梓舟船禪師語錄序
Preface to the Recorded Sayings of Zen Master Zizhou Chuan
余癸卯之四月，督運鄖襄，以備秦豫之師。舟次鹿門灘，遙望山間隱隱有紫氣，知其中有至人。月夜杖履往覓焉，屢跨懸澗，迷道而歸。季夏旋舟，於酷暑炎日之下，再一往覓，雖揮汗成雨，足力既窮，而勇往不懈，以胸中懷至人，若赤肉團上一無位真人，來來往往，故艱涉而心怡也。馮虛御風，何足云喻？披荊蓁，拔藤蘿，羊腸鳥道，數息而至其境。未見禪師，已入彌勒樓閣矣；既見禪師，將謂別峰見德雲矣。促膝晤對，方丈一語，入維摩不二法門矣；把手相將，巖頂共遊，踏佛頂𩕳行矣。厥後或在署，簿書倉忙；或入峽，貔貅震驚；或渡險，風濤湍漩。千危萬艱際，無不印合水乳，時時與禪師若覿面也。蓋邇來獅吼遍地，法幢如林，即余之遍踏名山，歷參知識亦眾矣。未見梓舟大禪師，南宗北宗合一也，一葉五花匯源也。未承曹洞之脈，而兼擅其綿密，無連纖之偏；現接臨濟之傳，而獨得其直捷，無魯莽之失。龍象中又出類拔萃者，佛稱聖中聖、天中天，禪師乃悟中悟、禪上禪也，何可易得而易遇哉？丙午孟夏，乘寶筏過鄂渚，訪余於署。余謁於靈山蘭若，酬答瞬焉耳。然對無心道人彈指共座，開我心花，即三千大千七寶以用布施，所獲福利，恒沙難量，況示眾普說機緣，頌偈成帙成錄，大彰正令，顯發無上，將大地眾生齊攜般若船中，一渡永渡，則禪師人天眼目也、法王宗子也，何可無一言以讚之？且承法乳者，二隱大和尚也。余壬午登蓮華峰，參二隱於蓮心精舍，話心達旦，誠世代法親也，又何可無一言以贈之？柰公務猥集，無搦管時，而禪師已登舟矣。乘風破浪之間，故不及宣揚道妙，而略述一再晤言一段因緣爾。余曰：「禪師之語錄，可以序、可以讚，則是妄量虛空，乘芥舟觀香水海也。蠓蠛之聲，安能助空谷之音？一拳之石，安能益須彌之高哉？唯曰：觀梓舟禪師語錄，勝持金剛四句偈也。」止止不須說，師法妙難思。因擲筆焉，是為贈序。
In April of the Guimao year, while supervising grain transport to Yun and Xiang to supply the armies of Qin and Yu, I stopped at the Deer Gate Rapids. From afar, I saw purple haze lingering among the mountains, and knew that a sage resided there. One moonlit night, I set out with a staff to seek him out, crossing ravines several times, only to lose my way and return. In late summer, amidst blazing heat and scorching sun, I made a second attempt. Though sweat fell like rain and my strength gave out, my determination never wavered. For I carried a sage in my heart—like a true person dwelling in the raw, unadorned mass of flesh—coming and going, so that even hardship brought joy. Gliding on the wind or riding the clouds could hardly compare! Pushing through thorny brambles, pulling aside vines and creepers, I followed winding goat paths and bird trails, pausing to catch my breath, until I arrived at his abode. Before I even met the Zen master, I had already entered the tower of Maitreya. Once I met him, I felt as if I had seen Virtue Cloud upon another peak. Kneeling close in conversation, a single word from him opened the Dharma gate of non-duality of Vimalakīrti. Hand in hand, we roamed the mountain peak, treading upon the crown of the Buddha. Afterward, whether I was at the government office, buried in documents and duties, or entering the gorges, startled by the war cries of soldiers, or crossing dangerous rapids amid surging winds and whirlpools, in the midst of countless perils and hardships, everything resonated with him like milk blending with water. At every moment, I felt as if I were face-to-face with the master. Truly, the lion’s roar resounds across the land, and Dharma banners stand like a forest. I have trodden famous mountains and consulted many awakened teachers. Yet none compare to Master Zizhou, the great Zen patriarch, who unites the Southern and Northern Schools, merging the one leaf of the five flowers into a single source. Though not inheriting the Caodong lineage, he embodies its subtle and thorough style without its weakness; although he has received the Linji transmission, he excels in its directness without its recklessness. He stands out among dragons and elephants—the Buddha is called “Sage among sages, Heaven among heavens,” and this master is “Awakening within awakening, Zen beyond Zen.” How could it be easy to meet such a rare being? In early summer of the Bingwu year, he came to visit me in the office on a Dharma vessel, crossing through the E region. I paid my respects at Spirit Mountain Monastery. Our exchange was brief, like a blink of the eye. Yet, sitting with this mind-free sage and sharing a single snap of the fingers opened the flower of my heart. If one were to give away the seven treasures of the three thousand great worlds, the resulting merit would be immeasurable as the sands of the Ganges— how much more so for presenting these recorded encounters, verses, and sermons that uphold the true teaching and reveal the unsurpassed, guiding all beings aboard the ship of prajñā for a crossing that lasts forever! Thus, this master is the eye of humans and devas, the Dharma King’s true heir. How could there be no word of praise? And the Dharma he inherited comes from the great abbot Eryin. In the Renwu year, I climbed Lotus Peak and visited Eryin at his Lotus Heart Hut. We spoke from the heart until dawn. Truly, we share a Dharma-family connection from past lives. How, then, could I remain silent? But official duties overcrowded me, and I had no moment to hold a brush. By then, the master had already boarded his boat and sailed away on wind and waves. Hence, I had no time to properly proclaim the wondrous Dharma, but only briefly recount the connection formed in our two meetings. I thought to myself, “To write a preface or eulogy for the master’s recorded sayings would be like measuring empty space or voyaging across the fragrant ocean in a mustard-seed boat. The hum of a midget fly—how could it enhance the valley wind? A single fist-sized stone can’t add to Mount Sumeru’s height. Rather, I say: Contemplating the recorded sayings of Zen master Zizhou surpasses holding the four-line verse of the Diamond Sutra.” Thus, I stop. There is no need to speak more. The master’s Dharma is wondrous beyond thought. I put down my brush—this shall serve as my parting gift.
髮衲武張聯，法名通陞，沐手拜題。
Monk Wu Zhanglian, dharma name Tongsheng, respectfully inscribes this with washed hands.