《六祖坛经前三品》汉英对照.doc

【佛慧双语弘道馆】——《六祖坛经第一品》汉英对照（佛教文字翻译协会译本）

行由第一
I. ACTION AND INTENTION

时。大师至宝林。韶州韦刺史(名璩)与官僚入山请师。出于城中大梵寺讲堂。为众开缘说法。师升座。次刺史官僚三十余人。儒宗学士三十余人。僧尼道俗一千余人。同时作礼。愿闻法要。
At one time the Great Master arrived at Pao Lin. Magistrate Wei Chu of Shao Chou and other officials climbed the mountain and invited the Master to come into the city to the lecture hall of Ta Fan Temple to speak the Dharma to the assembly.
When the Master had taken his seat, the Magistrate and over thirty other officials, more than thirty Confucian scholars and more than a thousand Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, Taoists, and laypeople, all made obeisance at the same time, wishing to hear the essentials of Dharma.

大师告众曰。善知识。菩提自性。本来清净。但用此心。直了成佛。善知识。且听。惠能行由得法事意。
The Great Master said to the assembly, "Good Knowing Advisors, the self-nature of Bodhi id originally clear and pure. Simply use that mind, and you will straightaway accomplish Buddhahood. Good Knowing Advisors, Listen while I tell you about the actions and intentions by which Hui Neng obtained the Dharma."

惠能严父。本贯范阳。左降流于岭南。作新州百姓。此身不幸。父又早亡。老母孤遗。移来南海。艰辛贫乏。于市卖柴。
"Hui Neng's stern father was originally from Fa Yang. He was banished to Hsin Chou in Ling Nan, where he became a commoner. Unfortunately, his father soon died, and his aging mother was left alone. They moved to Nan Hai, poor and in bitter straits, Hui Neng sold wood in the market place."

时有一客买柴。使令送至客店。客收去。惠能得钱。却出门外。见一客诵经。惠能一闻经语。心即开悟。
Once a customer bought firewood and ordered it delivered to his shop. When the delivery was made, and Hui Neng had received the money, he went outside the gate, where he noticed a customer reciting a Sutra. Upon once hearing the words of this Sutra: "One should produce that thought which is nowhere supported," Hui Neng's mind immediately opened to enlightenment.

遂问客诵何经。客曰。金刚经。复问。从何所来。持此经典。客云。我从蕲州黄梅县东禅寺来。其寺是五祖忍大师在彼主化。门人一千有余。我到彼中礼拜。听受此经。
Thereupon he asked the customer what Sutra he was reciting. The customer replied, "The Diamond Sutra."
Then again he asked, "Where do you come from, and why do you recite this Sutra?"
The customer said, "I come from T'ung Ch'an Monastery in Ch'i Chou, Huang Mei Province. There the Fifth Patriarch, the Great Master Hung jen dwells, teaching over one thousand disciples I went there to make obeisance and heard and received this Sutra."

大师常劝僧俗。但持金刚经。即自见性。直了成佛。惠能闻说。宿昔有缘。乃蒙一客取银十两与惠能。令充老母衣粮。教便往黄梅参礼五祖。
"The Great Master constantly exhorts the Sangha and laity only to uphold The Diamond Sutra. Then, they may see their own nature and straightaway achieve Buddhahood."
Hui Neng heard this and desired to go and seek the Dharma, but he recalled that his mother had no support.
From past lives there were karmic conditions which led another man to give Hui Neng a pound of silver, so that he could provide food and clothing for his aging mother. The man instructed him further to go to Huang Mei to call upon and bow to the Fifth Patriarch.

惠能安置母毕。即便辞违。不经三十余日。便至黄梅。礼拜五祖。祖问曰。汝何方人。欲求何物。惠能对曰。弟子是岭南新州百姓。远来礼师。惟求作佛。不求余物。
After Hui Neng had made arrangements for his mother's welfare, he took his leave. In less than thirty days he arrived at Huang Mei and made obeisance to the Fifth Patriarch, who asked him,"Where are you from and what do you seek?"
Hui Neng replied, "Your disciple is a commoner from Hsin Chou in Ling Nan and comes from afar to bow to the Master, seeking only to be a Buddha, and nothing else."

