English
English version: Above the Shanlong Well, covered with thatch and bamboo, he closed his door and sat in meditation, silent all day long. Leaves fell and roots flourished, like a withered tree in winter; the wind was calm and the waves were still, like the water in an ancient mountain stream. Therefore, an old friend named him 'Ne (讷, meaning taciturn)'. Master Yuanjing (元净) was strict in upholding the precepts, lecturing day and night. He once said, 'The power and virtue of ghosts and spirits are incomplete, and they fear people. Lecturing during the day may not reach them. Tonight, when people are quiet, perhaps they can hear.' He once burned his fingers to offer to the Buddha, three on the left hand and two on the right, barely able to hold things with them. When his disciples wanted to imitate him, he always forbade them, saying, 'Only I can do this.' Su Dongpo (苏东坡) once said to him, 'How many practitioners like you, Master, are there in North Mountain?' Master Yuanjing (元净) said, 'There are many monks who practice in secret, which Yuanjing (元净) cannot fathom.' (Miscellaneous Inscriptions of Longjing) Chan Master Furong Kai (芙蓉楷禅师) addressed the assembly, saying, 'This mountain monk's practice is nothing special, and I am fortunate to preside over this mountain gate. Now I want to slightly imitate the example of the ancients as abbot, to repay the Buddha's grace together. I have decided with everyone that I will no longer go down the mountain, not attend feasts, and not send people to solicit donations. I will only divide the annual income from the monastery's estate into 360 parts, taking one part each day for use. I will not increase or decrease it according to the number of people. If there is enough to cook rice, then cook rice; if there is not enough to cook rice, then cook porridge; if there is not enough to cook porridge, then cook rice soup. New arrivals will only be served tea. It is essential to save on conditions and concentrate on practicing the Way.' Even so, I still want everyone to consider it carefully. This mountain monk cannot force you. Do you all remember the ancient verse? 'Coarse rice from the fields, pickled vegetables of light yellow. Eat if you want to eat, don't eat if you don't want to.' (Sayings) Chan Master Zhizhe Yi (知者顗禅师) addressed the assembly. He cited the example of an ancient worthy who lived in the mountains and always had the cook prepare porridge. One day, the cook watched the fire burning the firewood, constantly thinking about how the firewood would soon be exhausted, and lamented how quickly impermanence passes. Therefore, he entered samadhi (定, meditative state) silently in front of the stove. After several days, he got up and went to the seat of the superior (referring to the Chan master), detailing the realm he had realized, and describing the Dharma (佛法, Buddhist teachings) very profoundly. The superior said, 'What you said before is all my realm, but what you are saying now is not what I know, so don't say it again.' Then he asked, 'Have you attained knowledge of past lives?' He replied, 'I know a little.' He also asked, 'What sin is the most base, and what blessing leads to enlightenment?' He replied, 'In a past life, I lived in this mountain, because there was a guest...' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
