After Shakyamuni buddha, the lineages of his buddha teachings
continued on….
Da Mo . . .
The Indian Buddhist monk Da Mo Or as he is also known, Bodhidharma,
Bodhitara, P’u-t’i Ta-mo, Ta-mo, Bodai Daruma, and Daruma to
mention a few of his names…
“The essence of the Way is detachment. And the goal of those who
practice is freedom from appearances.” Taken from Bodhidharma’s
Wake-Up Sermon as translated by Red Pine.
Bodhidharma was born around 440 A.D. in Kanchi, the capital of
the Southern Indian kingdom of Pallava. He was a Brahman by birth,
the third child of King Sugandha, was a member of the Kshatriya or
warrior caste, and had his childhood in Conjeeveram (also
Kanchipuram or Kancheepuram), a Buddhist province south of Madras.
He received his religious training from the Dhyana Master
Prajnatara, and was considered very wise in the way of Dhyana or
Zen practices.
Da Mo is said to also have been proficient in Kalaripayat (an
ancient karate-like art that was influenced itself by vajramushti)
which while including some weaponry included weaponless forms that
were practiced in conjunction with the controlled breathing
techniques of pranayama. Pranayama is part of the “Eightfold Path
of Discipline” in Astanga yoga.
In most of East Asia, today, Da Mo is revered as the spiritual
father of Zen Buddhism, having been the twenty-eighth patriarch
after Sakyamuni (the historic Buddha) and the first patriarch of
Zen Buddhism in China. He started what eventually became the Ch’an
school of Buddhism in China. He is also the founder of a weaponless
fighting art that was the precursor of modern-day martial arts.
During the Chinese Southern Liang dynasty [502-557 A.D.] the
Emperor Liang Wu invited the Buddhist monk Da Mo to preach Buddhism
in China. Da Mo arrived in China around 520 A.D., although accounts
have it that he arrived during the Sung dynasty (420-479 A.D.), and
eventually met Emperor Wu at Chin-ling (now Nanking).
When Da Mo met Emperor Wu, the Emperor asked, “What is the holy
ultimate truth?” Da Mo answered, “It is Emptiness itself and there
is nothing holy.” “Who then is the one who at present stands
confronting me,” responded the Emperor? “I do not know (fushiki,
pu-shih)!” was Da Mo’s response. This now-famous
question-and-answer dialogue “I know not,” is considered a reverent
allegory for explaining specific Zen tenets.
http://www.waltsdorsai.net/damo.htm
