Top 10 Facts about Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma, or Dharma, crossing the Yangtze River by standing on a reed 02.jpg Photo by Steve46814 – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Facts about Bodhidharma

Bodidharma was a semi-legendary Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China. According to the records, he began the physical training of the monks of Shaolin Monastery which led to the creation of Shaolin Kung Fu. Bodhidharma came from the Western Regions, which refers to Central Asia.

Aside from the Chinese accounts, there are several other popular records regarding his origins. Bodhidharma’s teachings and practice centered on meditation and the Lankavatara Sutra. The Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall identifies Bodhidharma as the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism.

There is more about other spiritual beliefs here.

1. He has an Interesting Biographical Facts

The earliest text that mentions Bodhidharma, it notes he traveled from the wild borderlands to China. The account of Bodhidharma in the Luoyan Record doesn’t associate him with meditation. The second account, it was written by Tanlin. The brief biography of the Dharma Master is found in his preface to the Long Scroll of the Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices. The text was attributed to Bodhidharma. The first text to identify him as South Indian.

Tanlin’s account was the first to mention that Bodhidharma attracted disciples. Although Tnlin has traditionally been considered a disciple of Bodhidharma.

2. The Biographies of Eminent Monks

  Bodhidharma, or Dharma, crossing the Yangtze River by standing on a reed 03.jpg Photo by Steve46814 – Wikimedia Commons

There was more detail that was provided concerning Bodhidharma’s journeys. Tanlin’s original notes how Bodhidharma traveled to Wei. The Daoxuan account shows how he first arrived at Nan-yueh during the Sung period. It implies that Bdhidharma had travelled to China by sea and that he had to cross over the Yangtze. The Daoxuan suggests a date for Bodhidharma’s arrival in China. He writes that Bodhidharma makes landfall in the time of Song.

According to Daoxuan’s chronology, his death must have occured prior to 534 which was the date of the Northern Wei’s fall. It is recorded that he died at the banks of the Luo River where he was interred by his disciple Dazu Huike. 

3. There are More Accounts of Bodhidharma in History

In the Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall of 952, the elements of the traditional Bodhidharma story are in place. He was said to have been a disciple of Prajnatara, after a three-year journey, Bodhidharma reached China in 527. The Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall includes Bodhidharma’s encounter with Emperor Wu of Liang.

One of the officials from the Wei Kingdoms who encountered Bodhidharma claimed that he returned to India while carrying a single sandal. According to the officer, Bodhidharma predicted the death if Song Yun’s ruler, the prediction which was borne out upon the latter’s return. According to the Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall, he left the Liang Court in 527 and relocated to Mount Song near Luoyang.

It has been recorded that his death can be no earlier than 536. The encounter with the Wei official indicates a date of death no later than 554 which was three years before the fall of the Western Wei.

4. The Record of All of the Bodhidharma Legends

BodhidharmaYoshitoshi1887.jpg Photo by Yoshitoshi – Wikimedia Commons

It has been recorded that Bodhidharma traveled to the Shaolin Monastery but he was refused entry, he lived in a nearby cave where he faced a wall for nine years and did not speak to anyone. In one version of the story, he is said to have fallen asleep seven years into his nine years of wall-gazing. However, he became angry and cut off his eyelids to prevent it from happening again.

According to the legend, after he cut off his eyelids, they became tea plants and thereafter the tea became a stimulant that would help keep students of Chan awake during zazen. The most popular record was the story of when he was admitted into the Shaolin temple after nine years in the cave. Other versions report that he passed away while he was seated upright, some suggest that he disappeared while others say that his legs atrophied after nine years of sitting.

5. He Spent Time at Shaolin Writing

In some Chinese myths and legends, he is said to have taught a series of external exercises called the Eighteen Arhat Hands and an internal practice called the Sinew Metamorphosis Classic. After his departure from the temple, two manuscripts by Bodhidharma were said to be discovered, the Yijin Jing and the Xisui Jing.

The two manuscripts were copies and translated however, the translated copies of the Xisui Jing were lost but the translated copies of the Yijin Jing survived.

6. Bodhidharma’s Journey to Southeast Asia

084 Monk Bodhidharma (34343218624).jpg Photo by Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand – Wikimedia Commons

According to records, Bodhidharma traveled from Jambudvipa by sea to Palembang, Indonesia. It is said that during his travels, he transmitted his knowledge of the Mahayana doctrine and the martial arts.

The Vajrayana tradition links him with the 11th-century south Indian monk Dampa Sangye who traveled extensively to Tibet and China spreading tantric teachings. In Malay legend, it is said that he introduced forms to silat.

7. There are Facts that He Appeared After Death

Three years after his death, Ambassador Song Yun of northern Wei was said to have seen him walking while holding a shoe in the Pamir Mountains. He claims that they had a conversation but the emperor didn’t believe him so he was arrested for lying. At Shaolin Monastery, the monks confirmed that Bodhidharma was indeed dead and buried on a hill behind the temple. 

Read more about other leaders who went to the mountains for revelations here.

8. Association With Lankavatara Sutra

Bodhidharma sculpté par Sensei Tadashi Chihara 10ème.jpg Photo by Heimori – Wikimedia Commons

There are early texts that suggest that Bodhidharma had associated with Lanakavatara Sutra. In the late recension of his biography of Bodhidharma’s successor, Huike has the sutra as a basic and important element of the teachings passed down by Bodhidharma. The Sutra instead stresses the importance of self-realization which is attained by noble wisdom. Scholars note that they pushed the same ideas. 

9. Modern Research 

Bodhidharma has been the subject of the hagiographic process which served the needs of Chan Buddhism. Several scholars have suggested that the composed image of Bodhidharma depended on the combination of supposed historical information on various historical figures. Through recent studies, there have been new stories on his origins. There are Pakistani sources that show Bodhidharma’s origins, they note that he may be from the region around the Peshawar valley or around modern Afghanistan’s eastern border with Pakistan. In the Indian Caste system, there are notes that imply on Bodhidharma was of the caste of warriors and rulers. There has been a modern discovery that Bodhidharma founded martial arts at the Shaolin Temple. However, martial arts historians have shown this legend stems from a 17th-century qigong manual known as the Yijin Jing. The preface of this work says that Bodhidharma left behind the Yi Jin Jing.

10. Significant Figure in Cultural Legacy

In the Zen koan tradition, Bodhidharma is known as a significant figure, he is mentioned in fourteen different koans in Dogen’s 13th-century koan collection. His image became an inspiration to many cultures.  In 1994, the Hong Kong film Master of Zen adapted his legends into martial arts drama film which was partly inspired by his association with Shaolin Kung Fu. 

Read more about other significant figures here.