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【 佛祖道影白話解 】

Commentary on the Lives of the Patriarchs

六十一世松庭子嚴禪師
61st Generational Patriarch Dhyana Master Dz Yen of Sung Ting Monastery

虛雲老和尚集 Composed by the Elder Master Yun
宣化上人講 Commentary by the Venerable Master Hua

接上期

無常鬼就說:「哦!你不想去見我的老板啊,現在這個世界上,只有你用念珠打掉兩個牙的這位聖僧,這位印度的祖師,佛教的祖師,我們閻羅王見了他,都要叩頭頂禮的。如果他要留下你,他叫閻羅王不要你去,那我們老板也沒有辦法。」神光一聽,就說:「唉呀!有這門路我可以走,你們先等一等,不要叫我,我現在先不去,等我見到這位印度和尚再說。」無常鬼就說:「好!我衝著被你打掉兩個牙聖僧的面子,我可以緩期再請你去赴宴。」神光這時就著急了,怎麼樣呢?把穿的鞋只穿了一隻鞋,就踢哩噠啦地追菩提達摩去了。菩提達摩在路上還遇到一個小插曲,什麼小插曲呢?就是見著一個人養了一隻鸚鵡,這鸚鵡認識菩提達摩,一見到菩提達摩就說:「西來意,西來意,請你教我出籠計。」菩提達摩接著就說:「出籠計,出籠計,兩腿伸直兩眼閉,這就是你的出籠計。」這鸚鵡一聽,啊!這是教牠裝死嘛!牠就等著主人回來的時候,就兩腿伸直兩眼閉,在那兒等著裝死。鸚鵡的主人回來,先要看看他的寵物,這個鸚鵡是他的寵物,他很愛惜的,回來先看一看,也不去看老婆,也不去看孩子,先要看看他的寵物。到這兒一看,腿也伸得直直的,眼睛也閉著,怎麼搞的,誰給我弄死了?於是乎就把籠子門打開了,伸手就把鸚鵡拿到手裡,他一摸,身上還是熱的,哦!這大概剛死。先前用手抓著,還不敢放開,左看,右看,什麼病啊?看完了,哦,真死了,手就打開了,這一打開,這鸚鵡噗…就飛了。這一飛了,他想要抓也抓不住了,這是出籠計。菩提達摩一跑,就跑到河南的熊耳山,在那兒面壁九載,神光就追到他那兒去,在那兒給他跪了九載。所以說:「萬法歸一一歸何,神光不明趕達摩,熊耳山前跪九載,只求一點躲閻羅。」這樣子跪了九年,有一天就下雪,下得有兩、三呎深,神光在那兒跪著,雪齊沒到腰把腰都遮上了,於是就請求達摩傳給他法,怎麼樣才能不去見閻羅王。菩提達摩說:「你看外面是什麼?」神光說:「下雪!」「雪是什麼顏色?」「是白色的!」達摩說:「你看天上什麼時候下紅色的雪,我再傳給你法。」神光一想,這回糟了,天怎麼會下紅色的雪呢?想了一想,靈機一動,看牆上掛了一把戒刀,他把戒刀就摘下來,照著自己的手臂上就剁下了,剁了一刀,這一刀就把他手剁下來,血如泉湧,血就像湧泉似地流下來,他用血把天所下的雪都給染紅色了。他就把這個紅雪拿去給菩提達摩看,說:「尊者!你看現在雪是紅色的了。。尊者一看,他把手臂剁下來一個,心裡就想,我這回到中國算是沒有白來,雖然掉了兩個牙,仇也報了,你的臂也斷了一隻,好了!那我現在就傳給你法了。於是就傳他法,神光接受傳法後,就說:「尊者!我的胳臂很痛,我心裡很痛的,請你給我安心,請你教我心裡不痛。」菩提達摩說:「好!你把心拿來,我給你安,將心來,與汝安。」神光說:「覓心了不可得,說我找心找不著。」菩提達摩說:「與汝安心意,我已經給你安心完了,你既然沒有心,為什又有痛。」這時神光言下大悟,就開悟了。於是乎就做了禪宗的二祖,是個拽子,只有一個手臂,大約是左臂沒有了,留著右邊的臂好寫字。所以這是菩提達摩面壁臺,在那兒面壁的一個臺。

嚴公為法不惜命:子嚴禪師他到處去參訪,初參江月照和息菴讓,以後又參淳拙禪師,這是當時有名的三位禪師,沒有名的相信還不只這幾位,他為法忘軀,到處去求法,所以才說嚴公為法不惜命。就是搭上生命,他也不在乎。

