Do you not see, The idle wayfarer who has left all learning behind, who does nothing, Who neither removes deluded thoughts nor seeks after truth?

The nature of ignorance itself is Buddha-nature. The illusory, empty body is the Dharma-body. The Dharma-body, upon awakening, contains not a single thing. The original source, the self-nature, is the natural Buddha.

The five aggregates are like floating clouds, coming and going in emptiness. The three poisons are like water bubbles, appearing and disappearing in emptiness. Realizing true reality, there is no person and no dharma. In an instant, the karma of Avīci is extinguished.

If I use false words to deceive living beings, May I myself invite the retribution of having my tongue pulled out for eons as numerous as dust motes.

In sudden awakening, the Tathāgata's meditation is realized. The six perfections and myriad practices are complete within the essence. In the dream, the six destinies are clearly there. Upon awakening, the great thousandfold world is utterly empty.

No sin, no merit; no loss, no gain. In the nature of perfect stillness, do not seek or ask. Until now, the dusty mirror has never been polished. Today, it must be clearly analyzed.

Who is without thought? Who is without birth? If truly there is no birth, there is also no non-birth. Summon a wooden puppet with mechanisms and ask it: "By seeking the Buddha's power, when will one achieve it?"

Let go of the four elements; do not grasp at them. In the nature of perfect stillness, follow what comes naturally. All conditioned things are impermanent; all is empty. This itself is the Tathāgata's great perfect enlightenment.

I speak decisively, manifesting the true Sangha. Some people are unwilling and follow their whims to challenge it. Directly cutting to the root-source is what the Buddha seals. Picking leaves and searching among branches—this I cannot do.

The wish-fulfilling pearl, people do not recognize. It is personally obtained from within the Tathāgata-garbha. Its six kinds of spiritual function are empty yet not empty. A single orb of light, with form yet without form.

Purify the five eyes, attain the five powers. Only through realization can one know—it is hard to fathom. Looking at a form in a mirror is not hard to see. Trying to grasp the moon in water—how can you catch it?

Often walking alone, often pacing alone, Those who have attained travel together on the Nirvāṇa path. Ancient in tune, spirit clear, the wind itself is lofty. Gaunt in appearance, bones firm, people pay no heed. A poor monk, called impoverished by mouth, Truly, the body is poor, but the Way is not poor. Poor, thus the body is always clad in tattered cloth. The Way, thus the mind holds a priceless treasure.

The priceless treasure, its use is inexhaustible. Benefiting beings, responding to opportunities, never sparing. The three bodies and four wisdoms are complete within the essence. The eight liberations and six superknowledges are sealed in the mind-ground.

The superior person, with one decisive cut, understands all. The middling and inferior, though hearing much, mostly do not believe. Just untie the soiled robe from within your own bosom. Who can boast outwardly of their diligent practice?

Let them slander, let them find fault. It is like setting fire to the sky—merely tiring oneself out. When I hear it, it is just like drinking sweet dew. It melts away, suddenly entering the inconceivable.

To regard harsh words as merit, This itself becomes my good spiritual friend. Not because of slander and ridicule do enmity and affection arise. How else to manifest the power of compassion and patience of the unborn?

The principle is penetrated, the teaching is penetrated. Samādhi and prajñā are perfect and luminous, not stagnating in emptiness. It is not only I who now alone have attained it. All the Buddhas, as numerous as Ganges' sands, share the same essence.

The lion's roar, the fearless teaching, Hearing it, all beasts' brains split. Fragrant elephants run about, losing their might. Heavenly dragons listen silently, giving rise to joyful delight.

Traveling rivers and seas, crossing mountains and streams, Seeking a teacher, inquiring of the Way, all for practicing meditation. Since recognizing the road to Caoxi, I have clearly known that birth and death have no connection.

Walking is meditation, sitting is meditation. In speech, silence, movement, and stillness, the essence is at peace. Even encountering sharp blades, always composed and calm. Even if given poison, utterly unperturbed.

My teacher attained the vision of Dīpaṃkara Buddha. For many kalpas, he was the Immortal of Forbearance. How many times born, how many times died? Birth and death drift on endlessly, without fixed end. Since the sudden awakening to the unborn, What worry or joy is there regarding all honor and disgrace?

