English
English version: Providing offerings. Cutting cypress to substitute for incense. Rolling up the curtain to let in the moonlight. When the moon sets, burning pine and cypress for light. When that is exhausted, continuing with chestnut wood. After reciting the *Lotus Sutra* for twenty-seven days, upon reaching the verse in the *Medicine King* chapter, 'All Buddhas together praise this as true diligence, this is called true Dharma offering to the *Tathagata* (如来，Thus Come One),' his body and mind suddenly opened up and entered *samadhi* (禅定，concentration). Relying on the stillness arising from *karma* (因，action), he illuminated the *Lotus Sutra*, like the high sun shining upon a secluded valley; he attained the characteristics of all *dharmas* (法，teachings), like a clear wind wandering in the vast emptiness. He was about to verify his understanding with Master Bai (白师，specific Master Bai needs context). Master Bai further expounded on what he had realized and what he had received from his teacher. After four nights of diligent practice, his merit surpassed a hundred years. Chan Master Si (思禅师) sighed and said, 'Without you, I could not prove it; without me, you could not recognize it.' The *samadhi* (禅定，concentration) he entered was the preliminary expedient of the *Lotus Samadhi* (法华三昧，Lotus Samadhi). The wisdom that arose was the *Lotus Dharani* (法华旋陀罗尼，Lotus Dharani). Even if there were thousands upon thousands of teachers skilled in words, they could not exhaust your eloquence; you are the foremost among those who preach the Dharma. Later, at the invitation of Yitong Shen Junli (仪同沈君理，title and name), he resided at Waguan Temple (瓦官寺，Waguan Temple). Not long after, Chan Master Si bid farewell and sent his disciples, saying, 'In the past, under the wheel of Nanyue Huisi (南岳慧思，Huisi of Nanyue), and when I first crossed the river to the east, my Dharma mirror repeatedly shone brightly, and the strings of my heart resonated many times. Initially, at Waguan Temple, forty people sat in meditation together, and twenty attained the Dharma; the following year, over a hundred people sat in meditation together, and twenty attained the Dharma; the year after that, over two hundred people sat in meditation together, and ten attained the Dharma. Thereafter, the number of disciples increased, but the number of those who attained the Dharma decreased. It can be known that this hinders my own practice and the path of teaching and transforming beings. I have heard the gazetteer of Tiantai Mountain (天台山，Tiantai Mountain) record that there are celestial palaces there. If I can cease worldly attachments on this mountain, living among the peaks and drinking from the streams, I can fulfill my lifelong wish.' In the autumn of the seventh year of the Ta建 era of the Chen Dynasty (陈太建七年，575 AD), Chan Master Si entered Tiantai Mountain. An old monk guided him in, saying, 'Chan Master, to provide for your drinking water and temple construction, there is a foundation at the foot of the mountain that can be used for supplies.' Chan Master Si said, 'Just as today, even a thatched hut is difficult to build, how much more so a temple?' The old monk said, 'Now is not the time. After the three kingdoms become one, there will be a person of great power who will build this temple. If the temple is built, the country will be clear, and it should be called Guoqing Temple (国清寺，Guoqing Temple).' There