祖言。汝是岭南人。又是猎獠。若为堪作佛。惠能曰。人虽有南北。佛性本无南北。猎獠身与和尚不同。佛性有何差别。
The Patriarch said, "You are from Ling Nan and are therefore a barbarian, so how can you become a Buddha?"
Hui Neng said, "Although there are people from the north and people from the south, there is ultimately no north or south in the Buddha nature. The biddy of the barbarian and that of the High Master are not the same, but what distinction is there in Buddha nature?"

五祖更欲与语。且见徒众总在左右。乃令随众作务。惠能曰。惠能启和尚。弟子自心常生智慧。不离自性。即是福田。末审和尚教作何务。
The Fifth Patriarch wished to continue the conversation, but seeing his disciples gathering on all sides, he ordered the visitor to follow the group off to work. Hui Neng said, "Hui Neng informs the High Master that this disciple's mind constantly produces wisdom and is not separate from the self nature. That, itself, is the field of blessing. It has not yet been decided what work the High Master will instruct me to do."

祖云。这獦獠根性大利。汝更勿言。着槽厂去。惠能退至后院。有一行者。差惠能破柴踏碓。
The Fifth Patriarch said, "Barbarian, your faculties are too sharp. Do not speak further, but go to the back courtyard." Hui Neng withdrew to the back courtyard where a cultivator ordered him to split firewood and thresh rice.

经八月余。祖一日忽见惠能。曰。吾思汝之见可用。恐有恶人害汝。遂不与汝言。汝知之否。惠能曰。弟子亦知师意。不敢行至堂前。令人不觉。
More than eight months had passed when the Patriarch one day suddenly saw Hui Neng and said, "I think these views of yours can be of use but fear that evil people may harm you. For that reason I have not spoken to you. Did you understand the situation?"
Hui Neng replied, "Your disciple knew the High master's intention and has stayed out of the front hall, so the others might not notice him."

祖一日唤诸门人总来。吾向汝说。世人生死事大。汝等终日只求福田。不求出离生死苦海。自性若迷。福何可救。
One day the Patriarch summoned his disciples together and said, "I have something to say to you: for people in the world, the matter of birth and death is a great one,"
"All day long you seek fields of blessing only; you do not try to get out of the bitter sea of birth and death. If you are confused about your self-nature, how can blessings save you?"

汝等各去自看智慧。取自本心般若之性。各作一偈。来呈吾看。若悟大意。付汝衣法。为第六代祖。火急速去。不得迟滞。思量即不中用。见性之人。言下须见。若如此者。轮刀上阵。亦得见之。
"Each of you go back and look into your own wisdom and use the Prajna-nature1 of your own original mind to compose a verse. Submit it to me so that I may look at it. " "If you understand the great meaning , the robe and Dharma will be passed on to you and you will become the six patriarch. Hurry off! Do not delay! Thinking and considering is of no use in this matter. When seeing your own nature it is necessary to see it at the very moment of speaking. One who does that perceives as does one who wield a sword in the height of battle."

众得处分。退。而递相谓曰。我等众人。不须澄心用意作偈。将呈和尚。有何所益。神秀上座。现为教授师。必是他得。我辈谩作偈颂。枉用心力。余人闻语。总皆息心。咸言。我等已后。依止秀师。何烦作偈。
The assembly received this order and withdrew, saying to one another, "we of the assembly do not need to clear our minds and use our intellect to compose a verse to submit to the High Master. what use would there be in this?" "Shen Hsiu is our senior instructor and teaching transmitter. Certainly he should be the one to obtain it. It would be not only improper for us to compose a verse, but a waste of effort as well."

神秀思惟。诸人不呈偈者。为我与他为教授师。我须作偈。将呈和尚。若不呈偈。和尚如何知我心中见解深浅。我呈偈意求法即善。觅祖即恶。却同凡心。夺其圣位奚别。若不呈偈。终不得法。大难大难。
Shen Hsiu then thought, "The others are not submitting verses because I an their teaching transmitter. I must compose a verse and submit it to the High Master." " If I do not submit a verse, how will the High Master know whether the views and understanding in my mind are deep or shallow?" "Of my intention in submitting the verse is to seek the Dharma, that is good. But if it is to grasp the patriarchate, that is bad, for how would that be different from the mind of a common person coveting the holy position? But, if I do not submit a verse, in the end I will not obtain the Dharma. This is a terrible difficulty!"

