The Tale of Huìnéng

Chapter 3

The Patriarch’s Challenge


27.	One day the Patriarch called together all his disciples, and said to them:	祖一日唤诸门人总来。 Zǔ yī rì huàn zhū ménrén zǒng lái. 祖一日喚諸門人總來。
28.	“I want to tell you that the cycles of life and death are a serious matter. Every day you are all seeking the “fields of felicity” (meritorious acts), but not seeking to escape the bitter sea of repetitive life and death. But if you are misled about your own nature, how can such meritorious acts help you?	吾向汝说。世人生死事大。汝等终日只求福田。不求出离生死苦海。自性若迷。福何可救。 Wú xiàng rǔ shuō. Shìrén shēngsǐ shì dà. Rǔ děng zhōngrì zhǐ qiú fútián. Bù qiúchū lí shēngsǐ kǔhǎi. Zì xìng ruò mí. Fú hé kě jiù. 吾向汝說。世人生死事大。汝等終日只求福田。不求出離生死苦海。自性若迷。福何可救。
29.	Now all of you go and seek insight (zhìhuì 智慧), seek the essence of the wisdom (bōrě 般若= prajña) in your own mind. Then each should write me a gatha (jié 偈) about it. Whoever best expresses the essential idea [dàyì 大意] will be given the Dharma robe and become the Sixth Patriarch.	汝等各去自看智慧。取自本心般若之性。各作一偈来呈吾看。若悟大意。付汝衣法为第六代祖。 Rǔ děng gè qù zì kàn zhìhuì. Qǔ zì běnxīn bōrě zhī xìng. Gè zuò yī jì lái chéng wú kàn. Ruò wù dàyì. Fù rǔ yī fǎ wéi dì-liù dài zǔ. 汝等各去自看智慧。取自本心般若之性。各作一偈來呈吾看。若悟大意。付汝衣法為第六代祖。
30.	Now go quickly and don’t delay. Long thought is not needed. A man who has seen his essence can immediately talk about it, and thereafter cannot forget it. Even amid swords and chariots, he never loses sight of it.”	火急速去。不得迟滞。思量即不中用。见性之人。言下须见。若如此者。轮刀上阵。亦得见之。 Huǒjí sù qù. Bù dé chízhì. Sīliàng jí bù zhōngyòng. Jiàn xìng zhī rén. Yán xià xū jiàn. Ruò rúcǐ zhě. Lún dāo shàngzhèn. Yì dé jiàn zhī. 火急速去。不得遲滯。思量即不中用。見性之人。言下須見。若如此者。輪刀上陣。亦得見之。
31.	All headed back to their own quarters, saying to each other, “For us there is no need to focus our minds to write gathas to submit to the abbot.	众得处分。退而递相谓曰。我等众人。不须澄心用意作偈。将呈和尚。 Zhòng dé chǔfèn. Tuì ér dì xiāng wèi yuē. Wǒděng zhòngrén. Bù xū chéng xīn yòngyì zuò jì. Jiāng chéng héshang. 眾得處分。退而遞相謂曰。我等眾人。不須澄心用意作偈。將呈和尚。
32.	Why bother? Senior Monk Shénxiù 神秀 is the head teacher, so he’ll have to be the one to get it. We’ll just hang back from writing gathas; it’s a waste of effort.”	有何所益。神秀上座现为教授师。必是他得。我辈谩作偈颂。枉用心力。 Yǒu hésuǒ yì. Shénxiù shàngzuò xiàn wéi jiàoshòu shī. Bì shì tā dé. Wǒbèi màn zuò jì sòng. Wǎng yòng xīn lì. 有何所益。神秀上座現為教授師。必是他得。我輩謾作偈頌。枉用心力。
33.	And when they all heard each other saying this, they all said, “We’ll just follow Shénxiù. Why should we make up gathas?”	诸人闻语。总皆息心。咸言我等已后依止秀师。何烦作偈。 Zhū rén wén yǔ. Zǒng jiē xīxīn. Xián yán wǒděng yǐhòu yī zhǐ Xiù shī. Hé fán zuò jì. 諸人聞語。總皆息心。咸言我等已後依止秀師。何煩作偈。
34.	Shénxiù, meanwhile, thought to himself, “Nobody else is submitting a gatha, since I am their ritual teacher. So I must write a gatha and submit it to his holiness. Otherwise, if I don’t submit one, how will his holiness determine whether my heart is profound or superficial。	神秀思惟。诸人不呈偈者。为我与他为教授师。我须作偈。将呈和尚。若不呈偈。和尚如何知我心中见解深浅？ Shénxiù sīwéi. Zhū rén bù chéng jì zhě. Wèi wǒ yǔ tā wéi jiàoshòu shī. Wǒ xū zuò jì. Jiāng chéng héshang. Ruò bù chéng jì. Héshang rúhé zhī wǒ xīnzhōng jiànjiě shēnqiǎn? 神秀思惟。諸人不呈偈者。為我與他為教授師。我須作偈。將呈和尚。若不呈偈。和尚如何知我心中見解深淺？
