VERSES FOR THE FIFTH PATRIARCH OF CHAN
by phillipmedhurst
SHEN-HSIU:
This body is the Bodhi-tree,
This heart-mind is a mirror, bright.
So strive always to keep them free,
Not letting any dust alight.
HUI-NENG:
The mind it is that’s like that tree,
The body like a mirror-stand;
But all around there’s nought to see:
From where to what should dust then land?
From these verses the Patriarch ascertained that Shen-hsiu had reached the Gate of Wisdom, but that Hui-neng had passed through it.
Rendered into English verse-form by Phillip Medhurst.