No. 1592-A揞黑豆集序
宗門中事。明取脚跟下。本無實法。六祖云。不思善。不思惡。巖頭云。百不思時。名為正句。欲得識句。向事上覰則疾。向意根下摸索則遲。但於機用上。略露些子。如同電拂。如擊石火。快便難逢。豈容擬議。所謂向上人活計者。靈鷲拈花。少林面壁。至大鑑而法周沙界矣。
厥後五宗分派。流出一源。建化門庭。盛衰各異。濟下。則宋元明賴虎邱一支。流衍至今。而正法眼藏指月錄諸書。無繼選者。諸師語錄機緣。殘編賸帙。日漸消亡。後學無由考證。此一線之傳。所係為尤重也。
臺家本儒林。幼沾墳籍。釋褐後。奔走風塵。無裨身世。每聞修多羅一言半偈。輙有會於心。謬疑一乘之道。有路可通。妄緣解路以求其合。而名利中鈎鎻連環。復不能自脫。流浪天涯。髮白齒落。回思生死事大。如燎眉剝膚之迫不容緩。於是息影餘菴。自謀活計。閉關謝客。銳志參窮。一日於信步經行次。觸發元沙立地搆取語。瞥然摸得娘生鼻孔。踏著本地風光。歡喜踴躍。信知此道本來成現。不屬語言。不落知見。然而徧閱古德機緣。於差別機用。末後牢關。仍多疑義。頃與心圓居士。住菴結夏。取指月錄。及諸家燈史所載應菴已下諸尊宿法語機緣。一一拈提決擇。始會得古人殺活機權。無非洞明從上來事。於是向之所疑。渙焉冰釋。脚跟下事。洞徹無遺。竊幸於垂暮之年。而識還鄉之路。自此歸家穩坐。喘息方定。回看同道諸君。或沈淹於虀甕。或躑躅於歧途。求心未歇。特地艱難。正與臺昔日相似。所謂曾為蕩子偏憐客者。耿耿寸心。不能自已。此黑豆集之所以刻也。
The He family originally came from a scholarly background. In my youth, I immersed myself in classical texts. After entering officialdom, I was caught up in the whirlwind of worldly affairs, gaining nothing for my true self. Whenever I caught a phrase or half-verse of the sutras, my heart would resonate, mistakenly believing that the path of the One Vehicle had a road to follow. Taking the path of intellectual understanding, I tried to fit it together—yet the chains of fame and profit, linked like hooks and locks, left me unable to break free. Drifting across the world, my hair turned white and my teeth fell out. Reflecting that the great matter of life and death was as urgent as fire singeing my eyebrows or peeling my skin, I could delay no longer. Thus, I rested my shadow in a hermitage, seeking a way to live for myself. I closed my door, turned away visitors, and focused my resolve on deep investigation. One day, while walking mindfully, I was suddenly struck by the words of Xuansha: “Stand right here and grasp it.” In that flash, I felt my birth-nostrils, stepped onto the local scenery, and leaped with joy. I truly realized that this path is originally and naturally present, not belonging to words, not falling into conceptual views. Yet, upon extensively reading the spiritual encounters of ancient masters, I still had many doubts about their distinct functions and the final barriers. Recently, while spending the summer retreat with Layman Xinyuan at the hermitage, we took up *The Finger Pointing at the Moon* and various lamp histories recording the Dharma talks and encounters of masters after Ying'an. We picked out each one, raised them up, and resolved them. Only then did I comprehend that the ancient masters’ techniques of giving life and death were entirely for the purpose of clearly illuminating the matter passed down from earlier generations. Thus, all my previous doubts melted away like ice. The matter right beneath my feet became thorough and without omission. I am secretly fortunate that in my declining years, I have come to recognize the road home. From now on, returning home, I sit steadily, my breath finally settled. Looking back at my fellow seekers—some sink in the pickle vat, some wander at a crossroads, their seeking minds not yet at rest, their difficulties extraordinary—they are exactly as I was before. As it is said, “One who was once a prodigal is especially compassionate toward strangers.” This unshakable feeling from my very heart cannot be contained. That is why *The Collection of Black Beans* was printed.
蓋自應菴華祖。振虎邱之緒。綿延弗絕。再盛於龍池。其間龍象蹴踏。如密雲天隱雪嶠湛然諸尊宿下。師吼如林。洪鐘遞響。至䒢溪而萬派歸墟。千峯到嶽。美盛洋洋。大哉觀止。然而展卷則目迷五色。沒量大人。被黑豆換却眼睛。其稍劣者。即輾轉推尋。愈尋愈遠。世有靈根慧性之士。肯於黑豆未生芽已前。一肩擔荷得去。便能拈一莖草。現丈六金身。拈丈六金身。作一莖草。咳唾掉臂。殺活得人。不犯鋒鋩。不落擬議。此古鏡未磨前一段光明。乃人人脚跟下同具者也。久參上士。買石饒雲。入道初心。擔泉得月。庶克紹隆祖位。負荷正宗。西來一綫之傳。永無失墜。而五宗建立。千波競湧一亙晴空之的旨。又豈不人文殊而類普賢哉。
Since the time of Master Ying'an Huazu, who revived the legacy of Huqiu, the lineage has continued without interruption and flourished once again at Longchi. During that period, great awakened masters trod the path like dragons and elephants, with teachers such as Miyun, Tianyin, Xuejiao, and Zhanran roaring like a forest of lions, their voices passing like great bells echoing through the ages. By the time of the Master Chengxi, all streams merged into the ocean, and all peaks led to the mountain—magnificent and vast, a scene of ultimate perfection. Yet when one opens a scroll, the eyes are dazzled by a riot of colors; even a person of boundless capacity may have his eyes swapped out by black beans. Those of lesser ability chase after meanings back and forth, and the more they search, the further they stray from the truth.
If there are people in this world with innate wisdom and sharp faculties, who are willing to shoulder the burden before the black beans have sprouted, they can pick up a single blade of grass and reveal a sixteen-foot golden body, or take that golden body and turn it back into a blade of grass. In every cough, spit, or swing of an arm, they can give life or take it, without touching the edge of a blade or falling into conceptual thought. This radiant light that shines before the ancient mirror is polished—this is the innate foundation shared by every person.
For seasoned practitioners, it is like buying stone to host clouds; for beginners entering the path, it is like carrying spring water to catch the moon. In this way, they can carry forward the ancestral legacy and uphold the true teaching. The single thread of transmission from the West will never be lost. And as for the establishment of the five houses, with a thousand waves surging toward the one true sky—how could it be that some are not already Mañjuśrī, and others Samantabhadra?
嗟乎。如來以一大事因緣。出興於世。教外別傳。語言道斷。庸鈍者既苦拍盲之無路。士君子幸具福慧兩足之緣。能自拔於五欲而求免於輪迴。又以邪見稠林。枉受辛勤。歇心無日。貺以是編。夫亦中流之一壺。千年之優鉢焉爾。是為序。
乾隆五十九年甲寅夏火蓮居士平聖臺書。