---
title: "憨山老人夢遊集 · 雲谷先大師傳"
description: "憨山老人夢遊集是明代高僧憨山德清的著作集，由侍者福善日錄、门人通炯编辑整理。憨山德清是明末四大高僧之一，主张禅净双修，对佛教中国化有深远影响。该书收录了他的诗文、法语、书信等，内容涵盖禅宗思想、净土修行和佛教义理，展现了其圆融各宗的智慧。作为明代佛教重要文献，夢遊集不仅反映了当时佛教的发展状况，也为后世研究明代佛教思想提供了珍贵资料，在佛教史上具有重要地位。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmclqlmdu01igl704kbm8gkza"
---

### 雲谷先大師傳

> Biography of Master Yungu

師諱法會。別號雲谷。嘉善胥山懷氏子。生於弘治庚申。幼志出世。投邑大雲寺某公為師。初習瑜伽。師每思曰。出家以生死大事為切。何以碌碌衣食計為。年十九。即決志操方。尋登壇受具。聞天台小止觀法門。專精修習。法舟濟禪師。續徑山之道。掩關於郡之天寧。師往參扣。呈其所修。舟曰。止觀之要。不依身心氣息。內外脫然。子之所修。流於下乘。豈西來的意耶。學道必以悟心為主。師悲仰請益。舟授以念佛審實話頭。直令重下疑情。師依教日夜參究。寢食俱廢。一日受食。食盡亦不自知。碗忽墮地。猛然有省。恍如夢覺。復請益舟。乃蒙印可。閱宗鏡錄。大悟唯心之旨。從此一切經教。及諸祖公案。了然如覩家中故物。於是韜晦叢林。陸沉賤役。一日閱鐔津集。見明教大師護法深心。初禮觀音大士。日夜稱名十萬聲。師願効其行。遂頂戴觀音大士像。通宵不寐。禮拜經行。終身不懈。時江南佛法禪道。絕然無聞。師初至金陵。寓天界毗盧閣下行道。見者稱異。魏國先王聞之。乃請於西園叢桂庵供養。師住此入定三日夜。居無何。予先太師祖西林翁。掌僧錄。兼報恩住持。往謁師。即請住本寺之三藏殿。師危坐一龕。絕無將迎。足不越閫者三年。人無知者。偶有權貴人遊至。見師端坐。以為無禮。謾辱之。師拽杖之攝山棲霞。棲霞乃梁朝開山。武帝鑿千佛嶺。累朝賜供贍田地。道場荒廢。殿堂為虎狼巢。師愛其幽深。遂誅茅於千佛嶺下。影不出山。時有盜侵師。竊去所有。夜行至天明。尚不離菴。人獲之。送至師。師食以飲食。盡與所有持去。由是聞者感化。太宰五臺陸公。初仕為祠部主政。訪古道場。偶遊棲霞。見師氣宇不凡。雅重之。信宿山中。欲重興其寺。請師為住持。師堅辭。舉嵩山善公以應命。善公盡復寺故業。斥豪民占據第宅。為方丈。建禪堂。開講席。納四來。江南叢林肇於此。師之力也。道場既開。往來者眾。師乃移居於山之最深處。曰天開巖。弔影如初。一時宰官居士。因陸公開導。多知有禪道。聞師之風。往往造謁。凡參請者。一見。師即問曰。日用事如何。不論貴賤僧俗。入室必擲蒲團於地。令其端坐。返觀自己本來面目。甚至終日竟夜無一語。臨別必叮嚀曰。無空過日。再見。必問別後用心功夫。難易若何。故荒唐者。茫無以應。以慈愈切而嚴益重。雖無門庭設施。見者望崖不寒而慄。然師一以等心相攝。從來接人軟語低聲。一味平懷。未常有辭色。士大夫歸依者日益眾。即不能入山。有請見者。師以化導為心。亦就見。歲一往來城中。必主於回光寺。每至則在家二眾。歸之如遶華座。師一視如幻化人。曾無一念分別心。故親近者。如嬰兒之傍慈母也。出城多主於普德。臞鶴悅公實稟其教。先太師翁。每延入丈室。動經旬月。予童子時。即親近執侍。辱師器之。訓誨不倦。予年十九。有不欲出家意。師知之問曰。汝何背初心耶。予曰。第厭其俗耳。師曰。汝知厭俗。何不學高僧。古之高僧。天子不以臣禮待之。父母不以子禮畜之。天龍恭敬。不以為喜。當取傳燈錄。高僧傳讀之。則知之矣。予即簡書笥。得中峰廣錄一部。持白師。師曰。熟味此。即知僧之為貴也。予由是決志薙染。實蒙師之開發。乃嘉靖甲子歲也。丙寅冬。師愍禪道絕響。乃集五十三人。結坐禪期於天界。師力拔予入眾同參。指示向上一路。教以念佛審實話頭。是時始知有宗門事。比南都諸剎。從禪者四五人耳。師垂老。悲心益切。雖最小沙彌。一以慈眼視之。遇之以禮。凡動靜威儀。無不耳提面命。循循善誘。見者人人以為親己。然護法心深。不輕初學。不慢毀戒。諸山僧多不律。凡有千法紀者。師一聞之。不待求而往救。必懇懇當事。佛法付囑王臣為外護。惟在仰體佛心。辱僧即辱佛也。聞者莫不改容釋然。必至解脫而後已。然竟罔聞於人者。故聽者。亦未嘗以多事為煩。久久。皆知出於無緣慈也。了凡袁公未第時。參師於山中。相對默坐三日夜。師示之以唯心立命之旨。公奉教事。詳省身錄。由是師道日益重。隆慶辛未。予辭師北遊。師誡之曰。古人行脚。單為求明己躬下事。爾當思他日將何以見父母師友。慎毋虗費草鞋錢也。予涕泣禮別。壬申春。嘉禾吏部尚書默泉吳公。刑部尚書旦泉鄭公。平湖太僕五臺陸公。與弟雲臺。同請師故山。諸公時時入室問道。每見必炷香請益。執弟子禮。達觀可禪師。常同尚書平泉陸公。中書思菴徐公。謁師扣華嚴宗旨。師為發揮四法界圓融之妙。皆歎未曾有。師尋常示人。特揭唯心淨土法門。生平任緣。未常樹立門庭。諸山但有禪講道場。必請坐方丈。至則舉揚百丈規矩。務明先德典刑。不少假借。居恒安重寡言。出語如空谷音。定力攝持。住山清修。四十餘年如一日。脇不至席。終身禮誦。未嘗輟一夕。當江南禪道草昧之時。出入多口之地。始終無議之者。其操行可知已。師居鄉三載。所蒙化千萬計。一夜四鄉之人。見師庵中大火發。及明趨視。師已寂然而逝矣。萬曆三年乙亥正月初五日也。師生於弘治庚申。世壽七十有五。僧臘五十。弟子真印等茶毗葬於寺右。予自離師。遍歷諸方。所參知識。未見操履平實。真慈安詳之若師者。每一興想。師之音聲色相。昭然心目。以感法乳之深。故至老而不能忘也。師之發跡入道因緣。葢常親蒙開示。第末後一著。未知所歸。前丁巳歲。東遊。赴沈定凡居士齋。禮師塔於棲真。乃募建塔亭。置供贍田。少盡一念。見了凡先生銘未悉。乃槩述見聞行履為之傳。以示來者。師為中興禪道之祖。惜機語失錄。無以發揚秘妙耳。

> The master’s monastic name was Fahui; his courtesy name was Yungu. He was a son of the Huai family of Xushan in Jiashan. He was born in the gengshen year of the Hongzhi reign. From childhood he aspired to renounce the world, and was placed under a certain master at Dayun Monastery in his district. At first he studied Yogācāra ritual practice, but the master often reflected: “Having left home, the great matter of birth and death is what is urgent. Why should I busy myself with petty concerns of food and clothing?” At nineteen he resolved to wander as a mendicant. Soon he ascended the ordination platform and received full precepts. Hearing of the Tiantai method of Lesser Calming and Insight, he devoted himself single-mindedly to its practice. Chan Master Fazhou Ji, who continued the lineage of Jingshan, was in seclusion at Tianning in the prefecture. The master went to call on him and presented what he had been practicing. Zhou said, “The essence of calming and insight does not rely on body, mind, or breath; inside and outside are both cast off. What you are practicing has fallen into the lesser vehicle. How could that be the meaning of the Ancestor’s