---
title: "湛然圓澄禪師語錄 · No. 1444-B 會稽雲門湛然澄禪師塔銘"
description: "湛然圆澄禅师语录由明代禅宗高僧湛然圆澄所述，其门人明凡记录，丁元公与祁骏佳编撰。该书成书于明末佛教复兴时期，收录圆澄禅师的开示、法语、公案及书信，集中体现其禅学思想与修行指导，倡导直指人心、见性成佛的曹洞宗风。作为明代禅宗重要文献，该语录不仅传承了临济与曹洞宗的精髓，对后世禅修者具有深远影响，是研究明清佛教禅宗思想与实践的重要典籍。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmcxr5xsu00omi904v20z8yo9"
---

### No. 1444-B會稽雲門湛然澄禪師塔銘

> Stele for Chan Master Zhanran Cheng of Yunmen, Kuaiji (No. 1444-B)

曹洞二十六世傳至慈舟。舟得一人曰澄公。是為湛然和尚。師生有異徵。長而大目哆脣。直腸信口。頴悟無礙。志求無上。初投玉峰。即儆勵晝夕。期參悟大事。復見隱峰。峰示行住坐臥。但參念佛的是誰。三日夜有省。而師自念彌勤。一切處精苦疑嘿。時年二十矣及往妙峰剃染。諮決心要。脅不就席者三年。而難行苦行。實於此時行之。乙酉。偶聞僧論傅大士法身偈。便能記持經書。始解一切義理。然或數日不粒。而坐參不倦。自誓必得乃已。因閱雪竇與僧論柏樹子話。有行者頌曰。一免橫身當古路。蒼鷹才見便生擒。後來獵犬無靈性。空向枯樁舊處尋。師便能對機著語及憶乾峰舉一不得舉二話乃大發明。從此於一切公案了了。出語縱橫。不存軌則。而猶自謂所詣未極。又三年庚寅。夜坐凝寂忽若虗空震絕須臾而甦。師時年已三十矣。性根洞朗。言語契機。拈經示人。源派洋溢。於諸佛事。不思而應。世共推之。以為大辯才焉。慈舟說法於止風塗師至。舟曰。止風塗向青山近。越王城伴滄海遙時如何。師曰。月穿潭底破。波斯不展眉。舟又問洞上宗旨。師呈偈曰。五位君臣切要知。個中何必待思惟。石女慣弄無針線。木偶能提化外機。井底紅塵騰靄靄。山頭白浪滾飛飛。誕生本是無功用。不覺天然得帝基。舟曰。語句綿密。不落終始。真當家種草也。遂付法偈曰。曹源一滴水。佛祖相分付。吾今授受時。大地為甘露。咄。五乳峰頭無鏃箭。射得南方半個兒。師之授受若此。師甞歎末世佛法。大乘旨趣無聞。著書若干篇。曰宗門或問。曰慨古錄。復著楞嚴臆說。法華意語。金剛三昧經注。涅槃會疏。思益梵天所問經解。語錄八卷。盛行於世。山東德王刺血寫書。請師至府問道受戒。讚歎敬服。初時師詣雲棲蓮池授具。池舉高峰海底泥牛話。師傍推出一僧云。大眾證明。池頷之。其機用電捷若此。壬寅至都中。隨達觀應劫。禪林有嚴色。師以平易簡亮。傾重一時。嵊縣汝登周公。初請師就剡谿明心寺說法。翰林輝黃公。用先吳公。魯唯張公。諸達官皆執弟子禮。請問法意。翰林望齡陶公。舜鼎王公。󳮡齡陶公承𭶅祁公。承事尤加敬切。時月川澄。達觀可。憨山清。聞谷印。諸知識皆修敬讓。諸宰官請師。重修阿育王殿。市木閩還。航海遇宼。聞師名。尋即懺罪。且授號矢護送。請築江塘。而相力音聲。悉稱佛號。夷夏感悅。皆篤信禪宗云。時人共為之語云。師現肉身渡生。方便善巧。應物時宜。隨機暎徹。無上摩尼。全體直示。解與行符。名聞葢不虗也。師名圓澄。嘉靖辛酉生會稽。姓夏氏。年六十有六。僧臘四十有三。天啟丙寅。臘月初四日。化于紹興府之天華寺。門人及遠近來者。哭師甚哀。山林震動。奉全身塟于顯聖寺南。鉢盂山之陰而塔焉。後十年。崇禎丙子春正月。居士丁元公持師行狀。見懿典求銘。刻之山中。懿典拜而言曰。

