---
title: "南宋元明禪林僧寶傳 · 性空普菴主"
description: "《南宋元明禪林僧寶傳》是一部重要的禪宗史傳著作，由清初臨濟宗僧自融撰寫，後由其弟子性磊補輯完成。該書編撰於清初，收錄了從南宋到明末四百餘年間禪宗叢林中有德望、有成就的五百多位高僧傳記。內容詳實，不僅記錄了禪師們的生平事蹟、機鋒語錄，還反映了宋明時期禪宗的發展脈絡與宗風特色。此傳是研究南宋至明末禪宗歷史不可或缺的珍貴文獻，與《景德傳燈錄》等並為禪宗史傳的重要典籍，對於瞭解禪宗在該時期的傳承與演變具有極高的史料價值。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmczkkxn60fr7jj04rk35h1xd"
---

### 性空普菴主

> Universal Master of Emptiness Nature

禪師妙普者。字性空。漢州人也。公性少緣飾。好面折人。能與公游者。始終皆播令名。公甞以短䇿荷敝衲。歷諸名山。不喜同眾挂搭。或宿古廟。或寄閒房。有以耐叢林而諫公。公為諾諾而已。及見死心於黃龍。乃折䇿堅依之。竟得黃龍之旨。死心獨奇公。公慕船子遺風。辭抵秀水。結茅青龍之埜。吹鐵笛自娛。愛發新聲。甞歌曰。心法雙忘猶隔妄。色塵不二尚餘塵。百鳥不來春又過。不知誰是住菴人。又曰。學道猶如守禁城。晝防六賊夜惺惺。中軍主將能行令。不動千戈治太平。又曰。十二時中莫住工。窮來窮去到無窮。直須窮徹無窮底。踏倒須彌第一峯。建炎初。徐明唱叛。道經烏鎮。恣殺戮。鷄犬絕聲。公憫之。乃曳履獨往。或以險難止公。公曰。隨緣赴感。吾之願也。賊見公偉異。疑必跪伏者。執問來端。公曰。吾乃禪者。欲抵密印寺。豈有他哉。賊怒欲殺。公笑曰。大丈夫。要頭便斫去。何以怒為。願施一飯。以為送終。賊意稍解。授以肉食。公如常應供。出生畢。乃曰。孰當祭我以文。賊相笑顧不答。公曰。吾自為之。賊復相笑。遺以禿筆。公起大書於空壁曰。嗚呼惟靈。勞我以生。則大塊之過。役我以壽。則陰陽之失。乏我以貧。則五行不正。困我以命。則時日不吉。吁哉至哉。賴有出塵之道。悟我之性。與其妙心。則其妙心孰與為隣。上同諸佛之真化。下合凡夫之無明。纖塵不動。本自圓成。妙矣哉。妙矣哉。日月未足以為明。乾坤未足以為大。磊磊落落。無󳬩無礙。六十餘年和光混俗。四二十臘逍遙自在。逢人則喜見佛不拜。笑矣乎。笑矣乎。可惜少年郎。風流太光彩。坦然歸去付春風。體似虗空終不壞。尚饗。字勢飛動。數壁俱盡。遂舉筯飫食。賊徒爭視大笑。公食罷復高聲招曰。來來。劫數既遭離亂。我是快活烈漢。如今正好乘時。便請一刀兩段。又大呼斬斬。賊大駭異。令衛出之。烏鎮廬舍獨全。公之惠也。道俗聞益皈仰。以名剎致。公不顧。或說公從上付託之重。公輙以鐵笛揮之。紹興庚申。命造大盆。修書寄雪竇持禪師曰。吾將水葬矣。持笑曰。風流老子。灼有商量。壬戌持至。見公尚存。相敘歡甚。占偈嘲曰。咄哉老性空。剛要餧魚鱉。去不索性去。只管向人說。公笑曰。惟待老兄證明耳。令告四眾。眾集。公為說法。仍說偈曰。坐脫立亡。不若水葬。一省柴燒。二省開壙。撒手便行。不妨快鬯。誰是知音。船子和尚高風難繼。百千年一曲。漁歌少人唱。遂盤坐盆中。弄笛。順潮而下。緇素隨至。不可勝計。望欲斷目。公取塞戽水。而回眾擁觀。水無所入。復乘流而往。引聲拍掌。長歌曰。船子當年返故鄉。沒踪跡處妙難量。真風徧寄知音者。鐵笛橫吹作散場。其笛聲嗚咽。頃於蒼茫間。見以笛擲空而沒。後三日。灘頭趺坐如生。四至爭往迎。歸留五日。異香不散。闍維時有二玄鶴。徘徊空中。得舍利。大如菽者莫計。塔於青龍。其尺楮片言。流播人間。珍如珙璧。

