More Bodidharma

The BLOODSTREAM SERMON.

Everything that appears in the three realms leads back to the mind. Hence, Buddhas of the past and future teach mind to mind without bothering about definitions. But, if they don't define it, what do they mean by 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 kalpas 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 and 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 is no Buddha and beyond the Buddha there is no mind. If you think there is 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, your not free. If you don't believe me, deceiving yourself doesn'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. Buddhas don't save Buddhas. If you use your mind to look for a Buddha, you won't see the Buddha. As long you look for a Buddha somewhere else, you'll never see that your own mind is the Buddha. And don't use a Buddha to worship a Buddha. And don't use the mind to invoke a Buddha. Buddhas don't recite sutras. Buddhas don't keep precepts. And Buddhas don't break precepts. Buddhas don't keep or break anything. Buddhas don't do good or evil.

To find a Buddha, you have to see your nature. Whoever sees his nature is a Buddha. If you don't see your nature, invoking Buddhas, reciting sutras, making offerings and keeping precepts are all useless. Invoking Buddhas results in good karma. Reciting sutras results in good memory. Keeping precepts results in a good rebirth. And making offerings results in future blessings. But no Buddha. If you don't understand by yourself, you'll have to find a teacher to get to the bottom of life and death. But unless he sees his nature, such a person is not a teacher. Even if he can recite the twelve fold cannon, he can't escape the wheel of birth and death. He suffers in the three realms without hope of release. To find a Buddha, all you have to do is see your nature. Your nature is the Buddha. And the Buddha is the person who's free, free of plans, free of cares. If you don't see your nature and run around all day looking somewhere else, you'll never find a Buddha. The truth is, there's nothing to find. But to reach such an understanding you need a teacher. And you need to struggle to make yourself understand. Life and death are important. Don't suffer them in vain. There's no advantage in deceiving yourself. Even if you have mountains of jewels and as many servants as there are grains of sand along the Ganges, you see them when your eyes are open. But what about when your eyes are shut?

You should realize then that everything you see is like a dream or illusion. If you don't find a teacher soon, you'll live this life in vain. It's true, you have the Buddha nature. But without the help of a teacher, you'll never know it. Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teachers help. If though, by the conjunction of conditions, someone understands what the Buddha meant, that person doesn't need a teacher's help. Such a person has a natural awareness superior to anything taught. But unless you're so blessed, study hard. And by means of instruction, you'll understand. People who don't understand and think they can do so without study are no different from those deluded souls who can't tell black from white. Falsely proclaiming the Buddhadharma, such persons, in fact, blaspheme the Buddha and subvert the Dharma. They preach as if they were bringing rain. But theirs is the preaching of devils not of Buddhas. Their teacher is the king of devils and their disciples are the devils minions. Deluded people who follow such instruction unwittingly sink deeper in the sea of birth and death.

Unless they see their nature, how can people call themselves Buddhas? They're liars who deceive others into entering the realm of devils. Unless they see their nature, their preaching of the twelve fold cannon is nothing but the preaching of devils. Their allegiance is to Mara, not the Buddha. Unable to distinguish white from black, how can they escape birth and death? Whoever sees his nature is a Buddha. Whoever doesn't is a mortal. But apart from our mortal nature if you can find a Buddha nature somewhere else, where is it? Our mortal nature is our Buddha nature. Beyond this nature there's no Buddha. The Buddha is our nature. Beyond this nature there's no Buddha. The Buddha is our nature. There's no Buddha besides our nature. And there's no nature besides the Buddha. you can't attain enlightenment by invoking Buddhas, reciting sutras, making offerings, observing precepts, practicing devotions or doing good works. If you attain anything at all, it's conditional, it's karmic. It results in retribution. It turns the wheel. And as long as you're subject to birth and death, you'll never attain enlightenment. To attain enlightenment you have to see your nature. Unless you see your nature, all this talk about cause and effect is nonsense. Buddhas don't practice nonsense. A Buddha is free of karma, free of cause and effect. To say he attains anything at all is to slander a Buddha. What could he possible attain? Even focusing on a mind, a power, an understanding or a view is impossible for a Buddha. A Buddha isn't one-sided. The nature of his mind is basically empty, neither pure nor impure. He's free of practice and realization. He's free from cause and effect.

