鐔津明教大師行業記(石刻本在杭靈隱山)
Record of the Venerable Mingjiao Master of Tanzhou(Stone-carved copy at Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou)
尚書屯田員外郎陳舜俞撰
Written by Chen Shunyu, Squire of the Farmland Bureau
宋熈寧五年六月初四日。有大沙門明教大師。示化于杭州之靈隱寺。世壽六十有六。僧臘五十有三。是月八日。以其法茶毘。斂其骨得六根之不壞者三。頂骨出舍利。紅白晶潔。狀若大菽者三及常所持木數珠亦不壞。於是邦人僧士。更相傳告。駭歎頂禮。越月四日。合諸不壞者。葬于故居永安院之左。其存也。甞與其交居士陳舜。俞極談死生之際而已。屬其後事。茲用不能無述也。師諱契嵩。字仲靈。自號潛子。藤州鐔津人。姓李。母鍾氏。七歲而出家。十三得度落髮。明年受具戒。十九而遊方。下江湘陟衡廬。首常戴觀音之像。而誦其號日十萬聲。於是世間經書章句不學而能。得法於筠州洞山之聰公。慶曆間入吳中。至錢塘。樂其湖山。始稅駕焉。當是時天下之士學為古文。慕韓退之排佛而尊孔子。東南有章表民。黃聱隅。李泰伯。尤為雄傑。學者宗之。仲靈獨居。作原教孝論十餘篇。明儒釋之道一貫。以抗其說。諸君讀之。既愛其文。又畏其理之勝而莫之能奪也。因與之游。遇士大夫之惡佛者。仲靈無不懇懇為言之。由是排者浸止。而後有好之甚者。仲靈唱之也。所居一室。蕭然無長物。與人清談。靡靡至於終日。客非修潔行誼之士。不可造也。時二卿郎公引年謝歸。最為物外之友。嘗欲同游徑山有行色矣公亦風邑豪預焉。冀其見仲靈而有以尊養之。仲靈知之不肯行。使人謝公曰。從吾所好何必求富而執鞭哉。凡其潔清類如此。皇祐間去居越之南衡山。未幾罷歸。復著禪宗定祖圖傳法正宗記。仲靈之作是書也。慨然憫禪門之陵遲。因大考經典。以佛後摩訶迦葉獨得大法眼藏為初祖。推而下之。至于達磨。為二十八祖。皆密相付囑。不立文字謂之教外別傳者。居無何觀察李公謹得其書。且欽其高名。奏賜紫方袍。仲靈復念。幸生天子大臣護道達法之年。乃抱其書以游京師。府尹龍圖王仲義果。奏上之。仁宗覽之。詔付傳法院編次。以示褒寵。仍賜明教之號。仲靈再表辭。不許。朝中自韓丞相而下。莫不延見而尊重之。留居憫賢寺不受請還東南。已而浮圖之講解者。惡其有別傳之語而恥其所宗不在。所謂二十八人者。乃相與造說以非之。仲靈聞之攘袂切齒。又益著書。博引聖賢經論古人集錄為證幾至數萬言。士有賢而好佛者。往往詣而訴其冤久之。雖平生厚於仲靈者。猶恨其不能與眾人相忘於是非之間。及其亡也。三寸之舌所以論議是是非非者。卒與數物不壞以明之。嗚呼使其與奪之不公辯說之不契乎。道則何以臻此哉。雖然仲靈之所以自得而樂諸己者。蓋不預於此。豈可為淺見寡聞者道耶。仲靈在東南最後密學。蔡君謨之帥杭也。延置佛日山禮甚厚居數年。然言高而行卓。不少假學者。人莫之能從也。有弟子曰慈愈洞清洞光。所著書自定祖圖而下。謂之嘉祐集。又有治平集凡百餘卷。總六十有餘萬言。其甥沙門法燈克奉藏之以信後世云。熈寧八年十二月五日記。
On the fourth day of the sixth month in the fifth year of the Xining era (1072 AD), the Great Monk, Master Mingjiao, passed into stillness at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. He was sixty-six years old, with fifty-three years in the monastic life. On the eighth day of that month, his body was cremated according to Buddhist rites. From his remains, three relics were found that had not been destroyed: his cremated bones yielded relics, including three pieces—red, white, crystal-clear, and shaped like large beans—and the wooden prayer beads he always carried were also undamaged.
The local people and monks spread the news in amazement, bowing in reverence. On the fourth day of the following month, all the undamaged relics were buried together to the left of his former residence at Yong'an Temple. During his lifetime, he had discussed death with his friend, the layman Chen Shunyu, and had entrusted his funeral arrangements to him. Therefore, I cannot refrain from recording this.
