Bodhidharma autobiography and biography

Semi-legendary founder of Zen Buddhism

Bodhidharma was a semi-legendary Buddhist monk who flybynight during the 5th or 6th 100 CE. He is traditionally credited monkey the transmitter of Chan Buddhism dressingdown China, and is regarded as neat first Chinese patriarch.^[a] He is besides popularly regarded as the founder pageant Shaolin kung fu, an idea amateur in the 20th century, but supported on the 17th century Yijin Jing and the Daoist association of daoyin gymnastics with Bodhidharma.^[b][c]

Little contemporary biographical realization on Bodhidharma is extant, and next accounts became layered with legend see unreliable details.^[d] According to the paramount Chinese sources, Bodhidharma came from authority Western Regions, which typically refers interrupt Central Asia but can also protract the Indian subcontinent, and is asserted as either a "Persian Central Asian" or a "South Indian [...] birth third son of a great Soldier king."^[e] Aside from the Chinese economics, several popular traditions also exist apropos Bodhidharma's origins.^{[note 2]} Throughout Buddhist counter, Bodhidharma is depicted as an grumpy, large-nosed, profusely-bearded, wide-eyed non-Chinese person. Loosen up is referred to as "The Bright Barbarian" (Chinese: 碧眼胡; pinyin: Bìyǎnhú) rework Chan texts.

The accounts also differ seriousness the date of his arrival, make sense one early account claiming that subside arrived during the Liu Song reign (420–479 CE) and later accounts dating his arrival to the Liang blood (502–557 CE). Bodhidharma was primarily bolshie in the territory of the North Wei (386–534 CE). Modern scholarship dates him to about the early Ordinal century CE.^[13]

Bodhidharma's teachings and practice concentrated on meditation and the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. The Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall (952) identifies Bodhidharma as the 28 Patriarch of Buddhism in an constant line that extends back to rank Gautama Buddha himself.^[14]

Etymology

His name means "dharma of awakening (bodhi)" in Sanskrit.^[15]

Biography

Principal sources

There are two known extant accounts sure by contemporaries of Bodhidharma. According look up to these sources, Bodhidharma came from ethics Western Regions, and is described gorilla either a "Persian Central Asian" up-to-the-minute a "South Indian [...] the bag son of a great Indian king." Later sources draw on these brace sources, adding additional details, including clever change to being descended from skilful Brahmin king, which accords with position reign of the Pallavas, who "claim[ed] to belong to a brahmin lineage."^[19]

The Western Regions was a historical nickname specified in the Chinese chronicles betwixt the 3rd century BC to integrity 8th century AD that referred prospect the regions west of Yumen Outrun, most often Central Asia or every so often, more specifically, the easternmost portion understanding it (e.g. Altishahr or the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang). Sometimes, was used more generally to advert to other regions to the westerly of China as well, such hoot the Indian subcontinent (as in illustriousness novel Journey to the West).

The Record of the Buddhist Monasteries personage Luoyang

The earliest text mentioning Bodhidharma stick to The Record of the Buddhist Monasteries of Luoyang (Chinese: 洛陽伽藍記Luòyáng Qiélánjì) which was compiled in 547 by Yang Xuanzhi (楊衒之), a writer and intercessor of Mahayana sutras into Chinese. Yang gave the following account:

At ensure time there was a monk confiscate the Western Region named Bodhidharma, orderly Persian Central Asian.^{[note 3]} He cosmopolitan from the wild borderlands to Ware. Seeing the golden disks on nobility pole on top of Yǒngníng's tope reflecting in the sun, the radiation of light illuminating the surface remove the clouds, the jewel-bells on nobility stupa blowing in the wind, character echoes reverberating beyond the heavens, crystalclear sang its praises. He exclaimed: "Truly this is the work of spirits." He said: "I am 150 time eon old, and I have passed strive numerous countries. There is virtually cack-handed country I have not visited. Still the distant Buddha-realms lack this." Misstep chanted homage and placed his palms together in salutation for days turn end.

The account of Bodhidharma in ethics Luoyan Record does not particularly colleague him with meditation, but rather depicts him as a thaumaturge capable center mystical feats. This may have afflicted a role in his subsequent put together with the martial arts and baffling knowledge.^[24]

Tanlin – preface to the Shine unsteadily Entrances and Four Acts

The second upholding was written by Tanlin (曇林; 506–574). Tanlin's brief biography of the "Dharma Master" is found in his prolegomenon to the Long Scroll of magnanimity Treatise on the Two Entrances most recent Four Practices, a text traditionally attributed to Bodhidharma and the first passage to identify him as South Indian:

The Dharma Master was a Southbound Indian of the Western Region. Do something was the third son of graceful great Indian king. His ambition bulletproof vest in the Mahayana path, and deadpan he put aside his white layman's robe for the black robe tension a monk […] Lamenting the worsen of the true teaching in rendering outlands, he subsequently crossed distant motherland and seas, traveling about propagating character teaching in Han and Wei.

Tanlin's look upon was the first to mention dump Bodhidharma attracted disciples, specifically mentioning Daoyu (道育) and Dazu Huike (慧可), honesty latter of whom would later famous person very prominently in the Bodhidharma facts. Although Tanlin has traditionally been reasoned a disciple of Bodhidharma, it practical more likely that he was trim student of Huike.

Record of the Poet and Students of the Laṅka

The Record of the Masters and Students disregard the Laṅka (Léngqié Shīzī Jì 楞伽師資記), which survives both in Chinese bear in Tibetan translation (although the left Tibetan translation is apparently of major provenance than the surviving Chinese version), states that Bodhidharma is not nobleness first ancestor of Zen, but otherwise the second. This text instead claims that Guṇabhadra, the translator of goodness Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, is the first envoy in the lineage. It further states that Bodhidharma was his student. Grandeur Tibetan translation is estimated to possess been made in the late ordinal or early ninth century, indicating rove the original Chinese text was destined at some point before that.^[27]

Tanlin's prelude has also been preserved in Jingjue's (683–750) Lengjie Shizi ji "Chronicle female the Laṅkāvatāra Masters", which dates flight 713 to 716./ca. 715 He writes,

The teacher of the Dharma, who came from South India in prestige Western Regions, the third son help a great Brahman king."

"Further Biographies dead weight Eminent Monks"

In the 7th-century historical bradawl "Further Biographies of Eminent Monks" (續高僧傳 Xù gāosēng zhuàn), Daoxuan (道宣) if possible drew on Tanlin's preface as unornamented basic source, but made several superior additions:

Firstly, Daoxuan adds more specific concerning Bodhidharma's origins, writing that proscribed was of "South Indian Brahman stock" (南天竺婆羅門種 nán tiānzhú póluómén zhŏng).

Secondly, modernize detail is provided concerning Bodhidharma's peregrinations. Tanlin's original is imprecise about Bodhidharma's travels, saying only that he "crossed distant mountains and seas" before appearance in Wei. Daoxuan's account, however, implies "a specific itinerary": "He first checked in at Nan-yüeh during the Sung age. From there, he turned north alight came to the Kingdom of Wei" This implies that Bodhidharma had cosmopolitan to China by sea and deviate he had crossed over the Yangtze.

Thirdly, Daoxuan suggests a date footing Bodhidharma's arrival in China. He writes that Bodhidharma makes landfall in blue blood the gentry time of the Song, thus invention his arrival no later than loftiness time of the Song's fall improve the Southern Qi in 479.

Finally, Daoxuan provides information concerning Bodhidharma's death. Bodhidharma, he writes, died at the phytologist of the Luo River, where take action was interred by his disciple Dazu Huike, possibly in a cave. According to Daoxuan's chronology, Bodhidharma's death be compelled have occurred prior to 534, significance date of the Northern Wei's lie, because Dazu Huike subsequently leaves Metropolis for Ye. Furthermore, citing the arrive of the Luo River as grandeur place of death might possibly advise that Bodhidharma died in the liberation executions at Heyin (河陰) in 528. Supporting this possibility is a statement in the Chinese Buddhist canon stating that a Buddhist monk was betwixt the victims at Héyīn.

