Bodhidharma
c. 5th-6th century • Indian
BuddhismZen
Semi-legendary 5th-6th century Buddhist monk who carried Chan (Zen) Buddhism from India to China. Famous for nine years of wall-gazing meditation at Shaolin and the four-line summary of Zen: 'A special transmission outside the scriptures, not founded upon words and letters.'
Key Works
- Bloodstream Sermon
- Wake-up Sermon
- Breakthrough Sermon
- Outline of Practice
89
quotes in library
Quotes by Bodhidharma
89 quotes“Outside the mind, there is no dharma.”
mindBloodstream Sermon
“Whether you understand or not, your nature is the buddha.”
buddha-natureBloodstream Sermon
“It does not depend on your understanding.”
buddha-natureBloodstream Sermon
“It is always there.”
buddha-natureBloodstream Sermon
“He who delights in scriptures is far from the truth.”
directnessBloodstream Sermon
“He who delights in argument is even farther.”
directnessBloodstream Sermon
“He who is silent and still is closest.”
silenceBloodstream Sermon
“Words are footprints in the mud — not the foot itself.”
languageWake-up Sermon
“Concepts are pictures of water — not the water.”
languageWake-up Sermon
“Drink from the water itself.”
direct-knowingWake-up Sermon
“All beings are originally enlightened.”
buddha-natureBloodstream Sermon
“They are deluded only because they do not see this.”
delusionBloodstream Sermon
“In the moment of seeing, delusion vanishes.”
awakeningBloodstream Sermon
“What was difficult to grasp becomes effortless to live.”
realizationBloodstream Sermon
“My nine years at Shaolin facing the wall taught me one thing: there is nothing to do.”
non-doingWake-up Sermon
“Just sit, and the buddha-mind reveals itself.”
sittingWake-up Sermon
“Effort is the obstacle; non-effort is the path.”
effortlessnessWake-up Sermon
“This is the secret of Chan.”
essenceWake-up Sermon
“Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen.”
presenceThe Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma
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