There is no tree in Bodhi, nor is a bright mirror a platform, there is nothing in the world, so how can there be any dust?
First of all, let's talk about the origin of this poem
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Zen Buddhism reached the Fifth Patriarch, Master Hongnen, who was teaching in Huangmei, Hubei Province, and had more than 500 disciples under him, of whom the leading one was the eldest disciple, Master Shenxiu. Among them, the most outstanding one was the eldest disciple, Master Shen Xiu, who was also recognized as the heir to the mantle of Zen. As Hong Ren grew old, he was looking for a successor among his disciples, so he told his disciples to make a gui (a poem with a Zen meaning) and see whoever did it well would pass on the mantle to him. At this time, Shenxiu was eager to inherit the mantle, but he was afraid that by making this guizi for the purpose of inheriting the mantle, he would be violating the Buddhist intention of doing nothing. So he got up in the middle of the night and wrote a poem on the wall of the courtyard, "The body is a Bodhi tree, the mind is a mirror. Always wipe it diligently, don't make it dusty. The meaning of this poem is to take care of one's own mind and heart at all times, and to resist the temptations and evils outside through continuous practice. It is a mindset of entering the world, emphasizing the role of cultivation. And this understanding is not quite compatible with the epiphany of the Mahayana sect of Zen, so when everyone saw this gui the next morning, they all said it was good, and they all guessed that it was made by Shenxiu and admired it, Hongneng didn't make any comment after seeing it. Because he knew that Shenxiu had not yet had an epiphany.
At this time, when the monks in the temple were talking about the song, one of the fire-head monks in the kitchen, Zen Master Huineng, heard it. Hui Neng then asked someone to take him to see the song. It should be noted that Hui Neng was illiterate, he could not read or write. When he heard others talk about this guizi, he said at that time that this person had not yet realized the true meaning. So he made another gui and begged someone to write it next to Shenxiu's gui: "There is no tree in Bodhi, nor is there a mirror in the mirror; there is nothing in the first place, where is the dust? This ki shows that Huineng was a man of great wisdom (some say he was the reincarnation of the tenth bhikkhu), and his ki fits the concept of Zen enlightenment very well. It is a kind of attitude of leaving the world, the main meaning is that the world is empty, see everything in the world is an empty word, the heart is empty, it does not matter to resist the temptation of the outside, anything from the heart and leave no trace. This is a very high level of Zen, people who appreciate this level of realm, is the so-called enlightenment.
After seeing this gui, Hongneng asked those around him who had written it, and those on the side said it was written by Huineng, so he called Huineng, and in front of him and the other monks, said, "It is written in a messy way, and it is nonsense, and erased the gui himself. Then he hit Hui Neng three times on the head and left. At this point only Huineng understood what the Fifth Patriarch meant, so he went to Hongneng's meditation room at the third hour of the night, where Hongneng explained to him the Diamond Sutra, one of the most important Buddhist classics, and passed the mantle to him. Then to prevent Shenxiu's men from harming Huineng, he told him to flee overnight. So Hui Neng traveled far to the south in the night, and after 10 years of seclusion, he founded the Southern Sect of Zen Buddhism at the Shaolin Temple in Putian. When Shenxiu found out about this incident the next day, he sent his men to chase after Huineng, but they failed to catch him. Later, Shenxiu became the Protector of the State in the Liang Dynasty and founded the Northern Sect of Zen.
/question/848982.html?fr=qrl3