English
English version: Restraining oneself with basic rules is the initial step of cultivation. It is like ascending to a height starting from the bottom, or embarking on a long journey starting from nearby. Seeking the path to attain sainthood, there is no one who does not enter through this. Only fearing that the strength of the precepts is insufficient, it then becomes a convenience for demons. This path must be carefully guarded, and other paths are all pure. How can one not believe and accept it? If one can truly listen and accept it into the heart, and not violate what is said, then one can generate samadhi (concentration) from precepts, and wisdom from samadhi. Only at this point does one begin to know that the supremely pure and bright mind originally has nothing wrong, and precepts are also false statements. The Master universally preaches the Dharma and bestows precepts to the dark officials of the six realms and the ghosts and spirits of the nine classes every night, and also gives Dharma food to the hungry ghosts and spirits who travel in the water, land, and air, the benefits of which are truly great. Tu Long praised: The hungry people of the world, the hungry souls of the underworld, their desire for food is even more urgent than that of humans. Humans cannot be completely relieved, how can they have time to plan for ghosts and spirits? Good, indeed, is the guide (referring to the Master), who equally gives to them. The distinction between humans and ghosts is eliminated, and there is no object of giving. Since giving does not exist, then who is the giver? The giver is also not established. Who should take the food? Relying on this vow power, this is what is called Dharma food. Giving with empty hands, yet it satisfies the eight extremes. Sun Mengfang praised: If a person does not eat, they will surely die in seven days. Ghosts and spirits are hungry, and they experience thousands of kalpas (aeons). Only the Master is compassionate, treating the length of time equally, relieving them with food, and filling them with the joy of dhyana (meditative absorption). Is it a ghost? Is it a person? The present moment is birth, the present moment is Buddha. The Master pities the sentient beings in the world who are suffering from karmic afflictions and cannot be liberated, and specifically encourages people to be mindful of the Buddha and be reborn together in the Pure Land. Therefore, he printed 480,000 copies of the Amitabha (Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light and Life) Pagoda, encouraging people to worship and recite. The world calls him the standard of the Zen school and the best of the Pure Land practitioners. Chan Master Tianru Ze said: I often see Zen practitioners today who do not study the ultimate meaning of the Tathagata (Tathagata, 'Thus Gone One', an epithet of the Buddha), and do not know the profound mechanisms of Bodhidharma (Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism), empty-bellied and arrogant, accustomed to being wild and妄自大狂妄. When they see people practicing the Pure Land method, they laugh at them and say: 'That is what foolish men and women do, how vulgar!' I once commented that what they despise is not foolish men and women, but Manjusri (Manjusri, symbol