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師閩莆田吳氏子。年十二入泮。後見弟妹數人連歿。棄家剃髮竹林豫公。值小參僧問話。師聞之忽有釋然意。一日見首座開示鄰僧。頓覺身心脫落。
北遊下相。結茆白鹿湖。偶泛湖。聞十頃花香。始打失平日所珍惜。受嵩乳密和尚矚。出世六座道場。晚年歸養淮之湖心寺。
於康熙癸亥八月十七日示寂。世壽六十七。嗣法門人三十有七。全身建塔於江寧西華山對鐘嶺。有語錄詩文百餘卷行世。
這位禪師叫大依，號叫南菴。是曹洞宗的七十一代的祖師。「師」：是這位大依禪師。「閩」：他是福建的莆田縣的人。「吳氏子」：他姓吳，一般人叫口天吳。「年十二」：他在十二歲那年。「入泮」：他在讀中學。「後見」：以後他見到。他「弟妹數人連歿」：一連著的他幾個弟弟、妹妹沒有多久就都死了。「棄家剃髮」：於是乎他看這生死無常這麼樣地迅速，所謂「莫待老來方學道，孤墳都是少年人。」既然對生死沒有把握，到時候病來了這個身體也保不住了，健康也不能保了，你就用什麼樣的醫生來看著，也是到時病了還是要死。不要說我們普通人要死，就是醫生也一樣要死的。醫生他給人家治病，到他自己得到死病的時候，他也治不了的。所以這世界所有的三教九流，五行八德都是有他的用處，究竟他的用處會不會徹底解決問題呢？這是不一定的，那麼醫生若得到要死的病，他也一樣要死的，說到這個地方，我想起來一個閻羅王也有病，要請醫生來給閻羅王治病的故事。
閻羅王這掌生死的問題，自己有病了請醫生要請一個好醫生。他就吩咐這個小鬼說是啊：「我現在有病。我這個病一定要請醫生來給看看是個什麼病？可是你請醫生，你到醫生的門口先看一看。看什麼呢？看看那醫生門口有多少冤魂在那兒和他要命？哪個醫生的冤魂少，這個醫生是不錯的。你就幫這個醫生給我請來。」這個鬼欽差就去請醫生。到各醫生門前看，都是千千萬萬那麼多冤魂在那兒園著。這個也要命，那個也要命——他把我誤醫，醫死我了。那麼就有一個醫生門口就有兩個鬼，一個大鬼，一個小鬼。這個鬼欽差一看，這個醫生一定是最好的醫生，就進去啦。
進去，閻羅王就問他說：「你年紀很輕的，你做醫生作了多久啦？看你也不是一個專家。你給人治病治了多久了？」這個醫生說：「喔！我今天一早起才開鋪們。」
那麼閻羅王說：「喔！你一早才開鋪，就有兩個冤魂，你就治死兩個人了！那你這將來怎麼辦呢？你趕快不要做醫生，要再教育。你在我這兒留一留，教育教育再說啦。」
你看看醫生是這樣子；那麼醫生是這樣子，看看什麼不是這樣子？以此類推，什麼都是那裡邊都有些問題在。有好就有壞；有成就有敗；有是就有非；有善就有惡；有守規矩的人，就有不守規矩的人，所以這個「善惡兩條道：修的修，造的造。」明白的人不敢錯因果；不明白的人就不怕因果。
那麼他棄家，就去出家修行。修行最初就是去參拜這個竹林豫公和尚。「值小參僧問話」：這個小參，是在禪堂裡頭有這麼一個很短的時間，誰要有什麼問題就可以提出來問一問，這是小參。僧問話，這在那兒可以講話。在禪堂，不可以講話的時候是不可以講話的。所以「師聞之」：這位大依禪師他聽見了。「忽有釋然意」：忽然他就明白了。釋然，就是那個解不開的結，解開了。他這個扣解開了所以他釋然了。就是這時候，也是開了悟。
「一日」：有一天。「見首座」：首座，就是第一個座位；除了方丈和尚他是坐第一位。那首座和尚在那兒「開示鄰僧」：鄰僧就是鄰單，挨著他坐著的這個一個人。那首座給他講講怎麼樣修行啊，怎麼樣。所以「頓覺身心脫落」：他聽見首座給旁人講法，他也明白了，也開悟了。
「北遊下相」：他就向北去參方，向江蘇那一帶。「結茆白鹿湖」：他自己造了一個茅篷。「偶泛湖」：有一天他就駕著一個小船到湖心那兒去玩去。雖然是駕著小船到湖心，他那也是參禪。
「聞十頃花香」：他在湖心時就聞到湖心有十頃那麼大的一個地方，都有花香，一股異香撲鼻。
「始打失平日所珍惜」：在這個時候他就開了悟了。「打失」：就把什麼都沒有了，都放下了。平日他所寶貴的，所捨不得的都放下了，什麼都沒有了。這時候內無身心，外無世界，把一切一切都知道是虛妄不實的。所以他把他所珍惜，所最放不下的東西都看空了。
「受嵩乳密和尚囑」：這道密和尚囑，就是囑咐他，也就是傳法給他。
「出世六座道場」：他在六個叢林裡頭做過方丈。
「晚年歸養淮之湖心寺」：晚年就是老年。等到他老年的時候就退休了，到湖心寺去靜養。「於康熙癸亥八月十七日」那時候「示寂」。他就圓寂了。「世壽六十七」：他活了六十七歲。「嗣法門人」：接他法的門人，他及門弟子「三十有七」有三十七個。
「全身建塔於江寧」：他這身體是坐著圓寂。在南京江浦縣那個地方。「西華山對鐘嶺」：在那個地方給他建個塔。「有語錄詩文百餘卷行世」：他寫作有語錄，有他的詩和他寫的文章，百餘卷那麼多，都流通在世界上。
待續
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Text:
The Master was a native of utian County in Fujian Province, a son of the Wu family. At age twelve, he entered high school. Later, after seeing his younger brothers and sisters all die in succession, he renounced the home-life and shaved off his hair. He went to pay respects to the Venerable Master Yu at Zhulin (Bamboo Grove). During the question-answer session when a monk was asking a question, the Master heard it and was suddenly liberated. One day he saw the senior-seated monk instructing the monk next to him, and he experienced a sudden awakening in which he transcended his body and mind.
He traveled northward and built a hut at Bailu (White Deer) Lake. One day while sailing on the lake, he smelled fragrance wafting from a field of flowers of ten
qing (about 150 acres). At that point he cast out everything that he usually cherished.
He received the legacy of the Venerable Songru Daomi, and served as abbot at six Way-places. In his old age, he retired to Huxin (Middle of the Lake) Monastery to cultivate quietly. On the seventeenth day of the eighth month in the year
guihai (1683) of the Kangxi reign period, he manifested the stillness. He lived to be sixty-seven, and thirty-seven disciples inherited his Dharma. His body is housed in a stupa in Jiangning, on Duizhong Peak of Xihua Mountain. Over a hundred volumes of his talks, poems, and essays are in circulation.
Commentary:
This Dhyana Master is named Dayi, and his other name is Nan'an. He is a patriarch of the seventy-first generation in the Caodong Sect.
The Master was a native of Futian County in Fujian Province, a son of the Wu family. At age twelve, he entered high school. Later, after seeing his younger brothers and sisters all die in succession in a short period of time,
he renounced the home-life and shaved off his hair. He realized the impermanence of life and swift approach of death. As the saying goes, "Don't wait until old age to cultivate the Way. The lonely graves are filled with young people." If we have no control over birth and death, when sickness comes we cannot hold on to our bodies or our health. No matter what doctor we get, when the time comes, we will still get sick and die. Not only do we ordinary people have to die, even the doctors must die. Doctors can cure other sick people, but when they themselves are fatally ill, they cannot cure themselves. All the professions and branches of knowledge and skill in the world have their applications, but it's not for sure that they are ultimately useful. And so when doctors become fatally ill, they must also die.