is a Chan Master Dingguang (定光禅师，Dingguang Chan Master), a unique person, who has lived in the mountains for thirty years, his actions are obscure, but his path is bright, easy to approach but difficult to know, and his predictions mostly come true. That night, Chan Master Si stayed in Chan Master Dingguang's thatched hut. Dingguang said, 'Do you still remember when I beckoned?' When he observed the place where he was staying, it was just like a past dream. Therefore, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty (隋炀帝，Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty) sent an envoy to summon Chan Master Si to Shicheng (石城，Shicheng), Chan Master Si said, 'I know my fate is here, there is no need to go forward.' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
。辍斤绝弦于今日矣。听倡无量寿竟曰。四十八愿庄严净土。华池宝树易往无人。火车相见能改悔者尚复往生。况戒慧熏修行道力故实不唐捐。梵音声相实不诳人。智朗请云。不审何位殁此何生。谁可宗仰。师曰。吾不领众。必净六根。为他损己。只是五品位尔。汝问何生者。吾诸师友侍从观音。皆来迎我。问谁可宗仰者。岂不闻波罗提木叉是汝之师。四种三昧是汝明导。教汝舍重担。教汝降三毒。教汝治四大。教汝解业缚。教汝破魔军。教汝调禅味。教汝折慢幢。教汝远邪济。教汝出无为坑。教汝离大悲难。唯此大师可作依止。我与汝等因法相遇。以法为亲。传习佛灯。是为眷属。若不尔者非吾徒也。言讫如入禅定。(别传) 庐山远法师。生于雁门贾氏。尝请法道安法师。因听讲般若有契。师与大尹张秘友善。一日谓曰。逆境易打。顺境难打。逆我意者只消一个忍字。不片时便过。若遇顺境则诸事顺适我意。如磁石见铁。不觉不知合为一处。无情之物尚尔。况全身在尘境中邪。后游庐阜。以山水清胜遂安止之。刺史桓伊创东林以居焉。从尔影不出山几三十年。唯以净土克念于勤。初十余年澄心系观三睹圣相。而师沉厚不言。后二十年于般若台从禅定中见弥陀佛身满虚空。又闻告言。我以本愿力故来安慰汝。 汝后七日当生我国。师始告其徒曰。吾自居此幸得三睹圣相。今复再见。吾之往生决矣。汝当自勉。(塔铭) 沩山祐禅师。福州人。剃发后往天台国清受戒。寒拾预修路曰。不久有肉身大士来此求戒。师至。二人隐于路傍深草中。待师过跳出作虎势哮吼而接。师罔措。寒云。自灵山别后。五生作人主来。今忘之。后参百丈。一日侍立次。丈云汝拨炉中有火否。师拨云无火。百丈躬起深拨得少火。举示之。师发悟。礼谢。陈所解。丈曰。此乃暂时岐路。经曰欲见佛性当观时节因缘。时节既至。如迷忽悟。如忘忽忆。方省己物不从他得。令充典座。时司马头陀自湖南来。谓百丈曰。长沙西北绝顶乃奇胜之地。可容千众。丈曰老僧去之可乎。头陀曰。和尚骨人。彼是肉山。非所宜也。丈曰第一坐可乎。曰非也。丈曰典坐可乎。曰真沩原主人。往彼十余年。众方集。师遂往结庵。橡栗为食。猿鸟为侣。影不出山。宴坐终日。如是九年。偶念曰。吾居久矣。竟无人到。本图利物。独居何益。欲弃庵而去。至谷口虎豹蛇蟒横于道路。师曰吾若于此有缘。汝各散去。不然从汝啖之。言讫而散。于是复回。有神见曰。此山乃迦叶佛时曾为兰若。今当复成。常护此山。盖受佛记尔。明年大安领众。辅成法社。(寺碑) 净 现代汉语译本 ‘你七日后应当往生到我的国土。’ 禅师于是告诉他的弟子们说：‘我自从住在这里，有幸三次得见圣相，现在又再次见到，我往生西方极乐世界的事是决定了。你们应当自己努力修行。’（塔铭） 沩山祐禅师（沩山祐禅师，唐代禅宗大师），是福州人。剃度后前往天台国清寺受戒。寒山（寒山，唐代诗人、隐士）和拾得（拾得，唐代僧人、寒山的挚友）预先修好了道路，（寒山拾得）说：‘不久将有肉身大士来此求戒。’ 禅师到达时，二人隐藏在路旁的深草中，等待禅师经过时跳出来，做出老虎的姿势吼叫着迎接他。禅师感到不知所措。寒山说：‘自从灵山一别后，你已经五次转世为人主了，现在都忘记了吗？’ 后来禅师参拜百丈禅师（百丈禅师，唐代禅宗大师）。一天，禅师侍立在百丈禅师身旁，百丈禅师问：‘你拨弄炉子，里面有火吗？’ 禅师拨弄后说没有火。百丈禅师亲自起身，深深地拨弄，得到少许火星，举起来给禅师看。禅师因此开悟，礼拜感谢，陈述自己所领悟的道理。百丈禅师说：‘这只是暂时的歧路。经书上说，想要见到佛性，应当观察时节因缘。时节因缘到来时，就像迷惑时忽然醒悟，就像遗忘时忽然忆起，才知道自己的本性本来就具有，不是从外边得来的。’ 于是命令禅师担任典座（典座，寺院中负责管理僧众饮食的职务）。当时，司马头陀（司马头陀，唐代风水家）从湖南来，对百丈禅师说：‘长沙（长沙，今湖南省长沙市）西北的绝顶，是奇特优胜的地方，可以容纳千人。’ 百丈禅师问：‘老僧去那里可以吗？’ 司马头陀说：‘和尚您是骨人，那里是肉山，不适合您。’ 百丈禅师问：‘第一座（第一座，寺院住持）可以吗？’ 司马头陀说：‘不行。’ 百丈禅师问：‘典座可以吗？’ 司马头陀说：‘真是沩山（沩山，山名，位于今湖南省）原来的主人。’ 禅师前往那里十多年，僧众才聚集起来。禅师于是前往结庵，以橡栗为食物，与猿猴鸟类为伴侣，身影不出山，整天静坐。这样过了九年，禅师偶然想到：‘我住在这里很久了，竟然没有人来，本来是想利益众生，独自居住有什么用呢？’ 想要抛弃庵而去。走到谷口，老虎、豹子、蛇、蟒横在道路上。禅师说：‘我如果在这里有缘分，你们各自散去，不然就让我被你们吃掉。’ 说完，它们就散开了。于是禅师又回到庵中。有神显现说：‘这座山在迦叶佛（迦叶佛，过去七佛之一）时曾经是兰若（兰若，梵语，指寺院），现在应当再次成为兰若。’ 常常守护这座山，大概是接受了佛的授记吧。第二年，大安禅师（大安禅师，唐代僧人）带领僧众，辅助禅师建成了佛法社团。（寺碑） 净
English
English version 'You shall be reborn in my land after seven days.' The master then told his disciples, 'Since residing here, I have been fortunate to witness the holy countenance three times, and now I see it again. My rebirth is assured. You should strive diligently.' (Tomb Inscription) Zen Master You of Mount Wei (Zen Master You of Mount Wei, a Zen master of the Tang Dynasty), was a native of Fuzhou. After shaving his head, he went to Guoqing Temple on Mount Tiantai to receive the precepts. Hanshan (Hanshan, a Tang Dynasty poet and recluse) and Shide (Shide, a Tang Dynasty monk and close friend