Today is October 29, 2022, Saturday, the fifth day of the tenth lunar month, an important festival in Buddhism. The Christmas Day of the first ancestor of Zen Buddhism, Master Bodhidharma, was said to have arrived at Zhendan, which is the land of China under the instructions of h

Today is October 29, 2022, Saturday, the fifth day of the tenth lunar month, an important festival in Buddhism. The Christmas Day of the first ancestor of Zen Buddhism, the first ancestor of Zen Buddhism, Master Bodhidharma . It is said that in 528 AD, Master Bodhidharma , under the instructions of his master, arrived in Zhendan, which is the land of China. At that time, it was the Liang Dynasty in China. He talked with Emperor Wu of Liang and then transferred to the Northern Wei Dynasty. He faced the wall for 9 years in the back mountain of Shaolin Temple in Songshan, and finally achieved great success. He was considered by later generations to be the ancestor of Zen Buddhism in and the 28th ancestor of Zen Buddhism in India.

There are many stories and legends about Bodhidharma . Today I will share with you a few household stories. Master Bodhidharma was the third prince of South India in ancient times. Because he estimated the sufferings of the people, he saw through the world, became a monk and practiced Taoism, and finally achieved the right result. He was called the Twenty-Eighth Patriarch of Zen.

. Bodhidharma East

Zhendan Building , the word Zhendan means sunrise in the east, meaning China. More than 1,500 years ago, Bodhidharma asked his master for advice: "Where should I spread the Dharma after I obtain the Dharma?" Venerable Prajna Tara said: "You should go to Zhendan to spread the Dharma (China).". Later, Bodhidharma followed the instructions of his master and went to China to preach.

2. Interview with Liang Wu

After Bodhidharma came to China, the first person to arrive was the Liang Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties . It happened that Emperor Wu of Liang was also a person who believed in Buddhism, so he was treated by Emperor Wu of Liang. However, the conversation between the two was not pleasant, and later the founder of Bodhidharma left the Liang Dynasty and went to the Northern Wei Dynasty.

3. One Reed Crossing the River

It is precisely because Emperor Wu of Liang and the ancestor Bodhidharma did not have a smooth conversation that the ancestor Bodhidharma left Liang Kingdom and went to the Northern Wei Dynasty, and there was the story of " Yi Reed Crossing the River ". The general meaning of this story is that Master Bodhidharma went to the Northern Wei Dynasty and was blocked by the Yangtze River . He then broke a reed by the river and then rode the reeds across the Yangtze River. In my opinion, it is also to show the Northern Wei Dynasty a skill so that the Northern Wei emperors can treat each other with courtesy.

4. Nine years of facing the wall

After the founder of Bodhidharma arrived in the Northern Wei Dynasty, he was indeed treated as a courtesy from the Emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty. However, in order to practice, Master Bodhidharma sat facing the wall in the cave in the back mountain of Shaolin Temple in Songshan at that time. This practice lasted for nine years, without eating, drinking, or speaking. Others called him "Biguan Brahmin".

5. Broken arm stands snow

Bodhidharma came to China to find a disciple who could spread Buddhism. Although there were many disciples discussing sutras and treating Taoism with Bodhidharma at that time, no one could truly realize the truth. Later, a monk named Shenguang came to ask for help. In order to show his piety, he stood in front of the cave of Master Bodhidharma for three days in front of Feixue, and cut off his left arm to show sincerity. Later, Bodhidharma accepted him as his disciple and gave him the name Huike , which was called the second ancestor of Chinese Zen Buddhism.

6. Only walking in the west

It is said that the founder of Bodhidharma passed away in the second year of Emperor Wu of Liang at the age of 150. Three years after Bodhidharma passed away, Song Yun, the envoy of Eastern Wei, saw Bodhidharma leaning on a Zen stick and carrying a shoe barefoot from east to west on his way back to Kyoto, and Song Yun asked, "Master, where are you going?" Bodhidharma replied, "I'll go to the west." After Song Yun returned to the country, he talked about this with everyone, and everyone felt something was strange, so he opened the coffin of Master Bodhidharma and found that there was only one shoe inside. Until now, there is a "Bodhidharma only walks on the west and returns to the earth" in the stele corridor of Shaolin Temple.