Dharma Master Bodhidharma’s Essay on Bloodline

The Mirror Engraving of Shamen Shizong of Huayan Temple in Chongqing

The three worlds are mixed up and unite in one mind, the Buddha before and after them, Talk from heart to heart, without words. Question: If you don’t establish words, what is your heart? Answer: When you ask me, it is your heart, and when I answer you, it is my heart. If I have no intention, why can I answer you? If you have no intention, why would you ask me? This is your mind that asks me. From the great kalpa without beginning, to all the times and places where you perform actions, it is your original mind, and it is your original Buddha. Even if the mind is a Buddha, it is also like this. Apart from this mind, there is no other Buddha to be found; apart from this mind, there is no place to find Bodhi and Nirvana. True nature is non-causal. Dharma is the meaning of the mind, and the mind is Nirvana. If you say that there is Buddha and Bodhi that can be obtained outside the heart, it is useless. Where are the Buddha and Bodhi? For example, is it possible for someone to hold the void in his hand? Emptiness has a name, but it has no appearance; if you cannot take it or part with it, you cannot catch it. Apart from this mind, one will never be able to see the Buddha. Buddha is achieved by one's own mind, so why should one look for Buddha outside of one's own mind? The Buddha before and after the Buddha only talks about his heart. The heart is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the heart. There is no Buddha outside the heart, and there is no heart outside the Buddha. If there is a Buddha outside the heart, where is the Buddha? If there is no Buddha outside the mind, how can we see the Buddha? They deceive each other one by one, unable to control their original intention, and are captured by its ruthless things, without freedom. If you don’t believe it, it’s useless to lie to yourself. The Buddha has no faults. All sentient beings are confused and do not realize that they are Buddhas in their own minds. If you know that you are a Buddha in your own mind, you should not look for Buddha outside your mind. If the Buddha does not save the Buddha, he will search for the Buddha with his heart and not recognize the Buddha. But those who look for Buddha outside will not realize that they are Buddhas in their own minds. You must not pay homage to the Buddha or recite the Buddha's name in your mind. The Buddha does not recite sutras, the Buddha does not observe the precepts, the Buddha does not violate the precepts, the Buddha does not uphold and violate the precepts, and he does not do good or evil. If you want to find the Buddha, you must see your nature. Seeing your nature is the Buddha. If you don't see your nature, chanting Buddha's name, chanting sutras, observing fasts and observing precepts will be of no benefit. Reciting Buddha's name will gain you cause and effect, reciting sutras will gain you wisdom, observing the precepts will gain you rebirth in heaven, giving alms will gain blessings, but you will never find the Buddha. If you don't understand, you should consult a good teacher to understand the fundamentals of life and death. If one does not see his nature, he is not called a good teacher. If we don't do this, even if we read the twelve sutras, we will inevitably reincarnate and suffer in the three realms, with no escape. In the past, there was a good star bhikkhu who recited the twelve sutras, but he was still unavoidable in reincarnation because he could not see his nature. Since this is the case with good stars, people today who read three or five sutras and treatises as Buddha Dharma are just fools. If you don't understand your own mind, even reciting idle documents will be of no use. If you want to find Buddha, you must directly see your nature. Nature is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the free person who does nothing and does nothing. If you don't see your nature, you will be in a state of confusion all day long, searching outside, but unable to find the Buddha. Although nothing can be obtained, if you want to understand it, you must