coming from the West? In studying the Way, awakening the mind must be primary.” The master, grieving and yearning, asked for further instruction. Zhou gave him the huatou of Buddha Recitation with earnest scrutiny, and directly set him to raise great doubt. The master followed the teaching, investigating day and night, neglecting sleep and food. One day, while receiving food, he finished eating without even knowing it; suddenly his bowl fell to the ground, and he had a powerful awakening, as if startled from a dream. He again asked Zhou for instruction and received his seal of approval. Reading the Record of the Mirror of the School, he greatly awakened to the principle that all is mind-only. From then on all scriptures and teachings, and all the public cases of the patriarchs, became clear to him as though he were looking at familiar objects in his own home. He then concealed his brilliance in the monastic community, hiding himself in lowly labor. One day, reading the Tanjin Collection, he saw the deep resolve of Master Mingjiao in protecting the Dharma. He had first worshiped Guanyin Bodhisattva and recited the name one hundred thousand times day and night. The master vowed to emulate his practice. He then placed an image of Guanyin Bodhisattva on his head, stayed awake through the night, bowing and walking in meditation, and never slackened for the rest of his life. At that time, in Jiangnan, the Dharma of Buddha and the way of Chan had fallen into complete silence. When the master first arrived in Jinling, he stayed beneath the Vairocana Pavilion at Tianjie, practicing the Way. Those who saw him called him extraordinary. When the former Prince of Wei heard of him, he invited him to receive offerings at Conggui Hut in the Western Garden. The master stayed there and entered concentration for three days and nights. Before long, my late great ancestral master, Master Xilin, who was in charge of the monastic registry and also abbot of Baoen, went to visit him and immediately invited him to reside in the Tripiṭaka Hall of that monastery. The master sat upright in a single niche, utterly without greeting or seeing off visitors. For three years his feet did not cross the threshold, and no one knew of him. Once, a powerful nobleman happened to stroll there and saw the master sitting upright. Thinking it disrespectful, he insulted him. The master then took his staff and went to Qixia on Mount She. Qixia had been founded in the Liang dynasty, when Emperor Wu carved the Thousand Buddha Ridge. Through successive dynasties it had been granted fields for its support. But the monastery had fallen into ruin, and its halls had become dens for tigers and wolves. The master loved its secluded depth, so he cut thatch beneath Thousand Buddha Ridge and did not let his shadow leave the mountain. Once a thief invaded and stole everything he had. Traveling by night until dawn, the thief still had not left the hermitage. People caught him and sent him to the master. The master gave him food and drink, and gave him everything he had to take away. Because of this, those who heard were moved and transformed. Grand Minister Lu of Wutai, when first appointed as a director in the Ministry of Rites, visited ancient monasteries. By chance he wandered to Qixia and saw that the master’s bearing was uncommon, and he deeply respected him. He stayed in the mountain for two nights and wished to restore the monastery. He asked the master to be abbot, but the master firmly declined and recommended Master Shan of Songshan to accept the position. Master Shan fully restored the monastery’s former estates, expelled