Welcome to our collection of Bodhidharma quotes, where timeless wisdom meets profound insight. Bodhidharma, a legendary figure in Buddhism, is revered as the founder of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. His teachings have inspired countless individuals on their spiritual journey, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries.
Born in ancient India, Bodhidharma is known for his enigmatic personality and deep understanding of the human mind. He traveled to China during the 5th or 6th century CE, bringing with him the essence of Buddhist teachings. His teachings emphasized the direct experience of enlightenment, bypassing intellectual discourse and relying on direct realization. Bodhidharma’s legacy lives on through his profound teachings, which continue to resonate with seekers of truth and inner peace around the world.
Below, you’ll find a selection of Bodhidharma’s most insightful quotes. Whether you seek guidance on mindfulness, inner peace, or the nature of existence, his words offer profound wisdom and timeless inspiration. Feel free to use these quotes as a source of reflection, meditation, or inspiration on your own journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth.
Delusion means mortality. And awareness means Buddhahood. Bodhidharma
Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher’s help. Bodhidharma
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. Bodhidharma
Your mind is nirvana. Bodhidharma
Mortals liberate Buddhas and Buddhas liberate mortals. Bodhidharma
Neither gods nor men can foresee when an evil deed will bear its fruit. Bodhidharma
To go from mortal to Buddha, you have to put an end to karma, nurture your awareness, and accept what life brings. Bodhidharma
And as long as you’re subject to birth and death, you’ll never attain enlightenment. Bodhidharma
Words are illusions. Bodhidharma
And the Buddha is the person who’s free: free of plans, free of cares. Bodhidharma
As mortals, we’re ruled by conditions, not by ourselves. Bodhidharma
To find a Buddha all you have to do is see your nature. Bodhidharma
All phenomena are empty. Bodhidharma
Not creating delusions is enlightenment. Bodhidharma
Once you see your nature, sex is basically immaterial. Bodhidharma
The ignorant mind, with its infinite afflictions, passions, and evils, is rooted in the three poisons. Greed, anger, and delusion. Bodhidharma
But deluded people don’t realize that their own mind is the Buddha. They keep searching outside. Bodhidharma
The mind is the root from which all things grow if you can understand the mind, everything else is included. Bodhidharma
The essence of the Way is detachment. Bodhidharma
Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arising in either. Bodhidharma
All the suffering and joy we experience depend on conditions. Bodhidharma
Our nature is the mind. And the mind is our nature. Bodhidharma
Not engaging in ignorance is wisdom. Bodhidharma
If your mind is pure, all buddha-lands are pure. Bodhidharma
The Dharma is the truth that all natures are pure. Bodhidharma
A Buddha is someone who finds freedom in good fortune and bad. Bodhidharma
Not suffering another existence is reaching the Way. Bodhidharma
Whoever knows that the mind is a fiction and devoid of anything real knows that his own mind neither exists nor doesn’t exist. Bodhidharma
The mind is always present. You just don’t see it. Bodhidharma
Many roads lead to the path, but basically there are only two: reason and practice. Bodhidharma
To give up yourself without regret is the greatest charity. Bodhidharma
To have a body is to suffer. Bodhidharma
The mind is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the mind. Bodhidharma
But while success and failure depend on conditions, the mind neither waxes nor wanes. Bodhidharma
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. Bodhidharma
Your nature is the Buddha. Bodhidharma
Freeing oneself from words is liberation. Bodhidharma
Those who remain unmoved by the wind of joy silently follow the Path. Bodhidharma
If you use your mind to look for a Buddha, you won’t see the Buddha. Bodhidharma
To enter by reason means to realize the essence through instruction and to believe that all living things share the same true nature, which isn’t apparent because it’s shrouded by sensation and delusion. Bodhidharma
Regardless of what we do, our karma has no hold on us. Bodhidharma
According to the Sutras, evil deeds result in hardships and good deeds result in blessings. Bodhidharma
The Way is basically perfect. It doesn’t require perfecting. Bodhidharma
Worship means reverence and humility it means revering your real self and humbling delusions. Bodhidharma
Whoever realizes that the six senses aren’t real, that the five aggregates are fictions, that no such things can be located anywhere in the body, understands the language of Buddhas. Bodhidharma
People who don’t see their nature and imagine they can practice thoughtlessness all the time are lairs and fools. Bodhidharma
To see nothing is to perceive the Way, and to understand nothing is to know the Dharma, because seeing is neither seeing nor not seeing and because understanding is neither understanding nor not understanding. Bodhidharma
People of this world are deluded. They’re always longing for something – always, in a word, seeking. Bodhidharma
As long as you’re enthralled by a lifeless form, you’re not free. Bodhidharma
Buddhas don’t practice nonsense. Bodhidharma
The Buddha is your real body, your original mind. Bodhidharma
As long as you look for a Buddha somewhere else, you’ll never see that your own mind is the Buddha. Bodhidharma
You can’t know your real mind as long as you deceive yourself. Bodhidharma
Life and death are important. Don’t suffer them in vain. Bodhidharma
Buddhas move freely through birth and death, appearing and disappearing at will. Bodhidharma