靈峰蕅益大師宗論序說(有小引)
Preface to Master Ouyi's Collected Works(With a short introduction)
成時，輯 老人七稿成，通序大意。越一日，作序說。其言別，故不入序；不屬科，故不立例。凡十五段。
Completed, the Elder's seven manuscripts were compiled, and the general preface was communicated with its main ideas. A day later, the author wrote a separate discourse. Its content differed, so it was not included in the preface; it did not belong to the classification system, so a standard format was not established. In total, it comprises fifteen sections.
達磨大師懲專逐名相之陋，力為學者明宗，而不立文字一語，遂為昧宗者所執。執之既久，由狂入癡，故永明大師大開教眼，以明宗鏡。至寂音師，且說文字禪。紫柏大師，寂音再來，而憨山師，直顏其全書曰《紫柏集》。憨集最富，未傳，紫竹林顓愚師，為憨大師獨契，亦自顏其書為《紫竹林集》。諸老懲無聞之禍，救不立文字之弊，心良苦矣。竊恐此風既盛，凡沙門稍擅世譽者，皆思以文相炫。夫文盛道亦必衰，試觀唐宋儒，多以文字成名，號稱作者，深為宮牆之辱，可使釋子復覆其轍乎？故雖老人別顏七稿，多自稱集，今不敢以集行，然亦不敢名為錄。何故？今之祖錄遍天壤矣，老人每齒及，則痛心泣血，故亦不敢也。
Master Bodhidharma vehemently opposed the shallow preoccupation with outward names and forms. He worked tirelessly to clarify the fundamental principle for practitioners, but his statement "not establishing words" was later seized upon by those who misunderstood the core. After clinging to this misinterpretation for a long time, they went from wild zeal to dull confusion. Therefore, Master Yongming opened wide the eye of the teachings to illuminate the Mirror of the Fundamental. Master Jiyin even spoke of "word Zen." Master Zibo was an incarnation of Jiyin's spirit, and Master Hanshan directly titled his collection of Zibo's works "The Zibo Collection." Hanshan's own collection was extremely rich but did not survive. Master Zhuanyu of the Purple Bamboo Grove, who was Hanshan's closest disciple, likewise titled his book "The Purple Bamboo Grove Collection." These elders feared the disaster of vanishing without a trace and sought to remedy the pitfall of renouncing words; their efforts came from deep compassion. I worry that once this trend of indulgence in literary expression gains momentum, any monk who gains even a modest reputation will want to flaunt his skill with words. When literary flourish blossoms, true spirituality inevitably declines. Look at the Confucian scholars of the Tang and Song dynasties: many gained fame through writing and called themselves "authors," but this deeply disgraced the true spirit of their tradition. Should we allow Buddhists to repeat the same mistake? Therefore, although the elder had prepared seven distinct drafts which he personally called "collections," I now dare not publish them as a "collection." Yet I also dare not call them a "record" either. Why is that? Today, "records of the patriarchs" litter the earth, and every time the elder mentions them, he feels such bitterness and grief that he weeps blood. So for that reason as well, I dare not adopt the name.
昔陽明子在日，有《傳習錄》，附錄數冊行世；公薨，出文錄、外集等。後華亭、新建諸公，懼學者弗克盡讀也，彙成全書以傳。夫作者，非有意行其言也，閱歲月，涉山川，接人物，幻成文勢，不得不別其久也。書不全，道亦不彰；言既散，傳必不盛。聖君賢臣，採藏天府，皆無統緒可遵；有會一者，恐失其舊。是故言之始，不得不分，終不得不合，勢也。今輯七稿為一，作者海印炳現，讀者古鏡全收，庶天朝採錄，無零落割裂之虞矣。
During Master Yangming's lifetime, his *Instructions for Practical Living* and several volumes of recorded sayings were already in circulation. After his passing, collections of his literary works, additional writings, and other materials were published. Later, scholars from Huating and Xinjian, concerned that their contemporaries might not have access to all these writings, compiled a complete edition for transmission.
A true author does not deliberately set out to propagate his words. As time passes, as he journeys through mountains and rivers, and as he engages with people, his writing naturally takes shape through these experiences—thus it must be distinguished by its evolution. If the body of his work remains incomplete, his teachings will not shine clearly. If his words are scattered, their transmission will not flourish.
Even when sagely rulers and virtuous ministers collected these writings in the imperial libraries, there was no consistent system to follow. Those who attempted to unify them feared losing the original form. Therefore, at the beginning, the writings had to be separated, and in the end, they had to be consolidated—this is the natural course of things.
Now we have gathered seven manuscripts into a single volume. The author's luminous presence shines forth in full brilliance, and the reader receives a complete reflection as if from an ancient mirror. May this ensure that when the imperial court collects these works, there will be no worry about omissions or fragmented pieces.
大卷唯十，避繁也。一一卷中，復開子卷，備梵冊也。
The ten large volumes avoid complexity. Within each volume, sub-volumes are further opened, serving as complete Sanskrit scriptures.
文以類出，取便耳，非以文體也。見文則昧道，因文則明道，達文則證道，證道而後知文無體也。
Words emerge by category for convenience, not as fixed forms. Clinging to words obscures the Way; Using words illuminates the Way; Mastering words actualizes the Way; Only after realizing the Way does one know that words have no fixed form.
不肖戊子歲，始晤大師。師一日顧予曰：「吾昔年念念思復比丘戒法，邇年念念求西方耳。」時大駭，何不力復佛世芳規邪？久之，始知師在家發大菩提願以為之，本出家一意宗乘，徑山大悟後，徹見近世禪者之病，在絕無正知見，非在多知見；在不尊重波羅提木叉，非在著戒相也。故抹倒禪之一字，力以戒教匡救。尤志求五比丘，如法共住，令正法重興後，決不可得，遂一意西馳，冀乘本願輪，仗諸佛力，再來與拔。至於隨時著述，竭力講演，皆聊與有緣下圓頓種，非法界眾生一時成佛、直下相應，太平無事之初志矣。
In the year of Wuzi, I first met the Great Master. One day, the Master said to me, "In past years, my every thought was on restoring the monastic precepts. In recent years, my every thought is directed toward the Western Pure Land." At that time, I was greatly shocked. Why would he not strive to revive the glorious traditions of the Buddha's time?
It was only later that I understood: while still a layperson, the Master had made the great bodhi vow as his foundation. After becoming a monk, his single-minded focus was on the Chan school; following his great enlightenment at Jingshan, he clearly saw the illness of modern Chan practitioners—not that they lacked insight, but that they had no true understanding; not that they were overly attached to precept forms, but that they did not respect the Pratimoksha. Therefore, he discarded the very word "Chan" and devoted his strength to rescuing the Dharma through precepts and teachings.
He especially yearned to find five monks to live together in accordance with the Dharma, so that the true Dharma could revive. But realizing this was utterly impossible in the end, he turned his entire focus westward, hoping to rely on his fundamental vow, with the power of all Buddhas, to return and rescue beings.
As for his continuous writing and tireless teaching—these were merely means to plant seeds of the perfect sudden teaching for those with affinities. This was far from his original aspiration of leading all beings in the Dharma realm to Buddhahood in one lifetime, entering the state of peace and tranquility from the very beginning.
佛法有偏痛快、偏精細者，則性快心細之人，各偏好之。唯此論快性者，必失麤淺；細心者，必失廉纖。縱高明不敢昧綱宗，不敢輕名相，而綱宗只作綱宗會，名相只作名相會，終為俗學。若能知非綱宗、非名相，而麤淺、廉纖二病頓超者，雖為執鞭，所欣慕焉。
Some Buddhadharma tends toward sharpness or precision. Those with sharp minds prefer sharpness; those with meticulous minds prefer precision. But one who prefers sharpness will inevitably misss subtleties, while one who prefers precision inevitably gets bogged down in triviality. Even if a perceptive person does not neglect the essential principles or disregard terminology, they still only understand principles as principles and terms as terms—ultimately remaining a pedestrian scholar. If someone can recognize that there is no fixed principle nor fixed terminology, and can at once transcend both the fault of shallowness and the fault of fussiness, then I would be glad to follow them, even as their servant.
自人不悟圓宗諸佛願海，無能隨順修學者不知，非真實發大菩提心，一切盡成虛解。縱有為生死志，亦必入小乘權曲境界。若並無此志，直成修羅、魔外何疑。老人一生，於法界三寶前，緣法界眾生，殷勤發願。今願文一卷，直顯不思議境界，真無上醍醐也。吾見有憎者，謂為繁瑣。有讚歎者，讀其文惟恐臥。有感動流淚者，然亦未遑直下承當，徹悟性修之致。嗟乎，何真法之不易讀若此。小子時，敬然臂香四十八炷，普為法界眾生，等供安養願王。乞吾師願文，於一切世閒大作佛事，願遇者興起感觸，徹悟諸佛即自心本性，庶不令一切願王久淪於異生界也。
People who do not realize the perfect Dharma and do not understand the sea of vows made by all Buddhas cannot truly awaken the great Bodhi mind; without genuine awakening, everything becomes mere empty intellectual understanding. Even if one has the aspiration to transcend birth and death, they will fall into the limited and provisional paths of the Lesser Vehicle. If they lack even that aspiration, they will inevitably become asuras or demons—there is no doubt.