powerful commoners who had occupied the residence, made it the abbot’s quarters, built a Chan hall, opened lecture seats, and welcomed people from all directions. The monastic communities of Jiangnan began here. This was due to the master’s efforts. Once the monastery was opened, many came and went, so the master moved to the deepest part of the mountain, called Tiankai Cliff, and lived there in solitude as before. At that time, officials and lay believers, because of Minister Lu’s guidance, mostly came to know of Chan. Hearing of the master’s reputation, they often came to visit. Whenever someone came for instruction, as soon as the master saw him he would ask, “How are you using your mind in daily activity?” Whether noble or common, monastic or lay, when they entered his room he would throw a meditation cushion on the ground and make them sit upright, reflect back on their original face before their parents conceived them. Sometimes there was not a single word for an entire day and night. At parting he would always urge them, “Do not pass the days in vain.” On meeting again, he would always ask how their practice had been since they parted, and whether it was difficult or easy. Thus those who were careless had no idea how to answer. Because his compassion was more urgent, his sternness became heavier. Although he had no formal gate or elaborate arrangements, those who saw him felt a chill of awe as if facing a cliff. Yet the master always embraced people with an equal mind. In receiving others he always used gentle words and a low voice, with plain and even warmth, and never showed a harsh expression. Officials and scholars who took refuge in him grew more numerous by the day. Even those who could not enter the mountain, if they asked to see him, the master, with guidance in mind, would also go to meet them. Once a year he would go into the city and always stay at Huiguang Monastery. Whenever he arrived, the two assemblies of lay followers gathered around him as if encircling a jeweled seat. The master looked upon them all as illusory people, and never gave rise to a single thought of discrimination. Thus those who drew near were like infants beside a loving mother. Outside the city he often stayed at Pude. Master Yue of Qucrane truly received his teaching. My late ancestral master would often invite him into his quarters, sometimes for ten days or a month. When I was a boy, I personally attended and served him. He kindly regarded me as capable and instructed me tirelessly. When I was nineteen, I had some thought of not leaving home. The master knew and asked, “Why do you turn from your original intention?” I said, “I am merely weary of its conventionality.” The master said, “If you know you are weary of conventionality, why not learn from the eminent monks? In ancient times, emperors did not treat eminent monks with the etiquette of ministers, and parents did not raise them with the etiquette of sons. Dragons and gods respected them, yet they did not take joy in it. You should take up the Transmission of the Lamp and the Biographies of Eminent Monks and read them; then you will understand.” I then searched my book chest and found one volume of the Extensive Record of Zhongfeng. I brought it to the master. The master said, “Savor this deeply, and you will know the preciousness of being a monk.” From this I resolved to shave my head and dye my robes. Truly, I received the master’s opening and guidance. It was in the jiazi year of the Jiajing reign. In the winter of the bingyin year, the master, grieving that the way of Chan had fallen silent, gathered fifty-three people