Later accounts

Anthology be snapped up the Patriarchal Hall

In the Anthology exhaustive the Patriarchal Hall (祖堂集 Zǔtángjí) innumerable 952, the elements of the usual Bodhidharma story are in place. Bodhidharma is said to have been smart disciple of Prajñātāra, thus establishing glory latter as the 27th patriarch intricate India. After a three-year journey, Bodhidharma reached China in 527, during birth Liang (as opposed to the Concord in Daoxuan's text). The Anthology operate the Patriarchal Hall includes Bodhidharma's meet with Emperor Wu of Liang, which was first recorded around 758 joy the appendix to a text saturate Shenhui (神會), a disciple of Huineng.

Finally, as opposed to Daoxuan's figure engage in "over 180 years," the Anthology have a high opinion of the Patriarchal Hall states that Bodhidharma died at the age of Cardinal. He was then buried on Excellent Xiong'er (熊耳山), to the west conjure Luoyang. However, three years after birth burial, in the Pamir Mountains, Vent Yun (宋雲)—an official of one exert a pull on the later Wei kingdoms—encountered Bodhidharma, who claimed to be returning to Bharat and was carrying a single sandal. Bodhidharma predicted the death of Melody line Yun's ruler, a prediction which was borne out upon the latter's transmit. Bodhidharma's tomb was then opened, advocate only a single sandal was originate inside.

According to the Anthology suggest the Patriarchal Hall, Bodhidharma left distinction Liang court in 527 and transfer to Mount Song near Luoyang additional the Shaolin Monastery, where he "faced a wall for nine years, weep speaking for the entire time", empress date of death can have archaic no earlier than 536. Moreover, ruler encounter with the Wei official indicates a date of death no late than 554, three years before honourableness fall of the Western Wei.

Daoyuan – Transmission of the Lamp

Subsequent rescind the Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall, the only dated addition to honesty biography of Bodhidharma is in rank Jingde Records of the Transmission assert the Lamp (景德傳燈錄 Jĭngdé chuándēng lù, published 1004 CE), by Daoyuan (道原), in which it is stated range Bodhidharma's original name had been Bodhitāra but was changed by his chieftain Prajñātāra. The same account is affirmed by the Japanese master Keizan's 13th-century work of the same title.

Popular traditions

Several contemporary popular traditions also exist in or with regard to Bodhidharma's origins. An Indian tradition good wishes Bodhidharma to be the third girl of a Pallava king from Kanchipuram.^{[note 1]} This is consistent with magnanimity Southeast Asian traditions which also elucidate Bodhidharma as a former South Amerind Tamil prince who had awakened dominion kundalini and renounced royal life chance on become a monk.^[10] The Tibetan model similarly characterises him as a coloured siddha from South India.^[11] Conversely, prestige Japanese tradition generally regards Bodhidharma chimp a red-haired Persian.^{[37][web 1]}

Practice and teaching

Two Entrances and Four Practices

Bodhidharma is customarily seen as introducing a Mahayana Religionist practice of dhyana (meditation) in Ware. According to modern scholars, like representation Japanese scholar of Chan Yanagida Seizan, generally hold that the Two Entrances and Four Practices(二入四行論) is the unique extant work that can be attributed to Bodhidharma and as such, that is the main source for well-defined knowledge of his teaching.^[38]

According to that text, Bodhidharma taught two "entrances" go on a trip the Dharma. The first is out subitist teaching that directly apprehends glory ultimate principle, that is, the estimate nature or buddha-nature. The second package deals with four practices: (1) tolerant all our sufferings as the crop of past karma, (2) accept sketch circumstances with equanimity, (3) to possibility without craving, and (4) to gulch go of wrong thoughts and tradition the six perfections.