> The Chan Master Miao Pu, also known by his Dharma name Xingkong, was from Hanzhou. By nature, he was straightforward and unadorned, often speaking bluntly to others. Those who befriended him throughout his life all gained a good reputation. He often traveled to famous mountains with a short staff and worn robes, disliking the common practice of staying in monasteries. He would sometimes lodge in ancient temples or idle quarters. When others advised him to endure the monastic community life, he would simply agree without commitment. Upon meeting Master Sixin at Huanglong Monastery, he broke his staff and firmly took refuge, eventually grasping the essence of Huanglong's teaching. Sixin regarded him as exceptional. Inspired by the legacy of Master Chuanzi, he traveled to Xiushui and built a thatched hut in the wilderness of Qinglong, amusing himself by playing the iron flute and creating new melodies. He once sang: > To forget both mind and Dharma is still to be separated from delusion; > To see form and dust as not two is yet to retain defilement. > When the hundred birds do not come and spring has passed, > Who knows who dwells in this hermitage? He also said: > Practicing the Way is like guarding a forbidden city, > Vigilant by day against the six thieves, alert by night. > If the commanding general can issue orders, > Peace reigns without raising arms. And: > In the twelve periods of the day, do not pause in your work; > Exhaustion after exhaustion leads to the inexhaustible. > You must exhaust even the bottom of the inexhaustible, > And trample down the foremost peak of Mount Sumeru. In the early years of the Jianyan era, Xu Ming rebelled, passing through Wuzhen and slaughtering wantonly, leaving not even the sound of chickens or dogs. Moved by compassion, Master Miao Pu went alone in sandals. When others warned him of the danger, he said, "To respond according to conditions is my vow." The rebels, seeing his imposing presence, suspected he would kneel in submission. They seized and questioned him. He replied, "I am a Chan practitioner, heading to Miyin Temple. What else would I be doing?" Enraged, they threatened to kill him. He laughed and said, "A true man, if you want my head, just cut it off. Why be angry? Grant me a last meal as my farewell." Their anger subsided slightly, and they offered him meat. He ate as usual, then said, "Who will compose a eulogy for me?" The rebels laughed and glanced at each other without answering. He said, "I will write it myself." They laughed again and gave him a worn brush. Rising, he wrote grandly on the bare wall: > Alas, O spirit! > That I am burdened with life is the fault of the great mass; > That I am driven by longevity is the error of yin and yang; > That I am lacking in wealth is due to the disharmony of the five elements; > That I am trapped by fate is because the hour was inauspicious. > Ah, how profound! > Yet I rely on the path beyond the dust, > Awakening to my nature and wondrous mind. > Who can compare to this wondrous mind? > Above, it aligns with the true transformation of all Buddhas; > Below, it merges with the ignorance of ordinary beings. > Not a speck of dust stirs— > Originally perfect and complete. > How wondrous! How wondrous! > The sun and moon are not bright enough, > Heaven and earth are not vast enough. > Open and clear, unobstructed and unimpeded. > For over sixty years, blending light with the mundane; > For forty-two summers, wandering free and at ease. > Meeting people brings joy; seeing Buddhas, no bowing. > Laughable, oh laughable! > Pity the young man, so dashing and radiant. > Serenely returning, entrusted to the spring breeze, > The body like empty space, ultimately indestructible. > May this offering be received. His writing was dynamic, covering several walls. He then picked up his chopsticks and ate heartily. The rebels watched and laughed uproariously. After eating, he called out loudly, "Come, come! Having encountered this calamity of chaos, I am a joyful, fierce man. Now is the perfect time—please cut me in two with one stroke!" He then shouted, "Strike, strike!" The rebels were astonished and had him escorted out. Because of him, the homes in Wuzhen were spared. Monastics and laypeople heard of this and revered him even more. Famous monasteries invited him, but he paid no heed. When others spoke of the heavy responsibility entrusted by past masters, he would simply wave them off with his iron flute. In the Gengshen year of the Shaoxing era, he ordered a large basin made and wrote to Master Chi of Xuedou: "I will be water-buried." Chi laughed and said, "This dashing old fellow surely has plans." When Chi arrived in the Renxu year, he found Master Miao Pu still alive. They conversed joyfully, and Chi teased with a verse: > Ah, old Xingkong, > So eager to feed fish and turtles. > If leaving, then leave outright— > Why keep telling everyone? Master Miao Pu laughed and said, "I was just waiting for you to witness it." He had the fourfold assembly gathered, gave a Dharma talk, and recited a verse: > Sitting or standing to pass away is not as good as water burial: > First, it saves firewood; second, it saves digging a grave. > Letting go and departing—how refreshing and free! > Who understands? Master Chuanzi. > His lofty style is hard to match; > For a thousand years, his fisherman's song has few singers. He then sat cross-legged in the basin, playing his flute, and drifted with the tide. Monastics and laypeople followed in countless numbers, watching until their eyes grew weary. He took the flute stopper, scooped water, and turned back as the crowd pressed to see. Finding no way for water to enter, he again went with the flow, singing loudly and clapping: > In years past, Master Chuanzi returned to his hometown; > Where traces vanish, the wonder is beyond measure. > The true wind reaches all who understand; > The iron flute plays horizontally as the finale. The flute's sound faded away, and in the vast expanse, he was seen tossing the flute into the air before disappearing. Three days later, he was found sitting cross-legged on the shore as if alive. People from all around rushed to welcome him back. After five days, a rare fragrance lingered. During cremation, two mysterious cranes circled in the sky. Countless relic beads, large as beans, were obtained. A stupa was built at Qinglong. His writings, even brief notes, spread among people, treasured like precious jade.

贊曰。余考建炎之擾。高蹈物表。不無其人。普公直躡不測之壘。因機示教。布置節次。毫忽不亂。此其智力願力。可稱兩足矣。惟顛末追慕船子。雖釣盡清波金鱗不遇。而公之慈風凜然在也。

> Praise it is said: I have studied the chaos of the Jianyan era. Those who transcended worldly affairs were not without their number. Master Pu directly ascended the unfathomable fortress, teaching according to circumstance, arranging the sequence with not a hair's breadth of disorder. In this, his wisdom-power and vow-power can be called complete. Only, from beginning to end, he revered and emulated Master Chuanzi. Though he fished through all the clear waves without encountering the golden scale, the Master's compassionate demeanor remains sternly present.