六祖惠能大師，在黃梅東山寺，獲得五祖弘忍大師傳他心印之法後，五祖教他速返廣東原籍，隱遁起來，做個與世無爭的隱士，不要光芒外露，不要沽名釣譽。因為這個緣故，所以他藏起來。這並不是教他藏在山洞中，不讓人見到，這一點要弄清楚。六祖大師藏在什麼地方呢？他能隨遇而安，混在獵人隊中，一藏就是十五年。他韜光晦跡來修行，和光混俗地用功修道，任何人也不知道他是得法的人，此時六祖尚未出家，仍是個居士。

The Sixth Patriarch, Great Master Huineng (Kind and Able), received the mind-to-mind seal from the Fifth Patriarch, Great Master Hongren (Vast Patience), at Dongshan (East Mountain) Monastery in Huangmei. After the transmission, the Fifth Patriarch instructed him to quickly return to his hometown in Canton and to seclude himself from worldly affairs, to avoid showing off, seeking fame, or courting publicity. The Sixth Patriarch did go into hiding, but he didn't hide away in a mountain cave where no one could see him. You should understand this. Where did the Sixth Patriarch hide? Since he could feel at home in any situation, he mingled among hunters. He hid among them for fifteen years, keeping a low profile as he cultivated. In the midst of worldly people, he diligently cultivated the Way. No one knew he had obtained the Dharma. At that time, the Sixth Patriarch was still a layperson.

我們修道人，無論在什麼場合，應該韜光晦跡，不可光芒外露，這樣才能修行，否則不容易修行。你們不可到處自我宣傳：「我有什麼功夫，我參禪有多少年了，我如何如何。」到處賣老修行，那不是出家人的行為，要老老實實修道，不可自我介紹。想令人對自己另眼相看，那是大錯特錯，反而失掉出家人的身分，俗語說得好：「有麝自然香，何須大風揚。」

As cultivators of the Way, no matter where we are, we should “hide our light and cover our tracks.” We shouldn't let our light shine outwardly. Only in this way can we cultivate. If we show off, it won't be easy to cultivate. You shouldn't go around advertising yourself, saying things like, “I have such-and-such spiritual skills; I've been practicing Chan meditation for so many years,” passing yourself off as a seasoned cultivator. That's not the way a left-home person should behave. You must honestly and truly practice. Don't go around trying to impress people. If you do, you are making a tremendous mistake and forfeiting your position as a left-home person. A proverb says: “When the musk-deer arrives, everyone can smell its scent. What need is there for fanfare?”