Ta-Mo -- Bodhidharma -- Father of Kung Fu Karate

'Ta-Mo'-Bodhidharma

Patriarch of Zen Buddhism

Ch'an Buddhism, another major school of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, came about as a result of the historical visit to China by the great Indian sage, Bodhidharma, who arrived at Canton in 520 AD. Chan is the Chinese equivalent for the Sanskrit word 'Dhyana', meaning meditation. Ch'an Buddhism therefore requires its adherents to practice strict and deep meditative practices which cut off intellectualism. This sometimes leads one to believe that it is quite similar to Pure Land practice which also does away with intellectual knowledge and teaches its followers to put their full faith in the Buddha Amitabha for salvation, although it is not, for Ch'an Buddhism is no 'easy-path'. It requires self power or effort to reach salvation and does not rely on any Buddha for help to attain full enlightenment. However, both schools became just as popular to the Chinese and then to the Japanese by the twelveth century. In Japan it is known as Zen Buddhism and the two major schools arising from it being that of Rinzai (Lin-Chi) and Soto (Tsao-tung) which differ only in their methods of approach towards enlightenment.

Bodhidharma (AD 470-543) the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism was also the 1st Patriarch of the Ch'an Buddhism, the school which he founded in China. His teaching was handed on in succession by what is known as 'mind-transmission' to a number of Patriarchs, the most famous of whom was Hui-neng (AD 637-713), the Sixth Patriarch.

Upon his arrival to China, Bodhidharma was summoned to court by Emperor Wu-ti of the Liang Dynasty, who was an ardent Buddhist and prided himself on his great support for the Buddhist religion. Proud of his knowledge in Buddhism and the contributions he had made towards the Sangha, he asked the sage 'how much merit he had gained'.

"No merit whatsoever" was the shocking reply of Bodhidharma. The Emperor had often heard teachings from well-known masters who said, "Do good, and you will receive good; do bad and you will receive bad. The Law of Karma is unchangeable, effects follow causes as shadows follow figures" but now this sage declared that he had earned no merit at all. The Emperor was thoroughly perplexed. 

Why did Bodhidharma reply the way he did? Perhaps he was trying to say, in a few words, that if one does good with the desire to gain merit for oneself, that is no longer a Buddhist practice. It will mean that one is not really practising the Dharma but more towards satisfying one's own ego, or promoting one's own welfare, or even for the sake of being recognised and appreciated. In this case how could there be any merit in such acts at all? And, being a Zen master, words were not to be wasted, so he answered,"No merit whatsoever."

The Emperor, taken aback, then asked the next question, "What then, is the essence of Buddhism?"

Bodhidharma's immediate reply was, "Vast emptiness and no essence at all!" This stunned the Emperor as he could not grasp the deep meaning of 'no essence at all' in the Buddha's teaching. Other masters had taken great pains to explain that the essence was contained in the doctrines such as 'Cause and Effect, the Four Noble Truths,the Bodhisattva Ideals, etc', but this so called great patriarch of Buddhism had just declared that there was 'no essence at all'.

The Emperor then put his final question, "Since you say that in Buddhism all things have no essence, who then is speaking before me now?" Bodhidharma replied "I do not know." The Emperor was taken aback, for he could not understand what Bodhidharma meant.

The thoroughly confused Emperor then dismissed the sage from the court and thus, China had its first taste of Ch'an teaching.

Thereafter, Bodhidharma, left to himself, reflected, 'Since a learned and great scholar such as the Emperor was not able to understand what I am trying to impart perhaps the conditions are not ripe enough for me to teach yet...' He then retired to a cave in the famous Shao Lin Temple where he sat in deep contemplation, facing a wall, for some nine years, waiting for the time when his teachings could be understood and accepted by the people.

Bodhidharma came to China to give his special teaching which can be said to be contained in this verse:

"A special transmission outside the Scriptures;

No dependence upon words or letters;

Direct pointing to the mind of man;

Seeing into one's own nature."

Bodhidharma then lived in China for some fifty years, teaching when the occasion arose and using the Lankavatara scripture in his teachings. He was succeeded by Hui K'e (AD 486-593) as the second patriarch while Seng T'san (died 606), Tao-Hsin (580-651), Hung Jen (602-675) and Hui Neng (638-713), became the third, fourth, fifth and sixth patriarch respectively. It was Hui Neng, the illiterate woodcutter, who eventually made Ch'an flourish in China as never before.
It may be interesting to remark here that after Bodhidharma's departure, Emperor Wu discussed the incident with his spiritual teacher, Master Chih, who asked him; "Does your majesty know who this man is?... This is the Mahasattva Avalokitesvara transmitting the Buddha Mind Seal..." This made the Emperor filled with regret for having sent him out of the court. Years later; upon learning of the death of the sage, he mourned deeply and then wrote an inscription to pay his tribute to the great Patriarch which read:

"Alas! I saw him without seeing him;

I met him without meeting him;

I encountered him without encountering him;

Now as before I regret this deeply!"

Bodhidharma has a large following of devoted followers and his festive day falls on the 5th day of the 10th lunar month of the year. He is often depicted as a travelling monk, or in a meditative posture, or standing on top of a reed which carried him across a river, a feat which led people to have faith in his power as an Arhant or Lohan, the Chinese term for an Immortal. According to the Chinese tradition, Bodhidharma is one of the famous 18 immortals who has a great affinity with mankind. This group of Lohans are generally found in many temples and they are represented as possessing various kinds of supernatural power, symbolised either by the wild animals crouching submissively beside them and/or the special objects that are associated with them. Although the Lohans are a step below the rank of a Bodhisattva, they are Enlightened Beings who deserve our reverence.

Bodhidharma or Ta Mo is venerated for being the founder of the Great Contemplative School of Ch'an or Zen by the Buddhists, and others, for his protective powers or as the great Sage of Shaolin Temple.