Bodhidharma; the Mysterious Indian Prince Behind Kung-Fu and Zen

Kung Fu and Zen Buddhism. Today, these are associated with China and the Far East. But did you know that it can be traced back to a legendary Indian monk? Meet Bodhidharma, first patriarch of Zen Buddhism and the initial force behind the development of Kung Fu. Let's travel back in time to 440 CE to the Tamil Pallava Kingdom. It was there, in the imperial capital of Kanchipuram, that Bodhidharma was born to King Simhavarma. Well-liked and well-respected, Bodhidharma was the youngest of three sons. And yet, despite his age, he was favored to take the throne. Knowing that their father preferred Bodhidharma, the two older princes tried to interfere, what began as public disparaging remarks escalated into outright hostility and eventually an assassination attempt. But Bodhidharma narrowly survived. Violence, hatred, betrayal, all of this disenchanted Bodhidharma from a career in politics. He decided to renounce his royal claims, turn to Buddhism and redirect his energy to spiritual matters. Armed with new purpose, Bodhidharma began to travel. He journeyed far to the north, to Magadha, where he received training in the Dharma from the famed Buddhist teacher, Prajnathara. Fun fact, many scholars believe that Prajnathara was a woman. There's substantial evidence for this claim as well as for the existence of prominent female teachers at the time. Bodhidharma learned much from his venerable master. But just before Prajnathara's death, she made a suggestion. He should travel to China to proselytize the faith. Yes, China. Though Bodhidharma was encouraged to take the maritime route as Hunnic violence made the overland route too unstable. Coincidentally, the maritime route required that Bodhidharma depart from the port city of Mahabalipura, located in his family's core territory. Despite the chaos of his former princely life, Bodhidharma returned home with cautious optimism. See, it was Bodhidharma's kindly nephew, not one of his nasty scheming brothers, who was seated upon the Pallava throne. This newly minted king regretted how Bodhidharma had been treated in the past and wished to make amends. And so he requested that Bodhidharma stay and accept his patronage and protection. But Bodhidharma politely refused. He was determined to continue along the path towards China. That being said, the young king still wanted to provide assistance. And so he sent word to the Liaosong emperor in China, requesting that Bodhidharma be welcomed to his country as an honored guest. It's important to note that Bodhidharma wasn't doing something outlandish in traveling to China. The Pallavas were a well-connected mercantile kingdom with significant political, cultural, and religious influences abroad. They traded goods as far west as the Mediterranean and as far east as Fiji and Japan. And generally, Indian mercenaries, diplomats, merchants, and monks traveled widely. The reverse was true also. There was a significant foreign presence throughout coastal India. For example, in the Tamil Harbor town of Nagapattinam, archaeologists have discovered the remains of a Buddhist pagoda, which was built for the Chinese community in the region. But let's rejoin our friend on his journey, shall we? In 472 CE, Bodhidharma set off from the port of Mahabalipuram. Bodhidharma made several stops in maritime Southeast Asia. The most important of these stops was the Kantoli kingdom of Sumatra, where he's believed to have stayed for up to two years. In this region, Bodhidharma would have been a part of the vibrant university scene and started intensive study of the Chinese language. Finally, around 475 CE, Bodhidharma made his way to Southern China and arrived at the bustling port of Guangzhou. Even today, an ancient stone in the port marks his arrival. It bears the inscription, landing place of the visitor from the West. In China, Bodhidharma's work could finally begin. In 475 CE, China was divided into two dynasties, the Northern Wei and the Southern Liu Song. Buddhism had already spread successfully in the North. The region boasted 30,000 temples and 5% of the population had served as Buddhist clergy. In the South, however, the Buddhist religion was mostly limited to the elite. It had not yet become popular among commoners. And so it was in the South that Bodhidharma began to preach in busy metropolitan Guangzhou. During this time, Bodhidharma lived and worked at Hualin temple, but he also preached at the nearby Guangxi temple. There's ample physical evidence attesting to Bodhidharma's presence. For example, while living at the Hualin temple, he ordered the construction of five wells, each featuring written inscriptions. And these are still preserved today. Furthermore, three gates in the temple compound bear the inscription, visitor from the West. And within the inner sanctum of the temple itself, followers of Bodhidharma installed a 75 foot high statue in his honor. But this peaceful life would not last forever. In 490 CE, after nearly 15 years spent in Guangzhou, a famous interaction occurred between Bodhidharma and Emperor Wu of the new Qi dynasty. See, the