and formed a sitting meditation retreat at Tianjie. The master vigorously pulled me into the assembly to train together, pointing out the path directly upward and teaching the huatou of Buddha Recitation with earnest scrutiny. It was then that I first learned there was a matter of the Chan school. Compared with the other monasteries of the southern capital, there were only four or five who followed Chan. In his old age the master’s compassionate heart grew even more urgent. Even toward the youngest novice, he looked with compassionate eyes and received him with courtesy. In all movements, dignity, and deportment, he never failed to instruct personally and guide step by step. Everyone who saw him thought he was especially close to them. Yet his heart for protecting the Dharma was deep: he did not take beginners lightly, nor did he disdain or disparage those who broke the precepts. Many mountain monks were unruly. Whenever he heard of anyone who had violated the rules, he would go to rescue them without waiting to be asked, always earnestly appealing to those in authority. The Buddha entrusted the Dharma to kings and ministers as outer protectors; they should only seek to embody the Buddha’s mind. To insult a monk is to insult the Buddha. Those who heard him all changed their expressions and were set at ease. He would not rest until they had been freed. Yet he never let it be heard by others, so those who listened were never troubled by his meddling. Over time, all came to know it arose from unconditional compassion. Before Mr. Yuan Liaofan passed the examinations, he visited the master in the mountains. They sat facing each other in silence for three days and nights. The master revealed to him the principle of establishing destiny through mind-only. Mr. Yuan received the teaching and put it into practice, as recorded in detail in the Record of Self-Reflection. From this the master’s way grew daily more respected. In the xinwei year of the Longqing reign, I took leave of the master to travel north. The master warned me, saying, “In ancient times, wanderers on foot sought only to clarify the matter beneath their own feet. You should think how in days to come you will face your parents, teachers, and friends. Be careful not to waste the money for straw sandals in vain.” I wept, bowed, and took leave. In the spring of the renshen year, Minister of Personnel Wu Moquan of Jiahe, Minister of Justice Zheng Danquan, and Lu Wutai, Grand Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud of Pinghu, together with his younger brother Yuntai, jointly invited the master to his former mountain. These gentlemen often entered his room to ask about the Way. Whenever they met, they would always burn incense and seek instruction, observing the etiquette of disciples. Chan Master Daguan Ke often joined Minister Lu Pingquan and Secretariat Xu Sinan to visit the master and inquire into the purport of the Huayan. The master expounded for them the wonder of the harmonious interpenetration of the four dharma realms. They all sighed, saying such a thing had never been. In his ordinary teaching of others, the master especially revealed the Dharma gate of mind-only Pure Land. In life he followed conditions and never established a formal gate or lineage. Wherever there was a monastery for Chan or lecture in the mountains, he was sure to be invited to sit in the abbot’s quarters. When he arrived, he would uphold the regulations of Baizhang and strive to clarify the models of former worthies, not sparing any leniency. He was always calm, grave, and sparing of words. When he spoke, it was like the sound