---
title: "石門文字禪 · 鍾山道林真覺大師傳"
description: "石門文字禪是宋代高僧釋德洪的詩文集。德洪又稱惠洪，活躍於北宋末南宋初，與蘇軾、黃庭堅等文人交遊，是禪宗臨濟宗黃龍派的重要傳人。該書內容豐富，不僅收錄了大量詩歌、偈頌和文章，更以文字闡釋禪理，融通文學與佛學，體現了文字禪的獨特風格。書中強調不離文字而悟道，對宋代及後世禪宗思想影響深遠，是研究中國佛教史、文學史及文字禪思想的珍貴典籍。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmgn0ivpb0ffbjl04imwo9qio"
---

### 鍾山道林真覺大師傳

> Biography of Great Master Zhenjue of Zhongshan Daolin

梁大菩薩僧寶公，以宋元嘉中生於金陵之東陽民朱氏之婦。上巳日，聞兒啼鷹巢中，梯樹得之，舉以為子。面方瑩，徹如鏡，手足皆鳥爪。七歲去依鍾山大沙門僧儉為童子，儉名之曰寶誌。長而落髮，專修禪觀，坐必越旬。久之，忽無定居，多往來𤾂山劍嶺之下。髮而徒跣，著錦袍，飲啖同於凡俗，恒以鏡銅剪刀鑷屬，挂杖負之而趨。經聚落兒，童譁逐之。或徵索酒殽，或累日不食。嘗從食鱠者求鱠，食者與，而心笑之，即起吐水中，皆成魚，相傳始驚異。時時題詩，初不可曉，後皆有驗。建元間，異跡甚著。丞相高嵩為武帝言之，以禮自皖山迎至都，舍於陳征虜之家。輒自釐其面，分披之，出十二首觀世音慈嚴妙麗，傾都聚觀，欲爭尊事之。武帝忿其惑眾，收付建康獄。旦夕咸見，游行市里，既而檢校，猶在獄中。其夜又語吏：「門外有兩輿金缽盛飯，汝可取之。」果文惠太子竟陵王送供至。建康令呂文顯以事啟帝，帝迎至禁中，俄有旨屏除後宮為家人宴。公例常與眾出，已而猶見行道於景陽山，比丘七輩從其後。帝怒，遣使至，閽吏曰：「公久出在省中。」吏就視之，身如塗墨然。武帝聞之，大驚。陳顯達鎮江州，大司馬段齊之從行，往辭公。公無他語，但引紙畫鴉，畫畢授之曰：「緩急可用。」此顯達叛，齊之遁去。顯達大怒，遣騎追之將及，齊之窘甚，見鴉喧暮林，即匿其下，鴉翔集自如。騎既失其蹤，但見鴉林，必非人所寄，遂去。齊之方悟公意也。鄱陽忠烈王飯公於私第，顧左右覓荊枝，有折以獻者，則以安門上而去。俄有旨，以王領荊州。衛尉胡諧臥病，以書哀訴，幸以屈臨，庶幾疾有瘳。公題其書，尾曰明屈。翌日果卒。僧法平欲以衣獻公，不知所寓，遣使遍求之。龍光、罽賓兩寺皆曰：「夜宿此，黎明去矣。」又嘗所厚善厲侯伯家，侯伯曰：「公夜行道於此，今睡未興。」使人視之，笑去。公在華林園，忽重著三布帽，亦不知自何得之。俄而武帝崩，文惠太子豫章文獻王相繼崩，齊亦於此年終矣。靈味寺沙門寶亮，欲以衲帔遺之，未及有言，公忽來，牽帔而去。蔡仲熊嘗問：「仕何所至？」公不自荅，直解杖頭左索繩擲與之，莫之解。仲熊果至尚書左丞。永明中住東宮後堂，平旦門中出入。末年，忽云：「門上血污衣。」褰裳走過。至鬱林見害，果以犢車載屍自此門舍故閹人徐龍駒宅，而帝頭血流於門限焉。建武中，明帝害諸王高士，江泌憂念南康王子琳以訪公，問其禍福，公覆香爐示之曰：「都盡無餘。」後皆如其語。徐陵兒時，其父攜詣公，公拊之曰：「天上石麒麟也。」陵果名譽顯於世。又文惠太子迎釋僧惠至京師，惠過公，公拊其背曰：「亦龍子也。」慧終以辯才顯聞。其徒屯騎、桑偃，有不臣之心。公見之，戟手詬曰：「若乃欲反耶，奈斫頭穴胸何？」偃汗下不敢仰視，遁去。梁武帝受禪，尤深敬事。前朝以超放動輒禁錮，至是下詔釋之。嘗問曰：「弟子煩惑未除，何以治之？」荅曰：「十二。」又問：「十二之旨在何？」荅曰：「書字時節刻漏中。」又問：「何時得淨心修習？」荅曰：「安樂禁之。」又問：「年祚遠近？」荅曰：「元嘉。元嘉。」帝欣然以為享祚，倍宋文之年。天監五年冬旱，雩祭備至而雨不降。公謂左右曰：「吾病不差，就官乞活。儻不奏白，官應得禍。」即上啟願於華光殿講《聖鬘經》請雨，帝即命沙門講之，終夕雨。公又以刀橫水盂，良久又雨。帝初繁刑，公假以神力，令見高祖受極苦於地下，自是省刑。詔畫工張僧繇寫公像藏禁中，僧繇下筆輒不自定，叩頭哀懇，公笑曰：「毗婆尸佛早留心，直至而今不得妙。」帝偶與公臨流縱望，有物泝流而上，公舉杖引之，隨杖而至，蓋紫栴檀也。詔供奉官俞紹雕公像，頃刻而肖，神情如生。帝大悅，命置內庭，為子孫世世福田。法雲寺雲光師講經，天為之雨華，帝意其證聖，夜於含光殿焚疏，命公、雲光、僧儉、傅大士齊。翌日，獨雲光不至。公嘗聽法雲講《妙法蓮華經》，至「假使黑風」，問：「風果有否？」荅曰：「世故有，第一義諦故無。」公曰：「若體是假有，此亦可解耶？」法雲默然。公則自為主客，辯難鋒生，一坐盡傾然莫有解者。帝嘗從容問：「國祚有留難否？」公但指喉示之。侯景之亂，尤追繹公言也。有僧浮杯來謁帝，帝方與客棋，吟曰：殺之。棋罷命僧，侍衛奏曰：「適蒙旨已殺之矣。」帝嗟悼不已，以問公。公曰：「陛下前身蚯蚓也。僧嘗為薙草者誤殺之，今償夙債耳。」天監十三年，公移華林園金像置所居房，帝聞之曰：「師將去我耶？」是歲十二月，忽命奏絲竹徹晝夜。至六日，終於興皇寺。臨亡然一燭以付後閣舍人吳慶以聞，帝歎曰：「大師不復留矣，燭者將以後事囑我乎？」帝昔與公登鍾山之定林，指前岡獨龍阜曰：「此為陰宅，則永其後。」帝曰：「誰當得之？」公曰：「先行者。」至是念公以此言，以金二十萬易其地以葬焉。皇女永康公主薨，盡施其粧奩，建浮圖五層于其上，置以無價寶珠，仍建開善精舍，敕陸倕製銘于塚內，王筠勒碑於寺門，處處傳其遺像焉。畢工駕御寺，公忽現於雲間，萬眾歡呼，聲振山谷，敕諡廣濟大師。公顯跡之著數，可五六十許。及終亦不老，莫測其年。有徐犍道者，年九十三，自言是公外舅弟，小公四歲，計其時九十七矣。李氏有國日，諡曰妙覺。公作四柱記、五公符、十二時偈、璧記、心鏡圖，數千言傳于世。本朝太平興國七年，舒州民柯萼者，遇異僧於歲山下，以杖指松根，令萼钁之，得瑞石一，篆文皆讖聖宋國祚無疆。萼進其石于京師。太宗皇帝遣中使置齋於鍾山，詔自今不可以名斥，以顯尊異，賜號道林真覺大師。

> Great Master Bao Zhi of the Liang Dynasty was born during the Yuanjia era of the Liu Song Dynasty, in the eastern part of Jinling (modern Nanjing). His mother was a woman from the Zhu family. On the third day of the third lunar month, she heard a baby crying in an eagle's nest. Climbing a ladder to the tree, she found the infant and took him in as her own son. The child had a face so clear and luminous it was like a mirror, but his hands and feet were like bird claws. At age seven, he left home to become a novice under the great monk Seng Jian of Zhongshan, who named him Bao Zhi. When he grew up, he shaved his head and devoted himself exclusively to meditation practice, often