Bodhidharma, Buddhism / Mahayana / Zen (Chan)

Bodhidharma (also known as Pu Tai Ta Mo in Sanskrit and Daruma Daishi in Japanese) was an Enlightened Buddhist Master who is credited with reviving Buddhism in China and founding martial arts.

Bodhidharma began his life as a royal prince in Southern India in the Sardilli family in 482 A.D. In the midst of his education and training to continue in his father's footsteps as king, Bodhidharma encountered the Buddha's teachings. He immediately saw the truth in Lord Buddha's words and decided to give up his esteemed position and inheritance to study with the famous Buddhist teacher Prajnatara. Bodhidharma rapidly progressed in his Buddhist studies, and in time, Prajnatara sent Bodhidharma to China, where Buddhism had begun to die out, to introduce the Sarvastivada sect Buddhist teachings to the Chinese. Bodhidharma arrived in China after a brutal trek over Tibet's Himalayan Mountains surviving both the extreme elements and treacherous bandits.

Buddhism / Mahayana / Zen (Chan), Bassui Zenji, Bodhidharma, Gizan, Hakuin, Huang Po, Hui Neng, Huiyan, Seng-ts’an, Shobo Genzo, Szu-hsin Wu-hsin, Ts’ao-shan Pen-chi, Yoka Daishi, Yung-chia Ta-shih, etc.