孩提时期

公庶母王氏抚育。清道光廿年一岁。渐长。游戏辄以聚土为菩萨像等拜之。读书课余喜阅佛经善书修身格言。有关身心性命之学。尤为好乐。此足征公得天独厚。赋性非凡。

宣化偈曰：
游戏读书露性天。好乐圣典岂偶然。
于斯已悟真俗谛。不二法门愿荷担。

Bringing up the child

 The Master's stepmother, who was from the Wang family, took care of his upbringing. The 20th year of the Tao Kuang reign period in the Ch'ing Dynasty (1840) was his first year. When he played during his childhood, he instinctively made Bodhisattva images out of dirt and bowed to them. He was quite happy to peruse Buddist Sutras and works on morality, self-cultivation, and wise sayings . Studies concerning the moral conduct of body and mind especially interested him. His preternatural gifts were developed and subtle – not all common.

The verse says:
Whether playing or reading books, in all he did, his character and inclination were revealed.
The pleasure he took in the sagely scriptures-how could it be by any chance?
Just right here he awakened to the Actual and mundane Truths.
And thus he vowed to undertake the Non-Dual Dharma-door.