> The twenty-sixth generation of the Caodong lineage was passed to Cizhou. Cizhou had one disciple, Chenggong, who became the master Zhanran. From birth, the master showed unusual signs. As he grew up, he had large eyes and thick lips, a straightforward nature, and a candid manner of speech. He was exceptionally bright and unfettered in understanding, with a determined aspiration for the ultimate truth. At first, he went to Master Yufeng, where he diligently practiced day and night, seeking to awaken to the great matter. Later, he visited Master Yinfeng, who instructed him: "Whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, just investigate: 'Who is reciting the Buddha's name?'" After three days and nights, he had a realization, yet his practice became even more fervent. In all situations, he remained focused, unwavering, and still. At that time, he was twenty years old. He then went to Miaofeng to shave his head and become a monastic, seeking guidance on the essential mind. For three years, he never let his ribs touch the bed, enduring difficult ascetic practices. In the year Yiyou (1645), he happened to hear a monk discussing Master Fu Dashi's verse on the Dharma body, and from then on, he was able to remember the scriptures and began to understand all doctrines. Sometimes he would go several days without eating, yet he never tired of sitting in meditation and investigation. He vowed to himself that he would not stop until he attained realization. One day, when reading the story of Xuedou discussing the "cypress tree" gong'an with a monk, he encountered a lay practitioner's verse: > A rabbit stretches across the ancient road, > A gray falcon sees it and instantly seizes it. > Later, the hunting dog has no spirit, > Empty, it searches in the old withered stump. The master was then able to respond appropriately to situations and remembered Qianfeng's saying: "When mentioning one, do not mention two." This triggered a great awakening. From that point on, he clearly understood all gong'ans. His speech became free and unfettered, not bound by any fixed rules. Yet he still felt that his realization was not fully complete. Three more years passed. In the year Gengyin (1650), he was sitting in meditation at night, utterly still and concentrated, when suddenly it felt as if the whole void shattered and fell silent. After a moment, he regained consciousness. He was now thirty years old. His innate nature became perfectly clear, and his words always hit the mark. Holding up the scriptures to teach others, the source and branches of the teachings flowed abundantly. In all Buddha-affairs, he responded without needing to think. The world all praised him, regarding him as a great master of eloquence. When Cizhou was giving a teaching at Zhifengtu, the master arrived. Cizhou asked, "Zhifengtu is close to the Green Mountains, but the City of Yue's King is far from the vast ocean—what is your understanding?" The master replied, "The moon pierces the pond's bottom and breaks, the Persian does not raise his eyebrows." Cizhou then questioned him on the core teachings of the Dongshan lineage. The master presented a verse: > The five ranks of lord and subject must be clearly known, > Why must there be thinking in this matter? > A stone maiden is skilled at threading a needle without thread, > A wooden puppet can enact the principle beyond forms. > At the bottom of a well, red dust rises in a haze; > On the mountain peak, white waves roll and fly. > Birth itself has no deliberate function, > Unconsciously and naturally, the imperial foundation is attained. Cizhou commented, "Your words are intricate and continuous, never falling into beginning or end. You are truly a worthy seed for maintaining the tradition." He then transmitted the Dharma with this verse: > A single drop of water from the Caoyuan source, > Handed down from patriarch to patriarch. > When I transmit and receive it now, > May the great earth be sweet dew. > Ho! The arrow without a barb from the Five-Nipple Peak > Has shot the son of a half-south. Thus was the master's transmission received. The master often lamented the state of the Dharma in the degenerate age, that the essence of the Great Vehicle was unheard of. He authored several works, including \*Questions and Answers on the Chan Tradition, A Record of Ancient Grievances, A Personal Explanation of the Shurangama Sutra, An Expressive Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, A Commentary on the King of Samadhi Sutra, A Guide to the Nirvana Sutra, An Explanation of the Questions of the Brahma Heaven Sutra,\* and eight volumes of recorded sayings. These became widely circulated. Prince De of Shandong, after writing a scripture in his own blood, respectfully invited the master to his residence for instruction and to receive the precepts. He praised and revered the master with deep admiration. In the beginning, the master had gone to Yunqi Lianchi to receive the full precepts. In that assembly, Master Lianchi raised the gong'an of "the mud ox at the bottom of the sea." The master pushed forward a monk and said, "The great assembly bears witness." Lianchi nodded in approval. His aptness and quickness in handling situations were as swift as lightning. In the year Rengyin (1662), he went to the capital, accompanying Daguanying during a time of trouble. The Chan forest appeared stern and serious, but the master, with his simplicity, clarity, and openness, gained the respect and admiration of everyone at that time. Mr. Zhou Rudeng of Sheng County first invited the master to teach at Mingxin Temple on the Shan River. Academician Huang Hui, Mr. Wu Yongxian, and Mr. Zhang Luwei, along with other high officials, all became his lay disciples, respectfully seeking instruction on the Dharma. Academicians Tao Wangling, Wang Shunding, Tao (deleted character) Ling, and Qi Chengjiao treated him with even greater reverence and devotion. Monastics of insight, including Yuechuancheng, Daguanke, Hanshanqing, and Wenguyin, all expressed their respect and deferred to him. Various officials asked the master to oversee the rebuilding of the Ashoka King Temple. When he went to Fujian to purchase timber and was returning by sea, they encountered pirates. Hearing the master's name, the pirates soon repented of their wrongdoing, and even presented him with bows and arrows as an escort. When he was requested to supervise the construction of a river embankment, the sounds of their labor and chants all resonated with the Buddha's name. Both nomads and Chinese were deeply moved and all came to sincerely believe in the Chan tradition. People at that time said of him: "The master manifests a living body to save beings, with skillful means and expedient methods, responding to situations according to the time, and beings according to their capacities, with perfect clarity. He directly points to the supreme Mani-jewel. His understanding matches his practice, and his renown is certainly not undeserved." The master's name was Yuancheng, he was born in the year of Xinyou of the Jiajing era, in Kuaiji Prefecture, with the secular surname Xia. He lived for sixty-six years, with forty-three years of monastic life. He passed away on the fourth day of the twelfth month in the year Bingyin of the Tianqi era, at Tianhua Temple in Shaoxing Prefecture. Monastics and laity from near and far wept for him with great sorrow, shaking the mountains and forests. His body was enshrined in a pagoda south of Xiansheng Temple, on the north side of Boyu Mountain. Ten years later, in the spring of the first month of the Bingzi year of the Chongzhen era, the layman Ding Yuangong, carrying the master's biography, came to Yi Dian to request an epitaph, which was to be inscribed in the mountain. Yi Dian bowed and then presented it for the monks to engrave on a stone.

