Bodhidharma

(sixth century C.E.) known in Japan as Daruma; the fi rst patriarch of the Ch'an or Zen school of BUDDHISM It is diffi cult to separate fact from legend in accounts of Bodhidharma's life. In any case, the details of his biography illustrate signifi cant aspects of ZEN BUDDHISM. As the following shows, they sometimes resort to extreme events to do so. Bodhidharma is said to have been a scholar of a Buddhist scripture known as the Lankavatara Sutra. He was brought from India to China by Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty, a Chinese emperor concerned with fostering Buddhism. In disgust at the self-importance of the emperor, a violation of fundamental Buddhist teachings, Bodhidharma left the capital and took up residence in a cave on a mountain. There he sat facing the cave wall and meditating for nine years. As often happens when meditating, Bodhidharma had diffi culty staying awake. To alleviate this problem, he is said to have cut off his eyelids. Falling to the ground, they became the fi rst tea plants. (Zen monks cultivated tea to help them stay awake while meditating.) The distinctive approach that Zen takes to Buddhism emerges from another legendary event. Emperor Wu is said to have asked Bodhidharma what Zen was. Bodhidharma replied with four brief statements: It does not depend upon words; it points directly to the human mind or heart; it sees into one's true nature; it attains Buddhahood.