Emperor Wu asked the great master Bodhidharma, "What is the ultimate meaning of the holy truth of Buddhism?" Bodhidharma replied, "Vast emptiness. No holiness." The emperor asked, "Who stands here before me?" Bodhidharma replied, "I don't know" The emperor was baffled. Thereafter, Bodhidharma crossed the river, arrived at Shorin, and faced the wall for nine years.

 

Bodhidharma, Ukiyo-e woodblock.

(Yoshitoshi, 1887)

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You are nothing, is the greatest realization.