No. 1120-A序言
Preface
佛言乘戒俱急。即祖言解行相應。禪與戒。佛祖未甞畫為二法也。去聖時遙。法門好諍。習禪者呵木叉為粃糠。而恣意莾蕩。縛律者視參究如水火。而執相終身。大同法中。割裂殆盡。惟天山老人。遵 先佛遺勑。示禪以培佛命。弘律以選人根。雙眼圓明。昭于日月矣。我石樹岳兄。博洽多聞。識法懷懼。匿影萬峯。較讐碧巖集。已經刊布。又慨律學荒蕪。漸成淺陋。先取沙彌要略毗尼日用。蒐刮義類。參合箋釋。自琅函海藏。逮世間經史。內外典籍。無不搜羅。又每事逐句下。穿貫禪燈。引據公案。不惟初學童蒙開卷瞭然。知禪律同條。即老於參學者。欲得深細行持。亦必向此中潛討。初祖言。皮肉骨髓。一以貫之矣。昔雲棲蓮翁。以彌陀經。演為疏鈔。或謂經本顯明。反成深晦。不知佛法本無淺深。粗言細語。皆第一義。正眼迷麻。雖栗棘金圈。亦是門頭戶口。智照洞明。即市語街談。皆成金章玉句。何要略日用。不可神而明之也哉。願讀是集者。廓去樊籬。勿以大小精觕起見。庶乘戒俱急。行解相應。為末法大光明幢矣。乎是為序。
The Buddha said that practice and precepts must both be taken seriously—this is what the Patriarchs meant by integrating understanding and action. Zen and the precepts were never divided into two separate paths by the Buddhas and Patriarchs. But as time passed since the age of the saints, conflict arose among the Dharma gates. Zen practitioners mocked the precepts as chaff, indulging in reckless abandon. Those bound by the precepts viewed meditation as incompatible as fire and water, clinging to ritual forms their entire lives. Within the single great Dharma, this division has torn things apart almost completely. Only the venerable Master Tianshan, following the Buddha's sacred instructions, taught Zen to nurture the Buddha's life and propagated the precepts to guide people's capacities. His dual vision was clear, shining like the sun and moon.
My brother in the Dharma, Ven. Shishu Yue, is widely learned and deeply knowledgeable. He respects the Dharma and holds it with reverence. After living in seclusion in the mountains and meticulously editing the Blue Cliff Record, which has already been published, he was troubled by the decay of Vinaya studies, which had grown increasingly shallow. He first took the *Essential Precepts for Novices* and *Daily Vinaya Practices*, gathering their meanings and compiling detailed annotations. He drew from the vast scriptural treasury and worldly classics alike—both inner and outer texts—nothing escaped his research. Under each item and entry, he skillfully weaves in Zen records and cites relevant cases. This not only enables beginners and children to understand clearly at first glance, recognizing that Zen and the precepts share the same thread, but even seasoned practitioners seeking profound and meticulous practice will find themselves delving into this work. The First Patriarch's teaching of skin, flesh, bones, and marrow is thus threaded through with a single continuity.
In the past, Master Yunqi Lianchi expanded the *Amitabha Sutra* into a commentary. Some said the sutra was already clear, and his commentary made it more obscure. But they failed to realize that the Dharma itself has no shallow or deep—coarse words and fine expressions both convey the ultimate truth. When the eye of wisdom is obscured, even the oracular utterances of Buddhas seem like mere gateways and thresholds. But when true insight shines clearly, even street talk and casual conversation become golden verses and jeweled phrases. Why then should the *Essential Precepts and Daily Practices* not be illuminated with such spiritual clarity? I hope all who read this collection will cast aside their narrow partitions, not clinging to distinctions of greater or lesser, coarse or fine. Then practice and precepts will both be taken seriously, and understanding will align with action, becoming a great bright banner for the Dharma in its final age. This is my preface.
靈隱晦山法弟戒顯題并書
Inscribed by the Dharma Brother Jie Xian of Lingyin Huishan.