- Profession: Monk
- Lived: 5th or 6th century
- Known for: Founder of Zen
- Fun Fact: According to Buddhist tradition, Bodhidharma once sat in a cave and "faced a wall for nine years, not speaking the entire time" until his student, Dazu Huike, cut off his own arm to convince Bodhidharma of his willingness to learn from the older monk.
- Fun Fact: In Chan texts, Bodhidharma is often called "the Blue-Eyed Barbarian."
Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the fifth or sixth century and is said to have been born in either Central Asia or India. He is best known for transmitting Chan Buddhism, a form of Zen, to China and beginning the physical training of the monks in the Shaolin Monastery. The physical training would go on to become Shaolin kungfu. His spiritual teachings centered on meditation and the Lankavatara Sutra. In Japan, he is known as Daruma.
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