sitting for over ten days at a time. After a long period, he suddenly had no fixed dwelling, frequently traveling between the mountains of Wan and Jianling. He let his hair grow long, walked barefoot, wore brocade robes, and ate and drank like ordinary people. He always carried a mirror, bronze scissors, and tweezers, hanging them from his staff as he walked. When passing through villages, children would clamor and chase after him. Sometimes he would ask for wine and food, and other times he would go for days without eating. Once, he asked a person eating raw fish for some, and the person gave it to him but secretly laughed at him. Bao Zhi immediately spat the fish into the water, and it turned into live fish. From then on, people began to be astonished by him. He would often write poems that seemed incomprehensible at first, but later all their meanings proved true. During the Jianyuan era, his miraculous deeds became very well-known. Prime Minister Gao Song reported him to Emperor Wu of Qi, and he was formally invited from Wan Mountain to the capital, where he stayed at the home of General Chen Zhenglu. He would often peel off his own face, splitting it apart to reveal eleven heads of Guanyin, majestic and beautiful. The entire capital gathered to see this, and everyone wanted to venerate him. Emperor Wu, angered by what he saw as deception of the masses, had him arrested and imprisoned in Jiankang. Yet day and night, people saw him walking through the streets and markets, and when the authorities checked, he was still in prison. That night, he told the jailer, "Outside the gate, there are two carriages with golden bowls of rice. Go fetch them." Indeed, Prince Wenhui and Prince Jingling had sent offerings. Magistrate Lü Wenxian reported this to the emperor, who then invited Bao Zhi into the palace. Soon, an imperial decree came to clear the harem for a family banquet. Bao Zhi seemed to leave with the others, but then he was seen walking on Jingyang Mountain, followed by seven monks. The emperor was furious and sent messengers, but the gatekeeper said, "The Master has been out for a long time, he's in the provincial office." When the messengers looked at him there, his body looked as if it were painted black. When Emperor Wu heard this, he was greatly alarmed. When Chen Xianda was posted to Jiangzhou, Grand Marshal Duan Qizhi traveled with him and came to bid farewell to Bao Zhi. Bao Zhi said nothing else, but took out paper and drew a crow. When finished, he handed it to Duan Qizhi, saying, "Use this when in difficulty." Later, when Chen Xianda rebelled, Duan Qizhi fled. Chen Xianda was furious and sent cavalry to chase him. When they were about to catch him, Duan Qizhi was in dire straits. Seeing crows cawing in an evening forest, he hid beneath them. The crows flew and perched naturally as if nothing was wrong. The cavalry, seeing no trace of him and only the crows in the forest, concluded that no one could be hiding there, and left. Only then did Duan Qizhi understand Bao Zhi's intention. Prince Zhonglie of Poyang hosted Bao Zhi for a meal at his private residence. Bao Zhi looked around for a thorn branch, and when someone broke one off