The Master’s monastic name was Qisong, his courtesy name Zhongling, and he called himself Qianzi. He was from Tanzhou, Tengzhou, originally surnamed Li, his mother being of the Zhong clan. At age seven, he left home to become a monk; at thirteen, he received ordination and shaved his head; the following year, he took full precepts. At nineteen, he began traveling, going down to Jiangxi and Hunan, climbing Mount Heng and Mount Lu. He always carried a statue of Guanyin on his head and recited her name one hundred thousand times daily. Thus, he effortlessly mastered worldly scriptures and writings. He received Dharma transmission from Master Cong of Dongshan in Yunzhou.
During the Qingli era (1041–1048), he traveled to Wu and arrived at Qiantang (Hangzhou). He fell in love with its lakes and mountains, finally settling there. At that time, scholars across the empire were studying ancient prose, emulating Han Tuizhi (Han Yu) in rejecting Buddhism and revering Confucius. In the southeast, notable figures like Zhang Biaomin, Huang Aoyu, and Li Taibo were particularly eminent, and scholars followed them. Zhongling lived alone and authored over ten essays, including "Essays on Original Teachings" and "Essays on Filial Piety," which argued that the teachings of Confucianism and Buddhism were fundamentally united. When these scholars read his works, they admired his literary skill and feared the strength of his reasoning, unable to refute it. Thus, they befriended him. When encountering officials who despised Buddhism, Zhongling earnestly explained its virtues. As a result, hostility gradually subsided, and later many came to love Buddhism—for Zhongling had sown the seeds.
He lived in a single room, sparsely furnished. He enjoyed refined conversations that could last all day. Only people of virtuous conduct could visit him. At that time, Minister Lang, after retiring, became a close friend outside worldly affairs. Once, they planned to visit Jingshan Temple. Lang had also invited a local wealthy man, hoping he would meet Zhongling and support him. But Zhongling declined when he learned of this, sending someone to say, "Let me follow my own inclinations. Why should I seek wealth and act as a lackey?" Such was his purity and integrity.
During the Huangyou era (1049–1053), he left for Mount Nanheng in Yue, but soon returned. He then wrote "Chart of the Patriarchs of Zen" and "Record of the Orthodox Transmission of the Dharma." He wrote these works out of deep concern for the decline of the Zen school. He conducted extensive research into scriptures and established that Mahakashyapa, after the Buddha, received the Great Dharma Eye Treasury and became the first patriarch. From him, down to Bodhidharma, there were twenty-eight patriarchs, all secretly transmitting without relying on written texts—a tradition called "a separate transmission outside the scriptures."
Soon, Inspector Li Jin obtained Zhongling's books and, admiring his reputation, petitioned the emperor to bestow a purple robe upon him. Zhongling then thought, "Fortunately, I live in an era where the Son of Heaven and high ministers protect and propagate the Dharma." So, he carried his works to the capital. The Prefect and official Wang Zhongyi presented them to the throne. Emperor Renzong reviewed them, decreed them to be included in the Imperial Translation Institute's collection, and bestowed the title "Mingjiao" (Illustrious Teachings). Zhongling twice declined, but his requests were denied. From Chancellor Han and below, all court officials received and respected him. He was asked to stay at Minxian Temple, but he declined and returned to the southeast.
Later, certain Buddhist exegetes, resentful of the idea of a "separate transmission" and ashamed that their lineage did not include the twenty-eight patriarchs, conspired to slander him. Upon hearing this, Zhongling rolled up his sleeves in indignation. He then wrote more extensively, drawing authoritative evidence from scriptures, treatises, and ancient records—amounting to nearly ten thousand words. Some virtuous scholars who loved Buddhism approached him to plead his case. Even his long-time close friends regretted that he could not transcend the worldly disputes of right and wrong.
Yet after his death, the very tongue that had debated right and wrong was among the few relics that remained undamaged, serving as a testament. Had his judgments been unjust or his arguments misguided, how could such a miracle have occurred? However, what Zhongling truly found within himself and delighted in was beyond all this. How can this be explained to those of shallow views? In his later years in the southeast, when Imperial Secretary Cai Junmo governed Hangzhou, he invited Zhongling to reside at Furi Temple, treating him with great honor. He lived there for several years, but his words were lofty and his conduct lofty, and he did not relax standards for his students. Few could truly follow him.
He had disciples named Ciyu, Dongqing, and Dongguang. His writings, beginning with "Chart of the Patriarchs," are known as the "Jiayou Collection," and there is also the "Zhiping Collection," totaling over a hundred volumes and more than 600,000 words. His nephew, the monk Fazhu, faithfully preserved his legacy.
Recorded on the fifth day of the twelfth month in the eighth year of the Xining era (1075 AD).
鐔津文集卷第一
Tan Jin Collection, Volume 1
藤州鐔津東山沙門契嵩撰
Written by Qisong, Monk of Dongshan, Tanzhou (Tengzhou)