of wisdom), Samantabhadra (Samantabhadra, symbol of great practice), Nagarjuna (Nagarjuna, founder of the Madhyamaka school), Asvaghosa (Asvaghosa, Mahayana Buddhist thinker), and other great Bodhisattvas. Therefore, Zen Master Yongming Yanshou opened his heart and advocated the Pure Land method, having both realized the Zen that directly points to the human mind and being able to be reborn in the upper grades of the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Use this to resolve the attachments of Zen practitioners. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
此为末法之劝信。故余谓其深有功于宗教者也。 永明听法者众。师就便地为九眼[囗@责]。犯金神七煞方。众谏弗听。有人数晨起。见七人蓬首沐发湖水中。迫问之。曰。我七煞神也。寿师营[囗@责]吾顶。既不敢移别宫。违岁君令。而又不敢殃古佛之徒。日受大小溲。沐。去秽耳。师闻。竟不除[囗@责]。盖定业云。 袁宏道曰。是[囗@责]匪秽。吾土非净。门前湖水。实灌汝顶。惟乾矢橛．蜣螂一丸轮转不停。斯羽翩然。悯彼顽冥。渎神借佛窟。离溺器而成骨穴。何以示人金枪马麦。李日华曰。精粲芳羞。茹退变易。莲生淤泥。壤壅嘉植。净秽何性。心自别白。神人趣殊。颠倒则一。五浊之世。唯佛先入。 师行道至武林山东二里。开山演法。即感四王天花下坠。一时缁白归投。龙象辐辏。淳祐间。赐额永福院。未几。遂嗣秀王香火。宣德十年。敕赐圣寿禅寺。 懒龙居士李应筠曰。风烟花开。世界成就。霜露果熟。王子诞生。沙劫坏空与无上圣趣皆是众生心花自为开含。法味祖味祇作雨露助发之缘。但能二六时中不润苦芽。自然优钵常现。庶不负永明恩德也。 师于开宝八年每见金台宝树。或闻天乐异香。预知时至。殊胜甚多。迨十二月二十四日示疾。越二日。晨起 现代汉语译本：这是末法时代的劝信之文，所以我说它对宗教有很深的功德。 永明延寿大师听法的人很多。大师就在空地上建造九眼井。有人说冲犯了金神七煞方位，众人劝阻不听。有人每天早晨起来，看见七个蓬头垢面的人在湖水中洗头发。追问他们，他们说：‘我们是七煞神。寿师建造井冲犯了我们的头顶，既不敢移到别处，违背岁君的命令，又不敢降祸给古代佛陀的弟子，每天承受大小便的冲洗，洗去污秽。’大师听了，最终也没有拆除井。大概是定业如此。 袁宏道说：‘这井并非污秽，我们的土地并非清净。门前的湖水，实际上灌溉着你的头顶。只有干燥的粪橛、蜣螂粪丸轮转不停。羽毛翩然，可怜那些顽固愚昧的人。亵渎神灵，借用佛窟，离开溺器而成坟墓。用什么来向人们展示金枪马麦呢？’李日华说：‘精美的食物，吃了也会变质。莲花生长在淤泥中，肥沃的土壤培育着美好的植物。清净和污秽有什么本质呢？心自己分辨明白。神和人趣味不同，颠倒过来则相同。五浊恶世，只有佛先进入。’ 大师在武林山东二里处修行，开山演法，立即感应到四王天花坠落。一时之间，僧人和俗人都来归投，如同龙象聚集。淳祐年间（1241-1252），朝廷赐额为永福院。不久，就继承了秀王的香火。宣德十年（1435），敕赐圣寿禅寺。 懒龙居士李应筠说：‘风烟花开，世界成就；霜露果熟，王子诞生。沙劫坏空与无上圣趣，都是众生心花自己开放和含苞。佛法的滋味和祖师的滋味，只不过是雨露帮助生发的因缘。只要能够在一天十二个时辰中不滋润苦芽，自然优昙钵花经常显现。这样才不辜负永明延寿大师的恩德啊。’ 大师在开宝八年（975）经常看见金台宝树，或者听见天乐异香，预先知道时辰将到，殊胜的事情很多。等到十二月二十四日生病，过了两天，早晨起来
English
English version: This is a persuasion to faith in the Dharma-ending Age, therefore I say it has profound merit for religion. There were many who listened to Dharma from Yongming Yanshou (Eternal Brightness Prolonging Life) (Master Yongming, 904-975). The master built a nine-eyed well on the open ground. Someone said it offended the direction of the Golden Deity and Seven Killings, and the crowd advised against it, but he did not listen. Someone saw seven disheveled people washing their hair in the lake every morning. When asked closely, they said, 'We are the Seven Killing Deities. Master Shou (Prolonging Life) built the well and offended our heads. We dare not move to another palace, disobeying the command of the Year Sovereign, and yet we dare not bring disaster to the disciples of the ancient Buddha. Every day we endure the washing of large and small excrement, washing away the filth.' The master heard this and ultimately did not remove the well. It was probably fixed karma. Yuan Hongdao (Ming dynasty writer) said, 'This well is not filthy, our land is not pure. The lake in front of the door actually irrigates your heads. Only the dry dung stake and the dung beetle's pellet revolve without stopping. The feathers flutter, pitying those who are stubborn and ignorant. Profaning the deities, borrowing the Buddha's cave, leaving the chamber pot to become a bone cave. What can be shown to people other than golden spears and barley?' Li Rihua (Ming dynasty