study the good knowledge, and you must pray hard to understand it in your heart. Life and death are important matters, and they cannot be ignored. It is useless to lie to oneself. Even if there are delicacies as precious as a mountain, and family members as the sands of the Ganges River, you can see them when you open your eyes, but can you still see them when you close your eyes? Therefore, we know that there are conditioned methods, such as dreams and so on. If you don't rush to find a teacher, your life will be wasted. However, the Buddha-nature exists of its own accord, and if we don’t follow the teacher, we will never understand it. Those who do not gain enlightenment from the teacher are rare among all people. If you meet by fate and get the will of a saint, you don't need to consult a good teacher. This is what you know from birth, which is better than learning. If you don't understand it, you must study hard and you will understand it through teaching. If you don't understand it, you can get it without learning. Different from charming, unable to distinguish between innocent people, falsely proclaiming Buddha's edicts and slandering Buddha's taboo Dharma. Such and other kinds of teachings are like rain, which are all the teachings of demons, that is, they are not the teachings of Buddha. The master is the devil, and the disciples are the devils. You can let it command you, and you will fall into the sea of ??life and death. But he doesn't see the human being and pretends to be a Buddha. These sentient beings are great sinners, deceiving all sentient beings and causing them to enter the demonic realm. If one does not see one's nature, then the teachings of the twelve sutras are all demonic teachings. The descendants of the demon family are not Buddhist disciples. If you don't know what's wrong, how can you avoid life and death? If you see your nature, you are a Buddha; if you don't see your nature, you are a living being. If there is no Buddha-nature that can be obtained apart from the nature of sentient beings, where is the Buddha now? That is, the nature of all living beings is the nature of Buddha. There is no Buddha outside of nature, Buddha is nature; apart from this nature, there is no Buddha to be obtained, and there is no nature to be obtained outside of Buddha. Question: If you don’t see your nature, if you recite Buddha’s name, chant sutras, give alms, observe the precepts, work diligently, and promote welfare, can you become a Buddha? The answer is: No. And asked: Why not? The answer is: There are few dharma that can be obtained. It is conditioned dharma, it is cause and effect, it is retribution, it is samsara. It is inevitable to live and die. When can you achieve the path of Buddhahood? To become a Buddha you must see your nature. If one does not see nature, words such as cause and effect are outsiders. If the Buddha does not practice the heretics. The Buddha is a person with no karma and no cause and effect. However, there are few dharma to be obtained. All of them are slandering the Buddha. How can he achieve success? But if there is someone who can understand and see with one mind, Buddha will not allow it. The Buddha has no perseverance, his mind is empty, and it is not pure. All dharmas have no practice, no realization, no cause and no effect. If the Buddha does not keep the precepts, does not practice good deeds, does not do evil, does not work diligently, and does not slack off, he is a non-human being. But if you have an abiding mind, you will not be allowed to see the Buddha. The Buddha is not a Buddha, so don’t interpret it as a Buddha. If we do not see this meaning, we will not be able to follow our original mind at all times and everywhere. If one does not see one's nature and does not have any thoughts at all times, he is a great sinner and a fool, falling into the air without memory; he is as dazed as an intoxicated person, unable to distinguish his likes and dislikes. If you plan to practice without any method, you must first see your nature and then stop worrying about the conditions. If you don't see your nature and achieve Buddhahood, there is no point in it.

