The devout Emperor Wu of Liang asked the great master Bodhidharma, "What merit do I get for building many temples and diligently studying the wonderful Dharma?"

Bodhidharma replied, "No merit whatsoever."

Slightly taken aback, the Emperor asked again, "What, then, is the meaning of the holy truths of the Buddha and the Dharma?"

To this, Gaptooth replied, "Nothing holy--only emptiness."

At this point, the Emperor was angry. He demanded of Bodhidharma, "Who is this who stands before me?!"

Bodhidharma answered, "I have no idea."

Commentary:

Emperor Wu was known across the land as the Buddha Heart; he was nothing less than a serious pupil of the Dharma. But to this, Bodhidharma said. "No merit." If you can penetrate this statement, you can meet Bodhidharma personally. Now tell me, why is there no merit in building temples and ordaining monks? Where does the meaning of this lie?

Emperor Wu was a student of the Dharma masters, and he well knew the doctrinal points of the Teachings. Thus, he wanted Bodhidharma to expound to him the highest meanings of the Buddha Dharma. To this, the First Patriarch replied, "Empty, without holiness." The late Master Wu Tsu once said, "If you can penetrate this reply, you can go home and sit in peace." This is the swordblow that cuts off everything--no monk in the world can escape it.

Empereor Wu continues to ask questions when confronted by Bodhidharma: "Who stands before me?" Ah, but the Master has compassion: "I have no idea." Tell me. where is Bodhidharma right now? You've stumbled past him without even realizing it! When you get to this point, as to whether there is something or there isn't anything, pick, and you fail.

Additional Commentary:

One of the monks of the Monastery wrote the following poem after studying this case and waking up:

That's odd, I don't feel enlightened.
Oh, how does it feel?

Well, normal, like eating and sleeping and breathing.
Of course.

What? What's so special about that? I've always done that!
Of course.

Oh, I see--
Who? Who has always done that? Who is it that sees?

Of course.

Silence

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