Around 520 CE, a magnificent Buddhist temple stood in the Chinese city of Luoyang. The Yongning Temple was a wonder, and one day a visitor stood before its nine-story pagoda, topped with a golden mast, and was captivated. He was a monk from the 'Western Regions', identified in the earliest historical record as a Persian named Bodhidharma. According to that writer from 547 CE, the monk was 150 years old and so overcome with awe that he chanted praises for days. This first account contains no mention of martial arts or a monastery called Shaolin. In this record, Bodhidharma is simply a devout visitor, awestruck by beauty, not the legendary founder of Zen Buddhism.
Bodhidharma
The story of Bodhidharma, the monk credited with bringing Zen to China, and of how the little that is recorded about him grew into centuries of legend.
Chapter 1
The Monk from the West
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Frequently Asked Questions
Did Bodhidharma really stare at a wall for nine years?
This is a famous legend that became popular centuries after his death. The story says his intense focus at the Shaolin Monastery left his shadow on the rock. The earliest historical accounts of him do not mention this.
Did Bodhidharma invent Shaolin Kung Fu?
Bodhidharma is popularly linked to Shaolin Kung Fu, but historians have found no reliable evidence for this. The first texts that connect him to martial arts were written in the 17th century, over a thousand years after he lived.
Why is Bodhidharma considered the first patriarch of Zen?
Centuries after his death, the developing Chan (Zen) school in China named him their First Patriarch. This was done to create a direct lineage back to the historical Buddha, giving the new school a claim to authentic transmission and authority.
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