No. 1240-B溈山警策句釋記序
Preface to the Commentary on Guishan's Admonitions
生死事大。迅速無常。學道人。當時刻以此為念。日月易邁。若弗云來。生者不修。死將奚具。饕餮陋習。誠為可恥。此溈山警䇿之所以作也。鼎湖。
Life and death are matters of great urgency. All things pass in the blink of an eye. Those who study the Way should always keep this in mind. Days and months slip by swiftly; if we do not seize the present moment, how will we be prepared when death arrives? The shameful habit of indulging in excess is truly disgraceful. This is the reason Guishan's admonition was written. Dinghu.
在和尚。敷揚妙道。誘誨來學。諄懇切篤。獎掖備至。偶一日大眾請師開示溈山警䇿宗趣。師以無礙慧辯。悅可眾心。因復請師分科句釋。使警䇿之旨洞然。無論上哲中流。皆可循修。悉詣至道。師之上足石箭詗公。記師日前闡演之言。註于章末。如錦添花。如膏助明。是書大有裨于後學。匪細故也。讀是書者。而如見溈山焉。而如見在和尚與溈山異口同心。能推從上佛祖。竭力為人之處。與大眾相勸勉咨儆焉。昔大安禪師云。我在溈山三十年。看水牯牛。今變作露地白牛。常在面前。終日露迥迥地。趂亦不去。此真可謂能自警䇿者也。吾願天下學道人。皆以大安禪師能自警䇿者而䇿之。
Great Master Zai, expounding the profound Dharma, guided and instructed those who came to learn with earnest sincerity and unwavering encouragement. One day, the assembly requested the Master to elucidate the essential meaning of the *Guishan Jingce* (Weishan's Admonitions). With his unobstructed eloquence and wisdom, the Master delighted the minds of all present. The assembly then further requested the Master to divide the text into sections and provide explanations, so that the meaning of the *Admonitions* might be thoroughly clear, allowing both the highly gifted and those of moderate capacity to practice accordingly and attain the supreme path.
The Master's senior disciple, Elder Shijian, recorded the Master's discourses from that day and appended them to the end of each chapter—like adding flowers to brocade, or oil to a lamp to brighten its flame. This work greatly benefits later practitioners, and its significance is by no means trivial. Those who read this book will feel as though they are seeing Guishan himself, and as though they see Great Master Zai speaking with one voice and one mind with Guishan, extending the compassionate efforts of all the Buddhas and Patriarchs of old to exhort and admonish practitioners everywhere.
In former times, Chan Master Da'an said: "For thirty years at Guishan, I watched over a water buffalo. Now it has transformed into a white buffalo in the open field. It is always before me, completely exposed and unobstructed all day long, and even if chased away, it will not leave." This truly exemplifies one who can admonish himself. I pray that all who seek the path in this world will take up the self-admonition exemplified by Chan Master Da'an and apply it to themselves.
旹
At that time,
順治庚子歲臘月禺山弟子鄺裔書于龍江山麓No. 1240
Here is the translation:
In the winter of the year 1660, during the reign of Emperor Shunzhi, a disciple named Kuang Yi from Yushan wrote this at the foot of Longjiang Mountain.
溈山警策句釋記卷上
粵東鼎湖山沙門釋 弘贊在犙 註
門人比丘 開詗 記