天童覺和尚語錄序
Preface to the Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Tiantong Jue
余頑愚拙疎無所可用。獨於世味淡薄。人我相輕。若可學佛者。以故自幼喜從僧遊。間遇本色道人。雖未言而意已親。殆若磁石鐵之冥契。有不可致詰者。否則雖日相從邈如也。今。
I am foolish, clumsy, and of little use. I have always been indifferent to worldly pleasures and held little regard for distinctions between self and others. If there is any reason I might be fit to learn the Buddha’s way, it is this. Since childhood, I have enjoyed spending time with monastics. Whenever I encountered a genuine practitioner, even without words, our minds felt close—like iron drawn to a magnet, by a connection beyond explanation. Otherwise, even if we met daily, we remained distant. Now…
天童長老覺公。則所謂未言而意已親者。始余被罪南遷。泊舟廬山之下。與師一再邂逅耳而相與之意。便如故人。去歲罷相東來。師過余於四明。余復訪之於山中。語累日益歡。甞謂師曰。學佛者期於了生死。誠可謂一大事矣。士大夫間。乃有酣飫聲色馳騁勢利。而口舌瀾翻說佛說祖。自以為有得。甚者至以為譚笑之資。此何理也。余之有意於此事。而不敢自欺。他時真實處。辦得少許。方敢拈出。求師別識也。師深肯此言。且教余以辦道之方。余信受焉。會師之徒。以師語錄序為請。余既不敢自欺。其敢措辭乎。姑記與師相從大略。以塞其請云。紹興壬子望日。退晦居士范宗尹序。
Elder Jue Gong of Tiantong Temple was someone who felt like an old friend even before words were exchanged. When I was first exiled to the south and moored my boat at the foot of Mount Lu, I met the master only once or twice, yet our mutual understanding was already as deep as that of longtime companions. Last year, after resigning from my position as prime minister and traveling east, the master visited me in Siming, and I later called on him in the mountains. Our conversations grew more joyful with each passing day.
I once said to the master, "Those who study Buddhism seek liberation from life and death—truly a matter of great importance. Yet among scholars and officials, there are those who indulge in pleasures, chase fame and profit, and yet chatter endlessly about the Buddha and the patriarchs, believing they have attained something. Some even treat these teachings as mere subjects for idle talk—how can this be? I have a sincere interest in this path and dare not deceive myself. Only when I have genuinely understood a little of its truth will I dare to speak of it and seek the master’s discerning guidance."
The master deeply affirmed these words and taught me methods for cultivating the Way. I received his teachings with faith.
When the master’s disciples requested that I write a preface to his recorded sayings, how could I, who dare not deceive myself, presume to compose such a piece? I have simply recorded the essence of my encounters with the master to fulfill their request.
Written on the full moon day of the Shaoxing reign, year Renzi, by the retired layman Fan Zongyin.
宏智禪師廣錄卷第一
Extensive Record of Chan Master Hongzhi, Volume 1