Life History of Bodhidharma
The Dharma Master (c. 440 AD - 528 AD) was a South Indian of the Western Region. He was the third son of a great Indian king of the Pallava dynasty. His ambition lay in the Mahayana path, and so he put aside his white layman's robe for the black robe of a monk. He subsequently crossed distant mountains and seas, traveling about propagating the teaching in China. Bodhidharma was said to be originally named Bodhitara. His surname was Chadili. His Indian Dhyana teacher, Prajnatara, is said to have renamed him to Bodhidharma.
During his travels in China, Bodhidharma stopped at the Shaolin temple at Mt. Song but was refused entry. He is said to have subsequently sat in meditation outside the monastery facing its walls (or in a nearby cave in other accounts) for nine years. The Shaolin monks were so impressed with his dedication to his zazen that he was finally granted entry. However, it is reported that after sitting for so many years in meditation, Bodhidharma lost the use of his legs through the process of atrophy. This legend is still alive in Japan, where legless Daruma dolls representing Bodhidharma, and are used to make wishes. Even today, zazen (sitting meditation) is an important part of Zen Buddhist practice. However, the story of Bodhidharma losing the use of his legs contradicts other legends about him founding martial arts to combat physical weakness.
Japanese legends credit Bodhidharma with bringing tea to China. Supposedly, he cut off his eyelids while meditating, to keep from falling asleep. Tea bushes sprung from the spot where his eyelids hit the ground. It is said that this is the reason for tea being so important for meditation and why it helps the meditator to not fall asleep. This legend is unlikely as tea use in China predates Chan Buddhism in China. According to Chinese mythology, in 2737 BC the Chinese Emperor, Shennong, scholar and herbalist, was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water. A leaf from the tree dropped into the water and Shennong decided to try the brew. The tree was a wild tea tree. There is an early mention of tea being prepared by servants in a Chinese text of 50 B.C. The first detailed description of tea-drinking is found in an ancient Chinese dictionary.
Bodhidharma:
The Dharma Master (c. 440 AD - 528 AD) was a South Indian of the Western Region. He was the third son of a great Indian king of the Pallava dynasty. His ambition lay in the Mahayana path, and so he put aside his white layman's robe for the black robe of a monk. He subsequently crossed distant mountains and seas, traveling about propagating the teaching in China. Bodhidharma was said to be originally named Bodhitara. His surname was Chadili. His Indian Dhyana teacher, Prajnatara, is said to have renamed him to Bodhidharma.Bodhidharma, began his life in Southern India in the Sardilli royal family. In the midst of his education and training to continue in his father’s footsteps as King, Bodhidharma encountered the Buddha’s original teachings. He immediately saw the truth in Lord Buddha’s words and decided to give up his esteemed position as a prince and inheritance to study with the famous Hindu teacher Prajnatara. Young Prince Sardilli rapidly progressed in his Hindu studies, and in time, Prajnatara sent him to China, in order to better teach the inhabitants of China the lessons and rigorous discipline required for a perfect meditative state leading to spiritual release from the earthly and materialistic world.
Upon arrival in a different part of China, the Emperor Wu Ti, a devout Buddhist himself, requested an audience with Bodhidharma. During their initial meeting, Wu Ti asked Bodhidharma what merit he had achieved for all of his good deeds. Bodhidharma was unable to convince Wu Ti of the value of the teachings he had brought from India. Bodhidharma then set out for Luoyang, crossed the Tse River, and climbed Bear’s Ear Mountain in the Sung Mountain range wherein another Shaolin Temple, originally founded by the First Buddha, was located. He meditated there in a small cave for nine years.
Bodhidharma, in true Maha or “great” spirit, was moved to pity when he saw the terrible physical condition of the monks of the Shaolin Temple. It seemed to him that they were unable to fully grasp the enormous mental and abstract discipline necessary to achieve Nirvana, or the ultimate release destination derived from meditation. The monks had practiced long-term meditation retreats, which made them spiritually stronger, but physically weak and unable to finish their meditative journeys. He also noted that this meditation method caused sleepiness among the monks. Therefore Dharma informed the monks that he would teach their bodies and subsequently their minds the Buddha’s dharma, or “duty” through a two-part program of meditation accompanied by excruciatingly difficult physical training. Hence, his appellation of “Bodhidharma”.
