Bodhidharma’s Discourse: Comprehending ‘Real Mind’
This talk was given at the Festival of Great Master Bodhidharma at Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple in October 2015. Bodhidharma is an important figure within Zen, as he is credited with bringing the meditation school of Buddhism from India to China. His emphasis on “pure meditation”, and the need to spend time “just sitting” facing a wall, are still central to our tradition.
After a brief introduction to Bodhidharma, this talk looks at the opening section of Bodhidharma's Discourse on Pure Meditation, also known as the "Breakthrough Sermon". This is a very pragmatic section in which Bodhidharma stresses that meditation is the important practice, and that it is not a method or a technique. Responding to questions from his disciple, Eka, Bodhidharma teaches that we should not look for techniques, which are just "products of the mind". Instead he points towards the practice of "thoroughly comprehending what 'real mind' is".
The talk explores the distinction that is being drawn between the everyday thinking mind, and what Bodhidharma describes as 'real mind'. What are the implications of this for our meditation practice, and for the way that we live our life?
Duration: 23:09.