至侵众少菜。由此谴责今为众奴。前习未忘故易悟尔。(国清百录) 大智律师比丘正名曰。梵语苾刍。华言乞士。内则乞法以沾性。外则乞食以资身。父母人之至亲。最先割舍。须发人之所重。尽以削除。富溢七珍。弃之尤同草芥。贵尊一品。视之何啻烟云。极厌无常。深穷有本。欲高其志必降其身。执锡有类于枯䔧。擎钵何殊于破器。肩披坏服即是弊袍。肘串络囊便同席袋。清净活命已沽八正道中。俭约修身即类四依行内。九州四海都为游处之方。树下冢间悉是栖迟之处。攀三乘之逸驾。蹈诸佛之遗踪。禀圣教以无违。真佛弟子。遇世缘而不易。实大丈夫。可以战退魔军挥开尘网。受万金之胜供。谅亦堪销。为四生之福田。信非虚托。乞士之义。斯之谓欤。(芝园集) 灵源清禅师门榜。其略曰。惟清名曰住持。实同客寄。但以领徒弘法。仰助教风为职事尔。若其常住所管财物。既非己有。理不得专。一委知事僧徒分局主执。明依公私合用支破。惟清止同众僧。斋衬随身瓶钵。任缘去住而已。伏想四方君子来有所须顾。寝食祇接之。余别难供应。盖以彼所管者。世法则属官物。佛教则为众财。偷众财盗官物以买悦人情而取安己有。实非素志之所敢当。预具白闻。冀垂恕察。(石刻在天童) 侍 现代汉语译本： 因侵占他人少量菜蔬，因此受到谴责，今生沦为众人的奴仆。因为前世的习气未曾忘记，所以容易觉悟。 大智律师比丘，正确的名称是梵语“苾刍”（Bhiksu，意为乞食者），汉译为“乞士”。对内，乞求佛法以滋润本性；对外，乞讨食物以维持身体。父母是人最亲近的亲人，（比丘）最先割舍；须发是人所看重的东西，（比丘）全部剃除。堆积如山的七宝，（比丘）抛弃它们如同抛弃草芥；显贵尊崇的一品官位，（比丘）看待它们如同看待过眼烟云。极其厌恶世事无常，深入探究万物的本源。想要高尚自己的志向，必须降低自己的身段。手执锡杖，像拿着一根枯柴；捧着钵盂，像拿着一个破旧的器皿。肩上披着破旧的衣服，就是简陋的僧袍；肘上挂着络囊，就如同席子做成的袋子。清净地生活，以此来实践八正道；节俭地修身，就如同遵循四依之行。九州四海都可以作为游历之处，树下坟墓之间都是栖身之所。攀登三乘（Sāyana，意为声闻乘、缘觉乘、菩萨乘）的超脱之车，追随诸佛的遗迹。遵循圣人的教诲而不违背，是真正的佛弟子。遇到世俗的因缘而不改变，是真正的大丈夫。可以战胜退却魔军，挥开世俗的尘网。接受万金的丰厚供养，确实也能够消化。作为四生（Catur-yoni，意为胎生、卵生、湿生、化生）的福田，确实不是虚假的依托。这就是乞士的含义啊。 灵源清禅师的寺门榜文，其大略是：惟清这个名字是住持，实际上如同客人寄居。只是以带领徒弟弘扬佛法，仰仗辅助教化的风气为职责罢了。至于寺院常住的住所和管理的财物，既然不是自己所有，理应不能专断。全部委托知事僧徒分部门主管执掌，明确依照公私合用的原则进行开支。惟清和众僧一样，斋饭供给随身的瓶钵，任凭因缘来去而已。希望四方君子前来有所需求，住宿饮食尚可接待，其余的难以供应。因为他们所管理的，按照世俗的法则属于官府的财物，按照佛教的法则属于大众的财物。偷盗大众的财物和官府的财物来买好人情，从而使自己安逸，实在不是我一贯的志向所敢做的。预先写明白，希望各位谅解体察。（石刻在天童寺） 侍
English
English version: Because of encroaching upon others' small amount of vegetables, he was condemned, and in this life, he became a servant of the masses. Because the habits of the previous life have not been forgotten, he easily awakens. The proper name for a learned Bhiksu (Bhiksu, meaning beggar) is in Sanskrit, and in Chinese, it is called 'Qishi' (乞士, meaning beggar). Inwardly, he begs for the Dharma to nourish his nature; outwardly, he begs for food to sustain his body. Parents are the closest relatives, yet (a Bhiksu) forsakes them first; hair is what people value, yet (a Bhiksu) shaves it all off. Piles of the seven treasures, (a Bhiksu) discards them as if they were weeds; a noble and respected first-rank official position, (a Bhiksu) views it as fleeting smoke. He deeply detests impermanence and thoroughly investigates the origin of all things. To elevate one's aspirations, one must humble oneself. Holding a staff is like holding a dry branch; carrying a bowl is no different from carrying a broken vessel. Wearing worn-out clothes is like wearing a simple robe; carrying a bag on the elbow is like carrying a mat bag. Living a pure life is to practice the Eightfold Path; cultivating oneself frugally is to follow the Four Reliances. The nine provinces and four seas are all places to travel, and under trees and among tombs are all places to dwell. Climbing the transcendent vehicle of the Three Vehicles (Sāyana, meaning Śrāvakayāna, Pratyekabuddhayāna, Bodhisattvayāna), following the traces of all Buddhas. Obeying the teachings of the saints without disobedience, he is a true disciple of the Buddha. Encountering