石門文字禪序
Preface to Shimen's Literary Chan
夫自晉、宋、齊、梁，學道者爭以金屑翳眼，而初祖東來，應病投劑，直指人心，不立文字。後之承虛接響、不識藥忌者，遂一切峻其垣，而築文字於禪之外。由是分疆列界，剖判虛空，學禪者不務精義，學文字者不務了心。夫義不精，則心了而不光大；精義而不了心，則文字終不入神。故寶覺欲以無學之學，朝宗百川，而無盡歎民公南海波斯，因風到岸，標榜具存，儀刑不遠。嗚呼！可以思矣！蓋禪如春也，文字則花也。春在於花，全花是春；花在於春，全春是花。而曰禪與文字有二乎哉？故德山、臨濟棒喝交馳，未嘗非文字也。清涼、天台疏經造論，未嘗非禪也。而曰禪與文字有二乎哉？逮於晚近，更相笑而更相非，嚴於水火矣。宋寂音尊者憂之，因名其所著曰文字禪。夫齊秦搆難，而按以周天子之命合，遂投戈臥鼓而順於大化，則文字禪之為也。蓋此老子向春臺擷眾芳，諦知春花之際，無地寄眼，故橫心所見、橫口所言，鬥千紅萬紫於三寸枯管之下，於此把住，水泄不通，即於此放行，波瀾浩渺，乃至逗物而吟，逢緣而詠，並入編中。夫何所謂禪與文字者？夫是之謂文字禪。而禪與文字有二乎哉？噫！此一枝花，自瞿曇拈後，數千餘年擲在糞掃堆頭，而寂音再一拈似，即今流布，疏影撩人、暗香浮鼻，其誰為破顏者？
Since the Jin, Song, Qi, and Liang dynasties, those seeking the Way have fought over specks of gold dust that blind the eye. When the First Patriarch came from the East, he prescribed medicine according to the illness, pointing directly to the mind, without establishing words. Later generations who inherited empty echoes and didn't understand the medicine's properties built high walls around Zen and banished words outside it. Thus boundaries were drawn, dividing empty space. Those who studied Zen neglected essential meaning; those who studied words neglected understanding the mind. When meaning isn't refined, even an understood mind lacks radiance. When meaning is refined but the mind isn't understood, words never reach their spiritual depth.
Thus Master Baojue sought to learn non-learning, like hundred rivers flowing to the ocean. Endless Master sighed that the common man from the South China Sea, like a Persian, caught the wind to shore. The examples are here, the model is near. Ah! This can be contemplated!
Zen is like spring, words are like flowers. Spring exists in flowers, and the whole flower is spring. Flowers exist in spring, and the whole spring is flowers. Why say Zen and words are two? Deshan and Linji's shouts and blows were never without words. Qingliang and Tiantai's commentaries and treatises were never without Zen. Why say Zen and words are two?
In recent times, they mocked and blamed each other, more hostile than fire and water. The revered Master Jiyin worried about this, and named his work "Word Zen." When the states of Qi and Qin were at war, invoking the mandate of the Zhou emperor made them lay down arms and yield to transformation—this is what Word Zen does. This old man, standing at the spring terrace gathering all fragrances, perfectly knew that in spring flowers there is no fixed place to cast the eye. Thus he followed his mind's vision, followed his mind's speech, contending with a thousand reds and ten thousand purples under his three-inch dry brush. Grasping tight, not a drop could leak; releasing wide, waves spread vast. Responding to things he intoned, meeting conditions he chanted—all entered this collection. What then are "Zen" and "words"? This is what is called "Word Zen." Why say Zen and words are two?
Ah! This one flower, since Mahakashyapa held it up, for thousands of years was tossed in a dung heap. But when Jiyin held it up once more, it flows now—sparse shadows stirring people, hidden fragrance reaching the nose. Who will be the one to break into a smile?
明萬曆丁酉八月望日釋達觀撰
Written by the monk Daguan on the full moon day of the eighth lunar month, the Dingyou year of the Ming Wanli reign.