No. 1452-D紫栢大師集䟦
Collected Works of Master Zibai, Postscript
自法席久塵。祖燈無𦦨。求其擔荷大法。振揚宗風。摧情魔於百戰。枯識海於千流者。有明自楚石以後。惟有紫栢大師一人而已。大師洞徹自心。皎皎孤映。語言文字。從心光中自然溢出。一經拈指。本妙見前。至其慈悲熱腸。淋漓痛切。無非欲學人積劫無明。當下冰銷。究此一大事因緣耳。噫。初祖不立文字直指人心。大師不離文字亦指人心。其揆一也。烺嘗見侍者握管旁立。大師衝口而出。侍者奮腕疾書。猶苦不給。一紙既盈。復易一紙。如泉噴地。琅琅不停。自非見地圓明。了無凝滯。曷至此乎。噫。有文字。有未始有。文字學者。繇文字悟。未始有文字。則妙膳上味。人人充滿。如但作文字會也。何異指饌說飽。豈療枵虗。雖然凡心未鐍。聖解難窺。即請於大師日用著眼。集中拈出毗舍浮佛一頌。謂包括大藏。透徹禪源。持此凡十五寒暑。而精虔不休。自云每觸逆順愛憎之境。必以此頌為前茅。覆軍殺將亦不知其幾矣。噫。了徹如師。而猶堅銳猛決若此。此所以孤風絕侶。佛意祖髓。在在逢源也。即晚寄圜中。洒然夷適。死生利害。如撼空虗。照用之妙。前齊古德矣。夫人人本有心光。不知照用。以致墜失。而大師慈憐迫切。代為指授。片語單詞。皆拭垢還光之助。於此逗得消息。方是紫栢兒孫。至利根男子。略沾涓滴。立見風湧雲蒸。騰驤變化。超然默契。逈絕意言。即一部語錄。無隻字可得矣。亦菴先生。數載討論。獨任流布。使紫栢心光。如日華月彩。注射千古。先生之光。豈不交映互攝融成一片乎。
Since the Dharma seat has long been covered in dust and the lamp of the Patriarchs has lost its flame, those who could truly shoulder the great Dharma, revive the tradition's spirit, vanquish the demons of emotion through countless battles, and dry up the ocean of discursive thought through a thousand streams—since the time of Ming dynasty's Master Chushi, there has been only one person: Great Master Zibo.
The Master had thoroughly penetrated his own mind, shining alone with brilliant clarity. Words and texts flowed naturally from the light of his mind. The moment he raised a finger or pointed something out, the original wonder appeared right before one's eyes. As for his compassionate, fervent heart—so earnest and profound—it aimed at nothing other than helping practitioners see their accumulated ignorance melt away instantly, and fully realize this one great matter of fundamental cause.
Ah! The First Patriarch established the teaching "not relying on words, directly pointing to the mind." The Master did not rely on words yet also pointed directly to the mind. The principle is the same.
I once saw an attendant standing by with brush in hand while the Master spoke extemporaneously. The attendant raced to write down his words but could barely keep up. When one sheet of paper was filled, another was exchanged. Words poured forth like a spring bursting from the ground, flowing ceaselessly. Unless one's insight were perfectly clear and utterly unobstructed, how could this be possible?
Ah! There are words, and there is what precedes words. If scholars of words awaken through words to what lies before all words, then the finest flavor of the sublime feast fills everyone. But if one merely understands them as words, how is that different from pointing at food to describe satiety—would that cure hunger?
Nevertheless, the ordinary mind is hard to unlock, and sacred understanding is difficult to glimpse. I would ask you to observe the Master's daily conduct. In this collection, he singled out the verse of Vipaśyin Buddha, saying it encompasses the entire Canon and penetrates to the very source of Chan. He maintained this practice for fifteen years with unwavering devotion. He said of himself: whenever he encountered favorable or adverse, loving or hateful situations, he always used this verse as his vanguard. He knew not how many times it had routed armies and slain generals.
Ah! A master of such complete awakening, yet still so sharply determined and fiercely resolved! This is why his solitary style had no peers, and the Buddha's intent and the Patriarchs' essence flowed to him from every source. Even in his final days, when confined in prison, he remained relaxed and at ease. Life and death, gain and loss—all were like wind shaking empty space. His mastery of illumination and function matched the ancient worthies.
Every person inherently possesses the light of mind, yet not knowing how to illuminate and apply it, they fall into loss. The Master, with urgent compassion, instructed on their behalf. A single phrase, a single word—all served to wipe away dust and restore the light. If one can catch the vital message here, then truly one is a descendant of Zibo. As for those of sharp faculties, let them but taste a single drop, and immediately they will see wind surge and clouds rise, soaring and transforming, silently awakening, utterly beyond thought and speech. Then even this entire record of sayings yields not a single word to grasp.
Master Yi'an, after years of study and discussion, took sole responsibility for publishing this work, allowing the light of Zibo's mind to shine like the sun's radiance and the moon's splendor, streaming through the ages. Does not Master Yi'an's own light intermingle and merge with it, fusing into a single whole?
弟子賀烺熏沐拜書
Your disciple He Lang, having bathed and burned incense, respectfully writes this letter.