萬佛城金剛菩提海 Vajra Bodhi Sea

金剛菩提海:首頁主目錄本期目錄

Vajra Bodhi Sea: HomeMain IndexIssue Index

人物誌

Biographies

【 佛祖道影白話解 】

COMMENTARY ON THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS

七十一世恆濤大心禪師
Patriarchs of the Seventy-first Generation:
Dhyana Master Hengtao (Constant Billows) Daxin (Great Mind)

宣化上人講於一九八五年八月十六日 Commentary by the Venerable Master Hua on August 16,1985
比丘尼恆音 英譯 English translation by Bhikshuni Heng Yin

師古田人姓宋。年十三。依本郡上生寺。德協老人剃染。稟具於黃蘗虛白和尚。侍鼓山霖公二十餘載。獲證心要。康熙壬午。霖集眾說偈。付以衣拂。矚繼席。師勵苦行。主湧泉二十七年。敝衣糲食。百廢摻作。有百丈風。雍正戊申十月二十五日示寂。壽七十七。塔於鼓山。著有拈古、懷古等頌行世。

七十一世這是恆濤大心禪師。這位禪師也是福建古田人。俗家姓宋,年十三歲。「依本郡」:就是本縣,是「上生寺」。這個寺院有一位善知識叫德協老人。「剃染」:在這兒出家了。

「稟具於黃蘗」:黃蘗山的虛白和尚是他的得戒和尚。「侍鼓山霖公」:侍鼓山霖公「二十餘載」;他在那兒給他當侍者,所以他說潛修在湧泉數十載。當侍者就是照顧和尚衣缽的,有的時候也很有時間所以他就潛修,就用功修行。所以「潛修湧泉數十載」是根據這兒來的。「獲證心要」:他雖然當侍者,但是他用功用得很勇猛精進,所以就開悟了。那麼為霖禪師證明他是開悟了。

「康熙壬午」:在康熙壬午(1702年)那個時候「霖集眾說偈」。這個「集」是召集,不是連在一起;連在一起分不開了,怎麼辦?為霖禪師召集大家都到這兒來了。你記著,不會講的字,我講時就要注意。「眾說偈」,就說出一首偈頌。

「付以衣拂」:把衣缽就傳給他了。「囑繼席」:囑咐他繼續在湧泉寺做方丈。就是道霈禪師——為霖又叫道霈禪師,退居了;退居就叫他(恆濤大心禪師)接著他來做方丈,這叫繼席。

「師勵苦行」:這位禪師對修苦行很認真的。「主湧泉二十七年」:他在湧泉寺那個地方也不下山,也不離開福建這麼四、五十年。「敝衣」:他什麼時候都穿衲袍,穿破衣服。「敝」就是破。這個子路不說嗎?「願車馬衣輕裘,與朋友共,敝之而無憾。」說是我騎了一個肥馬,穿上輕暖的皮裘;「與朋友共」,和我朋友大家分來用。我也可以用;朋友也可以用。「敝之而無憾」:敝之,就是壞了;壞了我也不吭氣,我也不吝嗇,都是一樣的,所以敝衣就是穿破衣服,他不穿好衣服。「糲食」:糲是粗糲;糲就是好像那米糠混合到一起。廣東人叫糙米,有那種性質。他吃的那個米總是帶點米皮子,很粗糙的,一般人不願意吃的東西他來吃。

「百廢摻作」:在鼓山年久失修的房舍很多,他如果出坡做什麼事情,都和大家一起去做去,摻作;不是說他高高在上叫大家做,他就不做了,不是的。

「有百丈風」:有百丈禪師——懷海禪師他這種的作風;風是作風。那麼他這個作風怎麼樣?百丈禪師是「一日不做,一日不吃。」他一天要不做工,一天就不吃飯了;他也就和百丈禪師這個風度差不多。

