No. 1279-A五宗原序
Preface to the Five Schools
歲乙丑。結夏聖恩禪寺之萬峰關。侍關中者四上座。敏致證徹也。居一日。俱整衣作禮而請曰。甞聞諸方尊宿。欲抹殺五家宗旨。單傳釋迦拈花一事。謂之直提向上。然不知五宗之立。果為謬妄者否。願賜一言。以通其難。於密曰。命將者必以兵符。悟心者必傳法印。符不契即為姧偽。法不同則為外道。自威音已來。無一言一法非五家宗旨之符印也。昔人證之。遂嘿契其微而不分。後人侶之。故建立其宗以防偽。抹殺五家。而欲單傳者。剖符銷印。自便之渠魁者耳。豈五宗之忠臣。七佛之法將也耶。嗚呼法滅天人憂。政以此也。可不畏哉。曰昔時有燒香煉頂密傳宗旨者。大慧一榜揭出。以破狐技。然則今之宗旨。又何貴焉。曰彼所傳者。竊符假信者耳。若夫法法自明心心相印者。豈若室中密授之死法子耶。葢傳宗旨者。不悟宗旨者也。抹宗旨者。不知宗旨者也。茲當操提未破之密印。以擒託偽之奸黨。此政今時荷擔如來命脉之真子也。豈浮濫者。可混入哉。因原五宗。付諸四子。子稽首謝。各各願嚴符印。以永真傳云。
In the year Yichou, during the summer retreat at the Wanguan Pass of Sheng'en Chan Monastery, four senior monks attended to the pass. Among them, Min Zhi was deeply enlightened. One day, they all straightened their robes, bowed respectfully, and asked, "We have heard that some esteemed elders in various places wish to dismiss the teachings of the five schools, advocating only the transmission of the Buddha's flower-holding gesture as the direct path to enlightenment. We wonder if the establishment of the five schools is indeed mistaken. We humbly request your guidance to resolve this difficulty."
Yu Mi replied, "A general must have a military seal to command troops; one who awakens the mind must transmit the Dharma seal. If the seal does not match, it is deceitful; if the Dharma differs, it is heretical. Since the time of Vairocana Buddha, not a single word or teaching has existed outside the seal of the five schools. The ancients realized this and silently aligned with its subtlety without division. Later generations followed, thus establishing the schools to guard against falsehood. Those who dismiss the five schools and claim to transmit only the direct path are like rebels who break the seal and destroy the insignia for their own convenience. How can they be loyal to the five schools or true generals of the Seven Buddhas? Alas, the decline of the Dharma worries both humans and gods, and this is precisely the reason. Should we not fear this?"
They asked further, "In the past, there were those who burned incense, practiced austerities, and secretly transmitted the teachings. Dahui exposed them with a public notice to dismantle their deceitful tricks. If so, why are the teachings of today still valued?"
Yu Mi answered, "What they transmitted were stolen seals and false credentials. As for those who understand each teaching clearly and whose minds resonate in mutual recognition, how could they be compared to those who rigidly adhere to secret transmissions in closed rooms? Those who claim to transmit the teachings have not truly awakened to them; those who dismiss the teachings do not truly understand them. Now is the time to uphold the unbroken secret seal and apprehend the deceitful factions that falsely rely on it. This is the true duty of those who carry the lifeblood of the Tathagata's teachings today. How can the frivolous and unqualified mix among them?"
Thus, he explained the origins of the five schools and entrusted this understanding to the four monks. They bowed in gratitude, each vowing to uphold the seal and ensure the true transmission endures.
崇禎戊辰歲春日萬峰法藏於密氏序No. 1279
In the spring of the Wuchen year of the Chongzhen reign, Dharma Treasury of Wanfeng composed this preface at the Mi residence.
五宗原
萬峰沙門 法藏 著
參學弟子 上履 閱