There are people who have no cause and effect and commit evil karma without warning. They make false claims and do evil deeds without any fault. In this way, they fall into the hell of eternal darkness and never come out. If you are a wise person, you should not interpret it like this.

Question: If action is in motion, the original mind is present at all times. When the body is impermanent, why can’t we see the original mind? Answer: My true mind always appears before me, but you don’t see it?

Jian said: Since the heart sees it, why can’t it see it? The teacher said: Have you ever had a dream? Answer: I had a dream. Question: When you dreamed, was it you? Answer: It is itself. He also asked: Are your words, actions, and movements different from yours? The answer is: No. The Master said: If there is no difference, then this body is your original Dharma body; that is, this Dharma body is your original mind. This mind has existed since the great eons without beginning, and it is no different from what it is now; there has never been birth or death, neither birth nor death. It does not increase or decrease, it is neither dirty nor pure, it is neither good nor evil, it does not come or go; there is no right or wrong, there is no male or female, there are no monks, seculars, old or young, there is no saint or ordinary; there is no Buddha, there are no sentient beings, and there is no cultivation. , there is no cause and effect, no muscle strength, and no appearance; it is like a void, unable to take or let go, and cannot be hindered by mountains, rivers, and stone walls; it can come and go freely with supernatural powers; it can pass through the Wuyun Mountain and cross the river of life and death; all karma cannot be bound to this dharma body. This mind is subtle and difficult to see. This mind is different from the color mind. This mind is something everyone wants to see. Those who move their hands and feet in this light are like the sands of the Ganges. Even when asked, they always have no idea. They are like wooden figures who always use themselves. Why don't they know? The Buddha said that all sentient beings are all charming, so they fall into the river of life and death because of their deeds, and they are not able to get out yet, just because they do not see their nature. If sentient beings are not confused, why do they ask about it and no one understands it? Why do they not know how to move their own hands and feet? Therefore, I know that the words of the sage are good, but I don’t know how charming they are. Therefore, we know that this is difficult to understand. Only the Buddha can understand this method; the rest of humanity, heaven, and sentient beings cannot understand it at all. If wisdom is clear, this mind is called Dharma nature, and it is also called liberation. It is not restricted by life and death, but cannot be restricted by any laws. This is called the Tathagata, the Great Self-Contained King; it is also called the Inconceivable, it is also called the Holy Body, it is also called the Immortal, and it is also called the Great Immortal. Although the names are different, the substance is one. All kinds of distinctions made by saints are not separated from their own minds. The mind is vast and has endless applications. The eyes should see the colors, the ears should hear the sounds, the nose should smell the fragrance, the tongue should understand the taste, and even the actions of giving are all from the mind. At all times, if there is only language, it is your own mind. Therefore, the Tathagata's color is endless, and his wisdom is also restored. The inexhaustible color is the mind, and the mind's awareness of goodness can distinguish everything, and even give and use it, all of which are wisdom. The heart has no form, and the wisdom is endless. Therefore, the Tathagata's color is endless, and his wisdom is also restored. The four major form bodies are the afflictions. The form body arises and ceases. The Dharmakaya always abides and has nowhere to live. This is why the Tathagata Dharmakaya never changes. The Sutra says: All sentient beings should know that Buddha-nature inherently exists. Kassapa just realized the true nature, which is the heart, the heart is the nature, and the nature is the same as the hearts of all Buddhas. The Buddhas before and after only transmit the mind. Apart from this mind, no Buddha can be obtained. All sentient beings do not know that they are the Buddha in their own minds. They seek outside and are busy all day long. They chant Buddha's name and pay homage to the Buddha. Where is the Buddha? You should not have such views, but you know your own mind, and there is no other Buddha outside your mind. The Sutra says: All appearances are false. He also said: Wherever he is, there is a Buddha. If you think you are a Buddha, you should not pay homage to the Buddha. However, if you see the appearance of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva, you should not pay homage to him. My heart is empty and silent, and there is no such appearance. If I take the appearance, I will be a demon, and I will fall into the wrong path. If the illusion arises from the heart, there is no need to be polite. Those who are ignorant of the etiquette, those who know the etiquette are impolite, and the etiquette is possessed by the devil. I'm afraid that scholars don't know it, so they just pretend to be different. None of the Buddhas and Tathagatas have such an appearance in their true nature, so we must pay close attention to them. But if there are different realms, don’t use generalizations, don’t be afraid, don’t doubt, my heart is originally pure, how can I have such an appearance. Even the gods, dragons, yakshas, ??ghosts, gods, emperors, kings and Brahma, etc., I don’t need to respect or be afraid of them. My heart is originally empty, and all appearances are false views, but I don’t take the appearance. If you see the Dharma and the appearance of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and feel respect for them, you will fall into the position of living beings. If you want to meet directly, don't take any form to get it, let alone say anything else. Therefore the sutra says: All appearances are false. They all have no fixed reality, and illusion has no fixed phase. It is an impermanent law, but it does not take any form and conforms to its holy intention. Therefore, the sutra says: Those who are free from all appearances are called Buddhas.

