辯才法師為蘇東坡兒子“摩頂”

文/ 司馬一民

蘇東坡與辯才石像。Stone statues of Su Dongpo and Biancai.

辯才（1011年—1091年），俗姓徐，名無象，法名元凈，號辯才，于潛縣（今臨安于潛）人。他家樂善好施，經常幫助窮苦之人。相傳，在他出生的時候，有位外鄉客路過，說他家的房子里有瑞氣上升，會出奇男子。剛生下來時，他的左肩上有肉隆起，形狀如同袈裟絳，八十一天后才消失，辯才正好是在八十一歲的時候圓寂。

辯才十歲的時候，父母親把他送到西菩山明智寺出家為僧，師從僧人法雨禪師。辯才天資聰穎，好學精進，博學強記。辯才十八歲離開西菩山明智寺，來到杭州上天竺寺，師從慈云法師，學習天臺教義，深得慈云真傳，知行并進。慈云圓寂后，又師從明智韶師，學《摩訶止觀》。在名師指點下，辯才道行漸高，行化東南，在吳越一帶很有名望。辯才二十五歲的時候，宋仁宗聞其德行，特恩賜紫衣袈裟，并賜法號“辯才”。此后，他代明智韶師講法長達十五年之久，住持大悲寶閣院前后又長達十年之久。

嘉佑末年（1063），杭州知州沈遘以上天竺寺住持智月法師之邀，聘請辯才入山住持，并上請朝廷，以教易禪，朝廷恩準，賜改寺名為“靈感觀音院”。吳越信眾解囊相助，辯才“開山辟地二十五尋”，“增廣殿宇”，“幾至萬礎”，且“殿皆重檐”，“重樓杰觀，冠于浙西”，前來求學的僧眾越來越多，上天竺因此而成為杭州名剎。辯才在上天竺住持法席十七年。

元豐二年（1079），年屆古稀的辯才從上天竺退居南山龍井壽圣院。北宋乾祐二年（949），當地百姓募緣在此建報國看經院，熙寧（1068—1077）中改稱壽圣院，即龍井寺。后因年久失修，寺院破敗不堪，僅存“蔽屋數楹”。辯才“策杖獨往”，“以茅竹自覆”。因辯才修葺屋宇，寺院得到振興，他最后圓寂于此。

辯才法師不但道行高深，而且頗有詩才。他與同時代的許多詩人因心性相投，友情頗深，時有詩作唱和，給我們留下了他們交往的趣事。這里說說辯才法師與蘇東坡的詩作唱和。

辯才法師與蘇東坡最為投緣。熙寧四年（1071年）蘇東坡到杭州任通判，這是他第一次到杭州，他與辯才法師因緣相識。那年蘇東坡34歲，辯才法師已經60歲，二十多年的年齡差距，居然沒有違和感，兩人結下了忘年交。

當時，蘇東坡的第二個兒子蘇迨患小兒腦積水癥，腦袋病態地特別大，快四歲了還不會走路，蘇東坡非常著急。辯才法師知道后，讓蘇軾帶蘇迨來見，他為蘇迨進行摩頂治療，很快治好了蘇迨的病。

辯才亭。The Biancai Pavilion.

什么是“摩頂治療”？玄乎。辯才法師究竟用什么醫道治好了蘇迨的病，也難考據，不過，治好了蘇迨的病總是真的，有蘇東坡《贈上竺辯才師》詩為證，其中就有這么幾句：“我有長頭兒，角頰峙犀玉。四歲不知行，抱負煩背腹。師來為摩頂，起走趁奔鹿。”

這是一首紀事詩，詩中蘇東坡描繪了辯才法師的形象，飄飄若仙的樣子 ；描繪了辯才法師的醫道，神奇的治病過程 ；描繪了蘇迨的病狀以及病愈后的活潑。

元祐四年（1089年），離開杭州十五年后，蘇東坡重回杭州任知州，此時年邁的辯才已從上天竺寺退居龍井寺，蘇東坡即去拜訪。蘇東坡來訪，辯才十分欣喜，最難風雨故人來，兩人經常茶敘清談。

有一天，蘇東坡去龍井寺見辯才法師，晚間茶敘，突然雷電交加，暴雨疾至，窗前有兩棵松樹的樹枝被吹折。辯才法師觸景生情，脫口吟出一聯：“龍枝已逐風雷變，減卻虛窗半日涼”。蘇東坡應聲吟出：“天愛禪心圓且潔，故添明月伴清光”。僧、俗兩人如此心性相通，亙古未見。

辯才法師退居龍井寺后，慕名而來的客人仍然很多，年邁之人受不了打攪，不得已定了個規矩：待客不超三炷香，送客不過歸隱橋。

元祐六年（1091年），蘇東坡被朝廷召回。離杭前，蘇東坡去龍井寺拜別辯才法師，兩人相談甚歡，不覺已經月上柳梢，辯才法師留蘇東坡夜宿龍井寺。第二天一早，辯才法師送蘇東坡下山，一路談笑，不知不覺過了溪上的歸隱橋。小沙彌連忙提醒辯才法師破了規矩，辯才法師與蘇東坡停下腳步，相顧大笑。辯才法師吟誦了杜子美的詩：“與子成二老，來往亦風流。”

