The Martial Arts have a proud and glorious history. Our ancient legacy, fascinating and enduring exists with us today through we who are adherents to the Arts as teachers and pupils. The words and works of our ancestors have become signs and examples to people of our modern age so that we of the present may view what happened to other folk and take heed; so that we may pursue the annals of ancient peoples and read about everything they have experienced and thereby be guided and restrained. Their legacy has been passed on to us. Verily the histories of the past have become an admonition for our own time.
The Legend of Bodhidharma
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties (Nan Pei Chao), the main regime began attacking the central areas of China. This created an increased interest in religious study. Consequently many religious figures entered the country. One in particular was Bodhidharma.
Bodhidharma is an obscure figure in the history of Buddhism. The principle sources for our knowledge of the man are Biographies of the High Priests by Priest Tao-Hsuan (654 AD) and The Records and Transmission of the Lamp by Priest Tao-Yuan (1004 AD).
Bodhidharma was born Bodhitara, the third child of King Sugandha of Southern India. Born into the Warrior Caste he spent his childhood years in Conjeeveram, the small Buddhist province south of Madras. He received his training in Buddhist meditation from the Master, Prajnatara, who was responsible for changing the young disciple's name to Bodhitara to Bodhidharma.
Bodhidharma was an excellent pupil and soon surpassed his fellow students. By middle age he was already considered a Buddhist Master. When Prajnatara died, Bodhidharma set sail for China. Two reasons are given for this. It was a deathbed wish from his master, Prajnatara; or Bodhidharma heard of the religious interests in China and was saddened by the decline of true Buddhist philosophies there.
Biographies of the High Priests states that Bodhidharma first arrived in China during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420 - 581 AD) and later traveled north to the Kingdom of Wei. He sojourned for a time at the Yung-Ning Temple at Lo-Yang where he made the acquaintance of a Buddhist novice named Seng-Fu who joined Bodhidharma's following and subsequently was ordained by Bodhidharma and became his disciple. The two left Yung-Ning Temple and traveled south where Seng-Fu died at the age of 61 years.
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