六祖大師緣起外紀
Ancillary Record of the Sixth Patriarch's Origins
門人法海等集
Disciples Fahai and Others Compiled
大師名惠能，父盧氏，諱行瑫，唐武德三年九月，左官新州。母李氏，先夢庭前白華競發，白鶴雙飛，異香滿室，覺而有娠。遂潔誠齋戒，懷姙六年師乃生焉，唐貞觀十二年戊戌歲二月八日子時也。時毫光騰空，香氣芬馥。黎明有二僧造謁，謂師之父曰：「夜來生兒，專為安名，可上惠下能也。」父曰：「何名惠能？」僧曰：「惠者以法惠濟眾生，能者能作佛事。」言畢而出，不知所之。師不飲母乳，遇夜神人灌以甘露。三歲父喪，葬於宅畔。母守志鞠養，既長鬻薪供母。年二十有四，聞經有省。往黃梅參禮，五祖器之，付衣法，令嗣祖位，時龍朔元年辛酉歲也。
The Great Master was named Huineng. His father's surname was Lu, given name Xingtao. In the ninth month of the third year of the Wude era of the Tang Dynasty, he was appointed as an official in Xinzhou. His mother was Lady Li. Before her pregnancy, she dreamt of white flowers blooming profusely in the courtyard, a pair of white cranes flying together, and a wondrous fragrance filling the room. When she awoke, she found herself pregnant. She then purified her mind, observed strict vegetarian precepts, and carried the child for six years before giving birth to the Master. This occurred on the eighth day of the second month, during the lunar year of Wuxu (the year of the Dog), in the twelfth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. At that time, a radiant light filled the sky, and a fragrant aroma lingered everywhere.
At dawn, two monks came to visit. They said to the Master's father: "Your son was born last night. We have come specifically to give him a name: 'Hui Neng.'" The father asked, "Why 'Hui Neng'?" The monks replied, "'Hui' means to bestow the Dharma for the benefit of all beings; 'Neng' means to be able to carry out the Buddha's work." After saying this, they left, and no one knew where they went.
The Master did not drink his mother's milk. Each night, a divine being would feed him sweet dew. When he was three years old, his father passed away and was buried beside their home. His mother remained faithful to his father's memory and raised him with great care. As he grew older, he sold firewood to support her. At the age of twenty-four, after hearing a scripture, he experienced a profound awakening. He then traveled to Huangmei to pay respects and study under the Fifth Patriarch, who recognized his potential and entrusted him with the robe and Dharma, appointing him to continue the lineage. This occurred during the Xin year of the Longshuo era of the Tang Dynasty.
南歸隱遯，至儀鳳元年丙子正月八日，會印宗法師詰論玄奧，印宗悟契師旨。是月十五日，普會四眾為師薙𩬊。二月八日，集諸名德授具足戒。西京智光律師為授戒師，蘇州慧靜律師為羯磨，荊州通應律師為教授，中天耆多羅律師為說戒，西國蜜多三藏為證戒。其戒壇乃宋朝求那跋陀羅三藏創建，立碑曰：「後當有肉身菩薩於此授戒。」又梁天監元年，智藥三藏自西竺國航海而來，將彼土菩提樹一株植此壇畔，亦預誌曰：「後一百七十年，有肉身菩薩，於此樹下開演上乘度無量眾，真傳佛心印之法主也。」師至是祝髮受戒，及與四眾開示單傳之旨，一如昔讖(梁天監元年壬午歲，至唐儀鳳元年丙子，得一百七十五年)。
次年春，師辭眾歸寶林，印宗與緇白送者千餘人，直至曹溪。時荊州通應律師，與學者數百人依師而住。師至曹溪寶林，覩堂宇湫隘，不足容眾，欲廣之。遂謁里人陳亞仙曰：「老僧欲就檀越求坐具地，得不？」仙曰：「和尚坐具幾許闊？」祖出坐具示之，亞仙唯然。祖以坐具一展，盡罩曹溪四境，四天王現身坐鎮四方。今寺境有天王嶺，因茲而名。仙曰：「知和尚法力廣大，但吾高祖墳墓並在此地，他日造塔，幸望存留，餘願盡捨永為寶坊。然此地乃生龍白象來脈，只可平天，不可平地。」寺後營建，一依其言。師遊境內山水勝處，輒憩止，遂成蘭若一十三所。今曰華果院，隷籍寺門。其寶林道場，亦先是西國智藥三藏自南海經曹溪口，掬水而飲，香美，異之。謂其徒曰：「此水與西天之水無別，溪源上必有勝地，堪為蘭若。」隨流至源上，四顧山水回環，峯巒奇秀，歎曰：「宛如西天寶林山也。」乃謂曹侯村居民曰：「可於此山建一梵剎，一百七十年後，當有無上法寶於此演化，得道者如林，宜號寶林。」時韶州牧侯敬中，以其言具表聞奏，上可其請，賜寶林為額，遂成梵宮，落成於梁天監三年。寺殿前有潭一所，龍常出沒其間，觸橈林木。一日現形甚巨，波浪洶湧，雲霧陰翳，徒眾皆懼。師叱之曰：「爾只能現大身，不能現小身，若為神龍，當能變化以小現大、以大現小也。」其龍忽沒，俄頃復現小身躍出潭面，師展鉢試之曰：「爾且不敢入老僧鉢盂裏。」龍乃游揚至前，師以鉢舀之，龍不能動。師持鉢堂上，與龍說法，龍遂蛻骨而去。其骨長可七寸，首尾角足皆具，留傳寺門。師後以土石堙其潭，今殿前左側有鐵塔鎮處是也。
The following spring, the Master bid farewell to the assembly and returned to Baolin Temple. Over a thousand people, including both monks and laypeople led by Master Yinzong, accompanied him all the way to Caoxi. At that time, the Vinaya Master Tongying of Jingzhou, along with several hundred students, came to reside with the Master.
