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師建安丁氏子。年十五出家。十八納戒偏歷講習。久參永覺。針芥投契。覺年八十付以衣拂。說偈曰。曾在壽昌橋上過。豈隨流俗漫生枝。一髮欲存千聖脈。此心能有幾人知。潦倒殘年今八十。大事於茲方付伊。三十年中鹽醬事。古人有語不相欺。逆風把柁千釣力。方能永定太平基。康熙任午九月初七日。集眾示寂。壽八十八。與鼓山寶福。白雲廣福。開元四剎。著有華嚴疏論篡要等經論。共二十八種一百九十六卷行世。
七十世鼓山為霖，這霖就是甘霖，天上下著雨也叫霖。道霈，這不是下雨。道霈，這個道
，好像下雨似地。霈就是下得很恰到好處一一霈然，在孟上不是說:
「天油然作雲，霈然下雨，則苗勃然興之。」這個霈，也就是那個霈一一道霈於天下。蒼生也就是那個草木。這是說的他所教化的眾生。
「師建安丁氏子」：建安也就是福建。「年十五出家」：年十五歲，他就出家了。「十八納戒」：十八歲就受具足戒。納戒就是受具足戒。「過參講席」：他到處去參加聽講，也參加講演，互相論道。「久參永覺」：他親近永覺的時間最久。「針芥投契」：針就是最小的那個針尖上；芥就是有股辣昧。言其志同道合，趣味相投，也就是彼此互相瞭解。甚至於他心裏想是酸的，哎！他就做點酸的給他吃;他想吃點甜的，他就給他弄點甜的來吃。
這是個比喻，你不要以為: 「噢！將來我也給師父弄點甜的，弄點酸的，弄點辣的，他會
喜歡的。」不是這樣的。真正修道的人是君子謀道不謀食，不會拿吃東西當一回事的。你要
儘用吃東西來供養你所親近的善知識，那你就是罵善知識呢？我告訴你們，你就是看不起那個善知識。好像看那個善識就只會吃，不懂得旁的。所以這個針芥投契，就是互相有緣，志同道合，不謀而合。他想什麼，他也就知道什
麼，互相一對眼，也就心心相印，能以依賴不渝，互相幫助，互相鼓勵，成就道業，這就是投契。投契就是契合；契合就是互相不違背。你也不和我吵架，我和你也不拌嘴，這就互相契合了。就是
NO
FIGHT。
「覺年八十」， 「付以衣拂」：就是傳給他這個衣缽了。拂就是那個拂塵。「說偈曰」，也和他說了一首偈。
「曾在壽昌橋上過」： r曾」這個字讀「陳
」音。這個壽昌是一個禪師的稱號。本來是壽昌寺，可是一般人稱呼這法師，不稱名，而以地為他的稱呼。就好像稱呼我們那個袁大皇帝
，不稱呼他袁世凱，而稱袁憲成。因為他生在憲成縣，所以叫袁憲成，而不名。稱地而不名，這是古來一種尊稱。所以曾在壽昌橋上過。
就是都從壽昌禪師那一道橋上過的。那一道橋是什麼橋呢？就是這個教化眾生的橋，也就是說法度生的橋，也就是從這個生死的此岸，到涅槃的彼岸那一條橋。從那個地方過來的。這一般人看的好像就是一個橋，其實就是說他那個度人舟，他度人的橋。所以說「曾在壽昌橋上過」。
「豈隨流俗漫生枝」：因為你在壽昌橋那兒過來的，我們豈可以就隨波逐浪，隨著這個流俗這麼轉呢？這「漫生枝」：就是生出一些個枝葉。漫就是漫無目的地生枝，就是生那一些個末梢的那個道理
，不是講那個根本的法門了。就離開根本，跑到末梢上去了。你在那壽昌橋上過來的人，我們應該傳佛心印，不應該信那個旁門外道去。也就是要傳佛的正法眼藏，不可以同流合污、隨波逐流，不可以
和一般人那麼樣子。
「一髮欲存千聖脈」：我們這個力量，就好像一條頭髮那麼微細，可是我想要把過去諸佛的命脈，都給繼續傳下去，要荷擔如來的家業，把它傳出去。「千聖脈」：
就是所有的過去諸佛這個命脈我都要傳。「此心能有幾人知」：可是我這個苦心，世間能有幾個人暸解、知道呢？
其實這是無病呻吟。為什麼要叫人瞭解呢？知道呢？人不知道不是更好嘛？所以這還是在那兒發牢騷，怨天尤人地。「潦倒殘年今八十」：我很沒有什麼出息，這一生沒有什麼成就。殘年，我已經老衰了，年紀八十歲啦！
「大事於茲方付伊」，這個大事就是生死的大事，也就是傳佛心印的這個大事
，傳佛衣缽的大事。「方付伊」：我交給這個道霈禪師。這是永覺給他說的，伊就是指道霈禪師。
「三十年中鹽醬事」：我這三十年裡頭的鹽醬事。 這個鹽醬也是個比喻。這就是說：
「我三十年裡面調眾一一調眾就是帶領出家人在這裏修道。他沒有油的，我給加上一點油。他做點什麼菜呀飯呀，這個就是他修行的少了什麼，我就給他，幫助他一點，加上一點油鹽醬醋之類的。」這油鹽事，也就是說的這生死大事；不是真是說煮飯啊，炒幾個菜啊，沒有油啊，沒有醬啊，不是那個。
待續
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Text:
The Master was a native of Jian-an, a son of the Ding
family. He left the home-life at the age of fifteen and
received the precepts at the age of eighteen. He then
traveled everywhere attending lectures and spent a long time
studying under Master Yongjue (Eternal Enlightenment). They
were as closely matched as the tip of a needle and a mustard
