Quotes from Bodhidharma

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.

Not engaging in ignorance is wisdom.

Every suffering is a buddha-seed, because suffering impels mortals to seek wisdom. But you can only say that suffering gives rise to buddhahood. You can't say that suffering is buddhahood. Your body and mind are the field. Suffering is the seed, wisdom the sprout, and buddhahood the grain.

The ignorant mind, with its infinite afflictions, passions, and evils, is rooted in the three poisons. Greed, anger, and delusion." ? Bodhidharma

Everything sacred, nothing sacred.

Freeing oneself from words is liberation.

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

The Dharma is the truth that all natures are pure. By this truth, all appearances are empty.

Regardless of what we do, our karma has no hold on us.

As mortals, we're ruled by conditions, not by ourselves.

The farther away you are from the truth, the more the hateful and pleasurable states will arise. There is also self—deception.

Reality has no inside, outside, or middle part.

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

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

When the mortal mind appears, buddhahood disappears. When the mortal mind disappears, buddhahood appears. When the mind appears, reality disappears. When the mind disappears, reality appears. Whoever knows that nothing depends on anything has found the Way. And whoever knows that the mind depends on nothing is always at the place of enlightenment.

People of this world are deluded. They're always longing for something - always, in a word, seeking.

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

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.

The Way is basically perfect. It doesn't require perfecting.

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 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. Those who don't understand, don't understand understanding. And those who understand, understand not understanding.

The essence of the Way is detachment. And the goal of those who practice is freedom from appearances.

All know the way of prosperity only few walk it.

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.