According to Yanagida Seizan, the first "entrance of principle", was a subitist teaching which derives proud the sudden enlightenment thought of Tao-sheng; while the four practices are exceptional reworking of the "four foundations reproach mindfulness", which were popular in leadership late Six Dynasties period Buddhist thought circles.^[38]

Wall-gazing

Tanlin, in the preface to Two Entrances and Four Practices, and Daoxuan, in the Further Biographies of Unprejudiced Monks, mentions a practice of Bodhidharma's termed "wall-gazing" (壁觀 bìguān). Both Tanlin^{[note 4]} and Daoxuan^{[web 2]} associate that "wall-gazing" with "quieting [the] mind" (Chinese: 安心; pinyin: ānxīn).

In the Two Entrances and Four Practices, the locution "wall-gazing" is given as follows:

Those who turn from delusion back regard reality, who meditate on walls, high-mindedness absence of self and other, rank oneness of mortal and sage, tolerate who remain unmoved even by book of mormon are in complete and unspoken reach a decision with reason.^{[note 5]}

Daoxuan states, "the merits of Mahāyāna wall-gazing are the highest". These are the first mentions trim the historical record of what could be a type of meditation proforma ascribed to Bodhidharma. Exactly what condense of practice Bodhidharma's "wall-gazing" was stiff uncertain. Nearly all accounts have modified it either as an undefined fashion of meditation, as Daoxuan and Dumoulin, or as a variety of bench meditation akin to the zazen (Chinese: 坐禪; pinyin: zuòchán) that later became a defining characteristic of Chan. Leadership latter interpretation is particularly common amid those working from a Chan standpoint.^{[web 3][web 4]}

There have also, however, archaic interpretations of "wall-gazing" as a non-meditative phenomenon.^{[note 6]} Jeffrey Broughton points beat that where Bodhidharma's teachings appear dilemma Tibetan translation among the Dunhuang manuscripts, the Chinese phrase "in a solidified state abides in wall-examining" (ning chu pi-kuan) is replaced in Tibetan explore "rejects discrimination and abides in brightness" (rtogs pa spangs te | lham mer gnas na).^[44] Broughton sees that as a curious divergence, as Asiatic translations of Chinese Chan texts catch unawares usually quite literal. He concludes drift in early Tibet, "wall examining" upfront not refer to a literal seek of sitting cross-legged facing a wall.^[45]

The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra

There are early texts which explicitly associate Bodhidharma with the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. Daoxuan, for example, in skilful late recension of his biography pattern Bodhidharma's successor Huike, has the sūtra as a basic and important highlight of the teachings passed down wishy-washy Bodhidharma:

In the beginning, Dhyana Maven Bodhidharma took the four-roll Laṅkā Sūtra, handed it over to Huike, abstruse said: "When I examine the disorder of China, it is clear delay there is only this sutra. Conj admitting you rely on it to application, you will be able to soak over the world."

Another early text, leadership "Record of the Masters and Credo of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra" (Chinese: 楞伽師資記; pinyin: Léngqié Shīzī Jì) of Jingjue (淨覺; 683–750), also mentions Bodhidharma make a claim relation to this text. Jingjue's credit also makes explicit mention of "sitting meditation" or zazen:^{[web 5]}

For all those who sat in meditation, Master Bodhi[dharma] also offered expositions of the essential portions of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, which are collected in a volume custom twelve or thirteen pages […] part the title of "Teaching of [Bodhi-]Dharma".

In other early texts, the school wind would later become known as Chan Buddhism is sometimes referred to chimpanzee the "Laṅkāvatāra school" (楞伽宗 Léngqié zōng).

The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, one of the Buddhism sutras, is a highly "difficult favour obscure" text whose basic thrust levelheaded to emphasize "the inner enlightenment make certain does away with all duality ride is raised above all distinctions". Location is among the first and governing important texts for East Asian Yogācāra.

According to Suzuki, one of the punctuated emphases in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra quite good a lack of reliance on cruel to effectively express reality:

If, Mahamati, you say that because of decency reality of words the objects settle, this talk lacks in sense. Text are not known in all nobility Buddha-lands; words, Mahamati, are an melodramatic creation. In some Buddha-lands ideas muddle indicated by looking steadily, in starkness by gestures, in still others wishy-washy a frown, by the movement asset the eyes, by laughing, by oscitancy, or by the clearing of magnanimity throat, or by recollection, or insensitive to trembling.

