刊萬峰和尚語錄舊序
Old Preface to the Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Wanfeng
萬峰和尚蚤歲於虎跑室中得其肉，壯歲於伏龍室中得其髓，自是通身慶快，徹骨清涼，無一絲毫為障為礙。爾後張鋪席於蔚嶠，開飯店於嵩山，不假文字，不資語嘿，單單以一色本分草料接人，而四方來者如歸，不舍晝夜。室中得指明心者，莫知其數；嗣法立宗者，列布山川。化緣既終，其徒齡山壽上人捧此帙過苕溪之上，見示於稿室，稿室即合爪加額，焚香三復，既而掩卷而謂齡山曰：「老師已和盤托出，盡在此書矣！正是活人之丹，殺人之藥，故其胸中流出一一高玅，使天目正宗、伏龍的派，二十年後話當大行。」或問余：「何以知之？」曰：「我知言。」
Monk Wanfeng gained the flesh of realization in the Tiger’s Den monastery in his youth, and in his prime, he penetrated the marrow in the Serpent’s Lair monastery. From then on, his entire being was joyful, his bones utterly cool and clear, with not the slightest obstruction or hindrance. Later, he laid out his mat on the peaks of Yu and opened his inn on Mount Song, relying neither on written words nor on silence and speech, but simply using one single, unadulterated, genuine substance to receive people. Those who came from all directions felt at home, day and night. Among those in his meditation hall whom he pointed directly to their original mind, countless achieved understanding. His disciples, who inherited his dharma and established his lineage, spread across the mountains and rivers. When his mission of gathering offerings came to an end, his disciple, the Elder Lingshan Shou, carried this manuscript across Tiaoxi Creek and showed it to me in my rustic studio. I immediately joined my palms, raised them to my forehead, burned incense, and read it three times. Then, closing the book, I said to Elder Lingshan: “The teacher has already laid everything out on the table, wholly contained within this book! This is truly the elixir that brings people to life, and the poison that kills them off. Every word flowing from his heart is supremely sublime. The orthodox lineage of Tianmu and the authentic tradition of the Serpent’s Lair—twenty years from now, their words will greatly flourish.” Someone asked me: “How do you know this?” I said: “I know words.”
洪武癸亥秋季月吉日，前淨慈稿室翁弘智題。
In the autumn of the year 1383, on an auspicious day, the former monk Hongzhi of Jingci Temple wrote this.