Tracking Bodhidharma : a journey to the heart of Chinese culture

The life of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, has, with the passing of time, been magnified to the scale of myth, turning history into the stuff of legend. Known as the First Patriarch, Bodhidharma brought Zen from South India into China in 500 CE, changing the country forever. In Tracking Bodhidharma, Andrew Ferguson recreates the path of Bodhidharma, traveling through China to the places where the First Patriarch lived and taught. This sacred trail takes Ferguson deep into ancient China, and allows him to explore the origins of Chan [Zen] Buddhism, the cultural aftermath that Bodhidharma left in his wake, and the stories of a man who shaped a civilization. Tracking Bodhidharma offers a previously unheard perspective on the life of Zen’s most important religious leader, while simultaneously showing how that history is relevant to the rapidly developing super-power that is present-day China. By placing Zen Buddhism within the country’s political landscape, Ferguson presents the religion as a counterpoint to other Buddhist sects, a catalyst for some of the most revolutionary moments in China’s history, and as the ancient spiritual core of a country that is every day becoming more an emblem of the modern era. "Bodhidharma, known as the "First Ancestor" of Zen (Chan) brought Zen Buddhism from South Asia to China around the year 500 CE, changing the country forever. His legendary life lies at the source of China and East Asian's cultural stream, underpinning the region's history, legend, and folklore. In Tracking Bodhidharma, the author uncovers Bodhidharma's ancient trail, recreating from physical and textual evidence. This nearly forgotton path leads Ferguson through China's ancient heart, exposing spiritual insights, pathos, and politics that elevated Bodhidharma to be one of China's most important historical figures"--Publisher's description, front jacket flap

The local Difang Zhi (historical records) state that Bodhidharma established. True Victory Temple here in Tianchang. Difang Zhi are considered reliable because they are simply local records, not "histories" that might be written to promote a special version of events. So this place, almost unknown in both China and the West, may truly be where Bodhidharma set up a Dharma seat and expounded his Zen in China.