「雍正戊申」:雍正戊申那年(1728)。「十月二十五日他示寂」:就示現圓寂了。「壽七十七,塔於鼓山」。

待續

Text:
The Master was a native of Gutian and had the surname Song. At the age of thirteen, he entered the monastic life under the Elder Dexie of Shangsheng (Ascension) Monastery in his own county. He received complete ordination under the Venerable Xubai of Huangbai. He attended upon the Venerable Lin of Gushan (Drum Mountain) for over twenty years and realized the essentials of the mind. In the year of renwu [1702] during the Kangxi reign period, the Venerable Lin summoned everyone and spoke a verse. Then he entrusted his robe and whisk to the Master and asked him to be the abbot. The Master exerted himself in the practice of ascetism. He was the abbot at Yongquan (Bubbling Spring) Monastery for twenty-seven years. He wore ragged robes, ate coarse food, and joined in to renovate the many dilapidated buildings. He had the style of Great Master Baiz-hang. On the twenty-fifth day of the tenth month in the year of wushen [1728] during the Yongzheng reign period, he manifested the stillness at the age of seventy-seven. His stupa is at Gushan. His works, including Selections from Ancient Times, Recollecting the Ancients, and other verses are still in circulation.

Commentary:
Dhyana Master Hengtao (Constant Billows) Daxin (Great Mind) was of the Seventy-first Generation. The Master was a native of Gutian and had the lay surname Song. At the age of thirteen, he entered the monastic life under the Elder Dexie of Shangsheng (Ascension) Monastery in his own county. He left the home-life under the Good and Wise Advisor, Elder Dexie. He received complete ordination under the Venerable Xubai of Huangbai Mountain. He attended upon the Venerable Lin of Gushan (Drum Mountain) for over twenty years. He served as his attendant, taking care of the Venerable Lin's robe and bowl. Sometimes he had quite a bit of spare time, so the verse later says: "Immersing himself in his practice at Bubbling Spring for decades." He quietly applied effort in cultivation and realized the essentials of the mind. Although he was serving as an attendant, he was very vigorous in his own practice and thus became enlightened. Dhyana Master Weilin certified his enlightenment.

In the year of renwu [1702] during the Kangxi reign period, the Venerable Lin summoned everyone and spoke a verse. He convened the assembly. That doesn't mean everyone squeezed together. [Note: The words for "summon" and "squeeze" sound similar in Chinese.] If everyone squeezed together and couldn't split up again, what would happen? Dhyana Master Weilin summoned everyone together. (When I explain a word you don't know how to explain, you should pay attention and take notes.) He spoke a verse and then he entrusted his robe and whisk to the Master and asked him to be the successor abbot at Yongquan Monastery. Dhyana Master Weilin, also called Daopei, stepped down from the position and directed the Master to succeed him as abbot.

The Master exerted himself in the practice of ascetism. This Dhyana Master was very diligent in practicing austerities. He was the abbot at Yongquan (Bubbling Spring) Monastery for twenty-seven years. He did not descend the mountain or leave Fujian for forty or fifty years. He always wore ragged robes. "Ragged" means worn out or ruined. As Zi Lu once said, "I will share my horse-driven carriage and light fur coat with friends. I will have no regrets even if my goods are ruined." Zi Lu meant that, "I have a plump horse to ride and a light but warm fur coat that I'm willing to share with my friends. I can use these items, and so can my friends. Even if my possessions are ruined, I wouldn't say anything or be stingy. It's all the same." Here, "ragged robes" means that he didn't wear fine clothing. He also ate coarse food, such as rice mixed with hulls. The Cantonese call it cao mi—coarse, unhulled rice. The rice he ate always had some hulls in it; it was very coarse. He ate what most people would not eat.

And he joined in to renovate the many dilapidated buildings. There were many buildings at Gushan (Drum Mountain) that had fallen into disrepair over the years. When there was work to be done, he would work together with everyone. He wasn't condescending, lording it over everyone, telling them to work and not doing anything himself. He had the style of Great Master Baizhang. His way of doing things resembled that of Dhyana Master Baizhang, Dhyana Master Huaihai. What kind of style was this? Dhyana Master Bai-zhang said, "On any day that I don't work, I will not eat." This Master's style was similar to Dhyana Master Baizhang's

On the twenty-fifth day of the tenth month in the year of wushen [1728] during the Yongzheng reign period, he manifested entering the stillness at the age of seventy-seven. His stupa is at Gushan.

To be continued

▲Top

法界佛教總會Dharma Realm Buddhist Association │ © Vajra Bodhi Sea