五祖堂前。有步廊三间。拟请供奉卢珍画楞伽经变相。及五祖血脉图。流传供养。
In front of the Fifth Patriarch's hall were three corridors. Their walls were to be frescoed by Court Artist Lu Chen with stories from the Lankavatara Sutra and with pictures portraying in detail the lives of the five patriarchs, so that the patriarchs might be venerated by future generations.

神秀作偈成已。数度欲呈。行至堂前。心中恍惚。遍身汗流。拟呈不得。前后经四日。一十三度呈偈不得。秀乃思惟。不如向廊下书着。
After composing his verse, Shen Hsiu made several attempts to submit it. But whenever he reached the front hall, his mind became agitated and distraught, and his entire body became covered with perspiration. He did not dare submit it, although in the course of four days he made thirteen attempts.

从他和尚看见。忽若道好。即出礼拜。云。是秀作。若道不堪枉向山中数年。受人礼拜。更修何道。是夜三更。不使人知。自执灯。书偈于南廊壁间。呈心所见。
Then he thought, "This is not as good as writing it on the wall so that the High Master might see it suddenly. If he says it is good, I will come forward, bow, and say, 'Hsiu did it.' If it does not pass, then I have spent my year on this mountain in vain, receiving veneration from others. And as to further cultivation--what can I say?" That night, in the third watch, holding a candle he secretly wrote the verse on the wall of the South corridor, to show what his mind had seen.

偈曰：

　身是菩提树　　心如明镜台
　时时勤拂拭　　勿使惹尘埃
Verse:

The body is a Bodhi tree, The mind like a bright mirror stand. Time and again brush it clean, And let no dust alight.

秀书偈了。便却归房。人总不知。秀复思惟。五祖明日。见偈欢喜。即我与法有缘。若言不堪。自是我迷。宿业障重。不合得法。圣意难测。房中思想。坐卧不安。直至五更。
After writing this verse, Shen Hsiu returned to his room, and the other did not know what he had done. Then he thought "If the Fifth Patriarch sees the verse tomorrow and is pleased, it will mean that I have an affinity with the Dharma. If he says that it does not pass, it will mean that I am confused by heavy karmic obstacles1 from past lives, and that I am not fit to obtain the Dharma. It is difficult to fathom the sag's intentions." In his room he thought it over and could not sit or sleep peacefully right through to the fifth watch.

祖已知神秀入门未得。不见自性。天明。祖唤卢供奉来。向南廊壁间绘画图相。忽见其偈。报言。供奉却不用画。劳尔远来。经云。凡所有相。皆是虚妄。但留此偈。与人诵持。依此偈修免堕恶道。依此偈修。有大利益。令门人炷香礼敬。尽诵此偈。即得见性。门人诵偈。皆叹善哉。
The Patriarch already knew that Shen Hsiu had not yet entered the gate and seen his own nature. At daybreak, the Patriarch called Court Artist Lu Chen to fresco the wall of the south corridor. Suddenly he saw the verse and said to the court artist, "There is no need to paint. I am sorry that you have been wearied by coming so far, but The Diamond Sutra says,, 'whatever has marks is empty and false.' Instead leave this verse for people to recite and uphold. Those who cultivate in accordance with this verse will not fall into the evil destinies and will attain great merit." He then ordered the disciples to light incense and bow before it, and to recite it, thus enabling them to see their own nature. The disciples all recited it and exclaimed, "Excellent!"

祖三更唤秀入堂。问曰。偈是汝作否。秀言。实是秀作。不敢妄求祖位。望和尚慈悲。看弟子有少智慧否。祖曰。汝作此偈。未见本性。只到门外。未入门内。如此见解。觅无上菩提。了不可得。无上菩提。须得言下。识自本心。见自本性。不生不灭。于一切时中。念念自见。万法无滞。一真一切真。万境自如如。如如之心。即是真实。若如是见。即是无上菩萨之自性也。
At the third watch, the Patriarch called Shen Hsiu into the hall and asked him, "Did you write this verse?" Shen Hsiu said, "yes, in fact, Hsiu did it. He does not dare lay claim to the position of Patriarch, but hopes the High Master will be compassionate and see whether or not this disciple has a little bit of wisdom." The Patriarch said, "The verse which you wrote shows that you have not yet seen your original nature but are still outside the gate. With such views and understanding you may seek supreme Bodhi, but in the end will not obtain it. Supreme Bodhi must be obtained at the very moment of speaking. In recognizing the original mind, at all times, in every thought, you yourself will see that the ten thousand Dharmas are unblocked; in one truth is all truth and the ten thousand states are of themselves 'thus,' as they are. The 'thusness' of the mind, just that is true reality. If seen in this way, it is indeed the self nature of supreme Bodhi."

