English
English version He (Huineng) was about to enter Nirvana (Nirvana, a Buddhist term referring to the state of liberation from the cycle of birth and death). He secretly imparted the secret words to Shenhui (Shenhui, a person's name, a representative figure of the Heze school). (Huineng) said, 'Since the past, the principle of succession has only been passed on to one person. The inner transmission is the Dharma seal, which is used to seal one's own mind; the outer transmission is the robe, which marks the purpose. However, I almost lost my life several times for this robe (referring to the many times the robe was stolen by the Northern School, which is mentioned in the previous text of this biography, but cannot be recorded now). Master Bodhidharma (Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Zen Buddhism) once predicted that after the sixth generation, life would be as dangerous as a hanging thread, which is referring to you (this statement is in the narrative of Bodhidharma's biography). Therefore, this robe should be left in the mountain to guard it. Your opportunity is in the north, so you must cross the mountain. In twenty years, you should promote this Dharma and widely save sentient beings.' When the venerable Huineng was about to pass away, his disciples Xingtao (Xingtao, a person's name), Chaosu (Chaosu, a person's name), Fahai (Fahai, a person's name), and others asked, 'To whom does the venerable one entrust the Dharma?' The venerable Huineng said, 'The one to whom it is entrusted will promote it in the north in twenty years.' They asked again, 'Who is it?' He replied, 'If you want to know, catch him with a net on Dayu Mountain (Dayu mountain, a mountain name) (It is said that 'on the mountain' means 'high'. Heze's surname is Gao, so it is secretly implied).' The Dharma of the Heze school (Heze school, a branch of Zen Buddhism) is entirely the Dharma of Caoxi (Caoxi, a place name, where Huineng propagated the Dharma), and there are no other teachings. Because it was aimed at the Dharma that emerged from Hongzhou (Hongzhou, a place name), the school name was re-marked. The reason for the inheritance has already been mentioned above. However, after the venerable Huineng passed away, the gradual enlightenment teachings of the Northern School (Northern School, a branch of Zen Buddhism) became very popular (as also mentioned above). Therefore, it formed an obstacle to the promotion of the sudden enlightenment Dharma. The inscription on the stele of the Caoxi transmission has been worn away and replaced. Therefore, in twenty years, the religion was silent and hidden (the various difficulties encountered by the master are all as mentioned in the previous brief biography, and the details are in this biography, which will be presented in detail later). In the early years of Tianbao (Tianbao, the reign title of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang), Heze (Heze, a place name) entered Luoyang (Luoyang, a place name) and vigorously propagated this Dharma. Only then did it become clear that the lineage of Shenxiu (Shenxiu, a person's name, a representative figure of the Northern School) was a side branch, and the Dharma was gradual enlightenment. Since the two schools