南宗頓教最上大乘摩訶般若波羅蜜經六祖惠能大師於韶州大梵寺施法壇經 1.3

1.3

Master Neng said: "Kalyāṇamitras! With a pure mind, be mindful of the teaching of the mahāprajñāpāramitā." The Master fell silent, purifying his own mind and spirit. After a good while he spoke: "Kalyāṇamitras, listen quietly. Huineng's kind father was originally an official in Fanyang; he was demoted and exiled to Lingnan, becoming a commoner of Xinzhou. Huineng was young when his father also died early. Leaving behind his aging mother alone, we moved to Nanhai. In hardship and poverty, I sold firewood in the marketplace. Suddenly a customer bought firewood and led Huineng to an official lodging; the customer took the firewood away. Having received the money, Huineng turned toward the front gate, where he suddenly saw a customer reciting the Vajracchedikā. Upon hearing it once, Huineng's mind became clear and he awakened at once. He then asked the customer: 'From where have you come, and why do you uphold this scripture?' The customer answered: 'At Dongfengmao Mountain in Huangmei County, Qizhou, I paid homage to the Fifth Patriarch, the Venerable Hongren. He is there at present, with a community of over a thousand disciples. There I heard the Master urge both clergy and laity that merely by upholding a single scroll of the Vajracchedikā, one will immediately see the nature and directly and completely achieve buddhahood.' Hearing this, Huineng, having karmic connections from past lives, immediately took leave of his mother and went to Fengmao Mountain in Huangmei to pay homage to the Fifth Patriarch, the Venerable Hongren."