Entering deep mountains, dwelling in a forest hermitage, Among towering cliffs, deep and secluded, beneath ancient pines. Leisurely and quietly sitting in a wild monk's hut, In silent solitude, truly carefree and at ease.

Awakening is immediate understanding; no effort is applied. All conditioned dharmas are not the same. Dwelling on marks while practicing giving brings heavenly blessings, But it is like shooting an arrow upward into empty space. When its force is spent, the arrow falls back down, Bringing about an unsatisfactory future life. How can this compare to the true reality gate of non-action? With one leap, directly enter the Tathāgata's realm.

Just attain the root, do not worry about the branches. It is like pure lapis lazuli containing the precious moon. Once able to understand this wish-fulfilling pearl, Self-benefit and benefiting others will never be exhausted.

The river moon shines, the pine wind blows. Through the long night, the clear evening—what is there to do? The Buddha-nature, the precept pearl, is the mind-seal. Mist, dew, clouds, and mist are the robe upon the body.

The dragon-subduing bowl, the tiger-taming staff, The two metal rings clang clearly. They are not mere symbols, empty things to hold. They are the Tathāgata's precious staff, his very traces.

Do not seek truth, do not cut off delusion. Clearly know these two dharmas are empty and without mark. Without mark, without emptiness, without non-emptiness— This is the Tathāgata's true reality mark.

The mind-mirror is bright, illuminating without obstruction. Vast and luminous, it pervades all worlds. All phenomena, arrayed in their multitude, appear as reflections within it. A single orb of light—neither inside nor outside.

The emptiness of reckless denial, repudiating cause and effect— Vast and boundless, it invites calamity. Rejecting existence and grasping at emptiness is likewise a sickness. It is still like fleeing drowning only to jump into fire.

Abandoning the deluded mind, seizing the true principle— This mind of grasping and rejecting becomes clever falsity. Practitioners who do not understand use it for cultivation, Deeply mistaking a thief for their own son.

Diminishing the wealth of Dharma, destroying merit and virtue— None are not due to this mind-consciousness. Therefore, the Chan gate ends the mind, Suddenly entering the unborn, the power of knowing and seeing.

Great hero, wielding the wisdom-sword, The edge of prajñā, the flame of vajra! Not only does it utterly crush externalist views, It long ago made the demon king's courage fall away.

Shaking the Dharma-thunder, beating the Dharma-drum, Spreading clouds of compassion, sprinkling sweet dew! Elephants and dragons tread, moistening without bound. The three vehicles, the five natures, all awaken and understand.

The Snowy Mountain's rich and pure, with no admixture. From it flows only ghee, which I constantly receive. One nature perfectly penetrates all natures. One dharma fully contains all dharmas. One moon universally appears in all waters. All water-moons are gathered by the one moon. The Dharma-bodies of all Buddhas enter my nature. My nature merges together with the Tathāgata's.

One ground fully possesses all grounds. Not form, not mind, not karmic action. In a snap of the fingers, perfecting eighty-four thousand gates. In an instant, extinguishing three asamkhyeya kalpas.

All phrases, all numbers, and non-phrases— What have they to do with my numinous awareness? It cannot be defamed, it cannot be praised. Its essence is like empty space, without shore or limit. Not leaving the present place, ever serene and clear. If you seek it, you'll know you cannot see it.

Cannot be taken, cannot be discarded. Within the ungraspable, just this is attained. Silent when speaking, speaking when silent. The great gate of giving is open, unobstructed. If someone asks me what teaching I explain, I reply: "The power of Mahāprajñā."

Sometimes right, sometimes wrong—people do not recognize. Going against the current, going with the current—even heaven cannot fathom. I long ago practiced through many kalpas. I do not idly deceive and confuse.

Establishing the Dharma-banner, setting up the guiding principle, Clearly the Buddha's decree points to Caoxi. First, Mahākāśyapa transmitted the lamp. Twenty-eight generations are recorded in the Western Heaven. The Dharma flowed east, entering this land. Bodhidharma was the First Patriarch. Six generations transmitted the robe, known throughout the world. Those in later times who attain the Way—how can they be counted?

Truth is not established; delusion is originally empty. Existence and non-existence are both rejected; not-empty is also empty. The twenty gates of emptiness are fundamentally unattached. The one nature, the Tathāgata's essence, is naturally the same.