and offered it, he placed it above the door before leaving. Soon after, an imperial decree came appointing the Prince to govern Jingzhou. Weiwei Hu Xie lay ill and wrote a pitiful letter to Bao Zhi, hoping he would deign to visit, that his illness might be cured. Bao Zhi wrote on the end of the letter, "Ming Qu," (meaning "death at dawn"). The next day, Hu Xie indeed died. The monk Fa Ping wanted to offer a robe to Bao Zhi, but didn't know where he was staying, so he sent people to search everywhere. Both Longguang and Jibin temples said, "He stayed here last night, but left at dawn." He also visited the home of his close friend Li Houbo, who said, "The Master was walking here at night, but he's still sleeping and hasn't gotten up." When the messengers looked, they laughed and left. At Huilin Garden, Bao Zhi suddenly appeared wearing three cloth caps stacked, though no one knew where he got them. Soon after, Emperor Wu died, and Crown Prince Wenhui and Prince Yuzhang Wenxian also died in succession. The Qi dynasty also ended that year. The monk Bao Liang of Lingwei Temple wanted to give Bao Zhi a patchwork robe, but before he could speak, Bao Zhi suddenly appeared, took the robe, and left. Cai Zhongxiong once asked Bao Zhi, "What position will I reach in office?" Bao Zhi didn't answer directly, but untied the left rope from his staff and threw it to him. No one understood the meaning. Indeed, Cai Zhongxiong eventually reached the position of Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. During the Yongming era, Bao Zhi stayed in the rear hall of the Eastern Palace, coming and going through the gate at dawn. At the end of that period, he suddenly said, "Blood on the gate will stain clothes," and lifted his robe as he hurried past. When Emperor Yulin was killed, his body was indeed carried out through this gate on an oxcart to the old eunuch Xu Longju's residence, and the emperor's head bled onto the threshold. During the Jianwu era, Emperor Ming of Qi harmed various princes and noble scholars. Jiang Mi, worried about Prince Zilin of Nan Commandery, sought Bao Zhi to ask about his fortune. Bao Zhi covered the incense burner and showed it to him, saying, "All is spent, nothing remains." Later, everything happened as he said. When Xu Ling was a child, his father brought him to see Bao Zhi. Bao Zhi patted him and said, "A stone qilin from heaven." Indeed, Xu Ling later became famous throughout the world. Also, when Crown Prince Wenhui invited the monk Seng Hui to the capital, Seng Hui visited Bao Zhi, who patted his back and said, "Also a dragon's child." Seng Hui indeed became renowned for his eloquence. Bao Zhi's disciples Tunqi and Sang Yan harbored rebellious intentions. When Bao Zhi saw them, he pointed at them and scolded, "You want to rebel? What about having your heads chopped off and chests pierced?" Sang Yan broke out in a cold sweat and dared not look up, then fled. When Emperor Wu of Liang took the throne, he held Bao Zhi in especially deep reverence. In the previous dynasty, Bao Zhi had been frequently confined for his unrestrained behavior, but now an edict was issued to release him. The emperor once asked, "Your disciple still has