【第六折】
Chapter 6
上座神秀思維，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，卻同凡心奪其聖位。若不呈心偈，終不得法。良久思維，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, "Since no one else has presented a mind-gatha, and I am the chief instructor, if I do not present mine, how will the Fifth Patriarch see the depth of my understanding? If I offer my mind-gatha to the Fifth Patriarch to express my intention, seeking the Dharma is good, but seeking the patriarchate is not—it would be like an ordinary person coveting the sacred position. Yet if I do not offer it, I will never attain the Dharma." After pondering for a long time, he sighed, "This is truly difficult, truly difficult!" At the third watch of the night, unseen by anyone, he went to the south corridor and wrote a mind-gatha on the middle section of the wall, hoping to gain the robe and the Dharma. He thought, "If the Fifth Patriarch sees the gatha and says it is good, and then asks for me, I will tell him, 'It was written by Shenxiu.' But if the Fifth Patriarch sees the gatha and deems it unworthy, then I am indeed deluded, burdened by past karma, and unworthy of the Dharma. The sage's intent is hard to fathom; I will simply let my mind rest." So, at the third watch, Shenxiu took a candle, went to the south corridor, and wrote his gatha on the middle section of the wall, with no one knowing. The gatha said:
身是菩提樹，心如明鏡臺，時時勤拂拭，莫使有塵埃。