One of the most fascinating figures in the history of Buddhism has to be Bodhidharma, who is credited with bringing Buddhism to China and founding Ch'an Buddhism (in China), which later became known as Zen Buddhism in its Japanese manifestation. Though many of the historical facts of Bodhidharma's life are somewhat vague, it is known that he was born in Southern India, a son of a wealthy brahmin (or priest). He became a monk and, alongside the development of his prodigious spiritual powers, he came to consider that the true value of the religious experience lay in experience rather than scripture. With this conviction in his mind perhaps he set out for China, arriving there it is estimated in 520 C.E.

The stories that have been passed down paint a rather larger than life figure. One such story has it that to stop himself falling asleep in meditation he cut off his eyelids. Another tells that his legs fell off after nine years of unceasing meditation. Though these accounts are no doubt apocryphal, they are important in that they show the significance of meditation to his religious practice. Indeed the word 'Zen' ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word dhyana which means 'meditation'. Bodhidharma emphasized direct methods rather than over-reliance on scriptures. This direct method is said the derive from the time the Buddha held up a flower which led to the instant enlightenment of one of his lay followers. In this way the teaching of Bodhidharma and Zen is seen as 'a special transmission outside of the scriptures', stemming from this unique event described in the Buddhist scriptures. Consequently, he emphasized the importance of a teacher to help one realize the Buddha nature.

In addition to this renewed commitment to meditation as a way of gaining insight into the true nature of reality, Bodhidharma taught that within all beings is the Buddha nature. Unfortunately, the Buddha nature is obscured by the poisons of greed, hatred and delusion. To see the Buddha nature, we must let go of desire . Paradoxically, it's not something we can grasp. Once we try to grasp it we are caught up in the web of desire. It's not something 'out there'. It's something here and now, to be uncovered through the practice of meditation. The teachings of Bodhidharma are encapsulated in the following verses, written after his death but attributed to him:

A special transmission outside the scriptures;
Depending not on words and letters;
Pointing directly to the human mind
Seeing into one's nature, one becomes a Buddha.

[A question is asked Bhodidharma about performing meritorious works.]
The sutras of the Buddha contain countless metaphors. Because mortals have shallow minds and don't understand anything deep, the Buddha used the tangible to represent the sublime. People who seek blessings by concentrating on external works instead of internal cultivation are attempting the impossible.