The Elder devoted his entire life to diligently making vows before the Dharma Realm's Three Jewels, on behalf of all beings throughout the Dharma Realm. This single volume of vow texts directly reveals the inconceivable realm—truly the supreme nectar. I have seen people who dislike it, calling it too detailed. Others praise it, reading it so intently they fear falling asleep. Some are so moved that they weep. Yet even they have not fully accepted it or thoroughly awakened to the ultimate meaning of nature and practice. Alas, why is it so difficult for true Dharma to be read and understood this way?
When I was young, I respectfully burned forty-eight sticks of incense on my arms, making offerings equally to the King of Vows in the Land of Peace and Nourishment on behalf of all beings throughout the Dharma Realm. I sought the Elder’s vow text to perform great Buddha work throughout the world, so that all who encounter it may be stirred and awakened, thoroughly realizing that all Buddhas are none other than their own inherent mind-nature. May it ensure that the King of Vows does not long remain submerged in the realm of ordinary beings.
淨土一門，真參禪學教持戒者所共趨。夫彌陀寂光，即自心理智，由不悟故，橫生邪慢，取笑識者。讀宗論，幸徹底薦取，則無邊法藏一以貫之矣。棒打石人頭，暴暴論實事。八十翁入場，不是小兒戲。是之謂乎。
The Pure Land path is a direction truly taken by those who sincerely practice Chan meditation, study the teachings, and uphold the precepts. Amitabha's realm of tranquil light is none other than the wisdom and principle inherent in our own mind.
Due to failure to realize this, people arbitrarily give rise to distorted views and arrogance, becoming a laughingstock to the wise. When reading the "Treatise on the True Teaching," if you can thoroughly penetrate it, then the boundless treasury of teachings becomes unified and flows through everything.
"A staff striking a stone statue's head—each blow deals with real matters." "An eighty-year-old entering the examination hall—this is no child's play." Is this not precisely the meaning?
學佛僻謬者，皆法外取心，世之本來面目，向上一著是也。計此必成惡取空見，佛目此病，為不可救。《圓覺經》誡取圓覺，大乘止觀誡先觀真如，諸祖深訶邪禪暗證，意皆在此。今論示第一義心，圓妙明快，千古未有。讀者諦審諦觀，字字從繩，言言破的，或得之。
Those who study Buddhism and fall into error seek the mind outside the Dharma. The original face of the world is precisely the ultimate step upward. Those who fixate on this inevitably end up with a nihilistic view of emptiness. The Buddha regarded this sickness as incurable. The *Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment* warns against grasping perfect enlightenment; the *Great Vehicle Calming and Contemplation* warns against contemplating suchness first. All the ancient masters deeply condemned heretical Zen and dark realization, precisely for this reason. This treatise now reveals the mind of ultimate truth—perfect, subtle, clear, and swift—unprecedented through the ages. Readers should examine it carefully and observe it precisely, following the words as a plumb line, letting each phrase hit the mark. Perhaps you will attain it.
先師自行，不過破流俗知見，於現前一念，了一切法而已。法語中，亦唯以此剖心膽，傾腸腹，而發明介爾一念，在續集寱餘尤詳。蓋鼓兩片皮既久，唯覺此話大神至明也。雖然，失之亦成話柄，得之不外言詮。吾雖不敢謂有是語，尤不敢謂無是語也。
My late teacher’s practice was simply to break through common worldly views—to understand all phenomena within this very moment of mind. In his Dharma talks, he likewise poured out his heart and mind solely to illuminate this single instant of awareness, with particular clarity in the Continued Collection and other writings. After speaking for so long, he found this teaching to be the most profound and luminous. Yet, if misunderstood, it becomes mere idle talk; if grasped, it remains within the realm of words. Although I dare not claim these exact words exist, I also dare not claim they do not exist.