35.	If I submit a gatha in quest of the Dharma, that would be good. If it is in quest of the patriarchate, that would be bad. It would be a worldly desire, it would be attempting to steal the holy position.	我呈偈意。求法即善。觅祖即恶。却同凡心夺其圣位奚别。 Wǒ chéng jì yì. Qiú fǎ jí shàn. Mì zǔ jí è. Què tóng fánxīn duó qí shèng wèi xī bié. 我呈偈意。求法即善。覓祖即惡。却同凡心奪其聖位奚別。
36.	But if I submit nothing, I shall never get the Dharma [or the position]. How difficult this is!	若不呈偈。终不待法。大难大难。 Ruò bù chéng jì. Zhōng bù dài fǎ. Dà nàn dà nàn. 若不呈偈。終不待法。大難大難。
37.	In front of the hall of the Patriarch there were three corridors. The court artist Lú Zhēn 卢珍 had been hired to paint them with scenes of the transfigurations of the assembly from the Scripture of the Entry into Lanka [from the Lanka Sūtra (Léngqié Jīng 楞伽经, Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra)] and with the genealogy of the Five Patriarchs for the edification and adoration of the public.	五祖堂前。有步廊三间。拟请供奉卢珍画楞伽变相及五祖血脉图。流传供养。 Wǔzǔ táng qián. Yǒu bù láng sān jiān. Nǐqǐng gòngfèng Lú Zhēn huà Léngqié biànxiàng jí wǔ zǔ xuè mài tú. Liúchuán gòngyǎng. 五祖堂前。有步廊三間。擬請供奉盧珍畫楞伽變相及五祖血脈圖。流傳供養。
38.	When Shénxiù had completed his gatha, he tried several times to submit it to the abbot. But whenever he neared the hall, his heart was troubled, and he began to perspire, so that he was unable to do it. In all he tried thirteen times over four days without being able to do it.	神秀作偈成已。数度欲呈。行至堂前。心中恍惚。遍身汗流。拟呈不得。前后经四日一十三度呈偈不得。 Shénxiù zuò jì chéng yǐ. Shùdù yù chéng. Xíng zhì táng qián. Xīnzhōng huǎnghū. Biànshēn hàn liú. Nǐ chéng bù dé. Qiánhòu jīng sì rì yīshí sān dù chéng jì bù dé. 神秀作偈成已。數度欲呈。行至堂前。心中恍惚。遍身汗流。擬呈不得。前後經四日一十三度呈偈不得。
39.	Xiùshén thought to himself: “Wouldn’t better for me to write it on the corridor wall and let his holiness see it? If he says it is good, then I can come out and pay homage to him and say that it was done by me.	秀乃思惟。不如向廊下书着。从他和尚看见。忽若道好。即出礼拜云是秀作。 Xiù nǎi sīwéi. Bùrú xiàng láng xiàshū zhù. Cóng tā héshang kànjian. Hū ruò dào hǎo. Jí chū lǐbài yún shì Xiù zuò. 秀乃思惟。不如向廊下書著。從他和尚看見。忽若道好。即出禮拜云是秀作。
40.	If he says it is unsatisfactory, then what will I have accomplished by living for years on this mountain and receiving people’s homage? And what have I learned of Buddhism?”	若道不堪。枉向山中数年。受人礼拜。更修何道。 Ruò dào bùkān. Wǎng xiàng shān zhōng shù nián. Shòu rén lǐbài. Gèng xiū hé dào. 若道不堪。枉向山中數年。受人禮拜。更修何道。
41.	That night, about midnight, without letting others know, he took a lamp and wrote his gatha on the wall of the southern corridor, so as to to show his heart. Here is what the gatha said:	是夜三更不使人知。自执灯书偈于南廊壁间。呈心所见。偈曰。 Shì yè sāngēng bù shǐ rén zhī. Zì zhí dēng shū jì yú nán láng bì jiān. Chéng xīn suǒ jiàn. Jì yuē. 是夜三更不使人知。自執燈書偈於南廊壁間。呈心所見。偈曰。
42.	The body is the tree of wisdom (bodhi); the heart is like the stand of a bright mirror. Hour after hour we wipe them clean, and do not permit dust to settle on them.	身是菩提树。心如明镜台。时时勤拂拭。勿使惹尘埃。」 Shēn shì pútí shù. Xīn rú míngjìng tái. Shíshí qín fúshì. Wù shǐ rě chén'āi.” 身是菩提樹。心如明鏡臺。時時勤拂拭。勿使惹塵埃。」

