P'ei Hsiu - A Gatha on The Transmission of Mind

I heretofore acquired the Dharma of the Transmission of Mind, as expressed in The Chung-Ling Record and in The Wan-Ling Record, from Ch'an Master Huang-po (Hsi-Yun).  So thus I have come to write a gatha on The Transmission of Mind:

 The Mind cannot be transmitted;
    To tacitly understand is transmission.

    The Mind can perceive nothing at all,
    But nothingness is true perception.

    The tally is not the tally;
    Also, nothing is not nothing.

    Do not remain in Illusion City,
    Or you'll mistake the pearl on your forehead;
    Be aware, the word "pearl" is only an expedient,
    For how can Illusion City have any form?

    Only the Mind is Buddha,
    The Buddha without birth.

    So know directly that "it is!"
    Without seeking or acting.
    For a Buddha to seek Buddha
    Is just a waste of energy.
    If you let a Dharma-view arise,
    You'll only fall into Mara's realm.
    Don't separate the worldly and the holy;
    Then seeing and hearing will disappear.

    Just like a clear mirror, be without mind,
    And there is no competition with things.
    Just like the bright void, be without thinking,
    And you contain the ten thousand things.

    The Three Vehicles are outside of the Dharma,
    But to know this is rare in a kalpa's course.
    When one attains such realization,