vexations and delusions that are not removed. How should I deal with them?" Bao Zhi replied, "Twelve." The emperor asked again, "What is the meaning of 'twelve'?" Bao Zhi replied, "In the time of writing characters, within the marking of the water clock." The emperor asked, "When will I attain purity of mind in my practice?" Bao Zhi replied, "When you abstain in peace and joy." The emperor asked, "How long will my reign last?" Bao Zhi replied, "Yuanjia. Yuanjia." (referring to the long Yuanjia era of the Song dynasty). The emperor was delighted, thinking his reign would last twice as long as Emperor Wen of Song's. In the fifth year of the Tianjian era, there was a winter drought. All the rain-prayer rituals were performed to no avail. Bao Zhi said to those around him, "My illness is not improving. I should ask the authorities for help. If they don't report my case, the officials will suffer misfortune." He then submitted a petition requesting that the "Shengman Sutra" be preached in the Huaguang Hall to pray for rain. The emperor immediately ordered monks to preach it, and it rained all night. Bao Zhi also crossed a knife over a water basin, and after a long while, it rained again. At the beginning of Emperor Wu's reign, the penalties were harsh. Bao Zhi used his spiritual power to make the emperor see his father, Emperor Gao, suffering extreme torment in the underworld. From then on, the emperor reduced the severity of punishments. The emperor ordered the painter Zhang Sengyou to paint Bao Zhi's portrait to be kept in the palace. Whenever Zhang picked up his brush, he couldn't steady himself. He kowtowed and begged earnestly. Bao Zhi smiled and said, "Vipasyin Buddha had long taken care of this, yet even now, one cannot achieve perfection." The emperor once stood with Bao Zhi by a river, gazing into the distance. Something was floating upstream against the current. Bao Zhi raised his staff and drew it in, and the object followed his staff. It was purple sandalwood. The emperor ordered the offering official Yu Shao to carve a statue of Bao Zhi. It was completed in no time and looked so lifelike that the emperor was overjoyed. He ordered it placed in the inner court as a field of blessings for his descendants for generations. Master Yunguang of Fayun Temple preached the sutras, and flowers rained down from heaven. The emperor believed this proved Yunguang's enlightenment. One night, he burned an invocation in the Handian Hall, asking Bao Zhi, Yunguang, Seng Jian, and Fu Dashi to come together. The next day, only Yunguang did not come. Bao Zhi once listened to Fayun lecture on the "Lotus Sutra." When it came to the passage "If black winds," he asked, "Does wind truly exist?" Fayun replied, "In the ordinary world, it exists; in the ultimate truth, it does not." Bao Zhi said, "If its nature is merely provisional existence, can this be explained?" Fayun fell silent. Bao Zhi then debated with himself, taking both roles, and his arguments were so sharp that everyone was impressed, though none could fully understand. Emperor Wu once casually asked, "Will my reign face any difficulties?" Bao Zhi only pointed to his throat. The later Hou Jing Rebellion was