---
title: "靈峰蕅益大師宗論 · 歙西豐南仁義院普說"
description: "靈峰蕅益大師宗論是明末高僧智旭的著作。明末佛教面臨內部僵化與外部挑戰，智旭大師立足天台宗，主張禪教律淨融合，回應時代弊病。該書匯集其書信、註疏與開示，系統闡述性相融通、淨土為歸的佛學思想，強調解行並進與實踐修行。作為中國佛教史上承先啟後的巨著，它深刻影響了後世漢傳佛教的發展，尤其對淨土宗的推廣貢獻卓著，被尊為淨土宗第九祖的智旭，其思想透過此論成為明清佛教的重要指南。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmgn46fpf0nolk104i097951v"
---

### 歙西豐南仁義院普說

> Universal Dharma Talk at Renyi Monastery, Fengnan, Shexi

諸仁者！生死事大，無常迅速，生不知所從來，死不知所從去，是分段生死苦。念念遷流，剎那不住，是變易生死苦。此二種苦，但是生死枝流，未是生死根源。如何是二種生死根源？不了一真法界，不覺念起，而有無明，妄於平等性中，分能分所、分色分心、分為無為、分漏無漏、分依正、分因果、分善惡、分苦樂、分內外、分大小，乃至種種虛妄分別，便是變易生死根源。不知一切法因緣無性，妄計我人眾生壽者等種種知見，妄起貪瞋癡慢等種種煩惱，便是分段生死根源。此二種根源，總不離現前一念虛妄無明。而虛妄無明，正眼觀來，不在內、不在外、不在中閒，不在過去、不在現在、不在未來，非青黃赤白、非長短方圓，非聲香味觸法、非眼耳鼻舌身意，當下即是真空實相，但由眾生不了，自生迷倒，流轉無窮，所以諸佛出現，祖師西來，直指人心，見性成佛，無非破此二種根源。秖如二祖見初祖云：「我心未安，乞師安心。」初祖云：「將心來，與汝安。」二祖良久云：「覓心了不可得。」初祖云：「與汝安心竟。」只此覓心了不可得一語，大須著眼，莫似鸚鵡禪，但能學語。我且問你：既了不可得，又誰為覓心者？且如現前此身，不出地水火風空識六界，身中堅相是地界，溼相是水界，煖相是火界，動相是風界，骨節毫竅及腑臟疏通處即是空界，見聞覺知分別妄想是心識界。若謂堅相能覓心者，則大地皆能覓心；溼相能覓心者，江河海水皆能覓心；煖相能覓心者，燈灶火乃至劫火皆能覓心；動相能覓心者，大小風乃至毘嵐亦能覓心；空界能覓心者，現前虛空亦能覓心。見聞覺知能覓心者，又喚甚麼作見聞覺知？眼如葡桃朵，耳如新卷葉，鼻如雙垂爪，舌如初偃月，身如腰鼓顙，都是色法，如何能見、能聞、能嗅、能嘗、能覺？意如暗室，見昏擾擾相，自不明了，如何能知？見聞覺知既不可得，安能覓心？如是地、水、火、風、空、識六界，皆不能覓心，畢竟誰為能覓心者？若是箇有血性的男子，到者裏，分疏不下，體會不來，決要討箇分曉，拶到水窮山盡處，如銅牆鐵壁相似，老鼠入牛角，直至沒興路頭窮，向有意無意閒，忽然打失娘生鼻孔，方知能覓所覓，果然了不可得，方是宗門最初一步。若謂此外別有修行，便是天魔外道；若謂此後更無修行，便當朝打三千，暮打八百，貶向阿鼻地獄。何以故，如二祖半世弘法，將大法付與三祖後，更復混跡塵寰，濫同乞士，以自調心。咄！既覓心了不可得，何故又說調心？終非二祖前後自語相違，當知此事，大不容易。溈山祖師云：「此宗難得其妙，切須仔細用心，可中頓悟正因，便是出塵階漸。生生若能不退，佛階決定可期。」古來宗匠，於此一大事因緣，何等慎重真切，豈似末世穢濁狂禪，纔得一知半解，便向人前妄開大口，自誑誑他，壞我祖意，貽禍無窮。當知若從了不可得處安心，則更無一物可貪，即是隨順修行施波羅蜜；更無一塵可染，即是隨順修行戒波羅蜜；更無人我是非可論，即是隨順修行忍波羅蜜；更無懈怠夾雜，即是隨順修行精進波羅蜜；更無散亂妄想，即是隨順修行禪波羅蜜；更無顛倒愚癡，即是隨順修行般若波羅蜜。者箇方是應無所住而生其心。除此心性法門外，何處有戒可持，有教可看，有禪可參？況如來所制大小律儀，皆為斷除現在未來有漏，直下安心，本是至圓至頓。如來所說一代時教，皆是破除我法二執，直下安心，亦是至圓至頓。祖師千七百則公案，皆是隨機設教，解黏去縛，斬破情關識鎖，直下安心，亦是至圓至頓。若不能斷有漏法，即不知戒意；不能破我法二執，即不知教意；不能斬破情關識鎖，即不知祖師西來意。既不知戒意教意祖意，縱三千威儀、八萬細行，性業遮業悉皆清淨，止是人天小果，有漏之因。縱三藏十二部，無不淹貫，談說五時八教，權實本跡，皆悉明了，止是貧人數他寶，身無半錢分。縱公案爛熟，機鋒轉語，頌古拈古，上堂普說等，一一來得，秖足長慢飾非，欺誑人天，皆所謂因地不真，果招紆曲，邪人說正法，正法亦成邪。故《圓覺經》云「末世眾生，無令求悟，唯益多聞，增長我見，但當精勤，降伏煩惱，未得令得，未證令證。」此之謂也。諸仁者！出生死事，大不容易。蕅益道人，二十四歲出家，真為生死大事，真不著一毫意見，真不用一點氣魄，真不為一些名利。只因藏身不密，為一二道友所偪，功用未純，流布太蚤，遂致三十年來，大為虛名所誤。直至於今，髮白面皺，生死大事，尚未了當，言之可羞，思之可痛。所以平生誓不敢稱證稱祖，犯大妄語，誓不敢攝受徒眾，登壇傳戒。邇來并誓不應叢林請，開大法席，蓋誠不肯自欺自誤故也。今玄邃吳居士，普為緇素，特請開示超生脫死法門。蕅益自實未曾超生脫死，如何可開示人？然既同在生死海中，幸於出生死法，頗知真正路頭，故不妨與諸仁者，平實商量最初一步。果欲超生脫死，第一不得意見卜度，第二不得氣魄承當，第三不得雜名利心。適閩之南，適燕之北，路頭一錯，愈趨愈遠。此實言言血淚，字字痛心。秖恐愁人莫向無愁說，說與無愁總不知耳。諸仁者！還知愁麼？佛言：「得人身者，如爪上土，失人身者，如大地土。」一口氣不來，便向驢胎馬腹，胡鑽亂撞，動經千生百劫，得出頭來，知是幾時。況末世邪師說法，如恆河沙，一盲引眾盲，相牽入火坑。故永明大師云：「無禪有淨土，萬修萬人去，有禪無淨土，十人九錯路。」我憨翁大師又云：「今時若有禪無淨，奚止十人九錯，敢保十一箇錯在。」此皆深慈大悲，真語實語。伏願諸仁者，莫墮狂野覆轍，直須痛念無常，信願念佛，求生淨土。此生不向今生度，更向何生度此身。珍重。

> Good people! The matter of birth and death is momentous; impermanence is swift. When born, we do not know where we come from; when we die, we do not know where we go. This is the suffering of \*discrete\* birth and death \[the painful cycling through distinct lives\]. Furthermore, thoughts flow on in an instant, never stopping for a moment—this is the suffering of \*transformational\* birth and death \[the subtle, moment-to-moment change\]. These two kinds of suffering are merely the branches and currents of birth and death; they are not its root source. What, then, are the root sources of these two kinds of suffering? Not understanding the One True Dharma Realm, unaware of the arising of a thought, ignorance (unawareness) emerges. Falsely, within the nature of equality, we make distinctions: subject and object, matter and mind, conditioned and unconditioned, defiled and undefiled, self and environment, cause and effect, good and evil, pleasure and pain, inner and outer, large and small—all kinds of false discrimination. This is the root source of \*transformational\* birth and death. Not understanding that all phenomena have no self-nature and arise from causes and conditions, we falsely cling to notions of a self, a person, a being, a life span, and other such views; we falsely give rise to greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and other afflictions. This is the root source of \*discrete\* birth and death. These two root sources are never separate from the false ignorance (unawareness) of