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真法本無性
(慧洪覺範禪師)

真法本無性，隨緣染淨起。

不了號無明，了之即佛智。

無明全妄情，知覺全真理。

當念絕古今，底處尋終始。

本自離言詮，分別即生死。  

“ Dharma Has No Characteristics Of Its Own”
---- a famous Zen poem

The original True Dharma has no characteristics of its own,   
the purity of mind gets stains by dependent arising.  

Unawareness is called ignorance    
whereas the Awareness is the wisdom of Buddha.   

Ignorance leads to illusion.   
Realizing and Awakening leads to truth.   

The present very mind has no past and no future.    
Go straight down to its root one searches no beginning
and no ending.   

It is beyond literal explanation.    
To distinguish it is to stick on the duality of birth and death.   
— Poem by a famous Zen Master Jue-fan Hui-hong (1071~1128)

詩僧覺範慧洪禪師:

　一名宋朝禪師發現，良好的文學表達，對於禪宗立足於宋朝的
文人文化，扮演著重要的角色。大慧宗皋（1089～1163）或許可
說是宋朝最重要的禪師，之前曾數度參訪當時已成名的文人詩僧
覺範慧洪（1071～1128），這樣的養成教育對於他日後成為禪師
幫助很大。覺範在至少兩個文案上幫助過他。覺範慧洪（或稱德洪）
隸屬臨濟宗黃龍派，此派是以江西北部的西門山寶峰寺為活動中心，
大慧也曾在此依止數年。

大慧的作品裡有一些針對覺範開悟的評論，覺範是在被真淨克文
（1025～1102）逐出寺廟時開悟。這些評論有助於瞭解慧洪與禪宗
的複雜關係，同時也有助於釐清大慧對於禪宗開悟與訓練的見解。

Introduction of Author:

Given the place of Chan Buddhism within Song Dynasty literati
culture, a Chan master during the Song Dynasty found excellence
in literary expression a major asset.  Dahui Zonggao (1089~1163)
was arguably the Song Dynasty’s most important Chan monk. 

A valuable part of his education as a future Chan master took place
when he visited several times the already famous Chan poet and
literatus Juefan Huihong (1071~1128); Juefan assisted him on at
least two literary projects. Juefan Huihong (also known as Dehong)
was a member of a circle of monks and laymen belonging to the
Huanglong school of Chan centering on Baofeng Monastery at Mt.
Shimen in the northern part of Jiangxi province to which Dahui also
belonged for a number of years.

Dahui’s writings include a number of comments about Juefan Huihong’s
enlightenment, his expulsion from the Zhenjing Kewen’s (1025~1102)
monastery immediately following his awakening, and understanding of
Chan.  These are helpful in understanding Huihong’s complex relation
to the Chan school, as well as in illuminating Dahui’s view of Chan
enlightenment and training.

For more information about Zen culture in Song Dynasty,

please click here:http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-BJ001/93610.htm

Peace to all beings.