Mind is the root, dharmas are the dust. These two are like stains upon a mirror. When the stains and grime are completely removed, the light begins to appear. When mind and dharmas are both forgotten, the nature is true.

Alas! The degenerate age, the evil times. Living beings' blessings are meager, hard to tame and guide. Far from the sages, wrong views run deep. Māras are strong, Dharma is weak—much fear and harm. Hearing of the Tathāgata's sudden teaching gate, They hate it, wishing to smash it to pieces like tiles.

The deed lies in the mind, the calamity befalls the body. No need to complain and blame others further. If you wish not to invite the karma of the unintermitted hell, Do not slander the Tathāgata's true Dharma-wheel.

In the sandalwood grove, no other trees grow. Dense and deep, majestic, the lion dwells. In the quiet grove, he roams alone. Running beasts and flying birds all keep far away. The lion's cubs follow behind in multitude. At three years old, they can give a mighty roar. If it's a jackal chasing after the Dharma King, For a hundred years, a monster, its mouth opens in vain.

The perfect and sudden teaching does not accommodate human sentiment. If you have doubts unresolved, you must directly contend. It is not that this mountain monk flaunts self and other. In cultivation, I fear falling into the pit of annihilationism or eternalism.

Not 'not this', not 'is this'— A hair's breadth of error means missing by a thousand miles. If it is 'this', then the dragon girl instantly became a Buddha. If it is 'not this', then Sunakṣatra was born to fall into Avīci.

In my early years, I accumulated learning, And also studied commentaries and sought out sūtras and śāstras. Analyzing names and characteristics, not knowing when to stop, I entered the ocean to count sands—merely trapping myself. Instead, I was sternly reprimanded by the Tathāgata: "What benefit is there in counting others' treasures?" All along, stumbling and faltering, I felt my practice was vain. For many years, I pointlessly played the part of a dusty world's guest.

With wrong understanding due to erroneous innate tendencies, Failing to reach the Tathāgata's perfect and sudden teaching, Śrāvakas diligently practice, yet lack the Bodhi-mind. Externalists are clever, yet lack wisdom. They are also foolish, also childish, Grasping at empty fists, fingers pointing, thinking they have real understanding. Clinging to the finger as the moon—vainly applying effort. Within the sphere of sense faculties and objects, vainly conjuring weirdness.

Not seeing a single dharma—this is the Tathāgata. Only then can one be called the Observer of Freedom. Understanding, then karmic obstructions are originally empty. Not understanding, one must still repay old debts. Starving, yet encountering a king's feast, unable to eat. Sick, yet meeting the King of Physicians—how can one be cured? Practicing meditation within desire—this is the power of knowing and seeing. A lotus born in fire is ultimately indestructible. Courageous Giving, who committed grave offenses, awakened to the unborn. He became a Buddha long ago, and is present even now.

The lion's roar, the fearless teaching, Deeply lamenting the muddled, stubborn, and thick-skinned! They only know that grave offenses obstruct Bodhi. They do not see the Tathāgata's secret key. Two bhikṣus committed offenses of lust and killing. Upāli's firefly-light only increased their knots of guilt. The great being Vimalakīrti suddenly removed their doubts, Like the blazing sun melting frost and snow.

The inconceivable power of liberation, Its wondrous function is as boundless as Ganges' sands. The four kinds of offerings—dare I decline the toil? Even ten thousand taels of gold can be spent. Pulverizing bones and crushing the body would not suffice to repay. One phrase, clearly understood, surpasses a hundred million kalpas.

The King of Dharma is the highest, the most supreme. All Tathāgatas, as numerous as Ganges' sands, together certify it. I now understand this wish-fulfilling pearl. Those who faithfully accept it will all resonate.

Clearly seeing, not a single thing exists. No person, also no Buddha. The great thousandfold world is a bubble in the sea. All sages and worthies are like a flash of lightning, a sweep of a whisk. Even if an iron wheel spun atop my head, Perfect samādhi and prajñā, luminous, would never be lost.

The sun could grow cold, the moon could grow hot. All demons cannot destroy the true teaching. An elephant carriage, lofty and imposing, strides forward on the road. Who has ever seen a mantis able to block a chariot's wheel? A great elephant does not walk on rabbit paths. A great awakening is not constrained by minor rules. Do not use your narrow view to slander the vast and profound. For those who have not yet understood, I now give you the key.