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Buddhism

The Examination Of The Notion Of Self
The belief in immortality is based on the strong instinct of ...

Missionary Activity Of The Sixth Patriarch
As we have seen above, the Sixth Patriarch was a great genius...

Man Is Good-natured According To Mencius
Oriental scholars, especially the Chinese men of letters, see...

The Eternal Life As Taught By Professor Munsterberg
Some philosophical pessimists undervalue life simply because ...

Bodhidharma And The Emperor Wu
No sooner had Bodhidharma landed at Kwang Cheu in Southern Ch...

The Introduction Of The So-to School Of Zen
This school was started by Tsing-Yuen (Sei-gen), an emine...

Life Change And Hope
The doctrine of Transcience never drives us to the pessimisti...

The World Is In The Making
Our assertion is far from assuming that life is now complete,...

How To Worship Buddha
The author of Vimalakirtti-nirdeca-sutra well explains our at...

Difficulties Are No Match For The Optimist
How can we suppose that we, the children of Buddha, are put a...

There Is No Mortal Who Is Purely Moral
By nature man should be either good or bad; or he should be g...

No Need Of The Scriptural Authority For Zen
Some Occidental scholars erroneously identify Buddhism with t...

Idealism Is A Potent Medicine For Self-created Mental Disease
In so far as Buddhist idealism refers to the world of sense, ...

The Development Of The Southern And Of The Northern School Of Zen
After the death of the Fifth Patriarch the venerable Shang Si...

Zen After The Restoration
After the Restoration of the Mei-ji (1867) the popularity of ...

The Next Step In The Mental Training
In the next place we have to strive to be the master of our b...

Nature Is The Mother Of All Things
Furthermore, man has come into existence out of Nature. He i...

Retribution In The Past The Present And The Future Life
Then a question suggests itself: If there be no soul that sur...

The Breathing Exercise Of The Yogi
Breathing exercise is one of the practices of Yoga, and somew...

Nature And Her Lesson
Nature offers us nectar and ambrosia every day, and everywher...

Introduction Of Zen Into China By Bodhidharma

An epoch-making event took place in the Buddhist history of China by
Bodhidharma's coming over from Southern India to that country in
about A.D. 520. It was the introduction, not of the dead
scriptures, as was repeatedly done before him, but of a living faith,
not of any theoretical doctrine, but of practical Enlightenment, not
of the relies of Buddha, but of the Spirit of Shakya Muni; so that
Bodhidharma's position as a representative of Zen was unique. He
was, however, not a missionary to be favourably received by the
public. He seems to have behaved in a way quite opposite to that in
which a modern pastor treats his flock. We imagine him to have been
a religious teacher entirely different in every point from a popular
Christian missionary of our age. The latter would smile or try to
smile at every face he happens to see and would talk sociably; while
the former would not smile at any face, but would stare at it with
the large glaring eyes that penetrated to the innermost soul. The
latter would keep himself scrupulously clean, shaving, combing,
brushing, polishing, oiling, perfuming, while the former would be
entirely indifferent to his apparel, being always clad in a faded
yellow robe. The latter would compose his sermon with a great care,
making use of rhetorical art, and speak with force and elegance;
while the former would sit as absolutely silent as the bear, and kick
one off, if one should approach him with idle questions.

Buddhist historians differ in opinion respecting the date of
Bodhidharma's appearance in China. Compare Chwen Fah Chan Tsung Lun
(Den bo sho ju ron) and Hwui Yuen (E-gen).

Next: Bodhidharma And The Emperor Wu
Previous: Origin Of Zen In India

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