Upon arriving at Baolin Temple in Caoxi, the Master saw that the halls were cramped and inadequate to house the growing community, and wished to expand them. He then went to visit a local villager named Chen Yaxian and said, "I would like to ask you, generous patron, for a plot of land big enough for my sitting cloth. Would that be possible?"
Chen asked, "How large is your sitting cloth, Master?"
The Master took out his sitting cloth and showed it to him. Chen nodded in agreement. The Master then spread the cloth, and it covered the entire Caoxi region. The Four Heavenly Kings appeared, each sitting in one of the four directions to guard the land. This is why one of the temple’s surrounding peaks is called "Heavenly Kings Ridge."
Chen said, "I know your spiritual power is vast, but the graves of my ancestors are on this land. When you build the pagoda in the future, please leave those graves untouched. I will gladly donate all the rest to be a treasure ground of the Dharma forever. However, this land lies on the pulse of a living dragon and white elephant—you may level the peaks but not the ground."
The temple was later built exactly according to his instructions.
As the Master traveled through the beautiful landscapes of the region, he would often stop and rest, eventually establishing thirteen monasteries. These are today known as the Huaguo Cloisters, which belong to the temple’s jurisdiction.
As for the Baolin Monastery itself, it was originally discovered by the Tripitaka Master Zhiyao from India. Passing by the mouth of the Caoxi River, he cupped the water and drank, finding it fragrant and sweet. Surprised, he told his disciples, "This water is no different from the water of the Western Heaven. Upstream there must certainly be a sacred place suitable for a monastery."
He followed the stream to its source, and seeing the mountains and waters winding around in a beautiful ring, with peaks of extraordinary splendor, he exclaimed, "This is exactly like the Baolin Mountain in the Western Heaven!" He then said to the villagers of Caohou Village, "Build a temple on this mountain. One hundred and seventy years from now, a supreme Dharma treasure will bring enlightenment here, and awakened ones will be as numerous as a forest. This place should indeed be called 'Baolin' (Jeweled Forest)."
At that time, the prefect of Shaozhou, Hou Jingzhong, reported this to the emperor. The emperor approved the request, granting the name "Baolin" for the monastery. The temple was completed in the third year of the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty.
In front of the main hall, there was a pond where a dragon often appeared, disturbing the trees. One day, the dragon manifested in a huge form, causing great waves and covering the area with dark clouds and mist. The disciples were terrified.
The Master scolded it, saying, "You can only show your giant body, not a small one. If you are truly a spirit dragon, you should be able to transform—appearing small when you are large, and large when you are small."
The dragon suddenly disappeared. Shortly after, it reappeared as a small body, leaping out of the pond. The Master held out his alms bowl and tested it, saying, "You wouldn’t dare jump into my bowl, would you?"
The dragon swam forward gracefully. The Master scooped it up with his bowl, and the dragon could not move. The Master took the bowl into the hall and taught the Dharma to the dragon. The dragon shed its bones and departed. The bones were about seven inches long, complete with head, tail, horns, and feet, and were kept as a relic in the monastery. Later, the Master filled the pond with earth and stones. Today, where the iron pagoda stands in front of the left side of the hall marks that spot.
師墜腰石鐫龍朔元年盧居士誌八字，此石今存黃梅東禪。又唐王維右丞，為神會大師作《祖師記》云：「師混勞侶積十六載，會印宗講經，因為削𩬊。」又柳宗元刺史，作祖師諡號碑云：「師受信具，遯隱南海上十六年。度其可行，乃居曹溪為人師。」又張商英丞相，作《五祖記》云：「五祖演化於黃梅縣之東禪院，蓋其便於將母。龍朔元年，以衣法付六祖已，散眾入東山結庵。有居人憑茂，以山施師為道場焉。」以此考之，則師至黃梅傳受五祖衣法，實龍朔元年辛酉歲。至儀鳳丙子，得一十六年，師方至法性祝髮。他本或作師咸亨中至黃梅，恐非。
The Master's waist-grinding stone bears the inscription "Lu Jushi, First Year of Longshou Era"—eight characters. This stone is still preserved at Dongchan Temple in Huangmei. Additionally, Tang dynasty Vice Director Wang Wei wrote in his *Record of the Patriarch* for Great Master Shenhui: "The Master spent sixteen years living among common laborers. When Yin Zong gave a lecture on sutras, he shaved the Master's hair." Prefect Liu Zongyuan also composed an inscription for the Master's honorary title, stating: "The Master received the robe and alms bowl, then went into seclusion south of the Southern Sea for sixteen years. Judging that the time was right to act, he then settled at Caoxi to guide people." Chancellor Zhang Shangying wrote in his *Record of the Fifth Patriarch*: "The Fifth Patriarch taught at Dongchan Temple in Huangmei County, likely because it was convenient for him to care for his mother. In the first year of the Longshou era, after transmitting the robe and Dharma to the Sixth Patriarch, he dispersed his congregation and built a hermitage on East Mountain. A local resident, Feng Mao, donated the mountain as a site for his practice." Based on these records, the Master came to Huangmei and received the robe and Dharma from the Fifth Patriarch in the first year of the Longshou era, corresponding to the Xinyou year. By the Bingzi year of the Yifeng era, another sixteen years had passed, and it was then that the Master arrived at Faxing Temple to have his hair shaved. Other versions claiming the Master arrived in Huangmei during the Xianheng era are likely incorrect.