“The body is the tree of wisdom; the heart is like the stand of a bright mirror.”
(Drawing by Crystal Jiao, Thurgood Marshall College,
UCSD, Class of 2018, by permission.)


43.	When Shénxiù had finished writing his gatha, he returned to his cell, and no one knew. But he thought to himself, “If the Fifth Patriarch sees my gatha and is pleased, I [shall know that I] am ready for the Dharma. If he says it is unsatisfactory, I shall know that I have deluded myself, and that, due to past deeds, I am unworthy to receive the Dharma.”	秀书偈了。便却归房。人总不知。秀复思惟。五祖明日见偈欢喜。即我与法有缘。若言不堪。自是我迷。宿业障重。不合得法。 Xiù shū jì liǎo. Biàn què guī fáng. Rén zǒng bù zhī. Xiù fù sīwéi. Wǔzǔ míngrì jiàn jì huānxǐ. Jí wǒ yǔ fǎ yǒu yuán. Ruò yán bù kān. Zì shì wǒ mí. Sùyè zhàng zhòng. Bùhé défǎ. 秀書偈了。便却歸房。人總不知。秀復思惟。五祖明日見偈歡喜。即我與法有緣。若言不堪。自是我迷。宿業障重。不合得法。
44.	It was hard to gauge what would happen as he thought about it over and over in his room, unable to sit or to lie down, until the fifth watch [just before dawn].	圣意难测。房中思想。坐卧不安。直至五更。 Shèngyì náncè. Fángzhōng sīxiǎng. Zuòwòbù'ān. Zhí zhì wǔgēng. 聖意難測。房中思想。坐臥不安。直至五更。
45.	But the Patriarch already knew that Shénxiù had not entered the gate of enlightenment and did not know his own essence.	祖已知神秀入门未得。不见自性。 Zǔ yǐ zhī Shénxiù rùmén wèi dé. Bù jiàn zì xìng. 祖已知神秀入門未得。不見自性。
46.	After the sun rose, the Patriarch invited Mr. Lú, the artist, and together they went to the southern corridor where the pictures were to be painted. They suddenly saw the gatha, and the abbot said, “This wall need not be painted, and I am sorry you have come so far.	天明祖唤卢供奉来。向南廊壁间绘画图相。忽见其偈。报言供奉却不用画。劳尔远来。 Tiānmíng Zǔ huàn Lú gòngfèng lái. Xiàng nán láng bì jiān huìhuà tú xiāng. Hū jiàn qí jì. Bào yán gòngfèng què bù yòng huà. Láo ěr yuǎn lái. 天明祖喚盧供奉來。向南廊壁間繪畫圖相。忽見其偈。報言供奉却不用畫。勞爾遠來。
47.	The [Diamond Sutra] Scripture says: ‘All forms are empty and illusory.’ So let us leave this gatha so that people can recite it and consider it. If they put this gatha into practice, they can avoid the ways of iniquity, and it can benefit them.”	经云凡所有相皆是虚妄。但留此偈与人诵持。依此偈修免堕恶道。依此偈修有大利益。 Jīng yún fán suǒyǒu xiāng jiēshì xūwàng. Dàn liú cǐ jì yǔ rén sòng chí. Yī cǐ jì xiū miǎn duò èdào. Yī cǐ jì xiū yǒu dà lìyì. 經云凡所有相皆是虛妄。但留此偈與人誦持。依此偈修免墮惡道。依此偈修有大利益。
48.	He ordered his disciples to burn incense in homage and to recite the gatha so that they would see their own essence. And all the disciples recited it and exclaimed, “It’s very good!”	令门人炷香礼敬。尽诵此偈。即得见性。门人诵偈。皆叹善哉。 Lìng ménrén zhùxiāng lǐ jìng. Jìn sòng cǐ jì. Jí dé jiàn xìng. Ménrén sòng jì. Jiē tàn shàn zāi. 令門人炷香禮敬。盡誦此偈。即得見性。門人誦偈。皆歎善哉。

“He ordered his disciples to burn incense in homage and to recite the gatha so that they would see their own essence.”
(Drawing by Eric Chen, Sixth College,
UCSD, Class of 2019, by permission.)