a single thought in the present moment. And this false ignorance—if looked at with the correct eye—is not inside, not outside, not in between. It is not in the past, not in the present, not in the future. It is not blue, yellow, red, or white; not long, short, square, or round; not sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental object; not eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind. Right now, it \*is\* the true nature of reality, the emptiness of true suchness. But because beings do not understand, they delude themselves and become lost, flowing and turning in an endless cycle. That is why the Buddhas appear in the world, and why the Patriarchs came from the West—to point directly to the human mind, so that one sees one's own nature and becomes a Buddha. None of it is for any other purpose than to break through these two root sources. Consider the Second Patriarch (Huike) when he first saw the First Patriarch (Bodhidharma). He said, "My mind is not at peace. Please, Teacher, pacify my mind." The First Patriarch said, "Bring me your mind, and I will pacify it for you." The Second Patriarch remained silent for a long time, then said, "I have searched for the mind, but it is ultimately ungraspable." The First Patriarch said, "Then I have pacified your mind for you." Now, this one phrase—"Searched for the mind but ultimately ungraspable"—requires your close attention. Do not be like a parrot practicing Zen, merely able to mimic words. Let me ask you: Since you say the mind is ultimately ungraspable, then who \*is\* it that does the searching? For example, this present body is nothing more than the six elements: earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness. The solid aspect is the earth element; the fluid aspect is the water element; the warmth is the fire element; the movement is the wind element; the bones, joints, pores, and openings in the organs—this is the space element; seeing, hearing, sensing, knowing, and discriminating thoughts—this is the consciousness element. If you say the solid aspect can search for the mind, then the great earth itself could search for the mind. If the fluid aspect could search for it, then rivers and seas could search. If the warmth could search, then lamps, stoves, fire, and even the fires at the end of an eon could search. If the movement could search, then all breezes and gales could search. If space could search, then the empty sky before us could search. And if seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing could search for the mind, what exactly \*are\* these seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing? The eye is like a grape; the ear like a freshly curled leaf; the nose like a hanging claw; the tongue like a new crescent moon; the body like a drum’s striking pad—these are all material forms. How can they \*truly\* see, hear, smell, taste, or feel? The mind (intellect) is like a dark room; it perceives confused, restless images, yet is unclear within itself—how can it \*know\*? Since seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing are themselves ultimately ungraspable, how could they search for the mind? Thus, the six elements—earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness—cannot find the mind. So who, after all, is the one that \*can\* search? If you are a man of true spirit and blood, when you get to this point, unable to reason it out or grasp it through understanding, you must be determined to find clarity. Press on until you reach the mountain’s end and the river’s source. You’ll feel like you're hitting an impenetrable bronze wall or an iron barrier, like a mouse stuck in a cow’s horn. Go all the way until you reach a dead end, the road exhausted. Then, suddenly, in a moment between intention and non-intention, you will abruptly lose your “nose born from your mother,” and you will truly know that the seeker and the sought are \*indeed\* ultimately ungraspable. This is the very first step of the Zen school. If you think there is some other kind of cultivation beyond this, you