拙者施教暢所懷:拙者是淳拙禪師施教,就是布施給他的教化,用教化來做布施。我們現在在這裡講經說法,都是做法布施,你布施出來一點,我也布施出來一點,大家都做一個法布施,所以這是一個很好的法會。不管講得好不好,都能發願出來講,以後就會造就出很多說法人才,由少而多。好像我剛到三藩市講經說法,只有一兩個人來聽,現在有十個、八個的,我覺得已經很不少、很滿足了,到了萬佛城之後,每天現在都有幾十人在那兒聽法,如果我不在,他們也聽錄音帶,都很有規矩的。可以說你到全世界那一個地方,也找不著這樣來弘揚佛法的道場。拙者施教暢所懷,因為他把他所有懷抱的智慧都能發展出來,他心裡的懷抱都暢達無礙了。

蠱毒難侵何須吐:如果你到這境界蠱毒都入不了你,你又何必吐出來?以前有人想把達摩禪師毒死,給他下毒藥六次,他都不在乎,一點什麼問題也沒有,他只是吃下去也沒吐出來,所以「也須吞得入吐得出」,這已經是不合乎「縱遇鋒刀常坦坦,假饒毒藥也閒閒」的意思了,所以淳拙說:「蒼天更添冤苦,何須吐」,不需要再吐嘛!你不怕它,你吐它幹什麼?不會中毒就得了嘛!

甘露普潤育英才:甘露的法水普潤一切有造就的人才,就是這位子嚴禪師說法能造就出很多法門龍象,法門的英才。秦鏡高懸照群品:這位尊者是能以這樣子虛心來學習佛法,能以明白佛教眞正的要義,也就好像秦鏡高懸一樣的,普照一切的山河大地、房廊屋舍、有情無情、飛潛動植,這一切他都可以照,所以說照群品,有情無情他都可以來教化,來給他們說法。

枯木生花歎奇哉:就像枯槁的木頭又生出了花,這是很奇怪的事情,這是不容易的事情。所以今天這個 lecture 就是這樣子,希望我們大家都枯木生花。

(continued from last issue)

The Ghosts of Impermanence replied,"Ah! So you don't want to see our boss. In this world, there is only that sagely monk whose teeth you just knocked out with your recitation beads, that Buddhist patriarch, to whom even our King Yama must bow when he meets him. If he wants to let you stay, and not let you go, then our boss cannot do anything about it." Shen Gwang listened and exclaimed, "Ah! This is the way out. All of you, please wait a bit. I am not going to see King Yama just yet. Wait until I've seen this Indian monk, and then we'll see." Hearing this, the Ghosts of Impermanence said, "Alright! We can postpone your invitation to the party." Shen Gwang was now very anxious, so anxious that he only put on one shoe, and stumbled in pursuit of Bodhidharma. As Bodhidharma was going on his way, he encountered a small incident. What incident? He saw a man's pet parrot. This parrot recognized Bodhidharma, and as soon as it saw Bodhidharma , it said, "Mind from the West, Mind from the West, please teach me the way to escape from the cage." Bodhidharma replied, "To escape from the cage, to escape from the cage, stretch out your legs, and shut both eyes. This is the way to escape from the cage." The parrot listened and thought, "Aha! This means I should pretend to be dead." So he waited until his master returned, and stretched his legs out and shut his eyes, feigning death. Each time the master returned, he would first go to see his pet, for he loved it very much. He wouldn't see his wife or children; he had to see his pet first. When he took a look, the parrot had its legs stretched out and its eyes shut. "Oh no! What happened? Who killed it?" So saying, he opened the cage and stretched his hand in to hold the parrot. Its body was still warm to the touch. "Oh! It probably just died. Looking at it from the left and right, thinking it was really dead, he opened his hand. As soon as he opened his hand, Trrr! The parrot flew away. Once the parrot took flight, there was no way it could be caught it. So that was the trick to get out of the cage. Bodhidharma's journey took him all the way to Bear's Ear Mountain in Henan Province, where he sat facing a wall for nine years. Shen Gwang also chased him there, and knelt by him for nine years. So it's said, "The myriad dharmas return to one, what does the one return to ?" Shen Gwang didn't understand, and chased after Bodhidharma. Kneeling for nine years in front of Bear's Ear Mountain, he only sought a way to escape Yama. One day, after he had knelt for nine years, the snow fell two or three feet deep, reaching up to Shen Gwang's waist as he knelt. He then requested Bodhidharma to transmit the Dharma to him, so that he could avoid seeing King Yama. Bodhidharma asked, "What do you see falling outside?" Shen Gwang answered, "The snow is falling." Bodhidharma then asked, "What color is the snow?" Shen Gwang replied, "It's white." Bodhidharma said, "When you see red snow falling, I will transmit this Dharma to you." Shen Gwang thought, "Now I'm stuck, for how can red snow fall from the sky?" He thought and thought, and suddenly an idea popped into his head. Seeing a precept knife hanging on the wall, he took it and hacked off his arm. The blood gushed forth like a spring. The severed arm turned all the snow crimson. He showed this crimson snow to Bodhidharma, saying, "Look, Venerable One, now the snow is red." The Venerable One took a look and saw that he had chopped off one arm, and thought , "Ah! I have not come to China in vain this time. Although I've lost two teeth, you've lost one arm. We are even now. Alright! I will transmit the Dharma to you." After Shen Gwang had received the Dharma-transmission, he said, "Venerable One, my arm is in great pain, and my mind is also hurting. Please soothe my mind for me." Bodhidharma said, "Fine, show me your mind, and I will soothe it for you." Shen Gwang said, "I cannot find my mind." Bodhidharma said, "Okay, I have already soothed your mind. Since you have no mind, how can there be pain?" Hearing these words, Shen Gwang became greatly awakened. Thus he became the Second Patriarch of the Chan School. He had only one arm—probably the left arm was gone, leaving the right arm so he could still write. So this is Bodhidharma faced the wall.

