靈峰始日大師私諡竊議
Master Lingfeng's Posthumous Title: A Private Discussion
古歙門人成時稽首百拜議
Colophon from disciple Chengshi of Guxi, with reverent prostrations
蕅益老人遷化靈峰，門人成時，議行私諡。或曰：「有典乎？」曰：「自柳下惠後，有王文中，朱文忠，陶靖節，蕭文元諸人，皆門人。為道而尊師，尊師以明道，由周而來，昭昭也。」曰：「世閒法耳，出世有典乎？」曰：「志磐師作《佛祖統紀》，興道下八世，無師號者，悉立私諡志之，曰：是蓋尊祖之大義也，世出世何閒哉。」曰：「聞其典，知其義矣，未悉其故，豈無力請於朝，或位不在龍錫之列邪？抑朝有所諱，定論不得不在野邪？」曰：「蔡邕、元結，豈不能為朱穆、元延祖乞易名於漢唐之世乎？文忠、靖節，載在《漢書》、《宋史》，功令何嘗拘？聖明何嘗諱乎？然則何故？」曰：「不失其實也。世閒聖賢，有舉世不見其心者，柳下為士師，三黜不去，欲護生於刀鋸鼎鑊閒也。既不能大行其道，以期於無刑，則不羞不卑，隨地救民於死，其和也，所以行其惠也。此意當時不知，唯中饋知之，非惠之一言，而柳下隱矣。一字斷金，柳下之心見，千古聖賢心學亦見。言不失其實者，利澤天下，萬世無疆也。若夫出世宗匠，道為心性，全體大用，心合生佛，慈力悲仰，難知難見尤甚。然正法猶不為難，末法魔強法弱，正衰邪熾，則誠難。觀行相似以上，猶不為難。具縛凡夫，以肉眼作佛眼用，則尤難。既難知難見如此，不惟嘉號缺然，堪為法道之懼，即過推神聖，錫智勇，亦不足發潛德而迪後彥。故從來若及門、若遠裔，皆深引為慮，而仁人哲士，亦不得不憫其衷而韙其說，不忍概以愚賤斥之也。夫大宗哲匠，淵懿不彰。雖靈山王臣，咸以為恥，百世苗裔，咸以為憂。而其罪不得不屬之及門流亞。門內瞢瞢，王臣何所採。當世寂寂，曠代何從聞。噫，大矣哉，私諡之所由來也。」或人於是懼曰：「幸從子聞其典，知其義，復究其故。已之，是不仁也。以愚賤避罪，是不智也。願與聞蕅益老人師號。」於是成時謹稽首百拜議曰：「佛法之盛也，三學一源。其季也，三學鼎足。其衰也，三學互諍。至其極也，三學內証，至內訌，一切人皆為破法之人，一切法皆賊人之法。斯時也，非溯其源，曷救正哉？今日支那三學，其內訌也甚矣。 先大師生當其世，自號孤臣孽子，力揭三學一源以救之。其於律也，以斷有漏法為宗，洞開遮，會同異，融大小，顯修證，純乳無水，即律即教即禪，一如先佛世尊之律，師未嘗有一行也。稽諸古，宣公不逮。若夫恒轉三輪，深契二共，師尚不敢擬雲棲、顓愚二師，矧東林、天台臨濟諸老，其於教也，以破我法二執為宗，教觀並明，性相互融，權實不二，性修交徹，純乳無水，即教即律即禪，一如先佛世尊之教，師未嘗有一字也，稽諸古荊谿清涼不逮。若夫五品誕登，三因圓發，師尚不敢擬幽谿，矧天台、慈恩、永明諸老，至師之禪，徹悟心源，深契方便，法法皆通，法法皆備，而無一法可得，即禪即律即教，允為曹谿永明之徒。而師終以戒之定道未深，教之理果未剋，故遂不敢謬膺祖位，墮邇來大妄語之覆轍。蓋唯真實識法，是以真實知懼，豈非名字位中大宗匠之正標榜哉。夫日之方昇也，大地未盡蒙光，而普天胥旦。濃夢者雖未瞻明，而夜遊伏匿，作務興成，其師之象歟。宜尊稱為始日大師。謹按志磐法師，諡道興法智諸祖也，曰：『他日有能考論懿德，上之清朝，賜以徽諡者，幸當用此定名，庶乎不失其實。』先大師貫徹三學，力振頹流，其著述若釋論，若宗論，皆慧命所關，津梁斯在，上考先佛，下俟後聖，當必有乘願大士，受靈山囑者，為之入藏流通。徽諡定名，幸存今議，不敢過，不敢不及也。」補傳後一日。
When Master Ouyi passed away at Lingfeng, his disciple Chengshi proposed conferring a private posthumous title upon him. Someone asked, "Is there a precedent for this?" Chengshi replied, "Since the time of Liuxiahui, there have been figures like Wang Wenzhong, Zhu Wenzhong, Tao Jingjie, and Xiao Wenyuan—all posthumously honored by their disciples. For the sake of the Way, disciples honor their teachers, and honoring teachers illuminates the Way. This tradition has been clear since the Zhou dynasty."
