PART 2 | Who Was Bodhidharma?
“If you can realize this directly, only then can you participate with the masters.”
—Wumen Huikai, The Gateless Gate (無門關), Case 1 Commentary
Who Was Bodhidharma?
Bodhidharma is one of the most iconic and mysterious figures in the history of Zen. He is traditionally regarded as the First Patriarch of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in China, yet much of what is popularly known about him comes from legend and myth. Stories abound: that he meditated facing a cave wall for nine years, that he severed his own eyelids to stay awake, that he founded Shaolin martial arts. But what do we actually know about Bodhidharma based on historical evidence?
A Brief Historical Overview
While the mythical aura surrounding Bodhidharma is vast, the historically grounded facts are few. He is believed to have come from India or Persia and arrived in China sometime in the 5th or 6th century. The earliest historical reference to Bodhidharma appears in the Record of the Buddhist Monasteries of Luoyang (Luoyang Jialan Ji, 洛陽伽藍記), compiled in 547 CE by Yang Xuanzhi. This account describes a mysterious foreign monk from Persia who arrived in Luoyang, praised the towering Yongning Monastery, and claimed to be 150 years old, having traveled through many lands—including the Buddha-lands themselves—before departing. Scholars generally identify this figure as Bodhidharma (Yang Xuanzhi, in Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, eds., Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1, trans. Burton Watson, New York: Columbia University Press, 1999, pp. 433–435).
The next most important source is Daoxuan's Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks (Xu Gaoseng Zhuan, 續高僧傳), compiled around 645 CE. This source offers the first biographical account that names Bodhidharma explicitly, describing him as a Brahmin from southern India with great spiritual insight and a dedication to Mahāyāna teachings. According to this text, Bodhidharma traveled from southern China to the north, where he taught a distinctive style of Buddhist practice centered on meditation and insight, which would later be called Chan. While still brief, this account is widely accepted as a more historically reliable source, as it presents Bodhidharma in a grounded, human manner and avoids many of the more fantastical elements found in later texts.
Original Chinese Text and Line-by-Line Translation (from Xu Gaoseng Zhuan)
菩提達摩，南天竹婆羅門種。
Bodhidharma, of Brahmin stock from southern India.
神慧疏朗，聞皆曉悟。
His divine insight was clear and radiant; all who heard him were swiftly awakened.
志存大乘，處心虛寂。
He aspired to the Mahāyāna, with a mind set in profound stillness.
通微徹數。定學高之。
He penetrated subtle teachings and calculations; his training in samādhi was exalted.
悲此邊隅，以法相導。
Compassionate toward this borderland, he used the Dharma to lead others.
初達宋境南越，末又北度至魏。
He first arrived in the Southern Song region (Nanyue), later crossing north to Wei.
隨其所止，訓以禪教。
Wherever he stayed, he instructed others in the Chan teaching.
於時合國盛弘講授，乍聞定法，多生議謝。
At that time, the country flourished with public lectures; when his samādhi methods were first heard, they drew much criticism and rejection.
有道育、慧可，此二沙門，年雖在後，而銳志高遠。
There were two monks, Daoyou and Huike; although younger, their determination was lofty and far-reaching.
初逢法將，知道有歸，岌親事之，經四五輩，給供課接，感其精誠，訓以真法。
Upon first meeting this Dharma general, they recognized the path and sought him out. After four or five years of attending to him and serving faithfully, he was moved by their sincerity and taught them the true Dharma.
如是孝心，說壁觀也；如是發行，說四法也。
Such devoted intention is called "wall-gazing"; such conduct is described as "the four practices."
如是順物，教護議嫌；如是方便，教令不著。
Such adaptation to conditions teaches defense against criticism; such skillful means teaches non-attachment.
Citation: Daoxuan 道宣. Xu Gaoseng Zhuan (續高僧傳), T2061, Vol. 50, in Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō, eds. Junjiro Takakusu and Kaikyoku Watanabe. Tokyo: Taishō Issaikyō Kankōkai, 1924–1932.
Commentary: What Does Mahāyāna Mean in This Context?
