The Profound Truths of the Buddhas Don't Depend On Words

After I [Hui-Neng] obtained the Dharma, I returned from Huangmei and settled in Tsaohou Village near Shaochou, where no one knew me. There was a local scholar there named Liu Chih-lueh who treated me with great respect. He had an aunt who was a Buddhist nun named Wu-chin-tsang, who was always chanting the Nirvana Sutra. After listening for a while, I understood its profound meaning, and I explained it to her. When she showed me the text and asked me the meaning of a particular character, I said, 'I don't know how to read. Ask me about the meaning of the text.'

 The nun said, 'If you don't know how to read, how can you understand the meaning?'

I said, 'The profound truths of the buddhas don't depend on words.'

---The Tsungpao Edition of the Platform Sutra---