No. 1593-B禪宗正脉敘
Preface to the Orthodox Lineage of Chan
原夫三界惱熱。灼諸火之易燃。一物長靈。亘億劫而弗滅。欲求作佛。莫切證心。心本圓成。性原玅覺。恒河沙數總具如來。萬徑千蹊悉歸定慧。若心外求佛。何異㸑塵以為糜性。外探宗真。䫫吹砂而作飯。能使菩提融徹。摩尼朗曜。明宗衍派。啟廸沙門。難矣。然我釋迦文佛。迨夫達摩祖師方軌弘宣。既著明於西域。分鏕顯說。亦漸移於東土。闡無三之教。開不二之門。禪悅彌彰。宗風大普。導示眾惑。遏絕諸妄。萬塗叢歸。一繇般若。由是有溈仰灋眼雲門。至以曹洞靈濟之五宗。各自成佛作祖。有一世二世。以至數世。十世百世之法嗣。亦自授派傳支。燈燈繼續。鉢鉢相承。聆此師傳。參他僧旨。譬持明鏡遇物。可以鑑形。若投良劑。隨方因之療疾。家操智炬。燭眾生於迷途。人駕慈航。渡群品於覺海。此禪宗正脉之所以作也。夫禪而曰宗。玅心珠之悟證。脉而曰正。去𱝯道之外邪。公案分明。階級剖別。剪經文之蕪蔓。斷文字之葛藤。廣取頓漸之玅言。獨宏問答之奧義。誠禪域之南車。宗門之武庫者也。如巖上人。摹寫赫𨂜。鬻其瓶鉢。鏟劂梨棗。募彼金錢。數載拮据。一朝卒業。實心懽喜。質問愚蒙。蒙也慈波空蕩。苦海易沈。印證未窺乎真如。希仰猶累於塵垢。若夫尊南為聖。𠷣北為愚。背北向南。大悟可入。背南向北。下愚匪明。是在學佛之徒。得迦葉之會心。豈必出家之流。効豐干之饒舌。
All beings in the three realms are tormented by the heat of afflictions, easily ignited like fire. Yet within each living being, there is an enduring spirit that remains unextinguished through countless eons. If one seeks to become a Buddha, nothing is more essential than realizing the true nature of the mind. The mind is originally complete and perfect; its nature is inherently enlightened. In the countless grains of sand along the Ganges, the nature of the Tathāgata is fully present. All paths and methods ultimately lead to concentration and wisdom. To seek the Buddha outside the mind is like trying to cook rice with dust, or attempting to make a meal by blowing sand. To truly penetrate enlightenment, to let the jewel of the mind shine brightly, to clarify the teachings and guide the Sangha—this is no easy task.
Yet our Śākyamuni Buddha, and later the Patriarch Bodhidharma, widely proclaimed the Dharma, making it clear in the Western Regions. Gradually, the teachings spread to the Eastern Lands, expounding the doctrine of non-duality and opening the gate of the one vehicle. The joy of meditation became ever more evident, and the tradition of the school flourished widely. It guided beings through confusion, cut off all delusions, and brought myriad paths back to the one source of prajñā (wisdom). Thus arose the five schools—Weiyang, Fayan, Yunmen, Caodong, and Linji—each producing Buddhas and Patriarchs. From one generation to the next, for ten, a hundred, even countless generations, the Dharma lineage has been transmitted, lamp passing to lamp, bowl succeeding bowl.
Listening to this master's transmission, contemplating another monk's insight—it is like holding a bright mirror to reflect all forms, or applying a good remedy to cure illness according to the condition. Each household holds the torch of wisdom, illuminating sentient beings lost in confusion. Everyone steers the boat of compassion, ferrying all beings across the ocean of awakening. This is the purpose of the orthodox lineage of Chan.
Chan is called a "school" because it is the wondrous realization of the mind-jewel. The lineage is called "orthodox" because it cuts off deviant paths and external distractions. The cases are clear, the stages distinct. It trims away the overgrowth of scriptures and severs the tangled vines of words, broadly adopting the profound teachings of sudden and gradual enlightenment, and uniquely expanding the deep meaning of dialogue. Truly, it is the guiding compass of the Chan realm, the armory of the school.
The Venerable Ru Yan, with sincere effort, sold his bowl and robe to fund the carving of woodblocks, gathering resources over years of hardship until the work was completed. With a joyful heart, he now presents it, asking this humble one to offer a word. I, who am adrift on an empty sea of compassion, easily sink in the ocean of suffering, have not yet glimpsed the true suchness and am still burdened by worldly dust. Yet if one honors the south as sage and scorns the north as foolish, turning from north to south, great awakening may be entered; turning from south to north, even the lowest folly may not be cleared. It is for students of the Buddha to attain the mind-to-mind transmission of Kāśyapa—must one leave home to imitate the talkativeness of Fenggan?
萬曆乙巳初秋閩郡徐𤍗興公序
In the early autumn of the year 1605, Xu Xinggong of Min County wrote this preface.