were popular at the same time, people at that time wanted to distinguish their differences, so they marked the names of the North and South, and it started from then on. Question: 'Since Heze is the seventh patriarch, why not establish the eighth, ninth, and tenth? Since it was not established later, why not use the transmission of the robe as evidence, and only go up to the sixth patriarch?' Answer: 'If based on Paramārtha (Paramārtha, a Buddhist term referring to the highest truth), there are originally no numerical designations. Even one does not exist, so what are you talking about six?' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
七。今约俗谛。师资相传。顺世之法。有其所表。如国立七庙。七月而葬。丧服七代。福资七祖(道释皆同)。经说七佛。持念遍数。坛场物色。作法方便。礼佛远佛。请僧之限。皆止于七。过则二七。乃至七七。不止于六。不至八九。今传受仪式。顺世生信。何所疑焉。故德宗皇帝贞元十二年敕皇太子集诸禅师。楷定禅门宗旨。搜求传法傍正。遂有来下。立荷泽大师为第七祖。内神龙寺见有铭记。又御制七代祖师赞文。见行于世。 洪州宗者。先即六祖下傍出。谓有禅师。姓马。名道一。先是剑南金和尚弟子也(金之宗源即智诜也。亦非南北)。高节至道。游方头陀。随处坐禅。乃至南岳。遇让禅师。论量宗教。理不及让。方知传衣付法曹溪为嫡。乃回心遵禀。便住处州．洪州。或山或郭。广开供养。接引道流。后于洪州开元寺弘传让之言旨。故时人号为洪州宗也。让即曹溪门下傍出之派徒(曹溪此类数可千余)。是荷泽之同学。但自率身修行。本不开法。因马和尚大扬其教。故成一宗之源。 右且略叙诸宗师承。大概如此。然缘傍正横竖。交杂难记。今𦘕出为图。冀一览不遗于心腑。谨连次后。 <<PIC>X63p0032_01.gif</PIC> 上已叙诸宗师资。今次辨所 现代汉语译本：七、现在从俗谛（世俗谛，指世俗认定的真理）的角度来说，师徒相传，遵循世俗的法则，都有其所象征的意义。例如，国家设立七座宗庙，人死后七个月安葬，丧服穿七代，为七代祖先祈福（道教和佛教相同）。经典中说七佛，持念经文的遍数，坛场布置的物品颜色，做法事的方便，礼佛的远近，请僧侣的数量，都以七为限。超过则为二七（十四天），乃至七七（四十九天）。不会止于六，也不会到八九。现在传授仪式，顺应世俗以使人产生信仰，有什么可怀疑的呢？所以德宗皇帝在贞元十二年敕令皇太子召集各位禅师，来确定禅门的宗旨，搜寻传法的旁支和正统。于是有了后来的结果，立荷泽大师为第七祖。内神龙寺现在还有铭记。又有御制的《七代祖师赞文》，在世间流传。 洪州宗，最初也是六祖门下旁出的支派。据说有位禅师，姓马，名道一。他最初是剑南金和尚的弟子（金和尚的宗源是智诜，也不是南宗或北宗）。他品行高洁，悟性极高，四处游方苦修，随处坐禅，乃至南岳。遇到让禅师（南岳怀让），讨论宗教义理，理辩不过怀让。这才知道传衣钵付法于曹溪（慧能）才是正统。于是回心转意，遵从怀让的教导，便住在处州、洪州，或在山中，或在城郭，广开供养，接引修行之人。后来在洪州开元寺弘扬怀让的言论宗旨，所以当时人称之为洪州宗。怀让是曹溪门下旁出的派系（曹溪门下此类人物数以千计）。他是荷泽神会（荷泽宗创始人）的同学，但只是约束自身修行，本来没有开宗立派。因为马道一大力弘扬他的教义，所以形成了一个宗派的源头。 以上只是简略叙述了各宗的师承关系，大概就是这样。然而因为旁支和正统，横向和纵向，交织在一起难以记忆，现在绘制成图，希望一看就能牢记在心。谨附在后面。 （图片） 上面已经叙述了各宗的师资传承，下面接着辨析所传的法。
English
English version: 7. Now, from the perspective of conventional truth (Samvriti-satya, the truth recognized by the world), the transmission from teacher to disciple, following worldly customs, all have their symbolic meanings. For example, the state establishes seven ancestral temples, burials occur seven months after death, mourning garments are worn for seven generations, and blessings are offered to seven generations of ancestors (both Taoism and Buddhism share this). Scriptures speak of the Seven Buddhas, the number of recitations, the colors of objects in the altar, the convenience of performing rituals, the distance of prostration to the Buddha, and the limits of inviting monks, all stop at seven. Exceeding it goes to two sevens (fourteen days), or even seven sevens (forty-nine days). It doesn't stop at six, nor does it reach eight or nine. Now, the transmission ceremony, in accordance with worldly customs to generate faith, what is there to doubt? Therefore, in the twelfth year of the Zhenyuan era, Emperor Dezong ordered the Crown Prince to gather all the Chan masters to determine the tenets of the Chan school and to search for the collateral and orthodox lines of Dharma transmission. Thus, there was the subsequent result of establishing Master Heze (Shenhui) as the Seventh Patriarch. Within the Shenlong Temple, there is still a memorial