emperor wanted to know about the merits he would receive for building several Buddhist temples. In response, Bodhidharma explained the Zen-like doctrine of emptiness and told the emperor that he would receive no merit for building the temples. Furious, Emperor Wu ordered that Bodhidharma leave his site at once. Bodhidharma was no fool. His life as a prince taught him about the very real dangers of politics. If he stayed in the region, he knew he would face problems. And so, Bodhidharma crossed the Yangtze River on a reed boat and made his way to Pingcheng, the capital of the Northern Wei. In his initial years up north, Bodhidharma moved around quite a bit. When Emperor Cao Wen shifted the capital to Luoyang in 494 CE, Bodhidharma moved there along with other prominent monks. And two years later, when the emperor ordered the construction of the legendary Shaolin Monastery, Bodhidharma moved there too. Fun fact, though historians almost exclusively associate the Shaolin Monastery with Bodhidharma's legacy, the temple was actually built on behalf of a different Indian spiritual master, a monk named Batua. Bodhidharma's time at the Shaolin Monastery was controversial to say the least, for he was an unorthodox man who preached unorthodox methods. Consider, for example, his Zen-like technique known as wall gazing. Bodhidharma is said to have spent up to nine years in meditation in Songshan Cave, facing a rock wall. This approach was seen as a coup for Buddhist thought which was mainly scripture-based. Meditative Indian Buddhism hadn't yet caught on. Bodhidharma's meditation-focused approach attracted both admiration and hostility. He gained several allies, including two prominent Chinese disciples, Hui Kou and Daoyu. But he gained many enemies too. Bodhidharma's teachings were perceived as inaccessible to common folk, and traditional Chinese Buddhists worried that it would slow the spread of the religion. Politically entrenched monks decided that Bodhidharma had to be stopped. According to one narrative proposed by the writer of Transmission of the Lamb, Bodhidharma was fatally poisoned by a jealous rival in 528 CE. Another narrative, put forth by the writer Daoshuan, claims that Bodhidharma died on the banks of the Lo River, which was a popular spot for executions. Daoshuan talks extensively about the hostility towards Bodhidharma's teachings, and so it has been theorized that Bodhidharma was executed for his beliefs during the late Wei Rebellion. But yet another interesting narrative, this time a supernatural folktale, surrounds Bodhidharma's death. According to medieval writings, a Chinese official bumped into Bodhidharma while traveling abroad in Central Asia. Bodhidharma was carrying his favorite weapon, a South Indian long staff, and there was one sandal hanging from the tip. In his conversation with the official, Bodhidharma explained that he was returning to his beloved homeland, India. As for the single sandal, he said that the official would soon understand. Perplexed by the conversation, the official made the journey to the Shaolin Temple, only to discover that Bodhidharma had passed away three years prior. Curiosity drove the monks to open his tomb, but they found no body and no buried items except for a single sandal. Since then, Bodhidharma has often been depicted carrying a staff with one sandal hanging from the tip. The prevailing view in both Chinese and Indian society is that Bodhidharma is the illustrious founder of Shaolin Kung Fu. Is such a claim tenable? Perhaps, but it's complicated. Based on extensive narrative evidence describing Bodhidharma, his favorite weapon was the six-band staff, which is similar in form and function to the Silambam fighting staff and the Ketukari fighting staff, both originating from South India. Interesting. Let's hop back over to India then. For thousands of years, many different martial arts traditions found a home in the Indian subcontinent. These traditions varied from region to region. Military accounts of the Gupta Empire identify over 130 different weapons worth mastering. And in the Lotus Sutra, there's reference to a boxing art. Even the Kama Sutra contains martial references suggesting that women, not just men, should practice with sword, spear, quarterstaff, and bow and arrow. People often assume that martial training in India was exclusive to the Kshatriya caste. This is simply incorrect from a historical perspective. Caste was not a prohibitive factor for receiving high-quality training. For example, we know that throughout Indian history, well-trained peasants who had served in war campaigns formed prominent martial clans. And in the 8th century text, Kuvale Mala, it describes martial arts being taught at Salad and Ghatika educational institutions. At these institutions, Brahmin students from all over the subcontinent learned and practiced many combat styles. Unfortunately, British colonial policy led to the destruction of most native Indian martial arts. In both North and South India, only a scattered few martial traditions remain. Let's turn our focus to South India, specifically Tamil country, the place of Bodhidharma's