Question: Why can’t we pay homage to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? The answer is: Asura, the demon Bo Xun, showed his supernatural powers, and all of them had the appearance of a Bodhisattva. All kinds of changes are heretics, but they are not Buddhas. The Buddha is your own mind, so don’t worship him wrongly. Buddha is a Western language, and this land is full of enlightenment. The awakened person's spiritual awareness, responding to opportunities and receiving objects, raising his eyebrows and blinking his eyes, and moving his hands and feet are all the nature of his own spiritual awareness. Nature is the heart, the heart is the Buddha, the Buddha is the Tao, and the Tao is Zen. Zen is a word that cannot be measured by the Holy Spirit. It is also said: Seeing one’s true nature is Zen. If you don't see your true nature, it's not Zen. Even if you can explain thousands of sutras and treatises, if you don’t see your true nature, you are just an ordinary person, and it is not the Dharma. The way is deep and deep, and it is impossible to talk about it. How can the classics and teachings be reached? But when you see your true nature, you can get it even if you don’t know a word. Seeing the nature is the Buddha. The holy body is originally pure and free of impurities. All words spoken by saints come from the heart. The body is inherently empty, and the famous sayings are not enough. How can we get the twelve sutras?

The Tao is perfect, and there is no need to practice it. The Tao is non-sensual, subtle and hard to see. Just like when a person drinks water, he knows whether it is warm or cold, but he cannot tell others about it. Only the Tathagata can know it; the rest of humanity, gods, and others are unaware of it. Ordinary people are not wise enough, so they have attachments. If you fail to realize that your own mind is originally empty and still, and if you cling to appearances and all dharmas, you will fall into the heretics. If you know that all dharmas arise from your mind, you should not have any attachment. If you are attached, you will not know. If you see your true nature, the twelve sutras will always be idle words. Thousands of scriptures and treatises are just for clarifying the mind and making an agreement through words. What is the use of teaching a general? The most truthful words; teaching is just words, not the truth. The Tao is inherently speechless, and speaking of it is false. If you dream at night that you see pavilions, palaces, elephants, horses, trees, jungles, ponds, pavilions, etc. If you don’t have a single thought of joy, they are just a place to support your life, so you must be careful. At the moment of death, if you are not allowed to take the form, then you have to remove the obstacles. A suspicious glance is a sign of evil. The Dharmakaya is originally pure and has no feelings. It is only caused by confusion. It is not aware of it, and it is because of this that it is repaid in vain. Therefore, there is happiness but no freedom. But now if you understand the original body and mind, you will not be tainted by habits. If you go from the saint to the mortal, you will see all kinds of hybrids, who are all living beings on their own. Therefore, the saint can be at ease even if he is rebellious and obedient, and all karma will not be restrained by him. The saint has great mighty virtue for a long time, and all kinds of karma are transformed by it, and heaven and hell can't do anything to it. Ordinary people have dim consciousness, unlike saints, who are clear inside and outside. If you have any doubts, don't do it. If you do it, you will wander into life and death, regretting it and having no place to save you. Poverty and hardship are all caused by delusional thoughts. If you understand this intention and encourage each other, but do nothing, you will enter the Tathagata's understanding. For those who are new to the mind, their spiritual consciousness is always uncertain; if they frequently see strange places in their dreams, there is no doubt that they all arise from the mind and do not come from outside. If you see a bright light appearing in a dream, passing through the sun disk, it means that the remaining habits will be eliminated and the nature of the Dharma Realm will be seen. If this happens, it is the cause of enlightenment. Only know it yourself, don’t tell others. Whether you are walking, standing, sitting or lying down in a quiet garden, you may see light, big or small. Do not tell others about it, nor can you take it. It is also the light of your own nature. Or if you are walking, standing, sitting or lying down in the stillness of night, you may see light that is no different from daylight. This is not surprising, and it is because your own desires are obvious. Or if you see the stars and the moon clearly in your night dream, you may want to let go of all the conditions in your mind, and you may not tell others about it. If the dream is drowsy, it is like walking