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Do you see the telegraphic language? He has been asked by Emperor Wu the first principle of holy
teachings and he is saying emptiness is the first, but don’t call it holiness – there is no holiness.
When everything is holy what is the point to call something holy? Categories are possible only when
something can be unholy.
To the experience of the awakened there is only nothingness so pure, so lovely so beautiful.
But it is difficult to call it ‘holy’ because that beautiful word has been corrupted by the religions, by
creating a fictitious entity: UNholiness. Just to make somebody a saint they have made the whole
of humanity sinners.
The reality is: there is no saint and there are no sinners; there are only people who are asleep
and there are only people who are awake. The difference is so small that just a little ice-cold water
thrown into your eyes – and the difference disappears.
EMPTINESS, NO HOLINESS – and Bodhidharma has said all that can be said. In fact he has said
even that which cannot be said; his teaching is complete. He has come to the full point in a single
sentence – not even a complete grammatical sentence, but just a hint:
EMPTINESS, NO HOLINESS.
Emperor Wu was one of the greatest emperors of China, a very cultured man. It hit him very strongly.
He never expected that anybody should misbehave in front of the great emperor. And this man does
not even say, Your Holiness, or, Your Highness. He does not even address the emperor. All that he
says is: EMPTINESS, NO HOLINESS