49.	About midnight, the Patriarch sent for Shénxiù, and he asked him, “Was the gatha written by you?”	祖三更唤秀入堂问曰。偈是汝作否。 Zǔ sāngēng huàn Xiù rù táng wèn yuē. Jì shì rǔ zuò fǒu. 祖三更喚秀入堂問曰。偈是汝作否。
50.	Shénxiù replied, “It was indeed I who wrote it. I would not dare to ask for the patriarchate, but I hope that your holiness will have the kindness to tell his disciple whether he shows the littlest bit of wisdom.”	秀言实是秀作。不敢妄求祖位。望和尚慈悲。看弟子有少智慧否。 Xiù yán shí shì Xiù zuò. Bù gǎn wàngqiú zǔ wèi. Wàng héshang cíbēi. Kàn dìzǐ yǒu shǎo zhìhuì fǒu. 秀言實是秀作。不敢妄求祖位。望和尚慈悲。看弟子有少智慧否。
51.	The Patriarch replied: “Your writing this gatha [shows that you] have not seen your basic essence. You have reached the outside of the door [of enlightenment], but have not entered it. By this means one can receive understanding, but if you are seeking the supreme perfect wisdom (bodhi), you cannot reach it this way.	祖曰汝作此偈。未见本性。只到门外。未入门内。如此见解。觅无上菩提。了不可得。 Zǔ yuē rǔ zuò cǐ jì. Wèi jiàn běnxìng. Zhǐ dào mén wài. Wèi rùmén nèi. Rúcǐ jiànjiě. Mì wúshàng pútí. Liǎo bù kě dé. 祖曰汝作此偈。未見本性。只到門外。未入門內。如此見解。覓無上菩提。了不可得。
52.	The supreme perfect wisdom requires that beneath mere words you recognize your original mind, that you see your original essence, which neither is born nor dies.	无上菩提。须得言下识自本心。见自本性。不生不灭。 Wúshàng pútí. Xūděi yán xià shí zì běnxīn. Jiàn zì běnxìng. Bù shēng bù miè. 無上菩提。須得言下識自本心。見自本性。不生不滅。
53.	[It requires that] from moment to moment you be able to see your own self.	于一切时中。念念自见， Yú yī qiē shí zhōng. Niànnian zì jiàn, 於一切時中。念念自見，
54.	Then all things will be unobstructed. What is true will be true.	万法无滞。一真依切真。 Wànfǎ wú zhì. Yī zhēn yī qiē zhēn. 萬法無滯。一真依切真。
55.	All situations will accord with ultimate reality, its essence, its truth.	万境自如如。如如之心。即是真实。 Wàn jìng zì rú rú. Rú rú zhī xīn. Jíshì zhēnshí. 萬境自如如。如如之心。即是真實。
56.	When you can see things in that way, that will be the self-insight that is supreme enlightenment.	若如是见。即是无上菩提之自性也。 Ruò rú shì jiàn. Jíshì wúshàng pútí zhī zì xìng yě. 若如是見。即是無上菩提之自性也。
57.	So go and think about this for a couple of days and give me another gatha. I will look at it, and if your gatha is that of one who has entered the door of enlightenment, I shall transmit the robe and the Dharma to you.	汝且去一两日思惟。更作一偈将来吾看。汝偈若入得门。付汝衣法。 Rǔ qiě qù yī liǎng rì sīwéi. Gèng zuò yī jì jiāng lái wú kàn. Rǔ jì ruò rù dé mén. Fù rǔ yī fǎ. 汝且去一兩日思惟。更作一偈將來吾看。汝偈若入得門。付汝衣法。
58.	So Shénxiù made his obeisance and left. Several days passed as he tried without success to write a new gatha. His mind was agitated and his spirit restless. It was like being in a [bad] dream. And neither walking nor sitting brought him any comfort.	神秀作礼而出。又经数日作偈不成。心中恍惚。神思不安。犹如梦中。行坐不乐。 Shénxiù zuò lǐ ér chū. Yòu jīng shù rì zuò jì bù chéng. Xīnzhōng huǎnghū. Shénsī bù ān. Yóurú mèng zhōng. Xíng zuò bù lè. 神秀作禮而出。又經數日作偈不成。心中恍惚。神思不安。猶如夢中。行坐不樂。

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