MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)

The semi-historical monk, Bodhidharma, known in China as Damo and in Japan as Daruma, was said to have traveled to China from India sometime in the AD 5th or 6th century. He was the first patriarch of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in China, and while there is some evidence for his historical existence, much of what is known of his life is based on later sources. According to the Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall of AD 952, Bodhidharma, after being refused entry to the Shaolin Monastery, meditated in a cave, staring at the wall in silence for nine years. When a monk from Shaolin sought to study under Bodhidharma, he initially refused; the monk, Dazu Huike, however, cut off his own left arm and presented it to Damo as a sign of sincerity. According to the same text, Bodhidharma was buried upon his death at the age of 150. Three years later, an official from the one of the Wei kingdoms encountered the old patriarch walking back to India with one sandal in his hand; when they opened his tomb, they found it empty save for the other sandal. As such, many depictions of Bodhidharma show him holding a single sandal, as in the present example.