Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk. He was born a prince in Southern India around 440, converted to Buddhism and studied under Prajñātārā, the 27th Patriarch of Chan Buddhism in India. Chan (pronunced Zen in Japanese) is derived from the Sanskrit dhyāna, the penultimate limb in aṣṭāṅga yoga. Translated from sankrit, dhyāna is the training of the mind, or more commonly in the West, meditation or deep concentration.

There is question about whether Bodhidharma actually existed or was a mythological figure. It may be a combination of both: a person who existed, but whose life became mythological. The Sanskrit word Bodhi translates as “to have woken up and understood”. Dharma translates as “cosmic law” or “the eternal and inherent nature of reality”. So Bodhidharma is “to have woken up and understood the order of the universe”. That sounds wonderful, right?

After his time studying with Prajñātārā, Bodhidharma left India for China either by land or by sea or both. The purpose of his trip was to share Chan Buddhism with people in China, spread the Dharma. He had an arduous journey suffering many hardships along the way. He was either attacked by bandits, sea storms, or both. His journey took three years. Bodhidharma is a symbol of patience and fortitude.

Approximate starting point in India and arrival in China

When Bodhidharma finally arrived in China, he was invited to meet Emperor Wu. The Emperor bragged to Bodhidharma about his strict adherence to Buddhism: self-deprivation, physical sacrifice, extensive knowledge of the Buddhist sutras, and his monetary donations to build temples and support monks. When Emperor Wu asked about his merit, wanting to be sure he was secure on the path to enlightenment, the response he received was that nothing he was doing was relevant to achieving buddhahood, or enlightenment.

This response enraged Emperor Wu. After Bodhidharma left, the emperor tried to have him killed. Bodhidharma escaped by crossing the Yangtze River, either by walking across it (like Jesus) or by floating on a reed, into the Northern Kingdom. He eventually arrived at the Shaolin Temple. Bodhidharma was initially rejected by the monks at the temple and found a nearby cave on the grounds. He stayed in the cave for nine years meditating. As the story goes, he ripped off his eyelids to keep from falling asleep. Where his eyelids fell, the first tea plants grew in China.

After nine years of facing a wall meditating in a cave, he was invited back to the temple and became an abbot. Sometime after that both Chinese Chan Buddhism and Shaolin Kung Fu emerged. (From China, Buddhism spread south to Vietnam (Thiền), then Korea (Seon), and then to Japan (Zen).)

Bodhidharma left no writings, but his teachings have been passed down. He taught that both salvation and enlightenment come from within. No Buddha or God will save you. In order to attain enlightenment and salvation a person must come to understand his/her/their own nature. This is empowering. Our whole purpose of being is to know your own self and expand your own consciousness. How exciting is that? His teachings are centered on the idea that there is only one nature shared by all beings and that enlightenment happens naturally when your nature is understood. My teacher, William Spear, taught me the same principles: “There is only one of us here. There is nothing going on out there.”

Clearing the mind, relaxing the body, and focusing on the breath allows us to connect to our Nature. Remember the words of Lao Tzu: To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders.