https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhidharma
https://book.bfnn.org/books/0847.htm
https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/ZW0001
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E8%8F%A9%E6%8F%90%E8%BE%BE%E6%91%A9
惠能（638 - 713）
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E6%83%A0%E8%83%BD
馬祖道一（709 - 788，或688 - 763）
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E9%A9%AC%E7%A5%96%E9%81%93%E4%B8%80
馬祖道一禪師保持了曹溪禪的原始特色。但是道一傳道，方式上和惠能不同：惠能作風平實，處處透露真諦；而道一則機鋒峻峭，變化無窮。
馬祖道一禪師門下極盛，號稱「八十八位善知識」，法嗣有一百三十九人，其中又以西堂智藏、百丈懷海、南泉普願最為聞名，號稱洪州門下三大士。在道一禪師之前的禪宗祖師，多崇尚頭陀行，沒有自己的寺院。但從道一禪師開始，因為受到官府的支持，且門徒眾多，禪宗開始建立屬於自己的寺院系統，擁有自己的規矩，俗話說「馬祖創叢林，百丈立清規」，他所創立的叢林制度對於後世漢傳佛教的發展影響廣泛。其創立的洪州宗，在宋代開衍出臨濟宗、溈仰宗二宗。其門下弟子言行多錄於《五燈》之內。
臨濟義玄（? - 約866）
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E4%B8%B4%E6%B5%8E%E4%B9%89%E7%8E%84
What do we really know about Bodhidharma’s life and works? (ChatGPT, 2025-4-7)
What we really know about Bodhidharma—the semi-legendary figure often credited as the founder of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in China—is surprisingly little. The historical record is sparse, contradictory, and heavily mythologized. Most of what survives are hagiographies written centuries after his death, often shaped to serve sectarian or political purposes. That said, we can make some cautious distinctions between legend, plausible history, and possible teachings.
1. Historical Uncertainty: A Brief Summary
• Time period: Traditionally said to have lived in the 5th or 6th century, though dates vary. Most place his arrival in China during the Liu Song or Liang dynasty, possibly around 520 CE.
• Origins: Said to be a monk from India or Central Asia (some texts say he was a South Indian prince turned monk).
• Arrival in China: According to legend, he crossed the Yangtze and eventually ended up at the Shaolin Monastery, where he meditated for nine years facing a wall.
• Death: Said to have died sometime in the mid-6th century, but even that is uncertain. One legend says he was later seen walking in Central Asia with one sandal, implying mystical survival or rebirth.
2. Sources of His Story
The key textual sources for Bodhidharma’s biography are:
• The Luoyang Jialan Ji (Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Luoyang) by Yang Xuanzhi (547): the earliest mention of Bodhidharma, depicting him as a foreign, eccentric monk.
• Daoxuan’s Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks (645): presents a more detailed, hagiographic account, including the famous wall-gazing and confrontation with Emperor Wu.
• The Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall (952): offers the now-canonical story of Bodhidharma’s transmission of the “mind-seal” lineage.
• Later Chan texts (10th–13th c.): Fill in details, such as his creation of martial arts at Shaolin (a much later invention), and frame him as the 28th Indian patriarch and first Chinese patriarch of Chan.
These accounts are clearly mythopoetic constructions—not neutral history.
3. Works Attributed to Bodhidharma
Only a few texts are attributed to Bodhidharma, and their authorship is debated:
(a) Two Entrances and Four Practices (二入四行論)
• Attributed to Bodhidharma, though probably written by a disciple or later follower.
• Presents the core Chan idea of:
• Entrance by Principle (理入) – Sudden awakening through direct insight into Buddha-nature.
• Entrance by Practice (行入) – Four practices of accepting suffering, adapting to conditions, non-seeking, and accord with the Dharma.
• This text is philosophically sophisticated and may reflect early Chan thought, regardless of authorship.
(b) Treatise on Breaking Through the Barriers (破相論) and others
• These are brief, doctrinal texts with strong Madhyamaka and Yogācāra influences.
• Highly suspicious in terms of authorship—often later fabrications attributed to Bodhidharma for authority.
4. What Is Likely True?
Modern scholars agree on a few cautious points:
• There was probably a historical monk named Bodhidharma who came from abroad and taught in China, advocating some form of meditative Buddhism.
• He was likely nonconformist, perhaps critical of ritualistic and scholastic Buddhism—he may have emphasized direct experience and non-conceptual insight, paving the way for early Chan.
• The dialogue with Emperor Wu, if not historical, symbolizes the rejection of merit-based or institutionalized Buddhism in favor of personal awakening.
• Most of what we know is myth, built by later Chan writers to establish legitimacy and lineage.
5. Philosophical Significance Despite Historical Uncertainty
Even if Bodhidharma as a historical figure is shrouded in legend, the symbol of Bodhidharma played a central role in shaping the Chan ethos:
• Anti-textuality: Awakening is “a special transmission outside the scriptures.”
• Direct pointing: A radical approach to mind-to-mind transmission.
• Non-dualism: Liberation through the recognition of Buddha-nature within.
So in short: historically, Bodhidharma is a shadowy, elusive figure. Philosophically, he is the mythic fountainhead of Chan’s radical break from scholasticism and emphasis on lived awakening.
If you’d like, we can explore the metaphors and cultural functions of the Bodhidharma myth, especially in relation to imperial power or Daoist syncretism.
