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Shaolin Temple.
Buddhbhadra or Ba Tuo was an Indian monk who went to China in 495 AD to teach Xiao Sheng Buddhism,
a form of Buddhism. Emperor Shao Wen gave the monk some land at the foot of Shaoshi mountain and it
was on this land that Ba Tuo founded the Shaolin Temple.
Emperor Wu ruled the southern kingdom of China and invited Bodhidharma to his palace. The emperor
talked to Bodhidharma about Buddhism. The emperor was hoping to receive praise from Bodhidharma but
his negative response enraged Wu who ordered Bodhidharma to leave and never return.
Bodhidharma smiled and left.
Shen Guang followed Bodhidharma for 13 years before Bodhidharma agreed to teach him.
Shaolin monks invited Bodhidharma to stay at the temple but Bodhidharma did not reply and went to a cave
on a mountain behind the Shaolin Temple and began meditating facing a wall in the cave. He meditated for
nine long years as Shen Guang stayed outside the cave as a guard. Both Shen Guang and Shaolin monks
would request Bodhidharma to teach them and stay at the temple but he never responded.
Bodhidharma agreed to teach Shen Guang only when red snow fell from the sky.
By the end of the fourth year, Shen Guang had been following Bodhidharma for thirteen years and had
become very angry. He picked up a large block of snow and hurled inside Bodhidharma’s room breaking his
meditation. Shen Guang demanded to know when Bodhidharma would teach him to which the monk replied
when red snow will fall from the sky.
Shen Guang cut off his left arm with his own sword and whirled the severed arm around. The blood from the
arm froze in the cold and fell like red snow and hence Bodhidharma agreed to teach Shen Guang.
The Drum Mountain in front of the Shaolin Temple is flat on top. Each year Bodhidharma would dig a well
with a monk’s spade on the Drum Mountain and asked Shen Guang to use that water for all his needs. In
first year, the water was bitter. In second year, the water was spicy, the third year water was sour and in the
fourth year, the water was sweet. It made Shen Guang realise that water represents phases of life.
Without saying anything, Bodhidharma taught Shen Guang important lessons of mind-to-mind and heart-to-
heart way of learning. This communication is called the ‘action language’ and is the foundation of Chan
Buddhism that Bodhidharma taught at Shaolin temple.
Shen Guang was given the name Hui Ke and became the abbot of Shaolin Temple after Bodhidharma. The
disciples and monks of the Shaolin Temple still greet each other using their right hand only to pay respect
for the sacrifice Hui Ke made.
Bodhidharma introduced boxing in monastery as a form of exercise for Shaolin monks. He initially taught
the monks in the ancient Indian style of armless combat which mainly used punching and fist techniques
called as Vajramusthi which the prince Bodhidharma had learned in India. This technique is the basis of
Shaolin style of fist fighting – Chuan-fa (way of fist).
Kung Fu.
The ground rules of martial arts were laid down by Bodhidharma. He said it should never be used to hurt or
injure needlessly. Bodhidharma’s fighting techniques were formalised into a martial art style known as
Lohan (Priest-Scholar) that contained 18 positions and hand movements and was the basis of Shaolin Arts
and Chinese Temple Boxing.
The 18 positions were improvised and enhanced to 170 by two Shaolin monks, Ch’ueh Yuan and Li-shao
and are the basis of Kung Fu which probably is the best known of all Asian unarmed martial arts.
The imaginations of Samurai warriors were stimulated with Bodhidharma’s concept of spiritual, intellectual
and physical enlightenment. They made Zen their way of life and Daruma (Dharma – name for
Bodhidharma) for them was a legend.
Bodhidharma is a popular icon of Japanese culture, folklore, and politics. The Daruma doll with its wide
open eyes and lack of legs (Bodhidharma’s legs seemingly withered away because of his constant sitting
position while meditating) which depicts Bodhidharma seated in meditation is one of the most popular
talismans for good luck. The doll when knocked on its side, pops back up to its upright position symbolising
perseverance in life (nana korobi ya oki – falling seven times and rising the eight-time).