in darkness, which means that one's own mind is full of troubles and obstacles, and one is aware of it. If you see your true nature and do not need to read scriptures or recite Buddha's name, it will be useless to learn a lot and your spiritual consciousness will become dim. Teaching is only to mark the mind; if you know the mind, what use is there to teach? If you become a saint from ordinary life, you must rest your karma and cultivate your spirit, and live your life accordingly. If you are too angry, your nature will be contrary to the Tao, and you will gain nothing. In life and death, a saint can come and go as he pleases, appearing or disappearing at will, and all his karma cannot be restrained by him. The sage destroys the evil spirits, and all sentient beings can see their true nature, and all remaining habits will be wiped out. The spiritual consciousness is not ignorant, it only needs to be straight down, only now. If you want to truly understand the Tao, don't adhere to all dharma; rest your karma and rest your mind, and all remaining habits will be exhausted. Naturally understand, do not pretend to work hard. Heretics don't know the Buddha's will and work the most; they violate the holy will and drive around to recite the Buddha and turn the sutras all day long. They are fainted by the divinity and cannot avoid reincarnation. The Buddha is an idle person, so why drive around to seek fame and fortune? What's the use in the future? But he does not see his nature, he reads sutras and chants the Buddha's name, he studies diligently for a long time; he practices the Tao at six o'clock, he sits for a long time without lying down; he studies widely and thinks of the Dharma. These living beings are all slanderers of the Buddha and Dharma. Buddhas before and after, only talk about seeing nature. All actions are impermanent, and if you do not see your nature and falsely say that you have attained Ayutthaya, you are a great sinner. Among the ten great disciples, Ananda was ranked first among the many scholars. He had no knowledge of the Buddha and only studied the Buddha. The two-vehicle heretics did not know the Buddha. They cultivated knowledge and realized it and fell into cause and effect. The retribution of these sentient beings is inevitably life and death. If you go far against the Buddha's will, you are slandering the Buddha, and your desire to kill is guiltless. The scripture says: If a person does not have faith in Chanti, his desire to kill will not lead him to commit any crime. If you have faith, this person is a person of Buddha status. If you don't see the nature, you don't need to take the next step and slander it as good, which will be of no benefit to you. Good and evil occur clearly, and cause and effect are clear. Heaven and hell are only in front of your eyes. Fools don't believe it, and now they fall into the darkness of hell. They are not aware of it, and they just don't believe it because of their heavy karma. For example, a blind person does not believe that there is light, nor does he believe that there is light in the vertical direction. He is just blind, so how can he see the light of the sun? The same is true for fools. Now we have fallen into the category of beasts, born in poverty and low status, unable to seek life or death. Even though I am suffering, I ask directly and say that my happiness now is no different from heaven. Therefore, we know that all sentient beings are happy wherever they are, and they are not aware of it. Such evil people are only unable to have faith due to heavy karma and obstacles, and they are not free from it. If you see that you are a Buddha in your own mind, you no longer need to shave off your beard and hair, but you will also become a Buddha in white clothes. If you don't see your nature and shave off your beard and hair, you are also a heretic.

Question: How can I become a Buddha if I have a wife in white clothes and my lust is not eliminated? The answer is: I only talk about sex, not lust. Just because one cannot see one's nature; but one can see one's nature. Lustful desires are originally empty and silent. Once they are eliminated, there is no joy in them. Even if there are residual habits, they cannot cause any harm. Why? Nature is inherently pure. Although it is in the body of five aggregates, its nature is originally pure and cannot be polluted. The Dharmakaya originally has no feelings, no hunger or thirst, no cold or heat, no disease, no love, no dependents, no pain or pleasure, no likes and dislikes, no short or long, no strength or weakness. Originally there is nothing to obtain, only the existence of this physical body. , because there are symptoms such as hunger, thirst, cold, heat, miasma, etc., if you don’t hold on, you can do it at will. If you are at ease in life and death, you can transform all dharmas and be at ease with the miraculous powers of the saints, without any worries. If you have any doubts, make the decision to pass through all realms.