of an empty valley. He was sustained by the power of concentration. Dwelling in the mountains in pure practice, for over forty years it was like a single day. His side never touched a mat; throughout his life he bowed and recited, never omitting a single night. When the way of Chan in Jiangnan was still in the dark, and he moved in and out of places full of talk, in the end no one criticized him. His conduct can thus be known. The master lived in his home region for three years, and those who received his transformation were beyond counting. One night people from the four villages saw a great fire rise from the master’s hermitage. When daylight came and they hurried to look, the master had already passed away in silence. It was the fifth day of the first month in the yihai year of the third year of Wanli. The master was born in the gengshen year of Hongzhi and lived seventy-five years. His monastic years were fifty. His disciples Zhenyin and others cremated him and buried him to the right of the monastery. After I left the master, I traveled throughout all regions. Among the teachers I visited, I never saw one whose conduct was as plain and solid, whose true compassion was as serene and thorough as the master’s. Whenever I think of him, the master’s voice and countenance appear clearly before my eyes and mind. Because I feel deeply the milk of the Dharma, even in old age I cannot forget him. As for the master’s early signs and causes of entering the Way, I personally received his instruction. Only the final matter, I do not know where he has gone. In the previous dingsi year, while traveling east, I attended a meal offered by layman Shen Dingfan and bowed at the master’s stupa at Qizhen. I then raised funds to build a stupa pavilion and set aside fields for offerings, hoping to fulfill a single thought. Seeing that Mr. Liaofan’s inscription was not complete, I have here briefly recounted what I saw and heard of his conduct and made this biography to show to those who come later. The master was the patriarch who revived the way of Chan. Unfortunately, his opportunity words were lost and not recorded, so there is no way to proclaim his hidden wonder.

釋德清曰。達摩單傳之道。五宗而下。至我　明徑山之後。獅絃將絕響矣。唯我大師。從法舟禪師。續如線之脉。雖未大建法幢。然當大法草昧之時。挺然力振其道。使人知有向上事。其於見地穩密。操履平實。動靜不忘規矩。猶存百丈之典刑。遍閱諸方。縱有作者。無以越之。豈非一代人天師表歟。清愧鈍根下劣。不能克紹家聲。有負明教。至若荷法之心。未敢忘於一息也。敬述師生平之槩。後之觀者。當有以見古人云。

> Shideqing said: The single transmission of Bodhidharma's Dharma, through the five schools and those that followed, down to the time after Jinghan of our Ming dynasty, the lion's strings were about to fall silent. Only our great master, through Master Fazhou, continued the threadlike lineage. Though he did not greatly establish the Dharma banner, when the great Dharma was still in its rough beginnings, he stood forth with strength to revive its way, causing people to know there is the matter of going beyond. In his insight he was steady and profound, in his conduct plain and solid, in movement and stillness never forgetting the rules. He still preserved the model of Baizhang. Having widely examined all directions, even if there were those who could act, none could surpass him. Was he not a teacher and model for humans and gods of his generation? I, Qing, am ashamed of my dull faculties and inferior capacity; I cannot carry on the family reputation and have failed the clear teaching. Yet as for the mind that bears the Dharma, I have not dared forget it for even a single breath. I respectfully recount the general outline of the master's life, so that those who look upon it later may have something by which to see the ancients, as it is said.