The questioner then asked, "But that is a worldly custom—is there a precedent within the monastic tradition?" Chengshi answered, "Master Zhipan, in his *Comprehensive Chronicle of the Buddhas and Patriarchs*, established private posthumous titles for all masters from the eighth generation of Xingdao onward who lacked official titles. This, he said, was a profound expression of honoring one's lineage. What difference is there between worldly and transcendent matters in this regard?"
The questioner pressed further: "I have heard the precedent and understand its meaning, but I do not grasp the reason behind it. Was it because the teacher lacked the power to petition the court, or was his status not worthy of imperial favor? Or was the court avoiding certain topics, leaving final judgments to the common people?" Chengshi answered, "Could Cai Yong and Yuan Jie not have requested posthumous names for Zhu Mu and Yuan Yanzu from the Han and Tang courts? Zhu Wenzhong and Tao Jingjie are recorded in the *Book of Han* and the *History of the Song Dynasty*—was the state's authority ever too rigid to allow this? Was the imperial court truly so adverse? So why is it necessary?"
The questioner then asked, "What is the reason?" Chengshi explained, "It is to preserve the truth. The world's sages and worthies often have their true intentions hidden. Liuxiahui served as a prison warden and refused to leave despite three demotions, because he wished to protect life even amidst swords and cauldrons. Since he could not fully implement his Way to eliminate punishment, he did not consider it shameful to humble himself; he saved people from death wherever he could. His harmony was how he enacted his compassion. No one at the time understood this—only his inner circle knew. Without the word 'compassion,' Liuxiahui's hidden virtue would have been lost. One word, as decisive as cutting metal, reveals not only his heart but also the heart-mind of all sages throughout history. 'Preserving the truth' here means benefiting all under heaven for countless ages.
"As for the great masters of the monastic tradition, their Way is mind-nature itself, its full substance and function. Their minds unite with living beings and Buddhas; their compassion, power, and mercy are profound and mysterious, even harder to know or see than that of worldly sages. Yet this is not difficult during the age of True Dharma. In the era of Declining Dharma, where demons prevail and the Dharma weakens, where the correct wanes and the wrong rages—this is truly difficult. For those at the stages of contemplation and similarity is still not hard, but ordinary beings, bound by afflictions, trying to use human eyes as Buddha eyes—that is the hardest of all. Seeing how difficult it is to know and perceive true worth, it is no surprise that masterful titles are lacking. This is a matter of grave concern for the Dharma. Even if we overestimate saints and grant them titles like 'Wise' or 'Brave,' it is not enough to reveal their hidden virtue and guide future worthy ones. Therefore, disciples, both immediate and later generations, have always reflected deeply on this. Virtuous people and wise scholars cannot help but sympathize with such feelings and respect such reasoning, nor can they bear to dismiss them as foolish or lowly.
