（二）
(2)
爾時大師既升座已。而示眾言。善知識。總淨心念摩訶般若波羅蜜。大師良久不語。自淨其心。
At that time, the Master having taken his seat, addressed the assembly, saying: "Good friends, purify your minds and concentrate on Prajna Paramita." The Master remained silent for a long while, purifying his own mind.
忽然告言。善知識。菩提自性本來清淨。但用此心直了成佛。
He suddenly addressed the assembly: "Good friends, the self-nature of Enlightenment is inherently pure. Simply use this mind, and you will directly realize Buddhahood."
善知識。且聽惠能行由。得法事意。
Good friends, please listen as Huineng recounts the story of how he came to receive the Dharma.
惠能嚴父。本貫范陽。左降流於嶺南。作新州百姓。
Huineng's father was a strict man. His ancestral home was in Fanyang. He was demoted and exiled to Lingnan, where he became a commoner of Xinzhou.
此身不幸。父又早亡。老母孤遺。移來南海。艱辛貧乏。於市賣柴。
This body has been unfortunate. My father died early, and my elderly mother and I were left alone. We moved to Nanhai and endured hardship and poverty, selling firewood in the market.
時有一客買柴。使令送至官店。客收去。惠能得錢。
At that time, there was a customer who bought firewood and told him to deliver it to the government store. The customer took the firewood and left. Huineng received the money.
却出門外。見有一客讀金剛經。惠能一聞。心便開悟。
He then went outside the door and met a guest reciting the Diamond Sutra. As soon as Huineng heard it, his mind was immediately awakened.
遂問客言。從何所來。持此經典。
He then asked the visitor, "Where have you come from, bringing this scripture?"
客云。我從蘄州黃梅縣東馮母山來。其山是第五祖弘忍大師。在彼主化門人一千有餘。我到彼山。禮拜聽受此經。(受原本作授。)大師常勸僧俗。但持金剛經。即自見性。直了成佛。
The guest said, "I have come from Mount Fengmu, east of Huangmei County in Qizhou. On that mountain is the Fifth Patriarch, Great Master Hongren, who teaches and guides there, with more than a thousand disciples. I went to that mountain, paid homage, and received and heard this sutra. (The original text has "teach" instead of "receive.") The Great Master constantly urged both monks and laypeople: simply uphold the Diamond Sutra, and you will see your own nature and directly realize Buddhahood."
惠能聞說。宿業有緣。乃蒙一客取銀十兩。與惠能。令充老母衣糧。教便往黃梅。禮拜五祖。
Huineng heard this and understood it was due to karma from past lives that he had this connection. A guest gave Huineng ten taels of silver to provide clothing and food for his elderly mother, and told him to go at once to Huangmei to pay his respects to the Fifth Patriarch.
惠能安置母畢。便即辭親。不經三二十日。便至黃梅。禮拜五祖。
After Huineng had settled his mother in place, he immediately took leave of his family. In no more than twenty or thirty days, he arrived at Huangmei. He paid his respects to the Fifth Patriarch.