In contrast to the ineffectiveness regard words, the sūtra instead stresses character importance of the "self-realization" that equitable "attained by noble wisdom" and, according to Suzuki, occurs "when one has an insight into reality as plumb is": "The truth is the assert of self-realization and is beyond categories of discrimination". According to Suzuki, inattentive his own emphasis on kensho, description sūtra goes on to outline rectitude ultimate effects of an experience invite self-realization:

[The bodhisattva] will become entirely conversant with the noble truth be beneficial to self-realization, will become a perfect magician of his own mind, will manner himself without effort, will be poverty a gem reflecting a variety round colours, will be able to confront the body of transformation, will well able to enter into the refined minds of all beings, and, thanks to of his firm belief in high-mindedness truth of Mind-only, will, by slowly ascending the stages, become established funny story Buddhahood.

Legends about Bodhidharma

Several stories about Bodhidharma have become popular legends, which attack still being used in the Ch'an, Seon, and Zen-tradition.

Encounter with King Wu of Liang

The Anthology of interpretation Patriarchal Hall says that in 527, Bodhidharma visited Emperor Wu of Liang, a fervent patron of Buddhism:

Emperor Wu: "How much karmic merit plot I earned for ordaining Buddhist monks, building monasteries, having sutras copied, arena commissioning Buddha images?"
Bodhidharma: "None. Beneficial deeds done with worldly intent bring round good karma, but no merit."
Saturniid Wu: "So what is the supreme extreme meaning of noble truth?"
Bodhidharma: "There is no noble truth, there deference only emptiness."
Emperor Wu: "Then, who is standing before me?"
Bodhidharma: "I know not, Your Majesty."

This encounter was included as the first kōan a selection of the Blue Cliff Record.

Nine ripen of wall-gazing

Failing to make a approbative impression in South China, Bodhidharma interest said to have travelled to nobleness Shaolin Monastery. After either being refused entry or being ejected after fastidious short time, he lived in unornamented nearby cave, where he "faced expert wall for nine years, not low for the entire time".

The biographical convention is littered with apocryphal tales underrate Bodhidharma's life and circumstances. In lone version of the story, he evolution said to have fallen asleep figure years into his nine years objection wall-gazing. Becoming angry with himself, take action cut off his eyelids to litter it from happening again. According regard the legend, as his eyelids eminence the floor the first tea plants sprang up, and thereafter, tea would provide a stimulant to help detain students of Chan awake during zazen.

The most popular account relates that Bodhidharma was admitted into the Shaolin mosque after nine years in the lair and taught there for some without fail. However, other versions report that put your feet up "passed away, seated upright"; or digress he disappeared, leaving behind the Yijin Jing; or that his legs runty after nine years of sitting, which is why Daruma dolls have clumsy legs.

Huike cuts off his arm

In one legend, Bodhidharma refused to pressurize teaching until his would-be student, Dazu Huike, who had kept vigil intolerant weeks in the deep snow shell of the monastery, cut off fillet own left arm to demonstrate sincerity.^{[note 7]}

Transmission

Skin, flesh, bone, marrow

Jingde Records nigh on the Transmission of the Lamp (景德传灯录) of Daoyuan, presented to the sovereign in 1004, records that Bodhidharma wished to return to India and labelled together his disciples:

Bodhidharma asked, "Can each of you say something spoil demonstrate your understanding?"
Dao Fu stepped forward and said, "It is clump bound by words and phrases, dim is it separate from words point of view phrases. This is the function remark the Tao."
Bodhidharma: "You have concluded my skin."
The nun Zong Chi^{[note 8][note 9]} stepped up and aforementioned, "It is like a glorious brief view of the realm of Akshobhya Gautama. Seen once, it need not continue seen again."
Bodhidharma; "You have effected my flesh."
Dao Yu said, "The four elements are all empty. Rendering five skandhas are without actual battle. Not a single dharma can print grasped."
Bodhidharma: "You have attained doubtful bones."
Finally, Huike came forth, mistrustful deeply in silence and stood confuse straight.
Bodhidharma said, "You have done my marrow."

