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編按：本會出版之《佛祖道影》書中，記載上人作於或講於1984年1月17日，但據陳果傑居士當時筆記之記錄，上人實講於該年3月17日。
以下「正文」及「贊曰」的註解，因錄音帶缺失，故由陳果傑居士之筆記中錄出，「或說偈曰」之註解 ，則為上人所講。
師實陳帝之裔。穎川人。祖官於潮。開元間師誕於潮郡。幼歲慕雲林。與藥山惟儼並事惠照禪師。受戒已。同遊南嶽。參石頭和尚。得大無畏法。唐貞元初。入羅浮。至潮陽開闢牛儼及靈山等處。韓愈問道留衣致敬。事載《傳燈錄》。韓長慶四年。一日。告辭而逝。壽九十三。著有《金剛經》、《心經釋義》。塔於靈山左。
註解：
「師實陳帝之裔」：這位禪師是古代陳帝，皇帝的後人。「穎川人」：穎川在河南。「祖官於潮郡」：祖父在潮州做官。
「幼歲慕雲林」：六歲時很羨慕在山裏住著，雲林的生活。雲-自來自去，忽有忽無；林--山林，樹林裏都是隱者住的地方。雲來無心，它沒有什麼心；小鳥飛了一天，晚間也知道回到鳥巢去。雲來水去--如雲這麼來，像水這麼去；叢林--道場，他羨慕雲水生涯，叢林制度。「與藥山惟儼並事惠照禪師」：與藥山惟儼一同參惠照禪師。
「受戒已，同遊南嶽參石頭和尚」：受戒之後，他們一起到南嶽山參石頭和尚。石頭和尚很硬的，猶如石頭，硬骨頭，很古怪，不近人情。「得大無畏法」：大無畏法，就是四十二手眼法。
「唐貞元初入羅浮」：在唐朝貞元初年到羅浮山，在廣東。「至潮陽開闢牛儼及靈山等處」：到潮陽，就是潮州，開闢牛儼及靈山二道場，兩個寺。
「韓長慶四年」：韓愈很固執很怪的，總要別開生面，標異現奇，獨出心裁。當時佛骨發光，所以皇帝去迎佛骨，很多人都信佛了。韓愈想要露一手，想反對，歪曲事實，說古來皇帝信佛都沒有長壽的。抓住皇帝的心理，舉出證明來和皇帝說，於是皇帝把他貶到潮州去，他才有機會遇到大顛。
韓愈的侄子韓湘子--韓愈對親人很執著--出家在終南山，修行得道，有點神通，能火裏栽蓮，冬天開花，到西安去度叔叔。韓愈當時還是做官的，他不信侄子所顯的神通。他的侄子說了兩句偈，「雲橫秦嶺家何在？雪擁藍關馬不前。」
侄子走後，韓愈一肚子氣；見到皇帝迎佛骨，他就要反對，露一手。本來要出出風頭，想不到皇帝大發脾氣叫他退職，所以他做了一首詩：
「一封朝奏九重天」：我寫的一封信給皇帝。九重天，即皇帝。
「夕貶潮陽路八千」：我真想不到在晚間遭皇帝的貶書，受皇帝的處罰，潮陽離西安有八千多里路。本來做大宮，現在降級，貶到潮陽，不會發財之地；地沒有肥料，窮人多。
「本為聖朝除弊政」：我是不想唐朝有什麼迷信色彩現出，所以我把政治的弊害除了它，以免以後說皇帝迷信，說這是不好的政治。
「敢將衰朽惜殘年」：我怎會把我已老衰，沒有精力的年齡來愛惜呢？怎敢愛惜自己的身心性命，生命財產呢？
「雲橫秦嶺家何在」：我的侄子以前和我說的兩句話，現在應驗了。雲橫秦嶺，雲彩把秦嶺擋住了，我西安的家在什麼地方，都擋住了？
「雪擁藍關馬不前」：不單有雲彩，而且還下雪，馬都不往前走了。他這才明白他侄子寫的兩句話。此時侄子又來了。
「知汝遠來應有意，好收吾骨瘴江邊」：你是想到來收我的骨頭，好在瘴江邊上埋起來。
他的侄子說：「不管！不管！」騰空而起。此時韓愈自省，覺悟自己不對，到潮州寫《鱷魚文》，才去問大顛和尚佛法是什麼。韓湘子點他，可說是「頑石點頭」、「昨日種種譬如昨日死，以後種種譬如今日生。」
待續
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Editor's note: In Lives of the Patriarchs
published by BTTS, it is recorded that the Venerable Master
composed and lectured this text on January 17, 1984.
However, according to Upasika Guo Jie Chan's notes, the
Master lectured it on March 17.
The commentaries of the text and "A Verse
in Praise" are missing from the tape, so we used Upasika Guo
Jie Chan's notes. The commentary on "Another Verse" was
lectured by the Venerable Master.
Text:
The Master was actually the descendent of an emperor of the
Chen Dynasty (6th century C.E.), and his ancestors had held
official posts in Chaozhou. He was born in Yingchuan,
Chaozhou, during the Kaiyuan reign period (c. 721 C.E.).
From his youth he was drawn to
the monastic life. He and Master Weiyan of Yaoshan attended
upon Dhyana Master Huizhao (Kind Illumination). After
receiving full ordination, they traveled together to the
Nanyao Mountain Range, where they studied under Master
Shitou (Rock) and obtained the Dharma of Great Fearlessness.
In the beginning of the Zhenyuan reign period (c. 785 C.E.)
of the Tang Dynasty, the Master entered Luofu and proceeded
to Chaoyang, where he established monasteries such as Niuyan
(Ox Cliff) and Lingshan (Magic Mountain). The Confucian
scholar, Han Yu, once came to Lingshan Monastery to inquire
about the Way, He was so impressed that he left his robe
there as a token of his respect. That incident is recorded
in the Records of the Transmission of the Lamp.
One day, in the fourth year of
the Changqing reign period (824 C.E.), the Master bade
farewell and passed away at the age of 93. His works include
commentaries on the Vajra Sutra and the Heart Sutra. His
stupa was built on the left side of Lingshan Monastery.
Commentary:
The Master was actually the descendent of an emperor
of the Chen Dynasty (6th century C.E.), and his ancestors
had held official posts in Chaozhou, His
grandfather was an official in Chaozhou. He was born
in Yingchuan, Chaozhou, in Henan Province, during the
Kaiyuan reign period (c. 721 C.E.).
From his youth he was drawn to
the monastic life. When he was six years old, he
really admired the mountain life, living among the clouds
and forests. Clouds come and go freely, suddenly appearing
and suddenly vanishing. Mountain forests provide secluded
abodes. Clouds come without premeditation. Birds flit about
during the day and instinctively return to their nests at
night. One arrives like the clouds and departs like water.
"Forests" is a term for monasteries [in Chinese]. He was
drawn to the lifestyle of a monk, resembling that of clouds
and water. He and Master Weiyan of Yaoshan attended
upon and studied with Dhyana Master Huizhao (Kind
Illumination).
After receiving full ordination,
they traveled together to the Nanyao Mountain Range, where
they studied under Master Shitou (Rock). Master
Shitou was very obstinate and hard, like a rock He had tough
bones. He was a peculiar character who did not conform to
ordinary human sentiments. And there they
obtained the Dharma of Great Fearlessness,
which is the Dharma of the Forty-two Hands and Eyes.
In the beginning, the
first year, of the Zhenyuan reign period (c. 785) of
the Tang Dynasty, the Master entered Luofu. He went
to Luofu Mountain, in Guangdong, and then
proceeded to Chaoyang, which is Chaozhou,
where he established monasteries such as Niuyan (Ox
Cliff) and Lingshan (Magic Mountain). He opened
those two monasteries. The Confucian scholar, Han
Yu, once came to Lingshan Monastery to inquire about the
Way. He was so impressed that he left his robe there as a
token of his respect. That incident is recorded in the
Records of the Transmission of the Lamp. Han Yu was
a stubborn and peculiar man. He always wanted to show off
that he was different. At that time, a relic of the Buddha
was discovered to emit light and the emperor wanted to send
a party out to welcome it. Many people had faith in
Buddhism. But Han Yu wanted to stir things up and oppose
this. He distorted the truth and said, "All the emperors of
old who believed in Buddhism had short lives." He presented
his case to the emperor, who promptly banished him to
Chaozhou, where he had the opportunity to meet Master Dadian
(Great Fool).
Han Yu had a nephew named Han Xiangzi.
Han Yu was very attached to his relatives. His nephew had
left the home-life at Zhongnan Mountain, where he practiced
and realized the Way and had some spiritual powers. He was
able to "plant lotuses in the fire and have them bloom in
the wintertime." He thereupon went to Xi'an to convert his
uncle. Han Yu, who was still an official at that time, did
not believe his nephew's spiritual powers. His nephew spoke
two lines:
Clouds cover the Qin Mountains; where is
your home?
Snow fills the Lan Pass, and the horse tall not go forward.
The nephew left Han Yu burning with
anger. When Han Yu saw the emperor receive the Buddha's
relic, he defiantly opposed. He thought he could get some
publicity that way, but contrary to his expectations, the
emperor was furious and told him to resign. And so he wrote
a verse:
"I presented a letter to the emperor on
high." I wrote a letter and gave it to the emperor. The
emperor is literally referred to as "ninth heaven."
"That evening I was banished to Chaoyang,
eight thousand miles away." I never expected that that
evening I would receive the emperor's decree of punishment,
banishing me to Chaoyang, which is eight thousand miles from
the capital, Xi'an. Originally I was a high official; now I
am demoted and sent to Chaoyang, where there is no hope of
getting rich. The soil is infertile, and most people are
poor.
"My original intention was to keep the
dynasty from faulty governance." I did not want the Tang
dynasty to entertain superstition. I wanted to rid politics
of such harm, so that no one would be able to say that the
emperor was superstitious and doing a poor job of governing.
"How would I dare to cherish my own
remaining years of old age?" How could I care about living
out my own old age, years of declining health and vitality?
How could I think about my own body, health, and life or my
own property?
“Clouds cover the Qin Mountains; where is
your home?" My nephew had spoken these two lines to me, and
now they have come true. Clouds cover the imperial hill.
Where is my home in Xi'an? I am blocked from going there.
"Snow fills the Lan Pass, and the horse
will not go forward." Not only are there clouds, but it's
snowing and the horse cannot go forward.
He finally understood his nephew's words.
At that point his nephew showed up again, and Han Yu said to
him, "I know you must have come for a reason. You have come
to collect my bones to bury by the river." His nephew merely
said, "Forget it! Forget it!" and rose into the air. At that
moment Han Yu had an awakening. He realized that he had been
wrong, and so when he arrived in Chaozhou he wrote "A Letter
to the Alligators." Then he went to Venerable Master Dadian
and asked him what the Buddhadharma was. Han Xiangzi had
instructed him, and it could be said that, "The rock
nodded." Han Yu "forgot about his past wrongs as if he
had died yesterday, and treated the future as if he were
born today."
~To be continued
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