▲秦䟦陀禪師
▲Chan Master Qin Fotudeng
問生法師。講何經論。生曰。大般若經。師曰。作麼生說色空義。曰眾微聚曰色。眾微無自性曰空。師曰。眾微未聚。喚作甚麼。生罔措。師又問。別講何經論。曰大涅槃經。師曰。如何說涅槃之義。曰涅而不生。槃而不滅。不生不滅。故曰涅槃。師曰。這個是如來涅槃。那個是法師涅槃。曰涅槃之義豈有二耶。某甲祇如此。未審禪師如何說涅槃。師拈起如意曰。還見麼。曰見。師曰。見個甚麼。曰見禪師手中如意。師將如意擲於地曰。見麼。曰見。師曰。見個甚麼。曰見禪師手中如意墮地。師斥曰。觀公見解。未出常流。何得名喧宇宙。拂衣而去。其徒懷疑不已。乃追師扣問。我師說色空涅槃。不契。未審禪師如何說色空義。師曰。不道汝師說得不是。汝師祇說得果上色空。不會說得因中色空。其徒曰。如何是因中色空。師曰。一微空故眾微空。眾微空故一微空。一微空中無眾微。眾微空中無一微。
The Master asked Elder Sheng, "What scriptures and treatises do you lecture on?" Sheng said, "The Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra." The Master asked, "How do you explain the meaning of form and emptiness?" He said, "The gathering of many particles is called form; the many particles have no intrinsic nature, and this is called emptiness." The Master said, "Before the many particles have gathered—what do you call that?" Sheng was at a loss.
The Master asked again, "What other scriptures and treatises do you lecture on?" He said, "The Great Nirvana Sutra." The Master said, "How do you explain the meaning of Nirvana?" He said, "Ni means 'not born'; pan means 'not extinguished.' Not born, not extinguished—therefore it is called Nirvana." The Master said, "That is the Tathāgata's Nirvana. Which one is the Dharma Master's Nirvana?" He said, "How could the meaning of Nirvana have two? This is simply how I understand it; I do not know how the Chan Master explains Nirvana." The Master picked up his ruyi and said, "Do you see it?" He said, "I see it." The Master said, "What do you see?" He said, "I see the ruyi in the Chan Master's hand." The Master flung the ruyi to the ground and said, "Do you see it?" He said, "I see it." The Master said, "What do you see?" He said, "I see the ruyi in the Chan Master's hand fall to the ground." The Master rebuked him: "Looking at your understanding, it has not risen above the ordinary run. How is it that your name resounds throughout the world?" He shook out his robe and left. Sheng's disciples could not resolve their doubts, so they pursued the Master and questioned him: "Our teacher explained form, emptiness, and Nirvana, but it did not accord. We do not know how the Chan Master explains the meaning of form and emptiness." The Master said, "I am not saying your teacher's explanation is wrong. Your teacher has only explained the form and emptiness that pertain to the fruit; he does not understand how to explain the form and emptiness that pertains to the cause." His disciples said, "What is the form and emptiness that pertains to the cause?" The Master said, "Because one particle is empty, the many particles are empty; because the many particles are empty, one particle is empty. In the emptiness of one particle there are no many particles; in the emptiness of the many particles there is no one particle."
高僧傳。作佛䭾䟦陀羅。問鳩摩羅什語。佛䭾䟦陀羅。乃佛大先弟子也。
Biographies of Eminent Monks: The monk Buddhayaśas. He questioned Kumarajiva's teachings. Buddhayaśas was a disciple of Buddhasena.