Buddhadharma

by Zen Master Man Gong 1. If you say buddhadharma, already tha's not buddhadharma. 2. Everything, as it is, is buddhadharma. If you get up on a soapbox to preach about buddhadharma, the meaning is already lost. 3. Material things are to be used; Mind is the basis. When Mind and the material become one, this is buddhadharma. If you don't attain the buddhadharma in this lifetime, there is no guarantee that you will find the path in future lives. 4. Buddhadharma is appropriate for any historical period or human circumstance. 5. If your life is not touched by the dharma, then you have already lost your human status. 6. Buddha is Mind; dharma is the material. Before the buddhadharma appeared as name and form, and even before the historical Buddha appeared, true nature existed. If you put down the small I, which is like a piece of unglazed pottery, then you will get a dharma body which is like the seven treasures (gold, silver, lapis, crystal, coral, agate and pearl). 7. I's not the mouth that speaks; i's not the hand that works. When you find the one who really speaks and works, then you will become an authentic human who can truly speak and work. 8. Buddhadharma is responsible for the body and the mind. A life where buddhadharma is not in charge is a life without purpose. Once you realize this you will return to the buddhadharma immediately. 9. Worldly principles and the buddhadharma are not two. Buddha and sentient beings are one. When you attain this not two dharma, you will become a true person. 10. Someone who knows the buddhadharma is not attached to dualistic thinking. (They have left home.) If you haven't attained the buddhadharma, then you are just like a common, worldly person. 11. To open different locks you need many kinds of keys. If you want to comprehend the numberless obscure principles of samadhi, you will need 10,000 wisdom keys. 12. Denying the buddhadharma is denying oneself. If you reject the buddhadharma, you reject yourself, because you are the Buddha. 13. Every sound is a dharma talk and every thing is the true body of the buddha. But we always hear that i's very difficult to encounter the buddhadharma even once in 10 million kalpas. This puzzling situation deserves our serious consideration. ___________________ From the book The Teachings of Zen Master Man Gong