Remove Your Palm

Emperor Wu asked Bodhidharma: "Since I ascended to the throne, I have built countless temples, compiled numerous sutras, and trained monks beyond count. What merit do I have?"

Bodhidharma replied bluntly: "No merit whatsoever."

"How can there be no merit?"

"These are merely causes with outflows that bring small results in the human and heavenly realms. Like a shadow following a form, they seem to exist but are not real substance."

"Then what constitutes true merit?"

"Pure wisdom is wondrous and perfect, originally empty and tranquil. Such merit cannot be sought through worldly methods."

Emperor Wu asked again: "Then what is the highest principle of the sacred?"

Bodhidharma answered: "Nothing whatsoever is sacred."

We think: 'If I do many good deeds, eventually good things will come back to me.'

While it's true that good deeds bring better results than bad ones, this doesn't create fundamental change. We may feel some satisfaction, but it's merely the pleasure of feeling refreshed and content after completing work—there's no fundamental transformation in this.

Though Buddha wore rags, he lived the life of an emperor. He accomplished much but never grew weary, and though he gained the greatest satisfaction of all, he never became attached to that satisfaction.

From the perspective of human society, Emperor Wu was certainly an admirable figure. He spared no investment in Buddhism's development, and his deep faith earned the respect of many. Yet sadly, the emperor himself was not on the path of enlightenment. Though he was an emperor, he lived the life of a servant.

"What merit do I have?"

Most servants ask their master this way. They seek recognition. 'Having done so many good deeds, haven't I drawn closer to Buddha?'

Bodhidharma replied: 'No, you haven't drawn closer to Buddha—you've merely created karma for rebirth.'

The merit Emperor Wu conceived of was not real substance. There was no merit in it whatsoever. The good and merit we think of are like shadows mimicking forms—they seem to exist but are not real substance. Your sense of your own righteousness is not real substance.

Bodhidharma said: "Pure wisdom is wondrous and perfect, originally empty and tranquil."

Emptiness means freedom from any concepts or image-making activities of the self.

"Such merit cannot be sought through worldly methods."

True merit cannot be sought through the world of thinking.

Emperor Wu asked again: "Then what is the highest principle of the sacred?"

Bodhidharma answered: "Nothing whatsoever is sacred."

You feel emotions. You think thoughts. Thoughts and emotions are naturally present in humans. But the problem lies in simply accepting them as natural. All the sages throughout history have awakened us to precisely this point. They never spoke of human thoughts and emotions.

(Claps hands) "Clap!"

Clearly, there was the sound of clapping. You undoubtedly acknowledged that sound exists.

"Someone cursed at me. It hurt my pride so much that I felt terrible. I wanted to curse back at them. But thinking that others would treat me the same as that person, I just smiled instead."

However, such a person nurtures illness within. Desires are temporarily swallowed through suppression, but they will inevitably burst out someday. They transform into stress, destructive behavior, or illness from within. Desires always seek resolution. They break through in very subtle ways.

Then what should we do? When someone cursed at me and I felt really bad—is this wrong? Is this clapping sound I just made fake? Of course it's real. In your case, it is real. Why? Because there is an "I" within you.

What I want to say has nothing to do with the passing palm. Palms are always passing by. Remove your palm that meets the passing palm. That "I" within you is precisely the palm. It's another palm that meets it. When you empty yourself, when you remove your palm, the passing palm makes no sound. Whether "son of a bitch" comes or "son of a horse" comes, even if various "sons" come simultaneously (laughter), you remain unruffled. Instead, love emanates from you. Thus, as Jesus said, automatically and naturally, you come to love your enemies. You cannot love by saying "Love your enemies!" To love even enemies, you must gain several deep insights. Then you will find yourself naturally treating enemies with love.

'Transcend. Escape from the world of palms. Escape from your standards, the waves of fixed ideas that create all reactions. When you attain the world of nothingness, no waves will arise. Good passes over it and evil passes over it. They simply pass by—empty space says nothing.'

But people extend their palms. And they blame the palms that collide with theirs. They sometimes curse first at passing palms. Then they suffer and rejoice from the colliding sounds. They try to grasp the "clap!" sound. They seek traces of the clapping. They weave roofs from shadows of collision and live within them. But don't seek traces of clapping—remove your palm.

The passing palm makes no sound. One hand clapping—it makes no sound at all. Removing your extended palm, emptying the palm you habitually keep extending—this is the path to enlightenment. When good passes over it and evil passes over it, they simply pass by—your empty space says nothing.