辯才有《龍井新亭初成詩呈府帥蘇翰林》紀事，說的是蘇東坡在處理完公務以后，經常去龍井寺，二人“路穿亂石腳”，走遍了龍井的山山水水；“煮茗款道論”，雖然二人論什么道，我們不得而知，但是能與蘇東坡經常“道論”的人，必定旗鼓相當；“聲光千載留”，二人的風采當與龍井的山水一樣留存千古；最后兩句“愿公歸廟堂，用慰天下憂”，期望蘇東坡這位濟世之才早日回歸朝廷，能為普天下百姓解憂，也就是說杭州這片土地太小，蘇東坡應該立身于朝廷造福天下。

蘇東坡也有詩相和，其中有幾句這樣寫道：“送我還過溪，溪水當逆流。聊使此山人，永記二老游。大千在掌握，寧有別離憂。”

這真是一段千古佳話。后來，辯才法師在老龍井旁建了“過溪亭”，于是龍井又多了一景。后人把辯才法師送蘇東坡過溪經過的歸隱橋，稱之為“二老橋”。

元祐六年（1091年）秋天，辯才法師自知來日無多，就入室端坐，謝絕賓客，不再言語、飲食。到第五日，辯才法師以偈語作別眾人。到了第七日，法師安然圓寂。

龍井過溪亭。The Guoxi Pavilion at Longjing village in Hangzhou.

第二年五月，辯才法師的徒弟惟楚攜帶一軸當年蘇東坡給辯才法師的信，去揚州找在那里任知州的蘇東坡，請求題跋。蘇東坡立即寫題跋并作偈祭奠：“雖大法師，自戒定通。律無持破，垢凈皆空。講無辨訥，事理皆融。如不動山，如常撞鐘。如一月水，如萬竅風。八十一年，生雖有終。遇物而應，施則無窮。”這年十月，辯才法師骨塔在龍井獅峰山麓建成，蘇東坡請弟弟蘇轍撰寫辨才大師的塔碑銘文，以作紀念。

Master Biancai Curing Son of Su Dongpo

By Sima Yimin

Popularly known as Biancai (1011-1091) or Master Dharma Debater, a title bestowed by Emperor Renzong of Song (1010-1063), the master monk was born in Yuqian county (present-day Yuqian township, Lin’an district, Hangzhou city) in the year 1101.The original name of Biancai, who went by the dharma name Yuanjing, was Xu Wuxiang.

The Xu family was recognized as being very generous and compassionate, regularly doling out food and money to those who were in need. Legend has it that on the day when Biancai was born, a visitor passing by the Xu family pointed at their house and declared that an auspicious light was rising, portending to the birth of an extraordinary man. After he was born, a strip of bulge could be seen on Biancai’s left shoulder, quite like the silk linings on kasaya (robes worn by Buddhist monks). The bulge disappeared after 81 days; coincidently, Biaocai also died when he was 81 years old (1091), a number that holds special significance for Buddhists.

When he was 10 years old, Biancai was sent by his parents sent to Yuqian’s Mingzhi Temple on the Xipu Mountain, where he obtained his dharma name Yuanjing. As a smart and hardworking student, Biancai benefited a lot through learning from several Buddhist masters in several different temples. Gradually, Biancai established his reputation. By the time when he turned 25,Biancai’s name traveled so far and wide that the reigning emperor,Emperor Renzong of Song, after hearing of his moral integrity,bestowed upon him the title of “Biancai” and the purple kasaya,the color of the highest honor for a Buddhist monk.

Noted not only for his wisdom and mastery of Buddhist knowledge and practices, Biancai was also celebrated for his literary exploits, especially poetry. In fact, he counted Su Shi (1037-1101),Qin Guan (1049-1100), Huang Tingjian (1045-1105), and other prominent literary figures of his time among his close friends.

Su Shi, aka Su Dongpo, was perhaps Biancai’s best poet friend. In 1071, when Sufirst came to Hangzhou and served as its controller-general, he got to know Master Biancai by chance.Despite their age difference - Su was 34 years old and Biancai was already 60 at the time, the two soon became bosom friends.

It so happened that Su Dai, Su Dongpo’s second son, was suffering from infantile hydrocephalus. At about four years old, Su Dai’s head was morbidly large, and he still could not walk. When Biancai learned about it, he asked Su Shi to bring his son to see him. What did Biancai do? He administered the so-called “mo dingtreatment” for Su Dai, who soon returned to normal.

So what is “mo dingtreatment”? In Buddhist practices,mo dingliterally means “laying the hand on the top of the head, and it originally refers to a custom of Buddha teaching his disciples, from which the burning of the spots on the head of a monk is said to have originated.

Did the practice really have such mystic powers? Or did Biancai in fact know a thing or two about medicine and he cured Su Dai through his medical knowledge? It is hard to tell, as there is no documents or records available to verify what had transpired.

Apparently, Biancai did lay his hand on the head of Su Dai, as attested by a poem Su Shi later composed; and apparently, Su Dai speedily recovered afterwards, as described in the same poem.

In 1089, 15 years after Su Shi left Hangzhou, he returned to the place to serve as its prefect. Among the first things that Su did was to visit Biancai. In 1091, Su and Biancai met for the last time before the former was transferred to the capital. Later that year,Master Biancai passed away peacefully.

十八棵茶樹。肖奕叁/攝18 tea plants. Photo by Xiao Yisan.