The complete verse of "There is nothing in the first place, where is the dust":
Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a stand.
Buddha nature is always pure, where is the dust!
The body is a bodhi tree, and the mind is a mirror stand.
The bright mirror is originally pure, but it is stained with dust!
Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a stand.
There is nothing there, so where is the dust!
Bodhi can only be found in the heart, so why bother seeking mysteries from outside?
I heard that by practicing this, the West is only now!
Translation:
Originally there was no Bodhi tree and no mirror stand.
Buddha nature is always clear and clean. Where can there be any dust?
The body of all living beings is like a tree of enlightened wisdom, and the mind of all living beings is like a bright mirror.
The bright mirror is very clean to begin with, so where will it be contaminated with dust?
Originally there was no bodhi tree and no mirror stand.
When there is nothing in my heart, how can I get any dust?
Bodhi is only sought within, so why bother seeking mysterious Buddhist ideas from the outside world?
If you practice yourself in this way, the paradise world will be right in front of you!
It comes from the "Bodhi Gauge" written by Huineng in the Tang Dynasty. "Bodhi Gauge" is a poem that explains Buddhist teachings created by the Sixth Patriarch Huineng. There are only four poems, which are recorded in the "Tan Sutra". Among them, the first two stanzas are written in response to Shenxiu's "No-Phase Stanza", aiming to illustrate the purity of the "Ming Mirror"; the third stanza shows the basis for enlightenment and the straight path to liberation; and the fourth stanza focuses on practice methods.