Bodhidharma and the Emperor Zen Story
- Dec 11, 2025
- 2 min read
Today we enter… Bodhidharma and the Emperor. A story that shatters spiritual pride with one blow. It looks like a conversation It is actually a demolition.
Step in, slowly, with your guard down.
Let the Story Unfold
When Bodhidharma arrived in China, the Emperor Wu of Liang, a devout patron of temples, monks, and sutras summoned him.
I have built temples, supported monastic orders, copied scriptures. What merit have I gained?
Bodhidharma replied:
No merit.
The emperor, startled, asked:
What is the highest meaning of the holy truth?
Bodhidharma said:
Vast emptiness, nothing holy.
The emperor, now unsettled, asked:
Who are you, standing before me?
Bodhidharma said:
I do not know.
And then he walked away.
Sit With the Meaning
The emperor wanted confirmation. Validation. Spiritual achievement.
He wanted his good deeds to guarantee enlightenment. He wanted holiness to be something he could earn.
But Bodhidharma saw through him.
No merit means the universe is not impressed by your effort.
Vast emptiness, nothing holy means the sacred is not a trophy.
I do not know means the true self cannot be held, praised, or measured.
This koan destroys spiritual ego at its root.
It tells you:
Your practices are not the path.
Your goodness is not the path.
Your identity is not the path.
The path is emptiness. Unclinging. A freedom so bare you cannot claim it, earn it, or own it.
The emperor lost Bodhidharma the moment he tried to possess enlightenment. And Bodhidharma walked away from the only prison he saw: the emperor’s certainty.
Turn Inward With Your Parts
Is there a part of you that wants spiritual gold stars, proof you’re doing life right?
What happens inside when someone doesn’t validate your effort?
Which protector believes goodness must be performed to stay safe or worthy?
Is there a part that clings to identity, healer, seeker, helper, to feel solid?
Can you sense the deeper self that does not need to be holy?
Let Expression Rise
Choose the doorway that feels open:
IFS Journaling
Write from the part that wants to be good, impressive, or spiritually advanced. Ask it what it fears would happen if no one noticed its effort.
IFS Parts Art
Draw “no merit” as a shape or color. Then draw “vast emptiness, nothing holy.” Notice the difference in your body as you do.
Somatic IFS
Sit upright, like an emperor.
Feel the tension of posture, identity, importance.
Then slowly soften, shoulders, jaw, belly.
Let every role fall away.
Rest in the part of you that has nothing to uphold.
And if none of these feel right… simply sit with the koan. Let the silence do the teaching.
Stay here with your parts as long as you like, and we’ll meet again in the next story.
Continue Exploring the Zen Stories
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