Mr. Dharma, the founder of and the first generation-master of Chinese Zen.

Writer: Tao Qing Hsu

A legend person who lived 150 years

The name of Mr. Dharma in Sanskrit is बोधिधर्म and is named as Bodhidharma, who is born in south India about the year A.D. 382 and is dead in China about the year A.D. 535. According to the records, documents and the legend, he is a Buddhist monk and has the life for 150 years. When he is young, he is a prince and educated well by his family of Royal. When he arrives in China and begins to transmit the Zen-Law, it is the 67 years after the death of his teacher of Zen in India.

Therefore, we can speculate that he is already over 80 years old when he arrives in China. At that time, the average life expectancy of humans is less than 50 years. Mr. Dharma is indeed a longevity person. But, do you know why he lives so long? There are some stories about him and the documents recorded by his oral teachings, which can make us know why he lives so long.

It is not easy to understand Mr. Dharma's oral teachings.

His oral teachings are very valuable and important for us and could help us solve our puzzle in learning Buddha. To understand his oral teachings, we must have the basic concept and experience in practicing the Buddha’s teaching. However, if we want to realize his oral teachings, we even have to own the profound concept of Buddhism and deeply experience in learning Buddha.

Even though those who have the basic concept and experience in practicing the Buddha’s teaching, they may be unable to understand what Mr. Dharma has talked about and what he has taught. That is also why his oral teachings are unable to be spread widely in the environment of Buddhism in the history.

The wise is always alone.

Do you know? It is not easy to be a founder and transmitter of Zen in the oversea. Meanwhile, it is very lonely to experience the process of Zen-transmitting, because no one could understand what Mr. Dharma is doing and what is the purpose. Secondly, it is also not easy to find the like-minded people who are willing to follow him. But, why he wants to do that? It is because that he is authorized by his teacher to come with a mission.

The Chinese Emperor Liang Wu who devotes himself in Buddhism

When Mr. Dharma takes a boat and comes in China, he meets the Emperor Liang Wu, who believes in Buddhism and supports the Buddha’s teaching a lot. But, it ’s a pity that the Emperor Liang Wu doesn't know what Zen is. The Emperor Liang Wu is good at the poems and martial arts. He has ever been the Buddhist monk and is a vegan.

When he becomes the Emperor, he devotes himself in Buddhism, spends a lot of money to support the collation of literature, history and Buddhism. Meanwhile, he supports to build temples and statues of Buddhism, to copy scriptures and to offer things to numberless Buddhist monks (or nuns).

The wonderful conversation about merit in Buddhism

When he knows that Mr. Dharma learns Buddhism well, he asks him, "How much merit did I do for these things?" Mr. Dharma says, "No merit." The Emperor Liang Wu asks, "Why is there no merit?" Mr. Dharma says, "These things are the doing things, which are belonged to the blessing effect and repaying of human and heaven. It ’s not a real merit. ” The Emperor Liang Wu asks,“ How is the true merit? ” Mr. Dharma replies,“ The pure wisdom is the wonderful perfect. The body itself is empty and silent. Such merit could not be asked by us by means of the world. ”   

After hearing that, the Emperor Liang Wu is very unhappy. The host and guest are thus broken up. The unsuccessful meeting between Mr. Dharma and the Emperor Liang Wu does not make Mr. Dharma lose faith. Mr. Dharma decides to cross the river and goes toward the north to transmit the Zen-Law.

The legend by a reed to cross the river

It is getting late, and there are no boats on the vast river. Mr. Dharma faced the West with his palms closed, He murmurs: I come here from the west with deeply secret connotation. If the Zen-Law could not be born, I would sink into the river; if the Zen-Law could be prosperous, the god of heaven will help me too.

Then, Mr. Dharma picks a reed and throws it into the river, and immediately picks up the monk's robe, stands on the reed, and drives straight towards the heart of the river, floating across the river. Mr. Dharma crosses the river to Luoyang, enters the Shaolin Temple in Songshan, and seats quietly for nine years.

The founder of the Shaolin Kung Fu

According to the legend, Mr. Dharma is the founder of the Shaolin Kung Fu (the Chinese Kung Fu). The related documents and tips are preserved and transmitted for the following generations. These parts would help those (who learn Buddhism) strong their physical body to be healthy.

Motion and stillness are as one.

From the above mentioned, we may have the concept why Mr. Dharma has the longevity life. We could find that he focuses on the practice in mental and physical body. That is, the mental body is in the stillness. However, the physical body is in the motion. When the physical body moves to do anything, the mental body keeps peaceful.

The verse is left by Mr. Dharma.

Finally, Mr. Dharma transmits the Zen-Law to his disciple, the Zen-master Huike. The following verse is left by Mr. Dharma:

I originally come to this land,

For spreading the Zen-Law

To save those beings who lose the self-nature,

One flower blooms five leaves,

The result will be completed naturally.

This verse tells the purpose and also predicts the future of Chinese Zen, which is the prosperous of the Zen-Law.

The related articles:

The Origin of Zen

Why Zen can be developed and flourished well in the history of China, but not in India?

Chapter 12 ﹝2﹞: Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility

(Chapter 12 ﹝2﹞  ) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha

Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) : Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )

Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)

Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu

Chapter 12: List the difficulties and exhort to practice   

The Buddha said,” There are twenty difficulties for people. Giving something to others is difficult when people are in poor. Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility. It is hard to the people when they must die because their lives have to be abandoned. Being able to see the scripture of Buddha is difficult. Being born in the time of Buddha is difficult. Enduring the erotic and desire is difficult. Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult. No resentment when being humiliated is difficult. When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people  is difficult. When contact with things and no heart  is difficult. Learning widely and researching extensively are difficult. Removing the ego-arrogance is difficult. Not to despise the un-learner is difficult. Practicing the equality in heart is difficult. Not saying its right or wrong is difficult. Meeting the good-knowledge person is difficult. Seeing the Nature and learning the Dao are difficult. According to conditions to reform people so as to save them is difficult. Seeing the circumstance and unmoved in heart are difficult. Good at understanding the convenience is difficult.

Chapter 12 ﹝2﹞: Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility

Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility. As we have mentioned that there are four noble truths. That is suffering, accumulation, elimination and Dao.

The four kinds of basic suffering

There are four kinds of basic suffering. That is the suffering of life, of aging, of illness, and of death. No one could avoid such four kinds of suffering in its whole life. What is the suffering of life? Many people are suffering how to survive in the situation of war. And more than half population in the world is suffering how to survive in the pressure of potential attacking from the contiguous countries, or in the situation of un-equal and of un-peaceful society.

More than half population in the world almost has no chance to hearing the Dao said by Buddha, let alone to learn the Dao. Once they could have the chance to hear the Dao said by Buddha, they would be willing to learn the Dao and correspond to the compassion of Buddha, then, to arise the personal and natural wisdom. They then would have the chance to liberate from the suffering of life.  

What is the suffering of aging? There is a saying,” we are beginning to walk toward the tomb from our birth.” If there is no accident in life, we would be aging finally. Do you know how the suffering of aging? Our brain nerves begin to degenerate. Our physical strength and our brain strength are not as good as before year by year. Meanwhile, we might be suffering the chronic.

To eat the medicine every day makes our head dizzy and we are afraid of falling. Our appetite is getting worse. We often suffer from insomnia because of illness or chronic. The worst is that we might have the loneliness and melancholy, which could increase our feeling of suffering. And we might lie on the bed, can not move by ourselves any more, and have to be taken care by others people in our daily life, let alone the pain in cancer or the suffering of dialysis, if we have cancer or the illness of dialysis.

What is the suffering of illness? Illness is not belonging to the elder. Each age of human being could have the illness. A lot of young man or woman is suffering the illness of diabetes, cardiovascular, dialysis or cancer. Most of them could face the disease in positive mind. However, some of them are suffering the melancholy and choose to end their life so as to end their suffering.

For the young and healthy people, they could not feel or experience the suffering as said above, let alone the suffering of death. What they might feel or experience is the suffering of life.

Four Key Elements to Form Our Body

About the suffering of death, we have to mention about the four key elements to form our body. That is the land, the water, the fire and the wind as follows.

The land means hard or solid. In our body are bone, nail and hair.

The water means liquid and flowing. In our body are blood, urine, tears, nasal fluid and saliva.

The fire means temperature. In our body is the body temperature. So we might have fever, or feel cold, or feel hot.

The wind means gas, air and breath. In our body is respiratory system. If we make the meditation in seat or practice the qigong, we could feel the gas flow in our body. It can cause our body or limbs to move or rotate involuntarily. That's because our inner airflow is running. It’s normal. So, don’t worry about the change in the moment.