writer) said, 'Exquisite delicacies, when eaten, also change and decay. The lotus grows in the mud, and fertile soil nurtures fine plants. What is the nature of purity and filth? The mind distinguishes it clearly. Deities and humans have different tastes, but when reversed, they are the same. In the Age of Five Turbidities, only the Buddha enters first.' The master practiced the Way two miles east of Wulin Mountain, opening the mountain and expounding the Dharma, and immediately sensed the Four Heavenly Kings scattering flowers. In an instant, monks and laypeople came to submit, like dragons and elephants gathering. During the Chunyou period (1241-1252) of the Song Dynasty, the court bestowed the name Yongfu Monastery. Before long, he inherited the incense of Prince Xiu. In the tenth year of Xuande (1435) of the Ming Dynasty, he was granted the name Sacred Longevity Chan Monastery by imperial decree. Layman Lanlong (Lazy Dragon) Li Yingjun said, 'When the wind and smoke bloom, the world is accomplished; when the frost and dew ripen the fruit, the prince is born. The kalpas of destruction and emptiness and the supreme sacred interest are all the heart-flowers of sentient beings opening and budding themselves. The flavor of the Dharma and the flavor of the Patriarchs are merely the conditions of rain and dew helping to sprout. If one can only not nourish the bitter sprouts during the twelve periods of the day, then the utpala flower will naturally appear constantly. Then one will not fail the kindness and virtue of Yongming Yanshou.' In the eighth year of Kaibao (975) of the Song Dynasty, the master often saw the Golden Platform Jeweled Tree, or heard heavenly music and strange fragrances, and knew in advance that the time was approaching. There were many extraordinary things. On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month, he showed signs of illness. Two days later, he rose early in the morning -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 焚香。趺坐而逝。寿七十二。腊四十二。
Chinese
包世杰赞曰。世之存亡休咎。即谶纬术数之学皆能预测其端倪。师之预知其时。无足诧者。然而金台宝树。天乐异香。此清泰现量境也。顷着娑婆。非悟唯心净土。而念佛功圆者。自在往生之若是耶。噫。师居恒以净土一门摄人者。徴矣夫。 师既化。茶毗。舍利周身如鳞砌。以开宝九年正月六日建塔葬于大慈山树亭志焉。宋太宗皇帝额。额曰寿宁禅院。 龚遇春曰。寿师茶毗。传载其舍利若鳞砌。志多也。及其法嗣壑公出粪壤之遗蜕示余。则又仅仅十数粒。得毋因其少而疑不符耶。不知人惟其心。不惟其物。壑公后寿师六百余载。一旦欲起而光大之。即是一念茎草可作全身。即是一念瓣香可成七级。又奚必标奇启信。掺倦作合哉。或曰。放光动地。世尊亦不得已而为之也。盖为见相者设也。果尔。壑公又何韪于疑哉。 师涅槃后。有僧来自抚州。经年礼拜禅师之塔。人问其故。僧云。我病入阴府。见殿上供𦘕僧一㡠。阎罗王每日自来顶礼。遂问主吏。此是何人。吏曰。此杭州永明寺寿禅师也。凡人死者。皆经我曹判生。唯此师径生西方上上品矣。王重其德。故图像而敬事焉。 唐虞盛曰。僧传阎老瞻像。是梦话。亦是鬼话。何必究其有无。 现代汉语译本 焚香，结跏趺坐而逝，享年七十二岁，僧腊四十二年。 包世杰赞颂说：世间的存亡、吉凶，即使是谶纬术数之学都能预测其端倪。寿禅师预知自己的时辰，没有什么值得惊讶的。然而金台宝树，天乐异香，这是清泰年间（后唐清泰年间）现量境的显现啊。如果不是领悟了唯心净土，并且念佛功德圆满的人，怎么能如此自在地往生呢？唉！寿禅师平时以净土法门来接引世人，这真是应验了啊。 寿禅师圆寂后，荼毗（梵语，意为焚烧），舍利（梵语，意为遗骨）遍布全身，像鱼鳞一样排列。于开宝九年（976年）正月六日建塔，安葬在大慈山树亭，并记录这件事。宋太宗皇帝御笔题额，名为寿宁禅院。 龚遇春说：寿禅师荼毗后，传记记载他的舍利像鱼鳞一样排列，记载很多。等到他的法嗣（佛教用语，指继承佛法的人）壑公，从粪土中取出遗蜕给我看，却仅仅只有十几粒。难道因为舍利少，就怀疑记载不符实吗？要知道，人重要的是心，而不是物。壑公在寿禅师圆寂六百多年后，一旦想要发扬光大他的事迹，即使是一念之间，一根小草也可以当作全身，即使是一念之间，一瓣心香也可以成就七级浮屠（佛教用语，指佛塔）。又何必标新立异，掺杂虚假来附会呢？有人说，放光动地，世尊（佛教用语，指释迦牟尼佛）也是不得已才做的，那是为那些执着于外相的人而设的。如果真是这样，壑公又有什么理由怀疑呢？ 寿禅师涅槃（梵语，意为圆寂）后，有一位僧人来自抚州，经年累月地礼拜禅师的塔。有人问他原因，僧人说：‘我生病进入阴府，看见殿上供奉着一幅僧人的画像，阎罗王（佛教、道教神话人物，掌管地狱的神）每天亲自来顶礼。’于是问主吏（阴间的官吏），‘这是什么人？’主吏说：‘这是杭州永明寺的寿禅师。凡是死去的人，都要经过我们判决才能转生，只有这位禅师直接往生西方极乐世界上品上生了。阎罗王敬重他的德行，所以画像来敬奉他。’ 唐虞盛说：僧人所说的阎罗王瞻仰画像，是梦话，也是鬼话，何必去追究它的真假呢？