Unfortunately, the Chinese Buddhists could not maintain the abstract discipline that this difficult meditation required, and so Prince Sardilli taught them incredibly rigorous physical training, in order to teach them the necessary discipline required for the true Hindu meditative journey leading to “Moksha,” or release from earthly bondage, otherwise known as “Nirvana.” It was Bodhidharma’s theory that, after the physical body was pushed beyond its limits, the mind would begin to take over, and help the body carry through with the physical exertions required for the training. Bodhidharma further postulated that, once this level of mental strength was achieved, the mind would forever be altered, and its capacity for focus and concentration would be fortified. He was correct in his theory, and the Shaolin monks became incredibly strong mentally, and their focus in meditation became unparalleled.
Their minds became harder and more disciplined after these regimented actions. Bodhidharma had arrived in China after a brutal trek over Tibet’s Himalayan Mountains, surviving both extreme elements and treacherous bandits, and he believed that his tutelage was being rewarded with results.There are statues of the Guardians at the Shaolin Monastery who were trained by Bodhidharma to deflect the negative advances by bandits and hostile Chinese warlords, who sought to disrupt the monks achievement of Moksha, or Release.
Bodhidharma created an exercise program for the monks which involved physical techniques that were efficient, strengthened the body, and eventually, could be used practically in self-defense. When Bodhidharma instituted these practices, his primary concern was to make the monks physically strong enough to withstand both their isolated lifestyle and the demanding training that meditation required. It turned out that the techniques served a dual purpose as a very efficient fighting system, which evolved into a martial arts style given the Chinese name, “Kung Fu.” Martial arts training helped the monks defend themselves against invading warlords and bandits. Bodhidharma taught that martial arts should be used for self-defense, and never to hurt or injure needlessly. In fact, it is one of the oldest Bodhidharma axioms that “one who engages in combat has already lost the battle.”
Thereafter, Bodhidharma, who was himself a member of the Indian Kshatriya warrior class and a master of staff fighting, developed a system of 18 dynamic tension exercises. These movements found their way into print in 550 A.D. as the Yi Gin Ching, or Changing Muscle/Tendon Classic. We know this system today as the Lohan (Priest-Scholar) 18 Hand Movements, the basis of Chinese Temple Boxing and the Shaolin Arts.
Ancient Sanskrit text located in India and China record that Bodhidharma settled in the Shaolin Temple of Songshan in Hunan Province in 526 A.D. The first Shaolin Temple of Songshan was built in 377 A.D. for Pan Jaco, “The First Buddha”, almost 1,000 years after the First Buddha’s death, by the order of Emperor Wei on the Shao Shik Peak of Sonn Mountain in Teng Fon Hsien, Hunan Province. The Temple was for religious training and meditation only. Martial arts training did not begin until the arrival of Bodhidharma in 526 A.D. Sadly, Bodhidharma, died in 539 A.D. at the Shaolin Temple at age 57.
Bodhidharma was an extraordinary spiritual being who remains an example and an inspiration to meditative and martial arts practitioners today. He is the source of many miraculous stories of ferocity and dedication to the Way. One such legend states that Bodhidharma became frustrated once while meditating because he had fallen asleep. He was so upset that he cut off his eyelids to prevent this interruption in meditation from ever happening again. This is a reminder of the true dedication and devotion necessary in meditation practice. Today, the “Bodhidharma doll” is used as a symbol of this type of dedication in Japan and other parts of the world. When someone has a task they wish to complete, they purchase a red Bodhidharma doll that comes without pupils painted on the eyes. At the outset of the task one pupil is colored in, and upon completion, the other pupil is painted. The dolls and the evolution of martial arts and meditation, are a continuous reminder of Bodhidharma’s impact on Buddhism and subsequent regimentation of the martial arts.
Here are 10 Life Lessons:
Lesson 1: Be utterly present
Be present with the things that are already present. Your body, your breath, the tingling inside your hands, the sense of sound, the sense of sight when you simply experience and not divide or label, a plant, a flower, the sky…these are utterly present. Awareness does not need the seer or the seen it is just pure seeing. If you don’t get this, start with Observing Thought.
“Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arising in either.”