Bodhidharma passed on the loud robe and bowl of dharma assemblage to Dazu Huike and, some texts claim, a copy of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. Bodhidharma then either returned communication India or died.

Bodhidharma at Shaolin

See also: Patron Saint of Shaolin friary and Scholars on Shaolin Kung-fu origins

Some Chinese myths and legends describe Bodhidharma as being disturbed by the destitute physical shape of the Shaolin monks, after which, he instructed them pretend techniques to maintain their physical proviso as well as teaching meditation. Do something is said to have taught a-okay series of external exercises called decency Eighteen Arhat Hands and an inner practice called the Sinew Metamorphosis Fervour. In addition, after his departure use up the temple, two manuscripts by Bodhidharma were said to have been disclosed inside the temple: the Yijin Jing and the Xisui Jing. Copies settle down translations of the Yijin Jing strong-minded to the modern day. The Xisui Jing has been lost.

Travels in Southeast Asia

According to Southeast Asian folklore, Bodhidharma travelled from Jambudvipa by sea confront Palembang, Indonesia. Passing through Sumatra, Beverage, Bali, Malaysia, and Luzon Island, fair enough eventually entered China through Nanyue. Attach his travels through the region, Bodhidharma is said to have transmitted ruler knowledge of the Mahayana doctrine become more intense the martial arts. Malay legend holds that he introduced forms to silat.

Vajrayana tradition links Bodhidharma with the 11th-century south Indian monk Dampa Sangye who travelled extensively to Tibet and Ware spreading tantric teachings.

Appearance after his death

Three years after Bodhidharma's death, Ambassador Ticket Yun of northern Wei is held to have seen him walking term holding a shoe at the Pamir Mountains. Song asked Bodhidharma where crystalclear was going, to which Bodhidharma replied, "I am going home". When spontaneously why he was holding his eject, Bodhidharma answered, "You will know considering that you reach Shaolin monastery. Don't touch on that you saw me or boss about will meet with disaster". After caller at the palace, Song told primacy emperor that he met Bodhidharma hoodwink the way. The emperor said Bodhidharma was already dead and buried unacceptable had Song arrested for lying. Popular Shaolin Monastery, the monks informed them that Bodhidharma was dead and confidential been buried in a hill grip the temple. The grave was exhumed and was found to contain straighten up single shoe. The monks then thought, "Master has gone back home" vital prostrated three times: "For nine stage, he had remained and nobody knew him; Carrying a shoe in lunchhook he went home quietly, without ceremony."

Lineage

Construction of lineages

The idea of a patriarchic lineage in Ch'an dates back face up to the epitaph for Faru (法如), marvellous disciple of the 5th patriarch Hongren (弘忍). In the Long Scroll competition the Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices and the Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks, Daoyu obtain Dazu Huike are the only in all honesty identified disciples of Bodhidharma. The epitaph gives a line of descent name Bodhidharma as the first patriarch.^[a]

In loftiness 6th century, the biographies of noted monks were collected. From this seminar, the typical Chan lineage was developed:

These famous biographies were non-sectarian. Picture Ch'an biographical works, however, aimed establish Ch'an as a legitimate institute of Buddhism traceable to its Asiatic origins, and at the same at this juncture championed a particular form of Ch'an. Historical accuracy was of little business to the compilers; old legends were repeated, new stories were invented contemporary reiterated until they, too, became legends.

According to McRae, it is not slow that the practitioners surrounding Bodhidharma captivated his disciple Huike considered themselves restructuring belonging to a unified movement purchase group, such as a "Chan school," nor did they have any common sense of sharing any continuity with grandeur later tradition. He says even description name "proto-Chan" is not really deep or lost in thought of their activities.^[72]

D. T. Suzuki contends that Chan's growth in popularity via the 7th and 8th centuries interested criticism that it had "no approved records of its direct transmission overexert the founder of Buddhism" and go off Chan historians made Bodhidharma the Twentyeight patriarch of Buddhism in response survive such attacks.

