上座神秀思惟：「諸人不呈心偈，緣我為教授師，我若不呈心偈，五祖如何得見我心中見解深淺？我將心偈上五祖呈意，求法即善，覓祖不善，却同凡心奪其聖位。若不呈心偈，終不得法。」良久思惟，甚難甚難！夜至三更，不令人見，遂向南廊下中間壁上題作呈心偈，欲求衣法。「若五祖見偈，言此偈語，若訪覓我，我見和尚，即云是秀作。五祖見偈言不堪，自是我迷，宿業障重，不合得法，聖意難測，我心自息。」秀上座三更於南廊下中間壁上秉燭題作偈，人盡不知。偈曰：
The senior monk Shenxiu thought to himself: "No one else has presented a mind verse because I am the teaching master. If I do not present a mind verse, how will the Fifth Patriarch see the depth of my understanding? If I present a mind verse to the Fifth Patriarch to express my insight, seeking the Dharma would be good, but seeking the Patriarch's position would not. That would be like an ordinary mind trying to seize the holy position. But if I do not present a verse, I will never attain the Dharma." After long deliberation, he found it extremely difficult! At the third watch of the night, without letting anyone see him, he went to the middle of the south corridor wall and wrote his mind verse, hoping to seek the robe and Dharma. "If the Fifth Patriarch sees the verse and speaks of it, and if he seeks me out, when I see the master, I will say that I, Shenxiu, wrote it. If the Fifth Patriarch says the verse is inadequate, then it is my own delusion, my heavy karmic obstructions from past lives—I am not fit to attain the Dharma. The sage's intention is hard to fathom, and my mind will naturally rest." At the third watch, the senior monk Shenxiu took a candle and wrote his verse on the middle of the south corridor wall, with no one knowing. The verse said:
「身是菩提樹， 心如明鏡臺，
時時勤拂拭， 莫使有塵埃。」
The body is the Bodhi tree, The mind is a clear mirror stand.
At all times, diligently wipe it clean, And let no dust alight.