When we are dying, the four key elements of us would be in the state of decomposition. At the time, we would be in the serious suffering. In the beginning, we would feel the severe pressure in our body, so, we would become restless. Then, we would feel very cold. Sometimes, we would feel very hot. We can not eat anything anymore. If we do not have any belief, or we can not accept the coming of death, and we still have the conscious, we would feel the serious suffering because we know that we would depart from our family members and to said good bye to this world. This is the suffering of death.

Those who have no wisdom do not care about the suffering as said, let alone they do not understand the suffering as said.       

No matter rich or poor persons, they have chance to learn the Dao.

If one person wants to enter the Dao, he must have felt the suffering as said in life. Meanwhile, he must have felt that the suffering has being accumulated at each moment, or day by day, so that they would have a thought, a self perceiving, to ask for the elimination of the suffering and the liberation from the suffering. This is the motivation, cause and condition for learning the Dao.

Therefore, it is possible for them to inspire their Bodhi-heart, go into the path of Buddha, then, to attain the Buddhahood after learning the Dao. No matter the rich people or the poor people, once they have felt the suffering in life, they would be willing to go into the path of Buddha, the Dao defined by Buddha, which you can find and read in the chapter 2. (Chapter 2)A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha

Most of the wealthy and the nobility persons have less chance to liberate from suffering in life and death.

Those who are in the huge wealth and are the nobility are lack of such feeling of suffering in life, because they are living in the very comfortable environment. Meanwhile, their relatives and friends might be also living in the same way. In other word, they are lack of the environment and motivation for learning the Dao.

According to my observation from the history, most of the people who are in the huge wealth and are in the nobility, their life is short and die early, which we can find in the royal family or the official family. In other word, the huge wealth and nobility for them are very short. Why?

In their environment, what they have focused on is not the suffering of life, but, how to obtain the more power, official position and wealth. In other word, it is an environment which is full of fighting for the power and of demanding for the profit. Under the circumstance, how could they be longevity? A lot of people is murdered, or die in disease, because of the heart and the mind of the greedy and hatred from themselves and from others people.

Who would have more chance to achieve the Buddhahood?

In Buddhism and In Daoism, the founder and the successor are longevity. The Buddha Sakyamuni lives to 80 years old. When he is dying, he still teaches the Buddha-law for his disciples. His successor Dajiaye and Ananda live to more than 100 years old. They are neither being hanged up because of crime or sin nor being murdered. On the contrary, they have died naturally in peaceful mind.

The first founder of Zen in India is Dajiaye. The successor is Ananda. It is 2,500 years ago. As we have mentioned, the Dao defined by Buddha Sakyamuni is Zen. In the time of Buddha Sakyamuni, he did not use the word “Zen”. The word“Zen” is used in China.

Do you know who the first founder of Zen in China is? It is the person named Dharma. He also lives to more than 100 years old, and is dead naturally in peacefully mind. They themselves are one of the persons who are in the huge wealth and are the nobility, and have educated well in the worldly, before they learn the Dao.

So, we could find that, those who are in the huge wealth and are the nobility, and have educated well in the worldly, would have the higher achievement in the realm of Buddhahood, once they are willing to go into the path of Buddha. And they are dying naturally in peaceful mind. That is because they have already liberated from all suffering, including the suffering of death. Since they have the ability to help people to liberate from their suffering, that is why they are not dead in suffering, let alone to die for others suffering. In other word, they have the supreme wisdom. The teaching of liberating from the suffering in life and death is the key teaching of Buddha.

Two Basic Conditions to achieve the Buddhahood.

There must be full of two conditions so that the Buddhahood could be achieved. That is the worldly bliss and wisdom. The bliss includes the wealth, health and intelligence. Generally speaking, those who are in the huge wealth and are the nobility might be full of the worldly bliss. In other word, they might have good education and good knowledge. However, they are lack of wisdom. That is also why it is difficult for them to learn the Dao. Because they are full of the worldly bliss, they would learn the Dao more smoothly, comparing to the poor people, once they are willing to go into the path of Buddha.  

What is the importance of learning the Dao?

Then, we might have one question. What is the importance of learning the Dao? In a brief, there are two kinds of importance to us for learning the Dao. One is to help ourselves liberate from the suffering in this life, and do the good karma as the cause and condition to lead us to the good life with bliss and wisdom in the present and the future life. The other is to help us to be reborn, to reincarnate into the human being of virtue and bliss in the next life and in the future life. Therefore, those who could feel the four suffering as said, intent to liberate from the suffering, and who are like to increase the self wisdom, would be willing to learn the Dao.

Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or religion. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and path, and it is extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.

Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or religion. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and path, and it is extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.