法語書柬中，諸名公鉅卿，遵大師原稿，但書姓氏，概不書尊稱，以末法道則僧體日卑，爭務乞靈人爵，俗則我相日重，終難覷破浮雲。兩者皆生死根株，於道何啻霄壤。若非各懋盛德，安能共扇真風。今唯重道誼，以副護法天龍之望。
In the collection of Dharma letters, many distinguished officials and nobles, following the Master's original manuscript, only refer to people by their surnames, without any honorific titles. This is because in the declining age of the Dharma, the status of monastics has increasingly diminished, as they compete to seek worldly rank and favor. Meanwhile, laypeople's attachment to self has grown heavier, making it difficult for them to see through the illusions of this floating world.
Both of these attitudes are roots of birth-and-death, and are as different from the Path as heaven is from earth. If individuals do not cultivate vast virtue, how can they together spread the true breeze of the Dharma? Now, above all, we value sincerity and virtue in the Dharma, so as to fulfill the hopes of the Dharma-protecting dragons and heavenly beings.
儒宗隱覆之說，非深契法華三昧，及華嚴事事無礙法界，未易拈提。求曲盡同異之致，匯歸一實，千百世來，大師一人而已。孔子，顏子，文中子後，陽明子處隱顯閒，蕅益子繼之，大闡開顯之道，緬想時會，應非偶然。今而後，庶吾人一實事，會其有極，歸其有極也夫。雖然，蕅益子云：「非行之艱，知之尤艱。」敢告。
The Confucian teaching of concealing the truth within metaphors is not easily revealed without a deep realization of the Lotus Samadhi and the Avatamsaka's realm of unimpeded interpenetration of all phenomena. To fully explore the similarities and differences among these teachings and harmonize them into a single ultimate truth—only one master in thousands of years has achieved this. After Confucius, Yanzi, and Wang Tong came Wang Yangming, who lived between concealment and manifestation. Master Ouyi followed him, greatly expanding the path of open revelation. Reflecting on the circumstances of their times, this was no coincidence. From now on, may we all directly realize the single ultimate truth, align with its ultimate standard, and return to that ultimate foundation. Nevertheless, Master Ouyi said, "It is not action that is difficult, but understanding that is especially difficult." This I humbly offer as a reminder.
忠孝至佛始極。不知其極，或以愛論俗典揀之，竟成無君無父，全違金口誠言。或以至德要道收之，又墮有漏有為，全乖出世正軌。一大事之乖張僻謬久矣。
Loyalty and filial piety reach their ultimate expression only in Buddhahood. Those who do not understand this ultimate truth may judge Buddhism by worldly texts that speak of love, concluding that it discards both sovereign and parent, completely contradicting the golden words of the Buddha. Others try to fit it into categories of supreme virtue and essential paths, but then it falls into conditioned and constructed realms, entirely missing the true path of transcendence. For a long time now, this great matter has been misunderstood and distorted.
讀宗論，但貴用極，不貴株守。守則揀，不守則收。子臣弟友，丘未能一。嗚呼！一大事之彰明會一久矣。
When studying the essential texts, what matters is grasping the ultimate principle, not clinging rigidly to any single point. Clinging leads to exclusion, while non-clinging leads to inclusion. Even Confucius admitted he could not perfectly fulfill all the duties of a subject, a parent, a child, or a friend. Alas! The great matter of life and death—its clear, unified truth—has been obscured for far too long.
先師著述，除宗論外，其釋論，則有：《阿彌陀要解》(一卷)，《占察玄疏》(三卷)，《楞伽義疏》(十卷)，《盂蘭新疏》(一卷)，《大佛頂玄文》(十二卷)，《準提持法》(一卷)，《金剛破空論附觀心釋》(二卷)，《心經略解》(一卷)，《法華會義》(十六卷)，《妙玄節要》(二卷)，《法華綸貫》(一卷)，《齋經科註》(一卷)，《遺教解》(一卷)，《梵網合註》(八卷)後附授戒法、學戒法、梵網懺法問辯(共一卷)，《優婆塞戒經受戒品箋要》(一卷)，《羯磨文釋》(一卷)，《戒本經箋要》(一卷)，《毗尼集要》(十七卷)，《大小持戒犍度略釋》(一卷)，《戒消災經略釋》(一卷)，《五戒相經略解》(一卷)，《沙彌戒要》(一卷)，《唯識心要》(十卷)，《八要直解》(八卷)，《起信裂網疏》(六卷)，《大乘止觀釋要》(四卷)，《大悲行法辯訛》(一卷)附觀想偈略釋、法性觀、懺壇軌式(三種)，《四十二章經解》(一卷)，《八大人覺經解》(一卷)，《占察行法》(一卷)，《禮地藏儀》(一卷)，《教觀綱宗并釋義》(二卷)，《閱藏知津》(四十四卷)，《法海觀瀾》(五卷)，《旃珊錄》(一卷)，《選佛譜》(六卷)，《重訂諸經日誦》(二卷)，《周易禪解》(十卷)，《闢邪集》(二卷)。共四十七種(板俱在嘉興府楞嚴寺)，是為靈峰二論目錄(大記，《明咒行法》，《四書蕅益解》未行)。宗論全部，可取其中讚戒者，別為戒波羅密之書；讚淨土者，別為祕藏指南之書。或合上二者，別為不昧因果之書。儻能盡美盡善，則有大利而無害。未遑別刻，附記於此。
Aside from his collected writings on principle, our late teacher's commentaries on the sutras include: *The Essential Commentary on the Amitabha Sutra*(one volume), *The Mysterious Commentary on the Divination Sutra*(three volumes), *The Commentary on the Lankavatara Sutra*(ten volumes), *The New Commentary on the Ullambana Sutra*(one volume), *The Mysterious Text of the Shurangama Sutra*(twelve volumes), *The Method of Holding the Cundi Mantra*(one volume), *The Commentary on the Diamond Sutra: Breaking Wrong Views of Emptiness, with a Commentary on Contemplating the Mind*(two volumes), *A Brief Explanation of the Heart Sutra*(one volume), *The Combined Meaning of the Lotus Sutra*(sixteen volumes), *The Essential Meaning of the Profound and Mysterious*(two volumes), *A Comprehensive Outline of the Lotus Sutra*(one volume), *The Annotated Sutra on Fasting*(one volume), *The Commentary on the Sutra of the Buddha's Bequeathed Teachings*(one volume), *The Combined Annotations on the Brahma's Net Sutra*(eight volumes) (with appended material on precept transmission, precept learning, and a question-and-answer manual for the Brahma's Net Repentance Ritual, totaling one volume), *A Concise Explanation of the Chapter on Receiving Precepts from the Upasaka Precept Sutra*(one volume), *An Explanation of the Karmavacana*(one volume), *A Concise Explanation of the Pratimoksha Sutra*(one volume), *A Collection of Essential Vinaya Texts*(seventeen volumes), *A Brief Explanation of the Chapter on Upholding Precepts, Large and Small*(one volume), *A Brief Explanation of the Sutra on Precepts Eliminating Disasters*(one volume), *A Brief Explanation of the Sutra on the Marks of the Five Precepts*(one volume), *The Essentials of the Shramanera Precepts*(one volume), *The Essential Meaning of Consciousness-Only*(ten volumes), *Direct Explanations of the Eight Essentials*(eight volumes), *The Commentary on the Awakening of Faith: Tearing the Net of Doubts*(six volumes), *An Explanation of the Essentials of Mahayana Calming and Contemplation*(four volumes), *Correcting Errors in the Method of Practicing Great Compassion*(one volume) (with appended materials: a brief explanation of visualization verses, a contemplation on true nature, and the formal procedure for the repentance platform, three items total), *The Commentary on the Sutra of Forty-Two Sections*(one volume), *The Commentary on the Sutra on the Eight Realizations of Great Beings*(one volume), *The Method of Practicing the Divination Sutra*(one volume), *The Ritual for Making Offerings to Earth Treasury Bodhisattva*(one volume), *The Essential Points of the Teachings and Contemplations, with Explanation*(two volumes), *Navigating the Scriptural Treasury*(forty-four volumes), *Surveying the Vast Ocean of Dharma*(five volumes), *A Record of Sandalwood*(one volume), *Selecting the Buddha's Emissaries*(six volumes), *A Revised Daily Liturgy of All Sutras*(two volumes), *A Meditation on the Book of Changes*(ten volumes), and *A Collection to Refute Heresy*(two volumes). There are forty-seven total titles (the printing blocks are held at Lengyan Temple in Jiaxing). This constitutes the catalog of our teacher's secondary and foundational writings (note: *The Great Chronicle*, *Methods for Practicing Dharani*, and *Ouyi's Commentary on the Four Books* remain unpublished).
From his collected writings on principle, one may select the passages that praise the precepts to form a separate volume on the Perfection of Ethical Conduct (Shila Paramita). From those praising the Pure Land, one may form a separate volume titled *A Guide to the Hidden Treasury*. One could also combine the two above into a volume on the non-confusion of cause and effect. If such works were done to perfection, they would lead to great benefit and no harm. I have not yet had time to produce these separate editions, so I append this note here.