Kung-Fu, Tea and Zen

Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk, credited with bringing Zen-Buddhism to China. Zen Buddhism is a school of Mahayana Buddhism popular in China and Japan. Derived from the word “dhyan” which means meditation in Sanskrit, it was later transliterated to “Chan” in china and “Zen” in Japan. Bodhidharma is considered the first Zen patriarch in China and 28th Patriarch of Indian Buddhism. He was born around 440 AD at Kanchi, in south India, in the royal family of Pallava dynasty. As the prince and heir to the throne, he was expected to follow his father’s footsteps and become the king. However, in his youth he encountered Buddha’s teachings and decided to renounce the kingdom and devote his life to their study. His father objected, but he offered to change his mind only if his father could save him from death. Having no way out, his father obliged. He studied Buddhism under his teacher prajnatara, who was 27th patriarch and a woman. In due time Prajnatara asked him to go to China and spread the teachings there, since Buddhism had started to die out there, and the Chinese emperor had asked the Indian Sangha to send an enlightened master.After a long and particularly arduous journey across both land and sea, he reached south China by ship in 475. Upon his arrival in Guangzhou and thence to the capital Nanjing, Emperor Wu-Ti, who had done much for revival and spread of Buddhism in china, asked for an audience with him. The meeting is most remarkable for the dialogue that ensued between them. Emperor Wu started by asking him “what merit have I incurred by his building many Buddhist temples and monasteries, translating scripture and supporting countless monks and nuns”. Bodhidharma replied “none whatsoever”. The Emperor was taken aback but persisted with his next question. He asked “What is the essence of Buddhism”. The reply was, “Vast emptiness and no essence”. This made the emperor angry and now losing all patience he asked, “Just who do you think you are”. “I don’t know”, Bodhidharma replied.Having been unable to impress the Emperor much, bodhidharma left the palace and crossing the Yangtzu River moved north to reach the Shaolin monastery (yes the same one of Bruce Lee films) in Ho Lan province. The monks initially refused him admission and he spent nine years meditating in a nearby cave. Later when the monastery admitted him, he noticed that years of sedentary lifestyle of copying scrolls had made the monks physically weak. He devised a regimen of martial arts from the synthesis of Indian forms like kalaprayat and Chinese fighting style of five animals, and taught these to the monks. These from later evolved in modern martial arts, which are known today by names of kung fu and tai chi chuan. Even today, Shaolin monastery is visited by students from all over the world and is considered as one of the foremost school for martial arts. Another apocryphal story attributes him with bringing tea to China. It is said that one day he got so upset at falling asleep while meditating and cut his eyelids in anger. Tea bushes sprung up from where the eyelashes fell. Even this story may have a certain symbolism, since the monks in ancient times did use tea many times for helping in wakefulness, a use that we make of tea even to this day.During his lifetime, he was able to make only four disciples. Among the four, his first disciple, Hui Ke, who cut of his hand to show his determination, before being taken by bodhidharma as a disciple, became his successor. Another strange legend is associated with his death. It is said that after a couple of years of his death, a government official reported seeing him in the Himalayas with a staff and from which hung a single sandal, and he told the official that he was on his way back to India. When this story reached Shaolin monastery, the monks decided to open his tomb. Inside they found only a single sandal.
And even though I so impressed by bodhidharma, I know what Colonel would say on reading this piece. "If only he were credited for inventing tomato soup instead of tea ....."