seen as fulfilling Bao Zhi's words. A monk who floated across the water in a cup came to visit Emperor Wu. The emperor was playing chess with a guest and murmured, "Kill him." When the game ended, he ordered the monk brought before him, but the guards reported, "We received your order and have already killed him." The emperor lamented deeply and asked Bao Zhi about it. Bao Zhi said, "Your Majesty's former life was an earthworm. That monk was once a grass-cutter who accidentally killed you. Now he has repaid his old debt." In the thirteenth year of the Tianjian era, Bao Zhi moved the golden statue of Huilin Garden to his own room. When the emperor heard of this, he said, "Is the Master about to leave me?" That December, Bao Zhi suddenly ordered music to play day and night. On the sixth day, he passed away at Xinghuang Temple. As he died, he lit a candle and gave it to Chamberlain Wu Qing to report to the emperor. The emperor sighed, "The Great Master will not remain. Is the candle his way of entrusting his funeral arrangements to me?" The emperor had once climbed Dinglin Hill on Zhongshan with Bao Zhi, who pointed to a ridge ahead called Dulongfu and said, "If this is used as a burial site, it will bless one's descendants forever." The emperor asked, "Who should have it?" Bao Zhi replied, "The one who goes first." Remembering these words, the emperor spent 200,000 in gold to purchase the land for Bao Zhi's burial. When Princess Yongkang died, her dowry was donated to build a five-story pagoda at the site, adorned with priceless pearls. The Kaiyan Hermitage was also built there, with Lu Chui writing an inscription for the tomb and Wang Yun inscribing a tablet at the temple gate. His portraits were widely circulated. When construction was completed, the emperor visited the temple, and Bao Zhi suddenly appeared among the clouds. Thousands of people cheered, and the sound shook the mountains and valleys. The emperor posthumously conferred on him the title "Great Master Guangji." Bao Zhi's manifested miracles number about fifty or sixty. He never appeared to age, and his true age was unknown. A man named Xu Qiandao, aged ninety-three, claimed to be Bao Zhi's cousin-in-law's younger brother and four years Bao Zhi's junior, which would make Bao Zhi ninety-seven at the time. During the Li (Southern Tang) dynasty, he was posthumously given the title "Miaojue." Bao Zhi authored the "Four Pillars Record," "Five Talismans," "Twelve Hours Gatha," "Jade Record," and "Mind Mirror Diagram," totaling several thousand words, all transmitted to posterity. In the seventh year of the Taiping Xingguo era of this dynasty (Song), a man named Ke E from Shuzhou encountered an extraordinary monk at Suishan. The monk pointed with his staff at the root of a pine tree and told Ke E to dig there. Ke E found a precious stone inscribed with seal-script predictions of the boundless fortune of the Great Song dynasty. Ke E presented the stone to the capital. Emperor Taizong sent an imperial envoy to hold a ceremony at Zhongshan and decreed that Bao Zhi should no longer be addressed by his personal name, to show special honor, and conferred on him the title "Great Master Daolin Zhenjue."