菩提达摩
Bodhidharma
Zen Buddhism · personBodhidharma (菩提达摩, c. 5th–6th century CE) was a Buddhist monk traditionally credited as the founder of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in China. According to tradition, he was a South Indian prince who traveled to China and taught a direct, mind-to-mind transmission of Buddhism outside the scriptures. He is associated with the Shaolin Temple, wall-gazing meditation (biguān, 壁观), and the key Zen insight that awakening is seeing one's own nature.
What Are the Key Facts About Bodhidharma?
- Tradition: Zen Buddhism
- Chinese: 菩提达摩
- Category: Person
- Definition: Bodhidharma (菩提达摩, c.
What Concepts Are Related to Bodhidharma?
Zazen 坐禅What Other Guides Cover Zen Buddhism?
Frequently Asked Questions About Bodhidharma
Who was Bodhidharma in Chan Buddhism?
Bodhidharma is an Indian monk who became a major figure in the traditional story of Chan Buddhism’s transmission to China. The familiar account presents him as a lineage teacher who arrived in China and taught Huike, but modern scholarship treats many details of this origin story as later constructions rather than secure biography.
What are Bodhidharma’s two approaches to Buddhist practice?
In texts attributed to Bodhidharma, the two entrances are often described as principle (li, 理) and practice (xing, 行). Principle points to recognizing the same true nature of sentient beings; practice means embodying that recognition through conduct such as responding to conditions, seeking nothing, and making good on wrongs. These formulations belong to early Chan textual traditions and should not be presented as a verbatim biography.
Why is Bodhidharma important?
Bodhidharma is important because the traditional lineage story gives Chan a figure for its emphasis on direct practice and transmission. The historical record is layered: the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes that the established origin story contains later inventions, while also discussing early texts attributed to Bodhidharma and their principle/practice distinction. His importance is therefore both historical and interpretive, not a license to treat every legend as fact.