--The Poem--

One day Zen Master Daman Hongren, the Fifth Patriarch of Zen, told his monks to express their wisdom in a poem. Whoever had true realization of his original nature (Buddha Nature) would be ordained the next Zen Patriarch. The head monk, Shen Hsiu, was the most learned, and wrote the following:

The body is the bodhi tree
The heart is like the clear mirror stand
At all times diligently wipe it clean
And let no dust alight.

The poem was praised, but The Zen Master knew that Shen Hsiu had not yet found his original nature, on the other hand, Hui Neng couldn't even write, so someone had to write down his poem, which read:

There is no bodhi tree
Nor stand of a mirror bright.
Since all is void,
Where can the dust alight?

The Master pretended that he wasn't impressed with this poem either, but in the middle of the night he summoned Hui Neng. The Master gave him the insignia of his office, the Master's robe and bowl. Hui Neng was told to leave for the South and to hide his enlightenment and understanding until the proper time arrives for him to propagate the Dharma.