inscription. Furthermore, there is the Emperor's composed 'Encomium to the Seven Generations of Patriarchs,' which circulates in the world. The Hongzhou School initially emerged as a collateral branch from the Sixth Patriarch's lineage. It is said that there was a Chan master, surnamed Ma, named Daoyi. He was initially a disciple of Monk Jin of Jiannan (Monk Jin's lineage was that of Zhishen, and was neither Northern nor Southern). With noble conduct and profound understanding, he traveled widely as an ascetic, meditating everywhere, even reaching Nanyue (Mount Heng). He encountered Chan Master Rang (Huairang of Nanyue), and discussed religious doctrines, but his reasoning could not surpass Rang's. Only then did he realize that the transmission of the robe and Dharma at Caoxi (Huineng) was the orthodox line. Thus, he repented and followed Rang's teachings, residing in Chuzhou and Hongzhou, sometimes in the mountains, sometimes in the cities, widely opening offerings and receiving practitioners. Later, at Kaiyuan Temple in Hongzhou, he propagated Rang's teachings, so people at that time called it the Hongzhou School. Rang was a collateral branch of the Caoxi lineage (there were thousands of such figures under Caoxi). He was a classmate of Heze Shenhui (founder of the Heze School), but he only disciplined himself and did not originally establish a school. Because Master Ma greatly promoted his teachings, it formed the source of a school. The above is just a brief account of the lineages of the various schools, roughly like this. However, because the collateral and orthodox, horizontal and vertical, are intertwined and difficult to remember, I have now drawn a diagram, hoping that one glance will allow it to be remembered in the heart. It is attached below. (Picture) Above, the lineages of the various schools have been described. Next, I will distinguish the Dharma that is transmitted. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
传言教深浅得失。然禅门之旨。在乎内照。非笔可述。非言可宣。言虽不及。犹可强言。笔不可及。直难下笔。今不得已而书。望照之于心。无滞于文矣。 然达磨西来。唯传心法。故自云。我法以心传心。不立文字。此心是一切众生清净本觉。亦名佛性。或云灵觉。迷。起一切烦恼。烦恼亦不离此心。悟。起无边妙用。妙用亦不离此心。妙用烦恼。功过虽殊。在悟在迷。此心不异。欲求佛道。须悟此心。故历代祖宗唯传此也。然若感应相契。则虽一灯传百千灯。而灯灯无殊。若机教不投。则虽一音演说法。而各各随所解。故诸宗异说。过在后人。今且各叙诸宗。然始判其差当。 北宗意者。众生本有觉性。如镜有明性。烦恼覆之不见。如镜有尘闇。若依师言教。息灭妄念。念尽则心性觉悟。无所不知。如磨拂昏尘。尘尽则镜体明净。无所不照。故彼宗主神秀大师呈五祖偈云。 身是菩提树 心如明镜台 时时须拂拭。 莫遣有尘埃 评曰。此但是染净缘起之相。反流背习之门。而不觉妄念本空。心性本净。悟既未彻。修岂称真(剑南复有净众宗旨。与此大同。复有保唐宗。所解似同。所修全异。不可繁叙。他日面奉。一一辨之)。 洪州意者。起心动念。弹指动目。所作所为。 现代汉语译本： 关于教义深浅得失的传言很多。然而禅宗的宗旨，在于内心的体悟，不是笔墨可以描述的，也不是言语可以宣扬的。言语虽然难以完全表达，还可以勉强说一说；笔墨却无法企及，实在难以落笔。现在不得已而写下来，希望大家用心领会，不要拘泥于文字。 达磨（Bodhidharma）祖师西来，只传授心法。所以说：‘我的法门以心传心，不立文字。’这个心是一切众生清净的本觉，也叫做佛性，或者叫做灵觉。迷惑时，产生一切烦恼；烦恼也不离这个心。觉悟时，产生无边的妙用；妙用也不离这个心。妙用和烦恼，功过虽然不同，但无论在觉悟还是迷惑时，这个心并没有不同。想要寻求佛道，必须觉悟这个心。所以历代祖师只传授这个。如果感应相契合，那么即使一灯传百千灯，灯灯之间也没有差别。如果根机和教法不投合，那么即使一个声音演说佛法，每个人也会按照自己的理解来解释。所以各宗派的说法不同，过错在于后人。现在先分别叙述各个宗派，然后判断它们的差异和正确与否。 北宗认为，众生本来具有觉性，就像镜子有光明一样。烦恼覆盖了觉性，所以看不见，就像镜子被尘土遮蔽一样。如果依照老师的言教，止息妄念，妄念止息了，心性就觉悟了，无所不知，就像擦拭掉镜子上的灰尘，灰尘擦干净了，镜子就明亮了，无所不照。所以北宗的宗主神秀（Shenxiu）大师向五祖（Fifth Patriarch）呈偈说： ‘身是菩提树，心如明镜台，时时须拂拭，莫遣有尘埃。’ 评论说：这只是染净缘起的现象，是反转和背离习气的门径，而没有觉悟到妄念本来是空，心性本来是清净的。既然觉悟不彻底，修行又怎么能算是真呢？（剑南（Jiannan）一带还有净众宗（Jingzhong School）的宗旨，与此大同小异。还有保唐宗（Baotang School），所理解的道理相似，所修行的却完全不同，不能在这里详细叙述，以后当面禀告，一一辨别。） 洪州宗（Hongzhou School）认为，起心动念，弹指动目，所作所为，