmly with courtesy. Afterward, the memorial and writings were submitted to the government, and your Excellency praised them face-to-face, comparing them specifically to the brush of historians. At such great fortune, I thought the diligence of my lifelong practice of goodness had indeed encountered its moment and found its manifestation! Furthermore, I subsequently heard that your Excellency praised the writings even more among the dignitaries in the Institutes and Academies, so that among the scholar-officials who heard it, some said, 'The Grand Chancellor is truly impartial and promotes goodness in others! A person such as [Qisong] is merely someone of an outside teaching from beyond the realm; his way is only slightly worth looking at, yet the Chancellor specially praises him to the court dignitaries. In this way, scholars of the empire ought to worry only that their devotion to the Way is not single-minded; why should they worry that the court will fail to honour the worthy?' Yet, in addition to studying Buddhism, I have only roughly engaged in brush and ink, wishing to express my original teaching. How could I have lofty writing or far-reaching insight that would be worthy of the praise of an eminent chancellor and great worthy? This may be called a great fortune and a great shame. Nevertheless, the grace I received from your Excellency was not small, and my humble wish was not unfulfilled. I certainly ought to have turned back promptly to the mountain forests. That I still linger in the capital and have not departed immediately is because the purpose of my coming has not yet been fully accomplished and brought to fruition, and having received your Excellency's honourable command to stay, I dare not avoid the punishment for presumption, but instead present further words to your Excellency's attendants. I hope your Excellency will consider this with forbearance. In writing and investigating books in the mountain forests, I have examined no fewer than several thousand fascicles of internal and external scriptures and texts. Accumulating several decades of work, I have also considerably exhausted my spirit and body. And my carrying them from a thousand miles away to submit them in a memorial was not done, like others, to seek selfish profit or pursue personal gain. In truth, I was troubled that the ancestral lineage of the fundamental teaching was unclear, and that students of Buddhism past and present, failing to see the great lineage, vied with one another in vain, drastically departing from the intention of our ancient sages. Therefore, with earnest and sincere devotion, I devoted myself to rectifying it, relying upon the imperial court to place it into the canon, establishing a magnificent event for Buddhism for a hundred generations, so that students might follow it as a definitive standard, and also wishing to dedicate my humble self, as a disciple of the Buddha, to doing this small good. When I departed from the mountains, the elders of my Dharma companions all regarded my understanding of the mind as serving the Dharma, and every one of them prayed, wishing that I would accomplish this matter and return. Now that the book has been memorialised, I have awaited the imperial command for more than sixty days without hearing anything. In my heart, I am quite doubtful: could it be that the book still contains errors and is not worthy of being adopted by the great worthy? Or is your Excellency occupied with the weighty affairs of state and has not yet had leisure to assess its rights and wrongs? The metropolis is vast and dusty; a long stay wears one down with its worldly bustle. If I shake my robe and return to the forests while my original aspiration remains unfulfilled, I fear only that I will betray the prayers of my Dharma companions. Not only would I betray their prayers, but I also fear that what I have maintained throughout my life will prove ineffective, and that the ancestral lineage of the Dharma will never be rectified for ten thousand generations. For this reason, I all the more hope for your Excellency’s great kindness, to consider again that I act for the Dharma and not for myself, for the Way and not for fame, for the rectification of the teaching for ten thousand generations and not for my own sake to seek the temporary grace of the state. The divine beings above truly hear these words! Furthermore, I have heard that the Buddhadharma is spiritually wondrous and unfathomable; it inherently connects to Heaven, Earth, and the divine beings, and its supreme conditions are wondrous and boundless. What is now called its lineage is the great foundation of the teaching; what are called its patriarchs are the great models of the Dharma. Now the Son of Heaven is sagely and bright, and your Excellency is worthy, wise, impartial, and just. If the patriarchs and lineage of the Buddhadharma can be judged and settled under your Excellency's administration, so that later generations of Buddhist students look up and believe, saying, 'Under the Great Song, the Son of Heaven and Chancellor Lord Han once judged and settled it,' then the followers of the three learnings will not dare cause mutual disorder, and the Buddhadharma will shine even brighter. If Heaven, Earth, and the divine beings truly offer secret aid, would not the great blessings and supreme conditions return to the Son of Heaven and your Excellency? I have been favoured with your Excellency’s kind affection and praise as mentioned above. Therefore, I hope your Excellency will carry through your great favour from beginning to end, causing it to be implemented swiftly so that jealous and envious people cannot give rise to perverse debate at will, thereby fulfilling my humble lifelong aspiration and allowing me to return east to the mountain forests by the spring waters—this would be my greatest fortune! I will surely steel my sincere dedication and exhaust my thoughts in practicing the Way to repay your Excellency's virtuous favour, respectfully awaiting the auspicious command day and night. Not elaborating further, [Qisong] nervously and respectfully states.