師維揚莊氏子。參瑞和尚於紹興戒珠寺。看念佛是誰話。聞香板聲。值得虛空粉碎。入方丈呈白。瑞頷之。一日。瑞示眾。舉高峰海底泥牛話問眾。且道是那一句能縱能奪。師指旁僧云。此個僧是紹興人。瑞便打。師便喝。瑞連棒打出。執巾瓶十二載。竭盡玄微。開法古洞山。雲巖。弁山。顯聖諸剎。康熙辛亥年示寂於顯聖。門人奉遺命塔於江西雲巖。
這是七十一世曹洞宗的一位祖師，他叫元潔；又有一個名字就叫淨瑩禪師。這位禪師也是維揚人，姓莊。
他初出家的時候，參瑞白和尚於紹興戒珠寺，在那個地方當參學。「看念佛是誰話」頭；這個話頭是在明朝以後才有，早沒有。那麼「念佛是誰」，就是找這個「誰」字。你什麼時候把這個「誰」找著啦，那什麼時候就開悟了；你沒有找到這個「誰」，那就要找。參話頭，即話語之頭，不是參話尾巴；話尾巴就是馬後客了。人家說過去了，你才明白，那叫話尾了。這話頭就是一念沒有生之前，那是怎麼回事？
「聞香板聲」：他聽見打板的聲音。「值得虛空粉碎」：他在這個時候聽見這個聲音，就覺得虛空都沒有了，粉碎了。這種境界是無人、無我、無眾生、無壽者。這個本來自性如虛空，但是他連虛空也不存在了；空也沒有了，所以「入方丈呈白」。
入「方丈」，就是向瑞白禪師來說這種境界。「瑞頷之」：這個瑞白禪師就點頭給他印證啦，可是還沒有怎麼樣子傳他的法。
「一日，瑞示眾」：這個高峰妙禪師。「舉海底泥牛」這個話頭來問大家，叫大家說一句看，是哪一句說得正相當。「能縱能得」：或者能把這個泥牛放縱得開；或者把它收攝回來，看說哪一句能有這種功效。
「師指旁僧云」：這個時候淨瑩禪師他就像旁若無人似的，就對他旁邊一個僧人說：「這個僧是紹興人。」因為這個戒珠寺也在紹興，它這兒也是說這個僧人是紹興人。那麼這個樣子，這個「瑞便打」。他這麼樣一說，這個瑞白禪師也不知道他是懂了沒懂？所以就打。一打他，「師便喝」：他（瑞白禪師）打他，他就喝。「瑞連棒打出」：那麼隨時不分青紅皂白，就用這個棒子打他。打出，打出去，當然這就把他的功夫試驗出來啦，所以以後嘛，他也對這個瑞白和尚很佩服的。「執巾瓶十二載」：他給當侍者當了十二年。
「竭盡玄微」：他把瑞白禪師的心法都領會到啦。「開法古洞山」：他以後出去開法，在古洞山那個地方；又在「雲巖」；又在「弁山」；又在「顯聖諸剎」，在這些個地方都做過方丈。在「康熙辛亥年」，「示寂於顯聖」：他圓寂在顯聖寺。「門人奉遺命」：他臨終的時候有遺囑。「塔於江西雲巖」：就是把他給送到江西雲巖那個地方造塔。
待續 |
|
Text:
The Master was a native of Weiyang whose surname was Zhuang. He studied under the Venerable Ruibai at Jiezhu (Precept Pearl) Monastery in Shaoxing. Seeing the topic, “Who is mindful of the Buddha?” and hearing the sound of the incense board, he straightaway attained the state of the obliteration of empty space. He went to the Abbot’s room to report his experience, and Master Ruibai nodded in assent. One day Master Ruibai instructed the assembly by bringing up Master Gaofeng’s topic of the mud ox at the ocean bottom. He asked the assembly to say something that would be able to let it go and bring it back. The Master looked at the monk beside him and said, “This monk is from Shaoxing.” Master Ruibai hit him. The Master gave a shout. Master Ruibai beat him with his stick and drove him out. He took up the towel and bottle and attended upon him for twelve years, until he understood the esoteric subtleties to the fullest. He propagated the Dharma at Gudongshan (Ancient Cave Mountain), Yunyan (Cloud Cliff), Bianshan (Mount Bian), Xiansheng (Manifest Sage) Monasteries. In the year of xinhai of the Kangxi reign period, he manifested the stillness at Xiansheng Monastery. Following his final instructions, his disciples built a stupa for him at Yunyan Monastery in Jiangxi.
Commentary:
The Master was a Patriarch of the seventy-first generation in the Caodong Sect. His name was Yuanjie (Originally Clear). He was also known by the name, Dhyana Master Jingying (Pure and Lustrous). This Dhyana Master was a native of Weiyang whose surname was Zhuang.
After leaving the home life, he studied under the Venerable Ruibai at Jiezhu (Precept Pearl) Monastery in Shaoxing. He went there to study. Seeing the topic, “Who is mindful of the Buddha?” This topic came into being only in the Ming Dynasty. It did not exist earlier than that. In the phrase “Who is mindful of the Buddha?” the focus is on the word “who.” The moment you find out “who” it is, you will be enlightened. Before you have found it, you have to keep searching. The Chinese term for the meditation topic is huatou “word head,” meaning the head or beginning of words, not the tail. The tail of words is “after the fact.” If you understand only after the words have been spoken, you have the tail of the words. The “word head” refers to the state of things before a single thought has been produced.
Hearing the sound of the incense board being struck, he straightaway attained the state of the obliteration of empty space. Hearing that sound, he felt as if space itself disappeared. This is the state of there being no self, no others, no living beings, and no life span. Basically our inherent nature is like space, but for him space didn’t exist any longer. Emptiness was gone, too.
And so he went to the Abbot’s room to report his experience. He went to tell Dhyana Master Ruibai about his state, and Master Ruibai nodded in assent. He certified his attainment, but did not transmit the Dharma to him yet.
One day Master Ruibai instructed the assembly by bringing up Dhyana Master Gaofeng Miao’s topic of the mud ox at the ocean bottom. He asked the assembly to say something that would be able to let it go and bring it back. He wanted to see who could say something that would have the effect of being able to set the mud ox loose as well as rein it back in.
The Master, Dhyana Master Jingying, acting as if no one were around, looked at the monk beside him and said, “This monk is from Shaoxing.” Since Jiezhu Monastery was in Shaoxing, he said the monk was from Shaoxing. When he said that, Master Ruibai didn’t know whether or not he really understood, so he hit him. Upon being beaten by Dhyana Master Ruibai, the Master gave a shout. Without further consideration, Master Ruibai beat him with his stick and drove him out. Having his skill tested in such a manner, later he had great admiration for Dhyana Master Ruibai. He took up the towel and bottle and attended upon him for twelve years, until he understood the esoteric subtleties to the fullest. He served as Dhyana Master Ruibai’s attendant for twelve years, and completely understood Master Ruibai’s Mind Dharma. Later he propagated the Dharma at Gudongshan (Ancient Cave Mountain), Yunyan (Cloud Cliff), Bianshan (Mount Bian), Xiansheng (Manifest Sage) Monasteries. He served as the Abbot at all those places. In the year of xinhai of the Kangxi reign period, he manifested the stillness at Xiansheng Monastery. Following his final instructions, his disciples built a stupa for him at Yunyan Monastery in Jiangxi. They sent him to Yunyan Monastery, where they had a stupa erected for him.
To be continued |