worldly circumstances without changing, he is a true great man. He can defeat and repel the armies of demons and sweep away the nets of dust. Accepting the generous offerings of ten thousand gold pieces, he can indeed digest them. As a field of merit for the Four Births (Catur-yoni, meaning womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, transformation-born), it is indeed not a false reliance. This is the meaning of a Bhiksu. The notice board at the gate of Zen Master Lingyuan Qing's monastery, in brief, says: The name Weiqing is the abbot, but in reality, it is like a guest staying. He only takes leading disciples to promote the Dharma and relying on assisting the atmosphere of teaching as his duty. As for the monastery's permanent residence and managed property, since they are not his own, he should not make decisions arbitrarily. All are entrusted to the managing monks to be in charge of different departments, clearly following the principle of public and private use for expenses. Weiqing is the same as the monks, with meals provided and carrying his own bowl, allowing him to come and go as he pleases. Hoping that gentlemen from all directions will have needs when they come, accommodation and food can be provided, but other things are difficult to supply. Because what they manage, according to secular law, belongs to the government, and according to Buddhist law, belongs to the community. Stealing the community's property and the government's property to buy favor and make oneself comfortable is not what I have always dared to do. I have written this in advance, hoping for your understanding and consideration. (The stone inscription is at Tiantong Temple) Attendant --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
郎张九成居士。𤼭业进士之暇。笃志释典。谒灵隐明禅师扣宗要。明曰。正当磨砻器业奋发功名。讵能究死生事乎。公曰。先儒有言。朝闻道夕死可矣。然世出世之法初无有二。先朝名公由禅门得道者不知其几。曾何儒释之异。师既为斯道主盟。安用设词拒我邪。明嘉其诚。勉应之曰。此事须念念不舍。久久缘熟。时节到来自然契悟。复令看僧问赵州如何是祖师西来意。州云庭前柏树子。久无所入。谒胡文定公咨尽心行己之道。胡告以将语孟谈仁义处类作一处看。则要在其中。公禀受其语。造次不忘。一夕如厕谛思恻隐之心仁之端也。正沉默间忽闻蛙鸣。不觉举庭前柏树子。蓦有省。颂曰。春天夜月一声蛙。撞破虚空共一家。正恁么时谁曾得。岭头脚痛有玄沙。公偶见妙喜题像云。黑漆粗竹篦。佛来也一棒。由是愿见甚力。公寻还朝迁至礼部侍郎。闻妙喜入城谒之。不值妙喜。报谒。寒温外无别言。归谓参徒曰。张侍郎有个得处。其徒曰。闻相见不曾说着禅字。胡为知之。妙喜曰要我眼作甚么。公奉祠得请诣径山。问格物之旨。妙喜曰。公只知有格物而不知物格。公罔措。徐曰岂无方便。妙喜曰。不见小说载唐人与安禄谋为叛者。其人先为阆守。有画像在焉。明皇幸蜀见之怒令侍臣以剑击其首。其人在陕西首忽堕地。 现代汉语译本： 郎张九成居士，在精研进士学业之余，一心向佛。他拜访灵隐寺的明禅师，请教佛法精要。明禅师说：‘你正当努力学习，建功立业之时，怎能探究生死之事呢？’张九成说：‘先贤曾说，早上明白了真理，晚上死去都可以。况且世间法和出世间法本来就没有分别。前朝许多名公大臣都是从禅门悟道的，这和儒家、佛家有什么不同呢？禅师既然是佛法的主盟之人，为何要用言辞来拒绝我呢？’明禅师赞赏他的诚意，勉励他说：‘这件事需要念念不舍，长久下来因缘成熟，时机一到自然就能领悟。’又让他参看僧人问赵州禅师‘如何是祖师西来意（达摩祖师从西方来到中国的目的何在）’，赵州禅师回答‘庭前柏树子（院子前面的柏树）’的公案。张九成很久都没有领悟。后来他拜访胡文定公，请教尽心修身养性之道。胡文定公告诉他，把《论语》、《孟子》中谈论仁义的地方放在一起看，真意就在其中。张九成谨记他的话，时刻不忘。一天晚上，他上厕所时，仔细思考恻隐之心是仁的开端。正在沉默思索时，忽然听到青蛙的叫声，不自觉地联想到‘庭前柏树子’，一下子有所领悟。于是作偈说：‘春天夜里一声蛙鸣，撞破虚空与万物成为一家。正在这个时候谁能领会？就像玄沙禅师在山岭上脚痛一样。’张九成偶然看到妙喜禅师的画像题词说：‘黑漆粗竹篦（黑色的粗竹板），佛来也一棒（即使是佛来了也要打一棒）。’因此希望能见到妙喜禅师。张九成后来回到朝廷，升任礼部侍郎。听说妙喜禅师来到城里，就去拜访他，没有见到妙喜禅师。妙喜禅师回访，除了问候寒暖之外，没有说其他的话。回去后对他的弟子们说：‘张侍郎有所得。’他的弟子说：‘听说他们见面时没有谈论禅语，您怎么知道的？’妙喜禅师说：‘要我的眼睛做什么？’张九成告假回家，前往径山拜访妙喜禅师，请教格物致知的道理。妙喜禅师说：‘您只知道有格物，却不知道物格。’张九成不知所措，慢慢地说：‘难道没有方便之法吗？’妙喜禅师说：‘您没看过小说记载唐朝人与安禄山谋划叛乱的事情吗？那个人先前担任阆州刺史，有画像在那里。唐明皇（712-756）到四川避难时，看到画像，非常生气，命令侍臣用剑砍他的头。那个人在陕西的头忽然掉在地上。’