--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He invited the Indian scholar Paramartha…" description: "\"“He invited the Indian scholar Paramartha to come and set up a Translation Bureau for Buddhist texts, and the scholar stayed for twenty-three years. He..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/eliot-weinberger-56941_buddhism_he-invited-the-indian-scholar-paramartha_650631.jpg" --- # He invited the Indian scholar Paramartha to come and set… ![“He invited the Indian scholar Paramartha to come and set up a Translation Bureau for Buddhist texts, and the scholar stayed for twenty-three years. He invited the great Bodhidharma, the twenty-eighth patriarch after the Shakyamuni Buddha, to come from Kanchipuram in India, near the Temple of the…” quote by Eliot Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/eliot-weinberger-56941_buddhism_he-invited-the-indian-scholar-paramartha_650631.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/eliot-weinberger-56941_buddhism_he-invited-the-indian-scholar-paramartha_650631.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/eliot-weinberger-56941_buddhism_he-invited-the-indian-scholar-paramartha_650631.jpg) > ““He invited the Indian scholar Paramartha to come and set up a Translation Bureau for Buddhist texts, and the scholar stayed for twenty-three years. He invited the great Bodhidharma, the twenty-eighth patriarch after the Shakyamuni Buddha, to come from Kanchipuram in India, near the Temple of the Golden Lizard, but their meeting was disappointing. The Emperor asked Bodhidharma what merit he had accumulated by building monasteries and stupas in his kingdom. “No merit” was the reply. He asked what was the supreme meaning of sacred truth. “The expanse of emptiness. Nothing sacred.” Finally, the Emperor pointed at Bodhidharma and said, “Who is that before Us?” “Don’t know,” said Bodhidharma. The Emperor didn’t understand. So Bodhidharma left Ch’ien-k’ang and wandered until he came to the Shao-lin Monastery, where he sat motionless for nine years facing a wall, and then transmitted his teachings, the origin of Ch’an in China and Japanese Zen.”” [Eliot Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-weinberger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bodhidharma rejected material merit, emphasizing emptiness and the unknowable nature of truth, leading to Zen’s origin. **In simple terms:** Bodhidharma taught emptiness, not material merit. Key Takeaway Embrace emptiness beyond material concepts Themes philosophy spirituality Zen Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation practice - spiritual teaching - cultural exchange - personal reflection Key Concepts emptiness non-duality transcendence Questions to Reflect On - What does “nothing sacred” mean for daily life? - How can emptiness be applied constructively? 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