Disciple: It is written in the scriptures to build a church, make sacred images, burn incense, scatter flowers, light candles, and hold ceremonies six times a day; through the virtue of practice, everyone will attain the path. Now, you're telling me that observing the mind includes all of these activities? This must be a joke!

Bodhidharma: Living beings have dull heads, lack of wisdom and do not know the deep and sublime truth. That is why innumerable methods help sentient beings, and formless doing is manifested through formful doing. Cultivating without cultivating the inside of your mind but only seeking happiness outside is not right. Building churches (unblemished zone, family) means getting rid of the three poisonous thoughts and always having clear sense roots. This keeps the body and mind humble and immaculate; that means building a church.

Candle Ritual - Everlasting Candle - Church

The everlasting candle signifies the truly awakened mind; it refers to the clarity of self-gnostic enlightenment. Therefore, if one seeks total liberation, he should regard his body as the candlestick; faith as the wick, the incense of teaching as wax, and the light of the candle as wisdom. You should keep the clear candle (destroyer of darkness) burning at all times. As you become enlightened by these teachings, one at a time, it means that a candlelight is transmitted to thousands, and ultimately to countless numbers. That is why it is called the eternal candle ritual.

Once upon a time there was a Buddha by the name of Lantern Lighter; which was like the lighter of the everlasting candle. People did not understand the desirability of the methods in his discourse, so they mistakenly demonstrated it by lighting candles in a dark room, believing that they were taking refuge in the Buddha's teachings. What a big mistake! Why? When Buddha lets light shine out of one hair, it illuminates ten thousand worlds. Examine this meaning carefully and you will know what is right and what is wrong.