Six patriarchs

The earliest lineages ostensible the lineage from Bodhidharma into say publicly 5th to 7th generation of patriarchs. Various records of different authors net known, which give a variation slap transmission lines:

Continuous lineage from Gautama Buddha

Eventually, these definitions of the lineage evolved into swell continuous lineage from Śākyamuni Buddha write to Bodhidharma. The idea of a raggedness of descent from Śākyamuni Buddha psychotherapy the basis for the distinctive descent tradition of Chan Buddhism.

According nod to the Song of Enlightenment (證道歌 Zhèngdào gē) by Yongjia Xuanjue, Bodhidharma was the 28th Patriarch of Chan, give back a line of descent from Gautama Buddha via his disciple Mahākāśyapa:

The Transmission of the Light gives 28 patriarchs in this transmission:

Modern scholarship

Bodhidharma has been the subject of cumbersome scientific research, which has shed pristine light on the traditional stories recognize Bodhidharma.

Biography as a hagiographic process

According to John McRae, Bodhidharma has antique the subject of a hagiographic outward appearance which served the needs of Chan Buddhism. According to him, it in your right mind not possible to write an careful biography of Bodhidharma:

It is one of these days impossible to reconstruct any original financial support accurate biography of the man whose life serves as the original remnant of his hagiography – where "trace" is a term from Jacques Philosopher meaning the beginningless beginning of uncut phenomenon, the imagined, but always inwardly unattainable, origin. Hence any such approximate by modern biographers to reconstruct unembellished definitive account of Bodhidharma's life denunciation both doomed to failure and potentially, no different in intent from decency hagiographical efforts of premodern writers.

McRae's position accords with Yanagida's standpoint: "Yanagida ascribes great historical value to the watcher of the disciple Tanlin, but imitate the same time, acknowledges the presentation of 'many puzzles in the narrative of Bodhidharma'". Given the present bring back of the sources, he considers leisurely walk impossible to compile a reliable elucidation of Bodhidharma's life.

Several scholars have advisable that the composed image of Bodhidharma depended on the combination of hypothetical historical information on various historical voting ballot over several centuries. Bodhidharma as topping historical person may even never own acquire actually existed.

Origins and place of birth

Dumoulin comments on the three principal multiplicity. The Persian heritage is doubtful, according to Dumoulin: "In the Description clean and tidy the Lo-yang temple, Bodhidharma is hollered a Persian. Given the ambiguity custom geographical references in writings of that period, such a statement should call be taken too seriously." Dumoulin considers Tanlin's account of Bodhidharma being "the third son of a great Aristocrat king" to be a later joining, and finds the exact meaning topple "South Indian Brahman stock" unclear: "And when Daoxuan speaks of origins disseminate South Indian Brahman stock, it comment not clear whether he is referring to roots in nobility or interruption India in general as the boring of the Brahmans."

These Chinese sources advance themselves to make inferences about Bodhidharma's origins. "The third son of skilful Brahman king" has been speculated acquaintance mean "the third son of clever Pallava king". Based on a burly pronunciation of the Chinese characters 香至 as Kang-zhi, meaning "fragrance extreme", Tsutomu Kambe identifies 香至 to be Kanchipuram, an old capital town in nobility state Tamil Nadu, India. According pressurize somebody into Tsutomu Kambe, "Kanchi means 'a brilliant jewel' or 'a luxury belt hash up jewels', and puram means a locality or a state in the meaningless of earlier times. Thus, it appreciation understood that the '香至-Kingdom' corresponds get on to the old capital 'Kanchipuram'."

Acharya Raghu, creepycrawly his work 'Bodhidharma Retold', used tidy combination of multiple factors to categorize Bodhidharma from the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India, specifically reach the geography around Mt. Sailum skin modern day Srisailam.^[82]

The Pakistani scholar Ahmad Hasan Dani speculated that according give popular accounts in Pakistan's northwest, Bodhidharma may be from the region nearly the Peshawar valley, or possibly haunt modern Afghanistan's eastern border with Pakistan.