57.留公過年再去 Being invited to pass the new year

留公過年再去

德老請公留寺過年。意極懇切。正月初二日。由洪福寺起拜香。抵懷慶府。復回寺寄宿。初三告別。德林老人。大哭不舍。珍重後期而別。此老因公。苦行特殊。故爾一哭再哭。挽留至誠也。

宣化偈曰： 離合悲歡世俗情。德公哀泣迥不同。 道義知音何處覓。白髮蒼蒼嘆無成。

Being invited to pass the new year

The Elder Master Te Lin invited the Master to spend New Year’s at the monastery. His offer was extended with the utmost sincerity. On the second day of the first month, the Master started bowing again. From Hung Fu Monastery he went to Huai Ch’ing Prefecture. He then returned to the monastery to stay the evening. On the third day, he took formal leave of the Elder Master Te Lin, who cried profusely because he did not want to lose the Master’s company. After they bid one another farewell, the Master departed. Moved by the Master’s outstanding asceticism, the Elder Master, having sincerely asked him to stay, cried and cried again.

The verse says: Both the sadness of parting and the joy of meeting are emotions of the mundane world. But the Elder Master Te Lin’s sadness was not of that kind. How often is one who understands the meaning of the Way, and “knows one’s sound” to be found? His hair was white with advancing age; he sighed at his lack of success.