唐嶺南節度使馬總爲禪宗六祖慧能豎碑事

On the Lingnan Military Governor Ma Zong Erected a Stone Monument for Hui Neng Six Patriarchs of Zen

元和十年,嶺南節度使馬總奏請朝廷褒揚禪宗六祖慧能,詔賜"大鑒禪師"師號、"靈照之塔"塔號,請時任柳州刺史的柳宗元撰寫《曹溪第六祖賜謚大鑒禪師碑》。柳文沒有對禪宗宗義加以闡發,而是一方面基於"統合儒釋"立場,强調慧能禅宗思想"其教人,始以性善,終以性善"的教化作用与意义,另一方面大力表揚馬總的功績。按一般歷史記述,中晚唐時期禪宗洪州一派形勢大盛,籠蓋諸宗。而《大鑒禪師碑》則揭示了當時嶺南地方統治者支持禪宗"統合儒釋"、"以教輔政"的發展態勢。柳宗元的碑文作爲禪宗史和文化史的重要文獻,對於全面認識中晚唐禪宗乃至佛教的整體狀況具有重要價值。

In the tenth year of Yuan He( 元和),Lingnan military governor Ma Zong presented the court a petition for granting the honor of "Da Jian Zen master"( 大鑒禪師) and "Ling Zhao tower"( 靈照之塔)to Hui Neng,the Six Patriarchs of Zen,and therefore invited Liu Zongyuan,the governor of Liu Zhou,to write the epitaph. Instead of the doctrine of Zen,the epitaph focused on the enlightenment of Zen and acknowledgement of Ma Zong, which revealed the integration among Buddhism,Confucianism,and politics during that time.