汝且去。一两日思惟。更作一偈。将来。吾看。汝偈若入得门。付汝衣法。神秀作礼而出。又经数日。作偈不成。心中恍惚。神思不安。犹如梦中。行坐不乐。
"Go and think it over for a day or two. Compose another verse and bring it to me to see. If you have been able to enter the gate, I will transmit the robe and Dharma to you." Shen Hsiu made obeisance and left. Several days passed, but he was unable to compose a verse. His mind was agitated and confused and his thoughts and mood were uneasy. He was as if in a dream; whether walking or sitting down, he could not be happy.

复两日。有一童子。于碓坊过。唱诵其偈。惠能一闻。便知。此偈未见本性。虽未蒙教授。早识大意。遂问童子曰。诵者何偈。童子曰。尔这猎獠。不知。大师言。世人生死事大。欲得传付衣法。令门人作偈来看。若悟大意。即付衣法。为第六祖。神秀上座于南廊壁上。书无相偈。大师令人皆诵。依此偈修免堕恶道。依此偈修。有大利益。
Two days later, a young boy chanting that verse passed by the threshing room. Hearing it for the first time, Hui Neng knew that the writer had not yet seen his original nature. Although he had not yet received a transmission of the teaching, he already understood its profound meaning. He asked the boy, "What verse are you reciting?" "Barbarian, you know nothing," replied the boy. "The Great Master has said that birth and death are a profound concern for people in the world. Desiring to transmit the robe and Dharma, he ordered his disciples to compose verse and bring them to him to see. The person who has awakened to the profound meaning will inherit the robe and Dharma and become the Sixth Patriarch. Our senior Shen Hsiu, wrote this 'verse without marks' on the wall of the south corridor. The Great Master ordered everyone to recite it, for to cultivate in accord with this verse is to avoid falling into the evil destinies and is of great merit."

惠能曰(一本有我亦要诵此。结来生缘)上人。我此踏碓。八个余月。未曾行到堂前。望上人引至偈前礼拜。童子引至偈前礼拜。惠能曰。惠能不识字。请上人为读。时。有江州别驾。姓张名日用。便高声读。惠能闻已。遂言。亦有一偈。望别驾为书。别驾言。汝亦作偈。其事希有。
Hui Neng said, "I, too, would like to recite it to create an affinity. Superior One, I have been pounding rice here for over eight months and have not yet been to the front hall. I hope that the Superior One will lead me before the verse to pay homage." The boy then led him to the verse to bow. Hui Neng said, "Hui Neng cannot read. Please, Superior One, read it to me." Then an official from Chiang Chou, named Chang Jih Yung, read it loudly. After hearing it, Hui Neng said, "I, too, have a verse. will the official please write it for me?" The official replied, "You, too, can write a verse? That is strange!"

惠能向别驾言。欲学无上菩提。不得轻于初学。下下人有上上智。上上人有没意智。若轻人。即有无量无边罪。别驾言。汝但诵偈。吾为汝书。汝若得法。先须度吾。勿忘此言。惠能偈曰

　菩提本无树　　明镜亦非台
　本来无一物　　何处惹尘埃
Hui Neng said to the official, "If you wish to study the supreme Bodhi, do not slight the beginner. The lowest people may have the highest wisdom; the highest people may have the least wisdom. If you slight other, you create limitless,unbounded offenses." The official said, "Recite your verse and I will write it our for you. If you obtain the Dharma you must take me across first. Do not forget these words." Hui Neng's verse reads :

Originally Bodhi has no tree, The bright mirror has no stand. Originally there is not a single thing; Where can dust alight?

书此偈已。徒众总惊。无不嗟讶。各相谓言。奇哉。不得以貌取人。何得多时。使他肉身菩萨。
When this verse had been written, the followers all were startled and without exception cried out to one another, "Strange indeed! One cannot judge a person by his appearance. How can it be that, after so little time, he has become a Bodhisattva in the flesh?"

祖见众人惊怪。恐人损害。遂将鞋擦了偈。曰。亦未见性。众以为然。
The Fifth Patriarch saw the astonished assembly and feared that they might become dangerous. Accordingly, he erased the verse with his shoe sa