seed. When Master Yongjue was eighty, he bequeathed the
robe, bowl, and whisk to him and spoke a verse: "Having
walked across Shouchang's bridge, how can we follow the
worldly trend and casually branch off? With the strength of
a strand of hair, we want to preserve the lineage of the
thousands of sages. How many people can understand my heart?
At the age of eighty, I've had no success. I now entrust the
great matter to him. I have taken care of the 'salt and
sauce matters' for thirty years. The words of the ancients
are not to cheat people. Row against the wind using
tremendous strength. Then you'll be able to lay an eternal
foundation for peace."
On the seventh day of the ninth month in
the year of renwu (1702) of the Kangxi reign period, he
convened the assembly and manifested the stillness. He was
eighty-eight years old. He had established the four
monasteries of Baofu Monastery at Gushan, Baiyun Monastery,
Yongquan Monastery, and Guangfu Monastery. His works include
a total of twenty-eight treatises on Sutras, including the
Treatise on the Essentials of the Avatamsaka
Prologue. These were circulated in 196 scrolls.
Commentary:
Dhyana Master Weilin of Gushan was a patriarch of the
seventieth generation. "Lin" means sweet rain, rain from the
heavens. "Daopei" means that the Dao, the Way, is like the
rain. "Pei" means the rain is just right. There's a
line in the Book of Mencius that says, "When clouds form
like grease in the sky, there is torrential rain, and then
the sprouting plants grow and flourish." Here the
word "pei" means the Way flourishes in the world. The
thriving plants are an analogy for the living beings this
Dhyana Master taught and transformed.
The Master was a native of Jian-an,
a son of the Ding family. Jian-an is Fujian
Province. He left the home-life at the age of
fifteen and received the precepts at the age of eighteen.
He received the complete precepts at eighteen. He
then traveled everywhere attending lectures and spent a long
time studying under Master Yongjue (Eternal Enlightenment).
He listened to lectures and also gave lectures and took part
in discussions about the spiritual path. He spent the most
time with Dhyana Master Yongjue. They were as
closely matched as the tip of a needle and a mustard seed.
