10 LESSONS FROM THE FATHER OF ZEN GREAT
BODHIDHARMA
The Dharma Master (c. 440 AD - 528 AD) was a South Indian of the Western
Region. He was the
third son of a great Indian king of the Pallava dynasty. His ambition lay in the
Mahayana path,
and so he put aside his white layman's robe for the black robe of a monk. He
subsequently
crossed distant mountains and seas, traveling about propagating the teaching
in China.
Bodhidharma was said to be originally named Bodhitara.
His surname was Chadili. His Indian Dhyana teacher,
Prajnatara , is said to have renamed him to
Bodhidharma.
“Bodhidharma’s name appears sometimes truncated as Bodhi,
or more often as Dharma (Ta-mo).”
Here are 10 Life Lesson from him :
Lesson 1 : Be utterly present
Be present with the things that are already present. Your body, your breath, the
tingling in your hands, the sense of sound, the sense of sight when you
simply experience and not divide or label, a plant, a flower, the sky…these are
utterly present. Awareness does not need the seer or the seen; it is just pure
seeing. If you don’t get this, start with Observing Thought.
Lesson 2 : When you see mind, you see Buddha
Zen says that Mind does not exist outside, or inside.
It does not exist in the past or in the future.
The mind is without boundaries, without limits, and has no central locus.
The mind is without variation, obstacle, hindrance,impedance,
and is without substance, and is not without substance.
Since Mind is within every thing,
thus the Buddha is within everything.
Where you see the Buddha, you see Mind.
Lesson 3 : Watch your breath
Our breath is always with us.
Sensations are also always present, even if not noticed.
So too, emotions are there for the finding, if one chooses to search.
As we progress from watching the
breath to sensations to emotions, the challenge grows to stay focused.
The sensations come and go, sometimes here, sometimes there.
The biggest challenge,
however, is to watch our minds.
Lesson 4 : Detach from all needs
We are attached to all needs, we never experience real happiness. Real happiness
comes from detachment from all needs. In Zen, the main aim is to liberate
ourselves from such detachment. Give it our full attention and keep looking for
improvements and then, let go and move on to the next phase.
Lesson 5 : Put an end to karma
To go from mortal to buddha, you have to put an end to karma, nurture your
awareness and accept what life brings. If you’re always getting angry, you’ll turn
your nature against the Way. There’s no advantage in deceiving yourself. Buddhas
move freely through birth and death, appearing and disappearing at will.
They can’t be restrained by karma or overcome by devils.
Lesson 6 : Freeing yourself from words
Words can’t even describe how good it feels to be LIBERATED from the false… and
to actually know
the TRUTH about who & what you are. It’s genuine empowerment.
It’s complete self-acceptance.
Life becomes an easy going, amazing FLOW.
There’s NOTHING more important than
for us to free ourselves from the FALSE beliefs
we take to be true about ourselves, & the world.
Lesson 7 : Plant good seeds early in your life
If we tell our wife that we love her, that is a seed that we have planted.
If we go to work late, that is a seed planted.
If we say something in anger, that is a seed planted.
Our entire life is spent planting seeds, every day,
year after year, waiting for the harvest.
You Need To Plant Good Seeds Early In Your Life!!!
Lesson 8 : Reason & practice
The reason we practice Zen is to understand ourselves completely and help this world.
The suffering we experience in our own lives,
and indeed, the suffering of our world,
comes from our inability to connect with our true self,
which is originally compassionate and clear.
After Buddha’s enlightenment, he said,
"How wondrous! Everybody already has it; they just don't know it."
Lesson 9 : Remain calm in all situations
either good or bad
what is happening around us, we do not have to react impulsively,
but can learn to respond.
Giving into automatic negative reactions can become
addictive and it's important to learn how to diffuse them.
Learning how to remain
calm in times of stress will not only make things go more smoothly immediately,
it can also, over time, help you lead a healthier, happier life.
Lesson 10 : Take charge of our focus
The monkey mind is the mind that jumps from one thing to the next, fears,
demands grabs and sabotages our lives.
But when we take charge of our focus, we still and dissolve the
monkey mind,
and we also discover a place within which we can always return,
for wisdom,strength and comfort.
When we allow the external world to consume us,
we are simply giving our natural treasures away.
Take your time in reading them. Inwardly digest them. Chew on them. Be
challenged by them. Don’t discard them, but simply ask yourself ‘what is
the lesson I have just learned’ once you have read them. Read them more
than once. Seek to understand.
“Not creating delusions is enlightenment.
Not engaging in ignorance is wisdom.
Not suffering another existence is
reaching the Way.”
Unknown Authors Note
"This World is Illusion in which live but
The Truth is Unchanged and Unknown which lives in us"
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THE GREAT MASTER AND FATHER OF ZEN MASTER BODHIDHARMA
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