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Don’t hate life and death or love life and death. Keep your every thought free of delusion, and in life you’ll witness the beginning of nirvana, and in death you’ll experience the assurance of no rebirth.

Bodhidharma

The Way is basically perfect. It doesn’t require perfecting. The Way has no form or sound. It’s subtle and hard to perceive. It’s like when you drink water: you know how hot or cold it is, but you can’t tell others.
BODHIDHARMA

Ay Basic Perfect Require
To seek is to suffer. To seek nothing is bliss.
BODHIDHARMA

Bliss Nothing See Suffer
To enter by reason means to realize the essence through instruction and to believe that all living things share the same true nature, which isn’t apparent because it’s shrouded by sensation and delusion.
BODHIDHARMA

Believe Enter Instruction Live Mean Reason
The mind is the root from which all things grow. If you can understand the mind, everything else is included.
BODHIDHARMA

Everything Grow Include Mind Root Thing Understand
I never lost or fail, not yet conquered. If I fall seven times, I get up eight
BODHIDHARMA

Conquered Eight Fall never
Worship means reverence and humility. It means revering your real self and humbling delusions. If you can wipe out evil desires and harbor good thoughts, even if nothing shows, it’s worship. Such form is its real form.
BODHIDHARMA

Delusion Humanity Humbling Mean Real Reverence Self Worship
Those who remain unmoved by the wind of joy silently follow the Path.
BODHIDHARMA

Follow Iranian Joy Path Silent Unmove Wind
Someone who seeks the Way doesn’t look beyond himself.
BODHIDHARMA

Beyond Himself Lock Seek Someone
Those who worship don’t know, and those who know don’t worship.
BODHIDHARMA

Know Worship
But people of the deepest understanding look within, distracted by nothing. Since a clear mind is the Buddha, they attain the understanding of a Buddha without using the mind.
BODHIDHARMA

Deepest Distract Nothing People Understanding
Not engaging in ignorance is wisdom.
BODHIDHARMA

Engage Ignorance Wisdom
If you see your nature, you don’t need to read sutras or invoke buddhas. Erudition and knowledge are not only useless but also cloud your awareness. Doctrines are only for pointing to the mind. Once you see your mind, why pay attention to doctrines?
BODHIDHARMA

Buddha Nature Need See Sutras
Reality has no inside, outside, or middle part.
BODHIDHARMA

Inside Middle Outside Part Reality
Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arising in either.
BODHIDHARMA

Arise Awareness Body Buddha Either Mena Mind Prevent
But when you first embark on the Path, your awareness won’t be focused. You’re likely to see all sorts of strange, dreamlike scenes. But you shouldn’t doubt that all such scenes come from your own mind and nowhere else.
BODHIDHARMA

Awareness Embark First Focus Path
If you use your mind to look for a Buddha, you won’t see the Buddha.
BODHIDHARMA

Buddha Look Mind See Use

Don’t hate life and death or love life and death. Keep your every thought free of delusion, and in life you’ll witness the beginning of nirvana, and in death you’ll experience the assurance of no rebirth.

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Don’t hate life and death or love life and death. Keep your every thought free of delusion, and in life you’ll witness the beginning of nirvana, and in death you’ll experience the assurance of no rebirth.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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