Unveiling the secrets of Bodhidharma

The evolution of Asian martial arts as they are known today is thought

to have originated around 500 AD, when an Indian Buddhist monk named 

Bodhidharma arrived in China.  Legend has it that he taught Indian

fighting exercises to the Chinese monks in order to improve their

physical condition.  All forms of Kung-Fu is believed to have evolved

from this.

Travelling to China

Bodhidharma, the third son of a local king and therefore a member of the

caste of warriors and rulers,  arrived in China in 520, although there

are historical indications that he may have arrived in 470, or even as

early as 420.  

Some say he travelled by sea, risking his life over the towering waves,

from Madras in southern India to Guangzhou and then by land to Nanjing. 

Other scholars believe that he walked a well-beaten trail over the

Pamir Plateau, across the desert and along the Yellow River to Luoyang,

the provincial capital and center of Chinese Buddhist culture.  

Teachings of Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma taught his brand of 'dhyana meditation' to monks at the

temple, but found that they did not possess the necessary stamina.  They

were so weak that they tended to fall asleep during meditation

lessons.  In order to strengthen their 'flaccid and emaciated  bodies'

he instituted calisthenics, breathing exercises and Indian fighting

exercises.

Bodhidharma (Taishi daruma in Japanese)

Bodhidharma  eventually became revered as the founder of Zen Buddhism. 

Whether his legends hold an element of truth, or are the products of

later Zen scholars attempting to flesh out a believable patriarch, he

remains a prime symbol of will-power, determination and self-discipline

that are essential to success in the martial arts.  

Bodhidharma’s example of the master-student relationship for teaching

the way to enlightenment also endures today throughout the martial

arts.  Consequently, though the hard evidence for his existence and his

martial arts contributions is entirely lacking, he is still widely and

beneficially accepted as the Father of the Asian Martial Arts.

R Shree Varadan is a class VIII student at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket school