In India, the 27 patriarchs only transmitted the imprint of the mind. And the only reason I've come to China is to transmit the instantaneous teaching of the Mahayana: This mind is the buddha.

I don't talk about precepts, devotions or ascetic practices, like immersing yourself in water and fire, treading a wheel of knives, eating one meal a day or never lying down. These are fanatical provisional teachings.

Once you recognize your moving, miraculously aware nature, yours is the mind of all buddhas. Buddhas of the past and future only talk about transmitting the mind. They teach nothing else.

If someone understands this teaching, even if he's illiterate, he's a buddha. If you don't see your own miraculously aware nature, you'll never find a buddha, even is you break your body into atoms.

Bodhidharma