Bodhidharma was a great Buddhist monk & Zen master. Bodhidharma was born around the year 440 in Kanchi, the capital of the Southern Indian kingdom of Pallava. He was a Brahman by birth and the third son of King Simhavarman.
When he was young, he was converted to Buddhism, and later he received instruction in the Dharma from Prajnatara, whom his father had invited from the ancient Buddhist heartland of Magadha. It was Prajnatara who also told Bodhidharma to go to China. He finally arrived in Southern China around 475.
When he reached China at that time Buddhism was in a growing stage. He was also the founder of martial art kung-fu which is based on the Yoga. it is said that he spent many years in meditation in front of rock wall which originated the concept of wall meditation in Zen. In the book “Transmission of the Lamp” written by his one of the main disciple Tao-yuan Bodhidharma shares an insightful wisdom in form of sermons. From this book, I would like to share the beautiful wisdom of Bodhidharma on the mind & its existence.
His disciple asked Bodhidharma what you mean by mind?
Bodhidharma gave a beautiful teaching on the mind you ask. That’s your mind. I answer. That’s my mind. If I had no mind, how could I answer? If you had no mind, how could you ask? That which asks is your mind. Through endless periods of time without beginning, whatever you do, wherever you are, that’s your real mind, that’s your real Buddha. This mind is the Buddha says the same thing. Beyond this mind, you’ll never find another Buddha.
To search for enlightenment or nirvana beyond this mind is impossible. The reality of your own self-nature, the absence of cause and effect, is what’s meant by mind. Your mind is nirvana.
You might think you can find a Buddha or enlightenment somewhere beyond the mind, but such a place doesn’t exist. Trying to find a Buddha or enlightenment is like trying to grab space. Space has a name but no form. It’s not something you can pick up or put down. And you certainly can’t grab it. Beyond this mind, you’ll never see a Buddha. The Buddha is a product of your mind. Why look for a Buddha beyond this mind?
Buddhas of the past and future only talk about this mind. The mind is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the mind. Beyond the mind, there’s no Buddha, and beyond the Buddha, there’s no mind.
If you think there’s a Buddha beyond the mind, where is he? There’s no Buddha beyond the mind, so why envision one? You can’t know your real mind as long as you deceive yourself. As long as you’re enthralled by a lifeless form, you’re not free. If you don’t believe me, deceiving yourself won’t help. It’s not the Buddha’s fault.
People, though, are deluded. They’re unaware that their own mind is the Buddha. Otherwise, they wouldn’t look for a Buddha outside the mind.
