The Sixth Patriarch’s Spiritual Powers Convert Huiming

Master Daoming of Mount Meng in Yuanzhou (Yuanzhou’s prefectural seat is present-day Yichun, Jiangxi) was a dharma heir of the Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng. He was born with the name Huiming, but changed it to Daoming to avoid using the first character of the Sixth Patriarch’s given name. A native of Poyang, he was the grandson of Emperor Xuan of the Chen Dynasty. After the Sui overthrew the Chen dynasty, Daoming lived as a commoner. As a descendant of the imperial family, he’d once served as an acting fourth-rank general. When his family fell into ruin, he felt drawn to monastic life from a very young age. He first ordained at Yongchang Temple. Driven by his deep longing to seek the Way, he once journeyed to Twin Peak Mountain to visit the Fourth Patriarch, Daoxin. Later, during the reign of Tang Emperor Gaozong, he went to study under the Fifth Patriarch, taking the dharma name Huiming. Master Huiming was originally a soldier with a rough, coarse temperament. Though his aspiration to the Way ran deep and he practiced with unflagging diligence, his karmic conditions were not yet ripe, and he remained unawakened after years of practice. This left him growing increasingly restless, like a stray dog that had lost its home. Later, when he heard that the Fifth Patriarch had secretly passed the robe and dharma to layman Lu (Huineng), Master Huiming flew into a rage. He thought to himself, I, Huiming, have paid my respects to the Fourth Patriarch and served under the Fifth Patriarch for years. This layman Lu is an illiterate, rice-pounding barbarian – he’s only been here less than a year, and he’s already received the robe and alms bowl! So he rallied dozens of like-minded followers and set off south to chase after Master Huineng. They followed the Sixth Patriarch’s trail all the way to Dayu Ridge. Since Huiming was a former soldier and quick on his feet, he was the first to catch up to the Sixth Patriarch. When the Sixth Patriarch saw Huiming approaching, he placed the robe and alms bowl on a large flat rock and said: This robe is a symbol of the transmission of faith; how could it ever be seized by force? If you want it, take it. (The robe and alms bowl represent the passing down of the faith; they cannot be claimed through strength. If you wish for them, they are yours.) With that, he vanished into the forest. Elated, Master Huiming stepped forward to grab the robe and alms bowl. He couldn’t lift it! He was stunned. He tried again with all his strength, but the robe and bowl remained as steady as Mount Tai. Huiming was seized with fear now. He paced around the robe and bowl in circles, his body shaking. In that instant, a single thought shifted his whole mind. He shouted toward the forest: Layman! Layman! I came for the Dharma, not for the robe! The Sixth Patriarch then stepped out of the forest and sat in full lotus position on the large flat rock. Master Huiming rushed forward to bow before him, and said: Please, Layman, teach me the essence of the Dharma. The Sixth Patriarch said: Since you have come for the Dharma, let go of all distractions, do not entertain a single thought, and listen as I share the Dharma with you. Master Huiming calmed his mind for a long time. The Sixth Patriarch then asked him: Not thinking of good, not thinking of bad – at just this very moment, which is the original face of Elder Ming? Master Huiming attained full awakening right then and there. Sweat poured over his entire body. Overwhelmed by a mix of joy and sorrow, he wept freely, tears streaming down his face, and bowed repeatedly before the Patriarch. Still, a last doubt lingered in his mind, so he asked: Beyond the secret words and hidden meaning you just shared, is there any further intent behind them? The Sixth Patriarch said: What I have shared with you is not the true secret. If you turn your light inward to reflect, the secret is right at your own side. (What I have told you is not the ultimate secret. If you turn your mind back to look within, the secret lies right there with you.) Master Huiming felt a deep, settled peace now, and said: Though I followed the assembly at Huangmei, I never actually realized my own original face. Now, thanks to your pointing out the way to awakening, it is like drinking water: only I know whether it is warm or cold. Now you, Layman, are my teacher. The Sixth Patriarch said: If this is true for you, then you and I are both disciples of the same teacher at Huangmei. Tend to your practice with care. Master Huiming asked again: Where should I go from now on? The Sixth Patriarch said: Stop when you come to Yuan, and make your home where you find Meng. Master Huiming thanked the Sixth Patriarch with another bow, then rushed back down the ridge. He told the group that had trailed after him: We climbed that high, steep peak earlier, looked all around, and saw no sign of him. We’ll have to take other paths to look for him. The others took his word for it, and scattered to search different areas one by one. Master Huiming, meanwhile, went alone to the Waterfall Platform on Mount Lu. Three years later, he relocated to Mount Meng in Yuanzhou, where he taught the Dharma widely and helped many people awaken.