菩提本无树, Bodhi is fundamentally without any tree;
明镜亦非台。 The bright mirror is also not a stand.
本来无一物, Fundamentally there is not a single thing —
何处惹尘埃。 Where could any dust be attracted?
慧能禅师的这首畿子是用来回应神秀禅师的畿子:
身是
菩提树, The body is a Bodhi tree,
心如明镜台。 The mind a standing mirror bright.
时时勤拂拭, At all times polish it diligently,
勿使惹尘埃。 And let no dust alight.
参考资料:McRae, John. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. 2000. p. 31, p. 33