If you don't do what is best, if you do, you will inevitably reincarnate in life and death. If he sees his true nature, Chandala will also become a Buddha.

Question: How can Chandala achieve Buddhahood through the act of killing? The answer is: I only talk about seeing nature, not about homework. Even if the tasks are different, all karma cannot be limited. Since the great kalpa without beginning, we have just lost sight of our nature and fallen into hell, so we have to undergo the cycle of life and death. Once you understand your true nature, you will never have to work again. If you don't see your nature, you can avoid retribution by chanting Buddha's name, even if you kill a life. If doubts about sex are eliminated immediately, killing a living being will do nothing. The twenty-seven ancestors from the West just passed down their heart seals. Now that I have come to this land, I only preach the Mahayana teachings, that is, I am the Buddha in my heart, and I do not talk about observing the precepts and practicing asceticism diligently. Even entering water and fire, boarding the sword wheel, sitting for a long time without lying down, these are all externally conditioned dharmas. If you realize the nature of spiritual awareness in the movement of giving, you will have the mind of a Buddha. The Buddhas before and after them only conveyed their thoughts through their words, and there was no other method. If you know this Dharma, even an ordinary person who doesn't know a single word is also a Buddha. If you don't realize the nature of your spiritual awareness, and if your body is as broken as a mote of dust, you will never be able to find the Buddha. The Buddha is also called the Dharmakaya, and is also called the original mind. This mind has no form, no cause and effect, no bones and muscles, it is like empty space and cannot be obtained. Different qualities and obstacles, different heretics. Except for the Tathagata, this mind can be understood by all other living beings. This mind cannot be separated from the four major physical bodies. If it is separated from this mind, it will be unable to move. The body is ignorant, like grass, trees and rubble. The body is sexless, so why does it move? If the heart moves, even words, actions, seeing, hearing, and awareness are all moved by the heart. Movement is the movement of the heart, and movement is its use. There is no intention to use outside, and there is no action outside the heart. Movement is not the heart, and the heart is not movement. There is no intention to move, and there is no intention to move. Don't move away from your heart, don't leave your heart behind. There is no separation of mind when moving, and there is no separation of mind when moving. Movement is the use of the heart, and use is the movement of the heart. When it is moved, it is used by the heart, and when it is used, it is moved by the heart. If it is not moved or used, the body itself is empty. The emptiness is inherently motionless, and when you use the same mind, the heart is essentially motionless. Therefore, the Sutra says: Moving but not moving, coming and going all day long but never going, seeing all day long but never seeing, roaring all day long but never roaring, hearing all day long but not hearing it, knowing all day long but not knowing it, rejoicing all day long but never rejoicing, walking all day long. It has not traveled yet, and it has lived all day without ever living. Therefore, the Sutra says: The speech path is cut off, the mental conduct is extinguished, seeing, hearing, and understanding are all inherently peaceful. Even anger, joy, pain, and itching are so different from humans, because they only seek pain and itching but cannot get it. Therefore, the sutra says: Bad deeds will result in suffering, and good deeds will have good rewards. Not only will anger lead to hell, but joy will lead to heaven. If you know that anger and joy are empty in nature, but if you don't hold on to them, you will be free from karma. If one does not see one's nature, there will be absolutely no basis for preaching the sutras, and there will be no end to what one preaches. The slightly marked evil is just like that, but not as good as one or two.

The hymn says:

The mind is hard to find. When it is wide, it is all over the Dharma Realm, but when it is narrow, it does not allow for needles. My original intention is not to seek Buddha, but I know that the three realms are empty. If you want to seek Buddha, you must seek your heart. Only this heart is Buddha. I originally seek to be self-sufficient in my heart, but I do not want to wait for my heart to know. Buddha nature cannot be obtained from outside the mind, and sin arises when the mind arises.

The verse says:

I am originally from this land. Preach the Dharma to save the lost love.

One flower blooms with five leaves. The result comes naturally.

The end of "Master Bodhidharma's Theory of Bloodline".