此方真教體，清淨在聲聞。世尊四十九年，權實互示，大小分乘，所云為一大事因緣，全托於此。迨達磨西來，乃云：「不立文字，教外單傳。」後人遂欲並經論面空之。嗚呼！豈但非佛意，亦大非祖意矣。為月標指，人但觀指也，不如並指而無之。為岸造筏，人但認筏也，不如並筏而無之。此祖意也。世尊臨了一著，謂文殊曰：「吾四十九年住世，未曾說一字。」是豈教人觀指認筏者？假如未說三藏十二部以前，遽拈華以示人，則子瞻所云：推墮滉漾中，不可捕捉。豈教體哉？況乎初祖至六，相傳只一二了語。後之公案既盛，語錄漸繁。余叩諸方，咸云：不可以理義求，不可以思惟得。用是息心禁口，不敢強記以聒人。蓋古人幾經磨勵，乃一悟入；亦幾揀擇，乃一許可。授者受者，得意相成，原不能舉以告人。而吾人欲以數十則剿襲一二日，當機詡詡謂得，豈惟輕視前案，亦以欺瞞本心，不幾祖庭之罪人哉？今年春，雲山啟靈，得燕居大和尚駐錫弘法，蓋自無涯師寂後百年，僅見此會。師提正宗，多方示誨，而相從高足，咸具法器，集所為語錄，梓若千卷，余弟夢白序之矣。余竟讀請益，師謂更攄所見，因思篇中如機緣，如著頌，高且深者，非不隱躍心目，然不可強求，不可必得，則亦待之。若夫剖三教之同異，可以息諸家之爭，而發明至理，不離萬緣世法，可以解偏墮之苦。蓋師談四子書甚確，昔固深於儒者，故見地圓通，而豎義軒豁，且沉雄浩瀚，不減長公、升菴，則又蜀之家風哉！卓越諸方，應有識者。余以理義為種子，以思惟為薰習，循循吾儒舊業。竊謂子淵坐忘人也，夫子與終日言；子貢具大辯才，而子欲無言。知終日言之非有也，則四十九年之轉法輪也；知欲無言之非無也，則九年面壁之單傳也。然則刻語錄者，豈為不讀書、不思惟理義者開方便門哉？因以是印可於師，師曰：「唯唯。」遂并書以為序。

Here is the true substance of the Teaching: it is rooted in purity perceived through sound. For forty-nine years, the World-Honored One offered provisional and ultimate teachings, dividing them into vehicles for beings of greater and lesser capacity. All of this was entrusted to sound for the sake of a single, great matter. When Bodhidharma came from the West, he declared, "No reliance on words; a separate transmission outside the teachings." Later practitioners thus sought to eliminate the scriptures and treatises entirely. Alas! Not only does this contradict the Buddha's intent, it fundamentally opposes the Patriarchs' intent.

When pointing to the moon, a finger is used; if people just stare at the finger, it might as well not exist. When building a raft to reach the shore, if people cling to the raft, it might as well not exist. This is the Patriarchs' intent. At the final moment of his life, the World-Honored One told Manjushri, "Throughout my forty-nine years in the world, I have not spoken a single word." How could this be interpreted as teaching people to stare at the finger or cling to the raft? If before the twelve divisions of the canon existed, someone simply held up a flower to demonstrate, then, as Su Shi said, it would be like plunging into a vast, shimmering mist—impossible to grasp. How could this be a proper teaching?

Furthermore, from the First Patriarch to the Sixth, transmissions consisted of just a few essential words. As later public cases flourished, records of sayings multiplied. When I asked various masters, they all said: "It cannot be sought through logic, nor grasped through conceptual thinking." Therefore, I silenced my mind and mouth, daring not to force memorization or bother others. For the ancients, true awakening came only after severe tempering; acceptance followed rigorous discernment. Neither teacher nor student could fully articulate this to others. Yet people today, after plagiarizing a few dozen cases in a day or two, strut about claiming they have attained realization. This not only shows contempt for the ancient cases, it also deceives one's own mind—are such people not nearly traitors to the Patriarchs' hall?

This spring, at Yanshan Qiling, the Great Abbot Yanju came to propagate the Dharma. It has been a century since the passing of Master Wuya, and this is the first such assembly. The Master elucidated the authentic tradition, giving manifold instructions. His accomplished disciples, all true vessels of the Dharma, compiled his recorded sayings into several volumes. My younger brother Mengbai wrote a preface. After reading it thoroughly, I sought further instruction. The Master asked me to elaborate on my insights. I pondered the text: its gems and verses were profound and lofty, stirring within my mind and heart. Yet such things cannot be forced, nor necessarily attained, so I would simply wait.

Now, in distinguishing the similarities and differences among the three teachings, he could settle disputes between schools while revealing the ultimate principle. He did not depart from the myriad conditions and worldly dharmas, which can relieve the suffering of one-sided attachment. The Master's explanations of the Four Books were exceptionally precise. He was deeply grounded in Confucianism, so his vision was penetrating and well-rounded. His righteous arguments were clear and broad; moreover, they were vigorous, vast, and profound, rivaling those of Su Shi and Yang Shen—a true heritage of the Sichuan tradition! He surpassed all others; let those with understanding recognize this.

I take principle and concept as seeds, and discursive thought as cultivation, steadily following the Confucian path of my tradition. I humbly say: Master Yan Hui was a man of deep stillness and forgetting. Yet the Master Confucius spoke with him all day. Zigong possessed great eloquence, yet Confucius wished to say nothing. If we understand that speaking all day does not mean something truly exists, then we see the forty-nine-year turning of the Dharma wheel. If we understand that wishing to say nothing does not mean something truly does not exist, then we see the nine-year wall-gazing of the single transmission. Thus, publishing these recorded sayings does not open a convenient door for those who refuse to read or think on principle, does it? I sought the Master's seal on this, and he replied, "Most assuredly." So I wrote this down as the preface.

Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Yunshan Yanju Shen (雲山燕居申禪師語錄)

Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Yunshan Yanju Shen (雲山燕居申禪師語錄)