A needle has a tiny point. A mustard seed has an acerbic
taste. This means their aspirations and spiritual paths were
similar. They had matching interests and understood each
other very well. For example, if one of them wanted
something sour, the other would make some sour-flavored food
for him. If he wanted to eat something sweet, he would
prepare some sweet food for him.
This is just an analogy. You shouldn't
think, "Oh, I'm going to fix something sour, something
sweet, or something spicy for my teacher. That'll make him
happy" It's not that way. True cultivators should concern
themselves with the Way, not with food. Food isn't important
to them. If you only want to make offerings of food to your
teacher, you're just insulting him. You're just showing that
you look down on him, I tell you. You treat your teacher as
if he cared only about eating and nothing else. .
"Matching as closely as the tip of a
needle and a mustard seed" means they had affinities with
each other. They shared the same ideals. If one of them
thought a certain way, the other would agree. With a glance,
they could understand each other. They could rely on each
other, help each other, and exhort each other to accomplish
the Way. Their matching meant they were in harmony and
didn't go against each other. They didn't argue or bicker
with each other. They didn't fight.
When Master Yongjue was eighty,
he bequeathed the robe, bowl, and whisk to him and spoke a
verse: "Having walked across Shouchang's bridge ...
" Shouchang is the title of a Dhyana Master. Shouchang is
the name of a monastery, but people referred to the Dharma
Master by the name of his place rather than by his own name.
This is an ancient custom of using place names as honorific
titles. For example, people referred to Emperor Yuan not as
Yuan Shikai (his given name), but as Yuan Xiancheng, because
he was born in Xiancheng County. We all crossed over
Shouchang's bridge. What bridge is that? The bridge
symbolizes his teaching and transforming of living beings,
his speaking of Dharma to save living beings. It's a bridge
taking us from the shore of birth and death to the opposite
shore of Nirvana. We came across that bridge. Most people
think this is talking about a real bridge, but it's really
referring to his crossing over of living beings being like a
ferry or a bridge.
"How can we follow the worldly
trend and casually branch off?" Since we came
across Shouchang's bridge, how can we let ourselves drift
with the waves and be carried awav bv the worldly current?
How can we aimlessly branch off to the superficialities and
leave the fundamental Dharma behind? How can we leave the
root and run off to the branchtips? Since we have come
across Shouchang's bridge, we should transmit the Buddha's
mind-seal, and not believe in the teachings of outside ways.
We ought to propagate the Buddha's Proper Dharma Eye
Treasury. We must not go along with the defiled trends of
the world and act like ordinary people.
"With the strength of a strand of
hair, we want to preserve the lineage of the thousands of
sages. " Although our strength is as slight as that
of a single strand of hair, we wish to perpetuate the
life-pulse of all Buddhas of the past. With a strength of a
hair, I want to carry on the Thus Come One's mission and
propagate it widely. I want to continue the lineage of all
the Buddhas of the past. How many people can understand my
heart? How many people in the world can understand my heart
and the pains I have gone to?
Actually, he is complaining for no
reason. Why would he want people to understand? Isn't it
better if people don’t understand? He's just grumbling for
the sake of it. At the age of eighty, I've had no success. I
haven't accomplished much in this life. I'm already old,
already eighty years of age! I now entrust the great matter
to him. Dhyana Master Yongjue says "I pass it on to Dhyana
Master Daopei."
I have taken care of the "salt
and sauce matters" for thirty years. "Salt and
sauce" is an analogy. The meaning is, I have regulated the
assembly—Ied the monks -- in their cultivation here. If one
of them doesn't have oil, I add a bit of oil. Whatever he's
short of in his cultivation, I give to him to help him out.
It's like adding some oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and so
on to whatever dish he is cooking. "Salt and sauce matters"
refers to the great matter of birth and death; it's not
really talking about cooking and being short of oil and soy
sauce.
~To be comtinued |