origin. There are four martial arts traditions in South India that scholars believe could have influenced Bodhidharma. Kalariya Pattu is an ancient weapons-based tradition that is often referred to as the mother of martial arts, with written evidence of its existence dating back to 200 BCE and indirect evidence supporting a much older lineage. Kalariya Pattu is perhaps most famous for its exotic weapons, including a multi-bladed sword whip. Silambam is another weapons-based tradition, but special focus is given to the staff. Tamil Sangam literature dating all the way back to the 2nd century make reference to the sale of Silambam staves, swords, and armor to foreign merchants. Varmam is a unique martial tradition with a focus on pressure point attacks and medicinal treatments, both very relevant to Shaolin Kung Fu. Varma Adi is an unarmed tradition that was very popular in the Pallava dynasty. It was a practical martial art with few prohibitions. It encouraged grappling, disarming opponents, kicking, kneeing, elbowing, and head blows. As a prince of the Pallava dynasty, Bodhidharma would have been subject to extensive martial training and would have been proficient with various South Indian martial arts. But did Bodhidharma transmit any of this knowledge to the monks at the Shaolin Temple? Many scholars seem to believe that he did, at least in some capacity. During his time at the Shaolin Temple, Bodhidharma is believed to have taught the monks a series of martial practices long associated with the various South Indian traditions, breathing exercises, stretches, attacks, defenses, and even medicinal treatments. Bodhidharma's decision to teach Indian martial arts to Chinese monks might have stemmed from the need to improve their blood circulation. After all, his meditative innovations encouraged long hours of stillness. Martial training would have also been useful against highway robbers and other criminals who were a constant headache for the monks. Bodhidharma wrote down his martial teachings in a manual called Yijin Jing, and these texts were said to have evolved into Shaolin Kung Fu. Fascinating, right? But it's important to remember that Bodhidharma, though an important contributor, was not the sole creator of Shaolin Kung Fu. More accurately, he was one of several influences that developed into the Shaolin martial arts tradition. Let's make one thing clear. Bodhidharma is not the founder of Zen Buddhism. The meditative practices of Zen Buddhism, otherwise known as Chan, had already been gaining traction in India for many years before. That being said, Bodhidharma did develop and propagate his own unique approach to Zen. It was this form of Zen that Bodhidharma brought to China. So what did Bodhidharma do exactly? It's fair to say that he introduced and popularized Zen practice in China and the Far East. In fact, he was so successful that in the decades after Bodhidharma's death, Zen Buddhism became the mainstream form of Chinese Buddhism. It even came to be known as Damo Zang, or the Bodhidharma School. Although he may not be the original creator of Zen Buddhism, he is arguably its most important figure. Bodhidharma's teachings didn't remain isolated in China. Eventually, his unique strain of Buddhism traveled to Korea and then Japan, where it had a significant impact on their respective cultures. Bodhidharma's impact was so significant, in fact, that the Japanese developed new narratives to more closely link him to their country. For example, while Chinese legends trace his death to poisoning in 528 CE, Japanese legends follow through by claiming that his soul was later reincarnated in Nara as a wise beggar who lived at the foot of Mount Katoka, located in Oji Prefecture. In fact, of the eight temples in Japan dedicated to Bodhidharma, the most important one is located in Oji Prefecture. And because of Bodhidharma's contributions to martial arts in East Asia, he was respected and favored by the samurai. And so, if you visit the gardens of his dedicated temple in Oji Prefecture, you'll find the graves of many important samurai. In Japan, Bodhidharma's cultural role was expanded and changed over time. He came to be known as Dharma and enjoyed popularity as a birthing deity, a protector of children, and a bringer of good luck, especially during a severe smallpox epidemic in the Edo period. It is during this time that Dharma dolls became an auspicious gift for children. Fun fact, the visual representation of Dharma dolls is based on the legend of Bodhidharma's nine-year meditation in Songshan Cave. In the legend, his arms and legs fell off due to the lack of use. Then, to avoid sleeping, he cut off his eyelids. The red color of the original doll comes from the association of red with measles and smallpox during the Edo period. Even today, Dharma dolls are given as gifts during major festivals and events, including Japanese elections. And the eyes are meant to be painted in by the recipient as part of a wish-making ritual. So there you have it, Bodhidharma was truly a larger-than-life figure, even if some of the bolder claims about him may have been exaggerated. And now you know.