六祖大師法寶壇經 1.34

1.34

transmission of the mind with the mind. [The mind] must always enlighten

itself, emancipate itself. From ancient times, the buddhas have only trans-

mitted the fundamental essence; the masters have secretly handed on the

fundamental mind.

“‘The robe [however] has become the focus of conflict, and beginning

with you it should not be transmitted. If you transmit this robe, your life

expectancy will be like a hanging thread. You should go quickly! I fear peo-

ple will harm you!’ I addressed him, ‘Where should I go?’ The patriarch

said, ‘When you encounter destruction (huai), you should stop. When you

come upon a group (hui), you should secret yourself.’

“In the third watch I took the robe and bowl and said, ‘I am from south

China and do not know the mountainous roads around here. How do I get to

the mouth of the [Yangzi] River?’ The Fifth Patriarch said, ‘Do not be dis-

heartened, I will see you off.’ The patriarch accompanied me as far as Jiu-

jiang station, where he had us get on a boat. The Fifth Patriarch took the oar

and rowed [the boat] himself. I said, ‘Your Reverence, please sit. Your dis-

ciple should row!’ Hongren said, ‘I should take you over [to the other shore].’

I said, ‘When one is deluded, one thinks teachers take [sentient beings over

to the other shore], but when one is enlightened, one realizes one crosses

over by oneself. Although “cross over” is only a single term, its uses are var-

ied. Since I was born in a border region, my pronunciation is not correct. I

have received transmission of the Dharma from you, Master, and I have now

become enlightened. Can it be anything other than that the self-natures have

crossed themselves over?’

“The patriarch said, ‘So it is, so it is. In the future, Buddhism will flour-

ish greatly because of you. Three years after you go, I will depart this world.

You should go now. Make an effort to go south, and don’t be in a hurry to

preach [the Dharma]. It is difficult to propagate Buddhism!’

“After I left the patriarch, I started out walking toward the south. In the

second month [of traveling] I reached the Dayu Mountains. (Hongren

returned [to the monastery] and for several days did not go into the hall.

The assembly [of followers] was in doubt about this and proceeded to him to ask, “Is Your Reverence ill or discomforted in some small way?” He said, “I am not ill. The robe and Dharma are in the south.” They asked, “To whom have you transmitted them?” He said, “One who is able has received them.” Thus did the assembly learn of it.)

“Coming after me were several hundred people, who wanted to take away the robe and bowl. One monk, of the lay surname Chen and named Huiming, had previously been a general of the fourth rank. He was coarse and excitable by nature, and he really wanted to find me. He reached me before the rest of the group chasing me. I threw the robe and bowl down on a rock and said, ‘This robe emblematizes reliance [upon the patriarchs]. How can you struggle for it?’ I hid in the underbrush, and Huiming tried to lift it without success. Then he called to me, saying, ‘O practitioner, O practitioner! I have come for the Dharma, not for the robe.’ I then came out and sat on the rock.

“Huiming bowed to me and said, ‘I wish that you would preach the Dharma for me.’ I said, ‘You say you’ve come for the Dharma. [If so], you must eliminate the various conditions and not generate a single thought. [If you do], I will preach the Dharma for you.’ Huiming was quiet for a time. I said, ‘Do not think of good, and do not think of evil. At just such a time, what is Elder Huiming’s original face?’ At these words, Huiming [experienced] a great enlightenment. He then questioned me again, saying, ‘Other than the secret words and secret intention [you expressed] just now, is there any other secret intention?’ I said, ‘What I have preached to you is not secret. If you counter-illuminate [your own original face you will realize that] the secret was on your side.’

“Huiming said, ‘Although I was at [Hongren’s monastery in] Huangmei, I actually never thought about my own [original] face. To receive your instructions now is like a man who drinks water knowing [immediately] whether it