This reminds me of the story about how King Yama became sick and wanted to find a doctor to treat him. When King Yama, who manages the affairs of birth and death, became sick himself, he of course wanted to find a good doctor. He told his little ghost, "I have an illness, and I need a doctor to diagnose it for me. But when you find a doctor, first check to see how many vengeful ghosts there are at his door waiting to demand his life. If there are only a few ghosts, then the doctor is pretty good and you can ask him to come." And so off went the ghost messenger to look for a doctor, but at every doctor's door, he found thousands upon tens of thousands of vengeful ghosts waiting to take the doctor's life. Each one was saying, "He gave me the wrong treatment and caused my death." There was only one doctor whose doorway had only two ghosts—a big ghost and a small ghost. "This must be a good doctor," said the ghost messenger, and so they went in. Once inside, King Yama asked the doctor, "You look pretty young. How long have you been practicing medicine? You don't look very experienced to me. How long have you been treating patients?"
"Well, I opened my office just this morning," said the doctor.
"You only started this morning, and you already have two vengeful ghosts that died at your hands!" exclaimed King Yama. "What will become of you in the future? You'd better give up medicine. You can stay with me and learn another trade."
Doctors are that way. Take a look: what profession is not that way? It seems reasonable to say that every profession has its own problems. The good is always accompanied by the bad; success implies failure. With right, there is wrong. With the wholesome, there is the unwholesome. Some people follow the rules, and some don't.
Good and evil are two diverging paths:
You can cultivate the one, or commit the other.
People who understand the way things are dare not make mistakes in cause and effect. Those who do not understand have no fear of cause and effect. The Master renounced his home, which means he left the home-life and went to cultivate. In the beginning,
he went to pay respects to the Venerable Master Yu at Zhulin (Bamboo Grove). During the question-answer session when a monk was asking a question. That's the only time they are allowed to talk. Usually, no talking is allowed in the Chan Hall.
The Master, Dhyana Master Dayi, heard it and was suddenly liberated. He suddenly understood. It was as if there was a knot that could not be untied, and now it was untied. With the knot untied, he was liberated. At that time, he became enlightened.
One day he saw the senior-seated monk, the one who sat in the first seat and who had the highest position under the Abbot,
instructing the monk who sat next to him, giving him advice on how to cultivate.
And upon hearing the senior monk speaking Dharma for someone else,
he himself understood it and experienced a sudden awakening in which he transcended his body and mind. He had an enlightenment.
He traveled northward to visit and study at various monasteries. He went to the area of Jiangsu
and built himself a hut at Bailu (White Deer) Lake. One day while sailing on the lake, he was still investigating his meditation topic. There in the middle of the lake,
he smelled fragrance wafting from a field of flowers of ten
qing (about 150 acres). It was an exquisite and heady fragrance coming from a huge field of flowers.
At that point he cast out everything that he usually cherished. At that point he had an enlightenment, and he put down the things he normally valued and could not relinquish. He let go of them all. At that time, for him there was no body or mind inside, and no world outside. He knew that everything was illusory and unreal, and he saw the emptiness in all the things he had cherished most and had been unable to renounce before.
He received the legacy of the Venerable Songru Daomi, who gave him final instructions and transmitted the Dharma to him,
and served as abbot at six Way-places, six large monasteries.
In his old age, he retired to Huxin (Middle of the Lake) Monastery to cultivate quietly. He went there to rest and care for his health.
On the seventeenth day of the eighth month in the year guihai (1683) of the Kangxi reign period, he manifested the perfection of
stillness. He lived to be sixty-seven, and thirty-seven disciples inherited his Dharma. His body is housed in a stupa in Jiangning. He perfected the stillness in a seated posture, and a stupa was erected for his body in Jiangpu County, Nanjing,
on Duizhong Peak of Xihua Mountain. Over a hundred volumes of his talks, poems, and essays are in circulation. His works in circulation include transcriptions of his talks, poetry, and articles.
To be continued
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