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 you don't see what I'm talking about, you'll never know your own mind. People who don't see their nature and imagine they can practice doing nothing all the time are liars and fools. They fall into endless space. They're like drunks. They can't tell good from evil. If you intend to practice doing nothing, you have to see your nature before you can put an end to rational thought. To attain enlightenment without seeing your nature is impossible. Still others commit all sorts of evil deeds, claiming karma doesn't exist. They erroneously maintain that since everything is empty, committing evil isn't wrong. Such persons fall into a hell of endless darkness with no hope of release. Those who are wise hold no such conception.

The Buddha said people are deluded. This is why they fall into the river of endless rebirth. And trying to get out, they only sink deeper. And all because they don't see their nature. If people weren't deluded, why else would they ask about something right in front of them? Not one of them understands the movement of his own hands and feet. The Buddha wasn't mistaken. Deluded people don't know who they are. Something so hard to fathom is known by a Buddha and no one else. Only the wise know this mind, this mind called Dharma nature, this mind called liberation. Neither life nor death can restrain this mind. Nothing can. It's also called the unstoppable Tathagata, the incomprehensible, the sacred self, the immortal, the great sage. It's names vary but not it's essence. Buddhas vary too, but none leaves his own mind. The minds capacity is limitless, and it's manifestations are inexhaustible. Seeing forms with your eyes, hearing sounds with your ears, smelling odors with your nose, tasting flavors with your tongue, every movement or mode, it's all your mind. At every moment, where language can't go, that's your mind. The sutras say, "A Tathagata's forms are endless, and so is his awareness." The endless variety of forms is due to the mind. it's ability to distinguish things, whatever their movement or mode is the mind's awareness. But the mind has no form and it's awareness has no limit. Hence, it's said, "A Tathagata's forms are limitless. And so is his awareness. The endless variety of forms is due to the mind. It's ability to distinguish things, whatever their movement or mode is the minds awareness. But the mind has no form and it's awareness no limit. Hence, it's said, "A Tathagata's forms are endless and so is his awareness."

A material body of the four elements is trouble. A material body is subject to birth and death. But the real exists without existing because a Tathagata's real body never changes. The sutras say," People should realize that the Buddha nature is something they have always had." Kashyapa only realized his own nature. But deluded people don't realize that their own mind is the Buddha. They keep searching outside. They never stop invoking Buddhas or worshiping Buddhas and wondering Where is the Buddha? Don't indulge in such illusions. Just know your mind. Beyond your mind there is no other Buddha. The sutras say, "Wherever you are, there is a Buddha." Don't use a Buddha to worship a Buddha. Even if a Buddha or Bodisattva should suddenly appear before you, there's no need for reverence. This mind of ours is empty and contains no such form. Those who hold onto appearances are devils. They fall from their path. Why worship illusions born of the mind? Those who worship don't know, and those who know don't worship. By worshiping you come under the spell of devils. I point this out because I'm afraid you're unaware of it. The basic nature of a Buddha has no such form. Keep this in mind, even if something unusual should appear. Don't embrace it, and don't fear it. And don't doubt that your mind is basically pure. Where could there be room for any such form? Also at the appearance of spirits, demons or divine beings, conceive neither respect nor fear. Your mind is basically empty. All appearances are illusions. Don't hold onto appearances.

If you envision a Buddha, a Dharma or a Bodisattva and conceive respect for them, you relegate yourself to the realm of mortals. If you seek direct understanding, don't hold onto to any appearance whatsoever and you'll succeed. I have no other advice. The sutras say, "All appearances are illusions." They have no fixed existance, no constant form. They're impermanent. Don't cling to appearances, and you'll be of one mind with the Buddhas. The sutras say, "That which is free of all form is the Buddha."

Bodidharma

This is a portion of Bodidharma's Bloodstream sermon, Although we would like to present the entire text, space forbids us to do so, however, when you come to understand without understanding, when mind and body are dropped away, you may compress the entire sermon into the first sentence, "Everything that appears in the three realms leads back to the mind." If you would like to study the entire text you should search out books on the teachings of Bodidharma.