No. 1381-A破菴語錄序
Preface to Po'an's Record
佛祖正法眼藏。初不可傳。可傳者。筌蹄耳。然而師承真正根蔕分明。則有言無言。無非正法。凡所以發揚祖道。開示後學。使人因指見月。其可無傳乎。先破菴老和尚九坐道場。說無義語。壁立千仞。峭絕巉巖。售用縱橫。打破密菴窠窟。行持高峻。遠紹佛果家風。正令全提。諸方風靡。大機密用。外道潛蹤。獨運本分鑪錘。烹鍊幾多禪衲。近世宗師。如公無幾。
The Patriarch’s true Dharma eye treasury was never something that could be directly transmitted. What can be transmitted are merely the bait and trap—the tools used to point the way. Yet when the lineage is genuine, and the root source is clearly discerned, then whether by speech or silence, everything is the true Dharma. Everything that brings forth the ancestral path, opening the minds of later students and helping people see the moon by pointing to the finger—how could such teachings not be transmitted?
The late Venerable Po’an was an old master who sat in nine practice centers. He spoke words that carried no fixed meaning—sheer cliffs rising a thousand yards, steep and impassable. His skillful means flowed freely, breaking through the nest of the Master Mi’an. His conduct was lofty and stern, a distant continuation of the Buddha-Fruit school’s style. He raised the true decree completely; everywhere, other masters bowed before him. His great function was subtle and hidden; even outside-path followers vanished without a trace. He wielded the original furnace and hammer alone, forging and refining countless meditation monks.
Among the distinguished masters of recent times, few could match him.
嗚呼。當此法弱魔強之際。倚公一柱以障頹瀾。今其已矣。後學將安仰乎。予雖未識師顏。而書問往來。商訂是事。千里同風。固若符契。
Alas! In this age where the Dharma is weak and demons are strong, we relied on you as a pillar to hold back the tide of decline. Now that you have departed, where shall we later students look up? Though I never met your face, our letters went back and forth, deliberating on these matters across a thousand miles, as if guided by the same wind, united by perfect trust.
今侍者圓照編次法語。求序板行。三復玩味。非惟如已識面。又得其心。乃知破菴老人有不亡在。續佛慧命。非在斯文乎。學道高人。要須具眼。
Now the attendant Yuanzhao compiled the Dharma talks and sought a preface for their publication. After reading them repeatedly and savoring their meaning, I felt not only as if I had met the elder face-to-face, but also came to know his heart. Thus I realized that the spirit of the old master Po'an remains alive and undying. In this text lies the continuation of the Buddha's wisdom and life—is it not so? Those who pursue the Way with high aspirations must keep their eyes open.
嘉定壬申孟夏 浩齋居士 楊子 謹書No. 1381
破菴和尚語錄