聖朝尊尚佛法至矣。而禪學之弊。今且以合頭棒喝為佛事。而視理義文。節為不足為。以支離偏見。為無上悟門。而視三藏大典。為麤淺言句。以杜撰無理語錄。為向上真詮。而視天下古今。為可欺誑。以私通賄賂。為師資道合。而等授受於販漁。以夤緣達官為門庭。而列寶座于權位。唯師嗣佛正傳。末法標榜。大振洞宗。綱維後學。其卓絕不羣。遇人本色。實德實行。化理嘉猷。東南一人而已。銘曰。

> The Imperial Court has honored the Buddha's teachings to the highest degree. However, a flaw has now appeared in Chan practice: people treat cryptic blows and shouts as the essence of practice, while dismissing meaningful study and refined expression as unnecessary. They mistake fragmented, biased views for supreme enlightenment and regard the vast Tripitaka scriptures as coarse, shallow words. They take fabricated, irrational dialogues as the true, ultimate teaching, and treat the entire world—past and present—as something to be deceived. They view private bribery as a proper teacher-student bond, reducing transmission to a market transaction. They curry favor with high officials to build their reputation and place themselves on jeweled thrones of power and position. You alone uphold the true transmission of the Buddha, setting a guiding example in this degenerate age. You revive the tradition of the Dongshan lineage, supporting and guiding later students. Your character is outstanding and unconventional; you meet people with genuine substance. Your virtue is real, your conduct authentic, your wisdom in teaching is profound and excellent. There is no one like you in all the Southeast. An inscription reads:

明星在宮 山中大雄 有口無舌 三際真空嵩巖雪月 震塞儵忽 惟茲宗乘 香雲地窣大哉慈舟 廣運海秋 龍摶金鳥 截󳮪泥牛湛然清天 旃檀布烟 絕學無學 馭航即安波風浩浩 注溢匪造 深壑委冥 毒鼓震焯惟月之明 枯木華芳 亦如鍊師 金成火忘弘願所現 大覺如起 肉身利行 慈雲若水若水在天 是為澤美 和風帝前 永師峙年

> The Enlightened One sits within the mountain’s heart, a hollow mouth with neither tongue—a timeless emptiness spanning past, present, future. Snow covers cliffs beneath the moon, shaking even the swiftest spirits. This is the path of our lineage: incense clouds drift low, touching the earth. Great is this boat of compassion, sailing across the autumn sea of existence. Dragons seize golden birds; a clay ox is cut away. Pristine, clear sky—sandalwood smoke spreads like mist. Learning ends in non-learning; boarding the vessel brings peace. Vast waves surge ever onward, overflowing without effort. Deep chasms hide in darkness; the poison drum beats, blazing bright. The moon shines alone, withered trees blossom. So too does the master of alchemy—gold is achieved, fire forgotten. The profound vow manifests: Great Awakening rises. Even as flesh, the body does good deeds; the cloud of compassion is like water. When water-blessing dwells in heaven, it becomes nourishing grace. Gentle winds blow before the emperor; the eternal teacher stands through years.

賜進士第通議大夫恊理詹事府少詹事兼翰林院侍讀學士前翰林院侍讀學士掌南京翰林院事右春坊諭德中允贊善兼本院侍講修簡討直起居注纂輯章奏管理文官誥敕正史纂修官陳懿典薰沐頓首拜撰

> Foreword by Chen Yidian, Presented Scholar of the Jinshi Degree, Grand Master of General Consultation, Assistant Director of the Grand Secretariat and Junior Guardian, Concurrently Hanlin Academy Reader-in-Waiting and Scholar, Former Hanlin Academy Reader-in-Waiting and Scholar in Charge of the Nanjing Hanlin Academy, Chief of the Right Secretariat Admonisher, Secretariat Grand Master and Appointer, Concurrently Hanlin Academy Lecturer-in-Waiting, Compiler of Daily Records, Compiler and Editor of Memorials, Manager of Official Civil Service Appointments and Decrees, and Compiler of the Official History— Respectfully composed after a period of purification and with utmost reverence, bowing his head and prostrating himself.