天然和尚年谱

这位和尚法名函昰，字丽中，别号天然，继承长庆寺空隐道独的禅法，是博山无异元来的嫡传大弟子，为曹洞宗第三十四代传人。俗家本姓曾，名起莘，字宅师，籍贯番禺县慕德里司迼逕村，世代为当地名门望族。（据《天然昰禅师语录》所附今辩撰《行状》及汤来贺撰《塔志铭》载。按：同治版《番禺县志·本传》注称："本县慕德里司迼逕村《曾氏族谱》载有禅师俗家支系"。雍正版《广东通志·选举表》记作"花县人"。檀萃《楚庭稗珠录》卷四载："一作花县迼逕人"。考康熙二十四年划南海、番禺两县地置花县，宣统版《番禺县续志·舆地图》显示吉逕划入花县界内，与慕德里司接壤，《舆地志》记载相同。盖因迼逕与吉逕实为同地，原属番禺，后归花县，故有两种说法。道光版《广东通志·本传》作南雄人，其《选举表》及道光版《南海县志·本传》作南海人均误。道独禅师字宗宝，号空隐，南海陆氏子弟。二十九岁入博山参谒无异元来，得传心法，先后住持华首寺、长庆寺、海幢寺。著有《长庆语录》。元来禅师字无异，龙沙舒氏，住持博山寺，著有《无异语录集要》。）

Father, named Chang Wei, style name Benjing, was likely born in the ninth year of the Wanli era, Xin Si year (1581). Mother, named Han Fu, style name Zhimu, was the eldest daughter of Lin Luochang from Panyu, Guantang Village. Born in the twelfth year of the Wanli era, Jia Shen year (1584), she married Benjing in the thirty-second year of the Wanli era, Jia Chen year (1604). Both later renounced worldly life. (Source: "Biographical Account"; Jinwu's "Guangxuantai Ji," vol. 10, "Epitaph for Venerable Zhimu of Dairi Hermitage." Note: Benjing's birth year is inferred from the line "a seventy-year-old man first entered the temple" in the poem "Leifeng in March" from "Xiatang Poetry Collection," vol. 10, believed to have been written in the seventh year of the Shunzhi era.)

本净公生有一子，即是和尚。生有三女，长女嫁于罗氏，早逝；次女名今心，字顿彻；幼女名今再，字来机，皆为和尚之妹，出家于广州城东无著庵为比丘尼。

妻某氏，名函脱，字善解，拜道独和尚为师成为比丘尼。（详见本谱崇祯十五年壬午条。按：无著庵祖堂神牌记有善解脱，蔡守《寒琼室笔记》稿本称：“相传为来机之嫂。”此乃和尚之俗家妻子，既拜道独为师，其字派当为函字。）