The emperor told Bodhidharma that he had built temples and given financial support to the monastic community, and asked the patriarch how much merit he had gained for these actions. Bodhidharma replied, "None whatsoever." Perplexed, the emperor then asked the eminent monk who he was to tell him such things, to which he answered, "I know not."
The emperor sought to understand how much merit Bodhidharma had gained from his actions of building temples and providing financial support for the monastic community. Bodhidharma, however, responded with a surprising answer: "None whatsoever." The emperor was perplexed by this response and questioned who he believed himself to be to make such claims. Bodhidharma replied that he did not know.