of Hanshan) had prepared the road in advance, saying, 'Soon a Bodhisattva in the flesh will come here seeking the precepts.' When the master arrived, the two hid in the deep grass by the roadside, waiting for the master to pass by, then jumped out, making tiger-like roars to greet him. The master was at a loss. Hanshan said, 'Since our parting at Mount Ling, you have been reborn as a ruler of men five times. Have you forgotten now?' Later, the master visited Baizhang (Baizhang, a Zen master of the Tang Dynasty). One day, while the master was standing beside Baizhang, Baizhang asked, 'Have you stirred the stove? Is there any fire?' The master stirred it and said there was no fire. Baizhang himself got up, stirred deeply, and found a little fire, holding it up for the master to see. The master was enlightened, bowed in gratitude, and explained his understanding. Baizhang said, 'This is only a temporary detour. The sutras say that if you want to see the Buddha-nature, you should observe the conditions and causes of the time. When the time comes, it is like suddenly awakening from delusion, like suddenly remembering what was forgotten. Then you realize that your own nature is inherent and not obtained from outside.' He then ordered the master to serve as the superintendent of the kitchen (the position in a monastery responsible for managing the food for the monks). At that time, Sima Toutuo (Sima Toutuo, a Tang Dynasty geomancer) came from Hunan and said to Baizhang, 'The summit northwest of Changsha (Changsha, now Changsha City, Hunan Province) is a place of extraordinary beauty, capable of accommodating a thousand people.' Baizhang asked, 'Is it suitable for this old monk to go there?' Sima Toutuo said, 'Venerable, you are a man of bone, while that is a mountain of flesh, not suitable for you.' Baizhang asked, 'Is it suitable for the first seat (the abbot of the monastery)?' Sima Toutuo said, 'No.' Baizhang asked, 'Is it suitable for the superintendent of the kitchen?' Sima Toutuo said, 'Truly, you are the original master of Mount Wei (Mount Wei, a mountain in present-day Hunan Province).' The master went there for more than ten years before the monks gathered. The master then went to build a hermitage, eating acorns and living with monkeys and birds, never leaving the mountain, and sitting in meditation all day long. After nine years, the master thought, 'I have lived here for a long time, but no one has come. I originally intended to benefit sentient beings, but what is the use of living alone?' He wanted to abandon the hermitage and leave. When he reached the mouth of the valley, tigers, leopards, snakes, and pythons blocked the road. The master said, 'If I have a karmic connection here, you should each disperse. Otherwise, let me be eaten by you.' After he said this, they dispersed. So the master returned to the hermitage. A deity appeared and said, 'This mountain was once a monastery (aranya in Sanskrit) during the time of Kashyapa Buddha (Kashyapa Buddha, one of the past seven Buddhas), and it should become a monastery again.' It constantly protects this mountain, probably because it received the Buddha's prediction. The following year, Zen Master Daan (Zen Master Daan, a Tang Dynasty monk) led the monks and helped the master establish the Buddhist community. (Temple Inscription) Net --------------------------------------------------------------------------------