The term Mahāyāna is from Sanskrit, composed of:
mahā (मह): “great”
yāna (यान): “vehicle,” “path,” or “means of going”
One early formulation appears in Sanskrit in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra:
mahāyānam nāma sarvasattvānām anuttarāṃ samyaksaṃbodhim abhiprapadyate iti
mahāyānam = the great vehicle
nāma = is called
sarvasattvānām = (for) all beings
anuttarām samyaksaṃbodhim = unsurpassed complete awakening
abhiprapadyate = (it) aims toward, approaches
iti = thus, therefore
Translation: “It is called the Great Vehicle because it aims at the unsurpassed complete awakening of all beings.”
(Sanskrit source: Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, Sanskrit fragment and T220, cf. Edward Conze, The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom, University of California Press, 1975, p. 216)
In this context, the phrase from Xu Gaoseng Zhuan—“志存大乘”—can be understood as: “his will rested on Mahāyāna,” indicating Bodhidharma’s aspiration to a path oriented toward universal liberation, not limited to personal nirvāṇa but embracing the awakening of all beings.
Commentary: What Does Samādhi Mean in This Context?
The term samādhi is from Sanskrit (समाधि), composed of:
sam = together, completely
ā = toward
dhā = to place, to hold
Thus, samādhi means “bringing together,” “unifying,” or “placing the mind fully.”
A clear Pāli expression is found in the Visuddhimagga (Vism. IV.1):
samādhissa lakkhaṇaṃ ekaggatā cittassa
samādhissa = of samādhi
lakkhaṇaṃ = characteristic
ekaggatā = one-pointedness
cittassa = of the mind
Translation: “The characteristic of samādhi is the one-pointedness of mind.”
(Pāli source: Visuddhimagga, Buddhaghosa, trans. Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 2010, p. 84)
In Xu Gaoseng Zhuan, the phrase “定學高之” may be interpreted as “his samādhi-learning was of the highest order.” This refers not merely to concentration, but to a profound stabilization of mind—calm, clear, unwavering. For Bodhidharma, this is the context in which the nature of mind reveals itself.
Commentary: What Does Dharma Mean in This Context?
The term Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म; Pāli: Dhamma) has a wide range of meanings depending on context. It can refer to law, truth, teaching, phenomena, or the path. In early Indian texts, it often denotes the underlying law of reality or the teachings of the Buddha.
A classical Sanskrit definition appears in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā of Nāgārjuna:
na svato nāpi parato na dvābhyām nāpy ahetutaḥ
dharmāṇāṃ utpattiḥ asti iti ucyate
“It is said that dharmas do not arise from themselves, from another, from both, or without cause.”
(Nāgārjuna, MMK I:1, Sanskrit edition by La Vallée Poussin, 1913)
Here, dharma refers to individual phenomena or experiential constituents, emphasizing the interdependent and empty nature of all things.
In the context of Xu Gaoseng Zhuan, where it is said “以法相導” (“he used the Dharma to guide”), the term 法 (fa) is the Chinese translation of dharma and suggests the use of right teaching and wisdom—rooted in direct realization rather than scripture or dogma—as a means of spiritual guidance. Bodhidharma’s “true Dharma” (真法) implies not a set of doctrines, but a direct pointing to the nature of mind itself.
What Comes Next?
While later sources expand on Bodhidharma’s life in imaginative and colorful ways, the earliest references paint a simpler, more human picture: a foreign monk devoted to deep meditation and the transmission of Mahāyāna wisdom. In future blog posts, we will explore these later sources—including the Record of the Dharma-Jewel Through the Generations (Lidai Fabao Ji, 歷代法寶記), Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices (Erru Sixing Lun, 二入四行論), Record of the Transmission of the Lamp (Jingde Chuandeng Lu, 景德傳燈錄) and legendary koans—to understand how myth and memory transformed Bodhidharma from a traveling monk into a Zen patriarch shrouded in legend.
Stay tuned for more Zen History about Bodhidharma.
Thank you for reading. I hope these explorations support your practice and offer something of value along the way.
In the near future, I plan to explore the origins of Zen in India, more on Bodhidharma, the Four Statements, the origins of Zen in India, the origin of the word Zen (dhyāna) and the teachings of several influential Zen Masters from China. If there are other topics you’d like to see covered in future articles, feel free to send us an email —I’d love to hear from you.
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