老胡。四十九年。昵昵喁喁。與有心眾生。情投意接。說到說不得處。突然向龍尾尖上。一聲雷震。使大地有情。一時絕倒。翻身轉來。便個個能御風騎氣。興雨為雲。龍雷迅捷。現大人相。不屬文字。意情領略。而得入正法。故謂之教外別傳。大略此宗之旨。不出一箇別字。便能攪長河為酥酪。變大地為黃金。千丈舌頭談不到。遮裡自然粒粒拋出金剛王屑。破人腸胃。銷人骨肉。化成一道葭管。最先之陽氣。不特有根者。為花為果。至若頑空恠石。莫不孕煖生潤。為之唱和矣。海昌黎眉居士。既從河洛一派。接續子轝氏。傳性命之宗。為長者折枝處。頓證拈花一脉。乃集釋迦而下金色慶喜。已至大鑑振起五宗。迢迢千古格外之英。彚其語而付之梨。各各現千百億身。處處說法。俾人人證而了之。方見黎眉通身手眼。根根毛孔放光說法。為先覺宗乘諸大老中傑出之英。照映末世。(不肖)矢心此道。力荷有年。嚶鳴天表未有和者。忽頒來書於神交之外。得我心同。始知祖佛猶有真子在。法門殷憂。為之頓釋。因序其教外別傳。而復贅五宗之象語云。

Old Hu, for forty-nine years, whispered intimately With mindful beings, heart to heart, mind to mind. When words could go no further, Suddenly, on the dragon's tail tip, a thunderclap— Making all beings of the earth collapse in wonder. Turning around, each could ride the wind and harness energy, Summon rain and clouds with dragon's swift power, Manifesting the great form of an adult. Beyond letters, understood through intention and realization, They entered the true Dharma— Thus it's called "a separate transmission outside the teachings."

Broadly, the essence of this school Is not separate from the word "separate" itself: It can stir the long river into sweet cream, Transform vast earth into pure gold— Something a thousand-foot tongue cannot express. Here, naturally, each particle throws out diamond dust, Piercing stomachs, dissolving bones and flesh, Transforming into a single reed pipe That catches the very first breath of yang. Not only rooted ones become flowers and fruit— Even empty spaces and weird rocks Are warmed and moistened, responding in harmony.

The Layman of Haichang, Plum Eyebrows, First inherited the River Luo tradition, Following the thread of nature and destiny from Mencius. While breaking branches for the elder, He suddenly realized the path of the flower-picking transmission. Gathering the words from Shakyamuni down through Golden Joyful Stillness To the great awakening that stirred the Five Houses— Those extraordinary beings beyond time— He compiled their sayings and gave them to print. Each manifests billions of bodies everywhere, preaching everywhere, Enabling everyone to realize and understand. Thus you see Plum Eyebrows' whole body-eye-mind, Every pore radiating light and preaching— A brilliant figure among the wise elders of the ancestral vehicle, Illuminating these late ages.

(This humble one) has devoted my heart to this path, Carrying the burden for years. Beneath heaven's bell, there was no echo— Until unexpectedly, beyond worldly acquaintance, Your letter arrived, finding my heart's same rhythm. Now I know the ancestor-Buddha still has true children alive. The deep worry of the Dharma gate is suddenly released. Thus I write this preface to the Separate Transmission, Adding these mirror words of the Five Houses.

Special Transmission Outside the Teachings (教外別傳)

Special Transmission Outside the Teachings (教外別傳)