Bodhidharma Quotes

A Buddha doesn’t observe precepts. A Buddha doesn’t do good or evil. A Buddha isn’t energetic or lazy. A Buddha is someone who does nothing, someone who can’t even focus his mind on a Buddha. A Buddha isn’t a Buddha. Don’t think about Buddhas.

If we should be blessed by some great reward, such as fame or fortune, it's the fruit of a seed planted by us in the past.

People of this world are deluded. They’re always longing for something-always, in a word, seeking. But the wise wake up. They choose reason over custom. They fix their minds on the sublime and let their bodies change with the seasons. All phenomena are empty. They contain nothing worth desiring.

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.

A Buddha is someone who finds freedom in good fortune and bad.

If you use your mind to study reality, you won't understand either your mind or reality. If you study reality without using your mind, you'll understand both.

Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen.

Not engaging in ignorance is wisdom.

But deluded people don't realize that their own mind is the Buddha. They keep searching outside.

The mind is the root from which all things grow if you can understand the mind, everything else is included. It’s like the root of a tree. All a tree’s fruit and flowers, branches and leaves depend on its root. If you nourish its root, a tree multiplies. If you cut its root, it dies. Those who understand the mind reach enlightenment with minimal effort.

Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arising in either.

Freeing oneself from words is liberation.

To go from mortal to Buddha, you have to put an end to karma, nurture your awareness, and accept what life brings.

All know the way few actually walk it.