Lesson 2: When you see mind, you see Buddha
Zen says that Mind does not exist outside, or inside. It does not exist in the past or in the future. Mind is without boundaries, without limits, and has no central locus. Mind is without variation, obstacle, hindrance, impedance, and is without substance, and is not without substance. Since Mind is within every thing, thus the Buddha is within everything. Where you see the Buddha, you see Mind.
“The Buddha is your real body, your original mind.”
Lesson 3: Watch your breath
Our breath is always with us. Sensations are also always present, even if not noticed. So too, emotions are there for the finding, if one chooses to search. As we progress from watching the breath to sensations to emotions, the challenge grows to stay focused. The sensations come and go, sometimes here, sometimes there. The biggest challenge, however, is to watch our minds.
“The mind is always present. You just don't see it.”
Lesson 4: Detach from all needs
We are attached to all needs, we never experience real happiness. Real happiness comes from detachment from all needs. In Zen, the main aim is to liberate ourselves from such detachment. Give it our full attention and keep looking for improvements and then, let go and move on to the next phase.
“The essence of the way is detachment.”
Lesson 5: Put an end to karma
To go from mortal to buddha, you have to put an end to karma, nurture your awareness and accept what life brings. If you’re always getting angry, you’ll turn your nature against the Way. There’s no advantage in deceiving yourself. Buddhas move freely through birth and death, appearing and disappearing at will. They can’t be restrained by karma or overcome by devils. “To go from mortal to Buddha, you have to put an end to karma, nurture your awareness, and accept what life brings.”
Lesson 6: Freeing yourself from words
Words can’t even describe how good it feels to be LIBERATED from the false… and to actually know the TRUTH about who & what you are. It’s genuine empowerment. It’s complete self acceptance. Life becomes an easy going, amazing FLOW. There’s NOTHING more important than for us to free ourselves from the FALSE beliefs we take to be true about ourselves, & the world.
“Freeing oneself fromwords is liberation.”
Lesson 7: Plant good seeds early in your life
If we tell our wife that we love her, that is a seed that we have planted. If we go to work late, that is a seed planted. If we say something in anger, that is a seed planted. Our entire life is spent planting seeds, everyday, year after year, waiting for the harvest. You Need To Plant Good Seeds Early In Your Life!!!
“If we should be blessed by some great reward, such as fame or fortune, it's the fruit of a seed planted by us in the past.”
Lesson 8: Reason & practice
The reason we practice Zen is to understand ourselves completely and help this world. The suffering we experience in our own lives, and indeed the suffering of our world, comes from our inability to connect with our true self, which is originally compassionate and clear. After Buddha’s enlightenment, he said, "How wondrous! Everybody already has it; they just don't know it."
“Many roads lead to the path, but basically there are only two: reason and practice.”
Lesson 9: Remain calm in all situations either good or bad
No matter what is happening around us, we do not have to react impulsively, but can learn to respond. Giving into automatic negative reactions can become addictive and it's important to learn how to diffuse them.Learning how to remain calm in times of stress will not only make things go more smoothly immediately, it can also, over time, help you lead a healthier, happier life.
“Those who remain unmoved by the wind of joy silently follow the Path.”
Lesson 10: Take charge of our focus
The monkey mind is the mind that jumps from one thing to the next, fears, demands, grabs and sabotages our lives. But when we take charge of our focus, we still and dissolve the monkey mind, and we also discover a place within which we can always return, for wisdom, strength and comfort. When we allow the external world to consume us, we are simply giving our natural treasures away.
“Buddhas move freely through birth and death, appearing and disappearing at will.”
Take your time in reading them. Inwardly digest them. Chew on them. Be challenged by them. Don’t discard them, but simply ask yourself ‘what is the lesson I have just learned’ once you have read them. Read them more than once. Seek to understand.
“Not creating delusions is enlightenment. Not engaging in ignorance is wisdom. Not suffering another existence is reaching the Way.”
There are a number of stories and legends surrounding Bodhidharma. Some of that might be real; and a lot others just made up. In any case, they are very interesting. They bring forth the down-to-earth wisdom and the curt wit of Bodhidharma. I could not mention these in my post Origins of Zen as they would not fit in there.
Legends amplify facts and render them in a way they become more significant and larger in scope. That holds good for some of the stories associated with Bodhidharma. They might have sprung using him as the ideal prop to symbolize the essence of Zen. All these stories are placed in the context of the master-disciple relationship. In these stories, Bodhidharma stands for an ideal and an unreachable model; and a stern but loving teacher who guides, unerringly, to awakening.