The Venerable Yen forgot his life for the Dharma. Dhyana Master Dz Yen made visits everywhere, first calling on Jau of Jyang-ywe and Rang of Syi-an, and later visiting Dhyana Master Tswun Jwo. These three Dhyana Masters were famous in their time. I believe he visited quite a few less well-known Masters as well. He forgot his life as he sought the Dharma everywhere. He didn't mind giving up his life.

Jwo bestows the teaching and he spills out the ideal in his bossom. Dhyana Master bestowed the Dharma upon him, teaching and transforming him. Now as we are all here lecturing the Sutras and speaking the Dharma, we are also giving Dharma. You give a little, I give a little, and everyone gives some Dharma, so this is a wonderful Dharma Assembly. Whether you speak well or not, you should all resolve to come out and speak. Then in the future we will gradually have many people who can speak Dharma. When I first came to San Francisco, only one or two people came to hear me lecture the Sutras and speak Dharma. Now there are eight or ten people, which I feel is quite a lot, and I'm very content. Since we came to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, each day several dozen people come to listen to the Dharma. If I am not here, they are very disciplined and still listen to tapes. You could travel the whole world, yet not find another Way-place propagating the Dharma in this way. Now after Dhyana Master Dz Yen received the gift of Dharma and teaching from Dhyana Master Tswun Jwo, he was able to realize all the wisdom and ideals in his mind, without obstruction.

The gu-poison has difficulty entering, so why spit it out? If you reach this state, why do you need to spit out the gu-poison? In the past, people poisoned Dhyana Master Bodhidharma six times, but he didn't mind; there was no problem—he just ingested the poison, and didn't spit it back out. The idea that "one must be able to swallow it as well as spit it out" doesn't agree with the meaning of "Even if I meet with a knife's point, I am always completely tranquil. If I am given a poisonous drug, I am still totally at ease." That's why Tswun Jwo said,"You're just looking for trouble in the world. Why spit it out?" There's no need to spit it out. If you're not afraid of it, why bother to spit it out? It's enough that you don't get poisoned.

Sweet dew pervasively nourishes and develops bright talent. The sweet dew Dharma water pervasively nourishes people of potential talent. When Dhyana Master Dz Yen speaks Dharma, he can train many heroes and talents of Buddhism.

The Chin Mirror hangs on high, reflecting all categories of beings. This Venerable who studied the Dharma with such humility and understood the true meaning of Buddhism, was just like the Chin mirror suspended high up, shining on all the mountains, rivers, and the great earth, the roads and buildings, sentient and insentient beings, flying, swimming, and crawling creatures. He would illuminate all categories of beings. He taught and transformed both sentient and insentient beings, speaking the Dharma for them.

Flowers bloom on withered wood, and people sigh, "How rare!" This is like dried wood on which flowers grow. This is a strange and rare event. Today's lecture is also like this. Hopefully all of us can be like the dry wood that grows flowers once again.

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