Great Master Hui Ke (Dharma Master Shen Guang) asked Patriarch Bodhidharma, "In India, did you transmit the Dharma to your disciples? Did you also give the robe and the bowl as certification?"

"I transmitted the Dharma in India," replied Bodhidharma, "but I did not use the robe and the bowl as a token of faith. That is because the people of India are straightforward. When they cultivate and attain the fruition, they know they must be certified. If no one certifies them, they do not say, 'I have attained the Way! I have certified to the fruition! I have given proof to Arhatship! I am a Bodhisattva!' They do not speak like that. People there are upright and straight.

"Chinese people, however, are different. In China there are many beings with a propensity for the Great Vehicle, but there are also many people who lie. Having not yet cultivated to successful completion, such people claim to have the Way. Having not yet certified to the fruition, such people claim to be certified sages. That is why the robe and bowl must be used here as a token of certification. Therefore I will transmit the robe and bowl to prove that you have received the transmission. Guard them well and take care."

With the transmission of the Dharma from Patriarch Bodhidharma, Dharma Master Shen Guang received the name Hui Ke, which means "Able Wisdom," evidence that his wisdom was truly up to the task; it was sufficient. Dharma Master Shen Guang, that is, Great Master Hui Ke, listened to Patriarch Bodhidharma's instructions and thereupon understood the Dharma transmission he had received.