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一卷
The Sixth Patriarch's Platform Sutra of the Supreme Mahayana Sudden Teaching of the Southern School
兼授無相戒弘法弟子法海集記
Collected and recorded by Fahai, disciple of the Dharma Master who teaches the Formless Precept
惠能大師於大梵寺講堂中，昇高座，說摩訶般若波羅蜜法，授無相戒。其時座下僧尼、道俗一萬餘人，韶州刺史韋據及諸官僚三十餘人，儒士三十餘人，同請大師說摩訶般若波羅蜜法。刺史遂令門人僧法海集記，流行後代，與學道者承此宗旨，遞相傳授，有所依約，以為稟承，說此《壇經》。
Master Huineng ascended the high seat in the Great Fan Temple lecture hall and taught the Dharma of Mahāprajñāpāramitā, conferring the formless precepts. At that time, over ten thousand people were in the assembly—monks, nuns, laypeople, and householders—along with Prefect Wei Qu of Shaozhou and more than thirty officials, as well as over thirty Confucian scholars. They all requested the Master to teach the Dharma of Mahāprajñāpāramitā. The Prefect then instructed the Master's disciple, the monk Fahai, to compile and record this teaching, so it might be passed down to later generations. This would allow those who seek the Way to inherit this core teaching, transmit it to one another, and have a reliable guide to uphold. The result of this is the *Platform Sūtra*.