"And as long as you're subject to birth and death, you'll never attain enlightenment"

Bodhidharma, a seminal figure in the spread of Buddhism from India to China, is renowned for his emphasis on direct experience and meditation, especially in the Zen custom. The quote, "And as long as you go through birth and death, you'll never ever obtain enlightenment," can be seen through several layers, reflecting crucial Buddhist mentors.

First of all, the notion of being "based on birth and death" addresses the cycle of samsara, the continuous wheel of life, death, and rebirth intrinsic in Buddhist cosmology. This cycle is moved by karma and affected by desires, accessories, and ignorance, which bind beings to a perpetual cycle of dissatisfaction and suffering (dukkha). As long as people are ensnared in this cycle, true liberation, or enlightenment, stays evasive.

The term "birth and death" can likewise represent the dualistic nature of perception implanted in human consciousness. Dualism refers to perceiving truth in opposing pairs: life and death, great and evil, self and other. These dualities develop from accessories and aversions, which distort the nature of true reality. Enlightenment, on the other hand, includes going beyond these dualistic principles, viewing the synergistic, non-dual nature of all phenomena.

In addition, Bodhidharma's words can be analyzed as a require practitioners to concentrate on the mind's internal procedure rather than external rituals and dogmas. Real knowledge is not a destination at the end of many lifetimes but an instant potential accessible through direct experience and profound insight. It requires a radical transformation in understanding and perceiving reality, seeing beyond the shallow boundaries of birth and death.

In essence, Bodhidharma recommends that to obtain enlightenment, one should free oneself from the cyclical restrictions of samsara and the dualistic frame of mind. This awakening involves realizing the inherent emptiness of all phenomena and obtaining a state of experiential understanding beyond standard ideas of existence and non-existence. In doing so, one transcends the suffering related to birth and death, accessing an extensive, unconditioned state of peace and liberty.