"When a great master's profound virtue remains hidden and uncelebrated, even the kings and ministers of Vulture Peak feel shame, and his descendants for a hundred generations grieve. The fault must fall upon his immediate disciples. If those within the gate are blind, what can outside rulers and ministers rely on? If silence prevails in the present age, how will future generations ever hear of him? Alas, how profound is the origin of the private posthumous title!"
The questioner then grew concerned and said, "Fortunately, I have learned from you the precedent, its meaning, and its reason. To stop now would be heartless. To avoid responsibility out of foolishness and humility would be unwise. I wish to join in the deliberation on Elder Ouyi's honorary title." So Chengshi, with sincere reverence, bowed his head and proposed: "When the Buddha's Dharma flourishes, the Three Studies (precepts, teachings, meditation) flow from one source. In its heyday, they stood as three separate legs of a tripod. In decline, they argued with one another. At the extreme, they fought internally, and everyone became a destroyer of Dharma, and all dharmas turned into traps for people. At such a time, without tracing back to the source, how can we set things right? Today, in China, the internal strife among the Three Studies is extreme.
"Our late master was born into this age and called himself a solitary minister and a disowned son, striving to reveal the single source of the Three Studies. In his practice of the precepts, he took cutting off conditioned dharmas as his foundation, thoroughly understanding exemptions and prohibitions, reconciling differences, integrating major and minor precepts, and showing cultivation and realization. Like pure milk without water, his precepts were at once precepts, teachings, and meditation—identical to the precepts of the ancient Buddhas. Yet the master never claimed to have practiced even one precept. Compared to ancient masters, even Master Xuan would not measure up. As for his turning the three wheels of teaching perpetually, deeply realizing the two common bases of the teachings, the master dared not even compare himself to Master Yunqi or Master Zhuanyu, let alone to Elders of the Donglin, Tiantai, or Linji schools. In his teachings, he took breaking self-grasping and dharma-grasping as his foundation, illuminating both doctrine and contemplation equally, integrating nature and characteristics, combining provisional and ultimate, interweaving inherent nature and cultivation. Like pure milk without water, his teachings were at once teachings, precepts, and meditation—identical to the teachings of the ancient Buddhas. Yet the master never claimed to have written a single character. Compared to ancient masters, even Jingxi and Qingliang would not surpass him. Regarding the stage of the five grades of disciples, the full development of the three causes of Buddhahood—the master dared not even compare himself to Master Youxi, let alone to such elders of Tiantai, Cien, or Yongming. As for his meditation, he thoroughly realized the source of mind and deeply understood skillful means. Every dharma was understood, every dharma was complete, yet not a single dharma could be grasped. His meditation was at once meditation, precepts, and teachings—truly worthy of the lineage of Caoxi and Yongming. Yet the master said that his attainment in the precepts—the depth of meditative stability—was not yet profound, and his attainment in the teachings—the effect of principle—was not yet fully realized. Thus, he dared not falsely accept the title of Patriarch and fall into the common fault of wild claims. Indeed, only one who truly knows the Dharma can truly know to be cautious. Is this not the true model for a great master in the stage of theoretical understanding?
"The sun, as it rises, has not yet fully illuminated the whole earth, yet the world turns toward dawn. Deeply dreaming people may not yet see the light, but night-roamers hide, and daily work begins—does this not mirror our master? He should be revered by the title 'Master of the Rising Sun' (Shiri Dashi). In accordance with Master Zhipan’s practice, who bestowed the titles Patriach Daoxing and Fachi with such words: 'If in the future someone can assess the hidden virtue and petition the court to bestow an imperial honorary name, let them use this fixed name, for then it will not deviate from the truth.' Our late master thoroughly mastered the Three Studies and forcefully revived the declining tradition. His writings—commentaries on texts and on the essential doctrine—are all vital to the wisdom-life and serve as ferries to liberation. Looking back to the ancient Buddhas and forward to future saints, there will certainly be great beings, entrusted by the assembly at Vulture Peak, who will see his works included in the canon. This proposal for an honorary title remains for now—humbly offered, neither excessive nor insufficient."
Recorded one day after the supplementary biography.