With these, Bodhidharma introduced to China an alternative to text-based scholastic learning. He was the first to proclaim: "Directly point to the human mind; see one's nature and become a Buddha; do not establish words and letters.” As all legends, the stories of Bodhidharma too try saying something new and unexpected. They can be enjoyed as stories and one can also read meaning into them to extract a teaching.
With these, Bodhidharma introduced to China an alternative to text-based scholastic learning. He was the first to proclaim: "Directly point to the human mind; see one's nature and become a Buddha; do not establish words and letters.” As all legends, the stories of Bodhidharma too try saying something new and unexpected. They can be enjoyed as stories and one can also read meaning into them to extract a teaching.
During his travels in China, Bodhidharma stopped at the Shaolin temple at Mt. Song but was refused entry. He is said to have subsequently sat in meditation outside the monastery facing its walls (or in a nearby cave in other accounts) for nine years. The Shaolin monks were so impressed with his dedication to his zazen that he was finally granted entry. However, it is reported that after sitting for so many years in meditation, Bodhidharma lost the use of his legs through the process of atrophy. This legend is still alive in Japan, where legless Daruma dolls representing Bodhidharma, and are used to make wishes. Even today, zazen (sitting meditation) is an important part of Zen Buddhist practice. However, the story of Bodhidharma losing the use of his legs contradicts other legends about him founding martial arts to combat physical weakness.Bodhidharma impressed on the monks the need to be strong both in body and mind. He prescribed them a set of physical exercises, based on Indian yogic practices, which strengthened the monks’ bodies and calmed their minds allowing them to meditate with more resolve.
Bodhidharma's primary concern was to make the monks physically strong enough to withstand both their isolated lifestyle and the deceptively demanding training that meditation requires. Nonetheless, the techniques he taught also served as an efficient fighting skill. It is said, Bodhidharma initially trained the monks in the ancient Indian style of armless combat, which used mainly punching and fist techniques. It was called Vajramusthi (diamond-fist) which he, as a prince, learnt in India. With that, the Shaolin style of fist fighting ch'uan-fa (literally "way of the fist") was founded. His system of movements combined artistic and acrobatic styles; and used circular principles to redirect an opponent’s attack. Though those movements were slow and cautious, they were a form of strength. The theory behind it was to always be on guard by using the attacker’s energy and redirecting it back to him in a circle. These circular techniques, sometimes called "arcs", allowed a student to yield to an opponent's thrust, ultimately forcing the opponent to become unbalanced and vulnerable to multiple counters. This style was practiced as exercise and as a form of meditation.
Japanese legends credit Bodhidharma with bringing tea to China. Supposedly, he cut off his eyelids while meditating, to keep from falling asleep. Tea bushes sprung from the spot where his eyelids hit the ground. It is said that this is the reason for tea being so important for meditation and why it helps the meditator to not fall asleep. This legend is unlikely as tea use in China predates Chan Buddhism in China. According to Chinese mythology, in 2737 BC the Chinese Emperor, Shennong, scholar and herbalist, was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water. A leaf from the tree dropped into the water and Shennong decided to try the brew. The tree was a wild tea tree. There is an early mention of tea being prepared by servants in a Chinese text of 50 B.C. The first detailed description of tea-drinking is found in an ancient Chinese dictionary.The story of Bodhidharma is truly remarkable. It is amazing how the legend and the glory of the austere patriarch hailing from Kanchipuram, deep South in India, travelled to the courts of the Emperors and the monasteries in China, to the Zen schools and temples in Japan and world over. He brought awakening and enlightenment to millions of followers; gave a new dimension and a meaning to life, learning and to martial arts. He even became a tumbling doll, a fertility saint, a talisman, a protector of children and a bringer of good fortune. Bodhidharma is truly a many splendored adorable sage.
Even if a Buddha or Bodhisattva should suddenly appear before you, there's no need for reverence. This mind of ours is empty and contains no such form. Why worship illusions born of the mind? Your mind is basically empty. If you envision a Buddha, a dharma, or a Bodhisattva and conceive respect for them, you relegate yourself to the realm of mortals. If you seek direct understanding, don't hold on to any appearance whatsoever, and you'll succeed.
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