are a follower of devils or heretics. If you think that after this there is no more cultivation needed, then you deserve to be beaten three thousand times in the morning and eight hundred times at night, and be cast down into the Avici Hell. Why? Because the Second Patriarch, after propagating the Dharma for half a lifetime and transmitting the great teaching to the Third Patriarch, still mingled in the dusty world, pretending to be a common beggar, in order to \*tame his own mind\*. Ha! If he already knew the mind was ultimately ungraspable, why did he still speak of \*taming the mind\*? It is not that the Second Patriarch contradicted himself. You need to know that this matter is far from easy! Ancestor Guishan said: “This school is difficult to master in its subtlety. You must be careful and apply your mind. If you can suddenly awaken to the right cause, that will be the first step on the path out of the dusty world. If you can live life after life without backsliding, the attainment of Buddhahood can surely be expected.” How careful and sincere the ancient masters were regarding this one great matter of birth and death! How unlike the impure, deluded “Zen” of the later days, where with just a half-understanding, people open their mouths and wildly boast, deceiving themselves and others, corrupting the intention of the Patriarchs, and causing endless harm. You should know: If you pacify your mind from the perspective of “ultimately ungraspable,” then there is nothing to be attached to. This is to practice the Perfection of Generosity. There is nothing impure to cling to—this is to practice the Perfection of Moral Conduct. There is no self or others, no right or wrong—this is to practice the Perfection of Patience. There is no laziness—this is to practice the Perfection of Vigor. There is no scattering or deluded thoughts—this is to practice the Perfection of Meditation. There is no inversion or ignorance—this is to practice the Perfection of Wisdom. Only \*this\* is “to give rise to the mind that abides nowhere.” Apart from this mind-nature Dharma gate, where else is there a precept to hold, a teaching to read, or a Chan koan to investigate? Furthermore, the various precepts and regulations set down by the Tathagata are all for cutting off defiled dharmas in the present and future, and for directly pacifying the mind. They are ultimately perfect and sudden. The whole body of teachings spoken by the Tathagata throughout his life is for destroying the two attachments to self and to phenomena, and for directly pacifying the mind. This, too, is ultimately perfect and sudden. The seventeen hundred koans of the ancient masters are all skillful means tailored to the student, dissolving attachments, cutting through emotional bonds and cognitive locks, and directly pacifying the mind. This, too, is ultimately perfect and sudden. If you cannot cut off defiled dharmas, you do not understand the meaning of the precepts. If you cannot destroy the attachments to self and phenomena, you do not understand the meaning of the teachings. If you cannot cut through the barriers of emotion and cognition, you do not understand the meaning of the Patriarchs coming from the West. If you do not understand the meaning of the precepts, the teachings, or the Patriarchs, then even if you perfectly observe the three thousand rules of conduct and the eighty thousand fine practices, and are pure regarding both inherent and circumstantial offenses, it is still a small human or heavenly reward—the cause of conditioned existence. Even if you have thoroughly mastered the entire Tripitaka and can discourse on the five periods and eight teachings, the provisional and real, the root and the branches—it’s just a poor man counting another’s treasure, without a cent to his name. Even if you are thoroughly familiar with the ancient koans and can produce clever responses and commentaries, give formal talks, and all the rest—this only serves to increase your arrogance and cover up your faults, deceiving both humans and gods. This is what is meant by: “If the cause is not true, the result will be crooked.” When a wrong person speaks the correct Dharma, even the correct Dharma becomes wrong. Therefore, the \*Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment\* says: “In the final age, beings should not seek awakening merely through more learning, which only increases the view of self. They should instead diligently endeavor to subdue their afflictions. What they have not yet attained, they should strive to attain; what they have not yet realized, they should strive to realize.” This is the point. Good people! Escaping the matter of birth and death is extremely difficult. The writer, Ouyi, became a monk at the age of twenty-four. He truly sought to resolve the great matter of birth and death, without a trace of personal opinion, without using personal energy, and with not a shred of greed for fame or profit. But because he did not hide himself carefully, he was pressured by one or two friends. His spiritual work was not yet pure, and his teachings spread too early. As a result, for the past thirty years, he has been greatly misled by his own empty reputation. Up to the present day, with hair white and face wrinkled, the great matter of birth and death is still not settled. Speaking of it brings shame; thinking of it brings pain. That is why he has vowed never to claim enlightenment or recognition as an ancestral master, thus committing the great offense of false speech. He has vowed never to gather disciples or ascend the platform to transmit precepts. Lately, he has vowed not to accept invitations from monasteries to lead great Dharma assemblies, because he really does not want to deceive himself or others. Now, the layman Wu Xuansui, representing both monks and laypeople, has specially requested instruction on the method for transcending birth and death. Since Ouyi himself has not yet transcended birth and death, how can he teach others? Yet, since we are all in the sea of birth and death together, by good fortune he does know the correct path for escaping it. Therefore, I can share with you all a straightforward discussion of the very first step. If you truly wish to transcend birth and death, \*\*First\*\*, do not rely on speculation or opinion. \*\*Second\*\*, do not try to take it on with personal force. \*\*Third\*\*, do not mix in thoughts of fame or profit. Going south to Fujian while aiming for the north to Yan—if you start on the wrong path, you will get further with every step. These words are spoken truly with tears of blood, every one of them wounding the heart. I am just afraid we do not tell our sorrows to those without sorrow, for when you speak to the sorrowless, they do not understand it at all. Good people! Do you yet know sorrow? The Buddha said: “Those who gain a human body are like the dust on a fingernail; those who lose their human body are like the great earth.” If you can’t get your breath back, you’ll go tumbling headfirst into the womb of a donkey or a horse, drifting for thousands of eons or hundreds of lives before emerging again—who knows when that will be? And worse, in the final age, false teachers are abundant as the sands of the river Ganges. One blind person leads a crowd of the blind—they lead each other into a pit of fire. Therefore, Master Yongming said: “Without Chan, but with Pure Land practice, ten thousand cultivate and ten thousand reach the goal. With Chan but without Pure Land practice, nine out of ten will miss the path.” My master, Master Han Shan, said further: “These days, if one has Chan without Pure Land, not only will nine out of ten be mistaken, I guarantee that all eleven will be mistaken.” These words come from deepest compassion and kindness; they are true words, real words. I sincerely pray that you, good people, do not fall into the same error as the mad and wild. You must earnestly contemplate impermanence, develop faith and vows, recite the Buddha’s name, and seek rebirth in the Pure Land. If you do not attain liberation in this very life, in what other life will you be saved? Take care of yourselves.