Post #1296

«The reality of your own Self-nature is the absence of cause and effect. Nirvana is the essence of consciousness. Our consciousness is Buddha. Our consciousness is the full, clear, calm radiance. You may think you can find Buddha or Enlightenment somewhere outside of consciousness (mind), but there is no such place. ... If you want to find Buddhahood, truly, you have to enlighten your own nature. Your own nature is the Buddha. Buddha is within you. He is the realization of Non-action. If you don't see your nature, you will be entangled in delusion all your life. If you don't see your nature and flounder around all day looking elsewhere, you'll never find the Buddha. The truth is that there is nothing there to look for. But to reach this realization you need a teacher, you should try and work hard to master your consciousness and attain Liberation. Life and death are important. Don't waste your time! Self-deception is not beneficial. Even if you have mountains of jewels and servants as many as grains of sand in the Ganges, you see them only when your eyes are open. But when your eyes are closed forever, what will you see? You must realize that everything you see is like a dream and an illusion». Bodhidharma, from «Sermon on the Blood Vessel»