Name: Orthodox Lineage of Chan · Volume 1 · Preface to the True Lineage of Chan (禅宗正脉 · 第一 · No. 1593-A 禅宗正脉序)
Author: 如卺集

有大聖人中天印度。曰能仁氏。乃往古昔然燈所記。賢劫次補。四十九年開示演化。接物利生。悲濟無量。仁慈普覆。聲教所被。微塵剎海。而雙林息照。布瑟波印於飲光。少室單傳。摩訶衍基於達磨。此正法眼藏。教外別傳。禪宗之所自也。已而六傳至曹溪。而支分派別。洋溢汎濫。徧滿天下。不有文字紀錄事緣。又何以知其投鍼玄趣。激電迅機。開示妙明之真性哉。此吳僧道原。傳燈錄之所有作。而有宋真宗皇帝。詔翰林學士楊億之所有敘而總裁也。後斯轍者。曰廣燈。續燈。聯燈。普燈。雖各詳略不同。亦無非所以明此一大事也。宋時有僧濟者。患五燈之浩瀚。作五燈會元。以惠來學。甚盛心也。然而後人猶以未易通究為病者。是其中間機緣語句。峻險者。壁立萬仞。淺近者。鼻孔半邊。或入海而算沙。或追羊而感岐。此國朝嘉興府僧如巹。禪宗正脉之所有作也。巹蚤參空谷禪師於虎林得旨。即韜光環堵於嘉禾之真如。四海象龍。望風嚮慕。而參禮者戶屨常滿。而慨夫五燈之機緣峻險曰。上根之人。當頭便領。十日並照。中下之徒。銀山銕壁。絲毫萬里。用是抄錄簡集。由某佛以至某人之嗣。凡幾世幾百人為幾卷。俾人人通曉以為證悟之因。復夢神教。題曰禪宗正脉。刻梓流通。猗歟盛哉。書成。飛錫踵門。以敘文為請。嘻余耄矣。豈足以敘此書之文哉。然而仰惟。佛法自漢永平東被真丹。禪宗一宗。徧滿寰宇。佛祖以下。得其傳者。自一燈以至無盡燈焉迄今逮二千祀。代有金輪深信體解。作興驩動。振耀金湯。際我大明太祖高皇帝。聖神文武。統御華夷。樹剎建幢天章御製。躋斯民於仁壽之域。措天下於雍熈之治。太宗文皇帝。繼體守成。欽明文思。光被四表。聖治無為。製詞贊詠。佛日光輝。欽惟皇上嗣登大寶。聖哲溫恭。厲精圖治。四海會同。佛聖再來。佛法外護。天人叶贊。率土昇平。白𩬊禮臣。乞骸歸老。受恩莫報。弗遑寧居。間得一覧禪宗正脈。大為慶幸。異時必有以是帙冐塵睿覧。若景德之傳燈錄者矣。第不知奉詔總裁刪定。而兼敘引者為誰也。(臣)雖老矣。猶能欣戴拱嘿。以竢其美音。

The great sage of the land of Central India, known as the Able One, was prophesied long ago by Dipankara Buddha. Following the succession of the Fortunate Aeon, he taught and revealed the truth for forty-nine years, guiding beings and benefiting all. His compassion saved countless beings, and his kindness extended everywhere. The sound of his teachings reached worlds as numerous as dust particles. After his final rest, the sign of the Buddha's teaching was passed to Kasyapa. The single transmission at Shaolin Temple, the foundation of the Mahayana, was established by Bodhidharma. This is the treasury of the true Dharma-eye, the special transmission outside the scriptures, the origin of the Chan tradition.

After six generations, the tradition reached Caoxi (Huineng), where it branched out and flowed widely, spreading throughout the land. Without written records of the events, how would one understand the profound and subtle guidance, the sharp and swift interactions, and the revelation of the wonderful and luminous true nature? This is why the monk Daoyuan of Wu compiled the *Transmission of the Lamp*, for which Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty ordered Hanlin Academician Yang Yi to write a preface and oversee its completion. Those who followed this path compiled the *Guangdeng*, *Xudeng*, *Liandeng*, and *Pudeng*. Although each had varying levels of detail, they all served to illuminate this great matter.

During the Song Dynasty, a monk named Ji, concerned with the vastness of the *Five Lamps*, compiled the *Five Lamps Meeting at the Source* to benefit later learners—a very noble intention. However, later people still struggled to fully understand it. Among the recorded encounters and dialogues, some were as steep as a ten-thousand-foot cliff, while others had only a half-side view of the nose. It was like counting grains of sand or chasing a lost sheep. This led to the creation of *The Orthodox Lineage of Chan* by the monk Ruhong of Jiaxing Prefecture in our August Ming Dynasty.

Ruhong once sought guidance from Master Konggu in Hulin and grasped the essential truth. He then retreated to the Jingzhu Monastery in Jiahe, where practitioners and enlightened beings from all directions admired and flocked to him. His door was always full of visitors seeking instruction. He lamented the steepness of the *Five Lamps'* encounters and said, "People of superior faculties grasp the truth instantly when faced with it. But for those of medium or lesser abilities, the teachings are like a wall of silver and an iron barrier—a single step leads them astray by ten thousand miles." Therefore, he excerpted and simplified, compiling from a certain Buddha to a certain person's lineage, spanning several generations and hundreds of people, into several volumes. This allowed everyone to understand and use it as a basis for realization. In a dream, a deity instructed him and named the work *The Orthodox Lineage of Chan*, which was then engraved and circulated.

How magnificent! When the book was finished, the author came to my door and asked me to write a preface. Alas, I am old. How could I possibly write a preface for such a work? But then I thought—since the time the Buddha's teachings first reached China during the Han Yongping era, the Chan tradition has spread throughout the world. From the Buddhas and patriarchs onward, the transmission has passed from one lamp to an infinite number of lamps, continuing for nearly two thousand years. Throughout the ages, kings have deeply believed, understood, and practiced these teachings, causing them to flourish and protect the dharma like a golden citadel.

Now, during the reign of our great Ming Emperor Taizu (Hongwu), the realm has been unified under his sage, spiritual, and martial rule. He built temples and colleges, issued imperial edicts and writings, guiding the people toward a state of benevolence and longevity, and governing the world with peace and harmony. Emperor Taizong (Yongle) continued this legacy, maintaining the system with wisdom and grace. His influence shone upon all sides, and his government achieved perfect action through non-action. He composed verses in praise, making the light of the Buddha shine brilliantly.

In the time of our current emperor, who has ascended the great throne, his virtue is sage-like, his demeanor kind and humble. He governs with concentrated effort, uniting the four seas. He is a Buddha and sage reborn, a protector of the Dharma. Heaven and humanity sing in harmony, and peace reigns throughout the land. I, a white-haired minister, am now retiring to my hometown, unable to repay the kindness I have received and restless at ease. On occasion, I was able to glance at *The Orthodox Lineage of Chan*, which filled me with great joy and relief. In the future, this work will surely come before the emperor's wise eyes, just like *The Transmission of the Lamp* in the Jingde era. However, I do not know who will be commanded to edit, compile, and write the preface this time. ([I]), although old, can still joyfully and silently look forward to that beautiful sound.

Orthodox Lineage of Chan (禪宗正脈)

Orthodox Lineage of Chan (禪宗正脈)