Dear Andre,

here are some notes on Emperor Wu

Adjust the decoder of your VIEW function to see the Kanji.

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Emperor Wu and Daruma

Bodhidharma
Putidamo (chin.), Bodhidaruma (jap.), Indian monk, living i China in
VI century and cosiders as foundator of school Ch'an. Halflegendar
person and surrounded with many myths. After arriving to China at
year 520, he was received by Emperor Wu who had many merrits for
Buddhism because of foundating of Buddhist temples and helping to
monks. During talking, emperor asked: which merits do you have? --
Bodhidharma said: "none". Then the emperor asked: what is the heart
of the Buddhism? He answered:

"Only emptiness -- none sanctity".
After the meeting with emperor, Bodhidharma went to Shaolin
monastery, where he spent nine years facing to rock wall. Probably he
return to India but before the departure pointed out his successor
Huike who is considered as the second patriarch of Ch'an.

The rest is legend in curriculum vitae of Bodhidharma. Therefore this
that he swam across the river Yangtse on the leaf of rush, that he
invented the tea which grew from his eye-lashes, when he cut them
after he fell asleep during the meditation. He discovered the art of
fighting Kung-fu. Another version told he was died when he was 150
and he was buried in Mountain Henan. Some his disciple told he met
him going with one sandal. When his tomb was dug out, it was found
just only one sandal.
http://rdewi.fm.interia.pl/mahasiddhas.htm

If you google with DARUMA and ¡ÈEMPEROR WU¡É, there are more than
1000 hits.


Here is a reliable internet source:

Sk: Bodhidharma. Ch: Damo. A semi-legendary Indian monk credited with
bringing the teachings of Zen Áµ (Ch:Chan) to China. Much of what is
known of Bodhidharma's biography is found in the 1053 CHUANFA
ZHENGZONGJI ÅÁË¡Àµ½¡µ­ (Jp: DEMPOU SHOUSHUUKI) or a "Record of the
Transmission of the Law and Correct Teaching." The son of a Brahmin
king in southern India, he acheived enlightenment as the 28th
successor to Sakyamuni (*Shaka ¼á²à). Bodhidharma travelled by boat
to Guangdong ¹­Åì around 520, and then made his way north to Nanjing
Æîµþ. There he met the Emperor Wu Éð (502-550), founder of the Liang
ÎÂ dynasty and a devout Buddhist, who is supposed to have
asked: "What is the first principle of holy teaching?" Bodhidharma's
enigmatic reply, which can be translated as "there is no knowing,"
and "vast emptiness," left the emperor baffled.

Bodhidharma then crossed the Yangzi River (Jp: Yousukou Í̻ҹ¾) and
entered the Wei ò² kingdom where he established himself at the
Shaolin Temple (Jp: Shourinji ¾¯ÎÓ»û) on Mt Song (Jp: Suuzan ¿ó»³).
At the monastery Bodhidharma is said to have practiced seated
meditation (zazen ºÁÁµ) for nine years facing a cave wall. Eventually
he took Huike ·Ã²Ä (Jp: Eka) to be his disciple. Bodhidharma was
frequently rendered by both Chinese and Japanese painters of Zen
subjects. The style of Bodhidharma paintings varies greatly, ranging
from relatively descriptive patriarch portraits (*chinsou ĺÁê) in
ink and color, to barely recognizable pictures done with a single
stroke of ink (Ippitsu Daruma °ìɮãËá). The great number of
Bodhidharma portraits stems from the fact that they were given to Zen
disciples and hung as images of devotion in reminder of the
contiunous and true transmission of the Buddhist Law (Dharma).

Bodhidharma is usually depicted with a large nose, bushy eyebrows,
curly hair and beard, and wearing large earrings. According to some
legends, Bodhidharma, impatient at having fallen asleep while
meditating, cut off his eyelids. Artists often show him with large,
staring eyes without eyelids. There are several basic types of
Bodhidharma portraits. Most frequent are three-quarter depictions
(yokomuki ²£¸þ) which include only Bodhidharma's craggy visage and
the sweeping shoulder contour of his robe, bust portrait or
hanshinzou Ⱦ¿ÈÁü, and frontal portraits (shoumen ÀµÌÌ) which show
Bodhidharma wrapped in his priest's robe sitting in meditation. In
addition to imaginary portraits, there are painting subjects derived
from incidents in Bodhidharma's life. For instance, his crossing of
the Yangtze, probably in a reed boat came to be depicted as the image
of Bodhidharma standing or floating along on reeds (Royou Daruma °²ÍÕ
ãËá). Bodhidharma's years of meditation are represented with images
of a seated monk facing a cave-wall called "Wall gazing" (Menpeki
Daruma ÌÌÊÉãËá).

Related are depictions of the disciple Huike presenting his cut-off
arm (*Eka Dampi ·Å²ÄÃÇç¾) as a sign of his serious desire to study
meditation with the Indian master. The "One Shoe Bodhidharma" (Sekiri
Daruma ÀÉÍúãËá) paintings feature Bodhidharma holding a single shoe
and derive from the legend that Bodhidharma, after his death and
burial on Mt Xioger ·§¼ª»³ (Jp: Yuujizan), came to life again and
traveled back to India. A Chinese official returning from India
reported he saw Bodhidharma in the mountains carrying a single sandal
in his hand. When officials rushed to open Bodhidharma's tomb they
found only the remaining sandal in the otherwise empty grave.
Bodhidharma was also the subject of parody by *ukiyo-e ÉâÀ¤³¨ artists
who often showed him accompanied by courtesans. Bodhidarma is
popularly represented in the bright red legless dolls developed in
the 16c and commonly used in the Edo period as a charm against
smallpox.
http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/d/daruma.htm

Image
http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/data_image/image_d/daruma.jpg

Scroll of this scene
http://www.shambhala.com/zenart/html/gallery/detail/d37.cfm

This should get you started on Emperor Wu.


As for books on Daruma, look here
http://www.geocities.com/gabigreve2000/index.html

Books about Daruma
ABC Introduction to Daruma San
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Darumasan-Japan/message/15

Other interesting links

Hige ɦ¡¡¤Ò¤²¡¡¡ã¡ä¡¡Daruma and his Beard
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Darumasan-Japan/message/108
http://www.amie.or.jp/daruma/Tsurukame.html

Hoosoo á×áì¡¡¡ã¡ä¡¡Smallpox, Red and Daruma (by Bernard Faure)
http://www.geocities.com/gabigreve2000/redsmallpoxarticle.html

Hossu ʧ»Ò¡¡¡ã¡ä¡¡Daruma holding a Flywhisk
Jimotsu - What is Daruma holding?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Darumasan-Japan/message/89

Nihon Shoki ÆüËܽñµ­¡¡¡ã¡ä¡¡Old Legends of Japan
Prince Shootoku Taishi meets Daruma san À»ÆÁÂÀ»Ò¤È¤À¤ë¤Þ
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Darumasan-Japan/message/311

That should get you started.

The Ronin story in a while.

Greetings from Japan
Gabi san
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cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
> hello,
>
> my name is andre and i am writing a paper on daruma and wanted to
> know if i could ask you some questions on the topic. my first
> question about daruma is, through reading about the topic I have
come
> across literature stating that he had a conversation with emperor
wu
> in china? i know of two emperor wu's one man and the other woman,
i
> beleive they reigned during the tang dynasty, i will have to double
> check. i guess what is giving me the most problems is the
> confirmation of the dates. is there a book that could explain this
a
> little better? im looking for more information on his conversation
> with emperor wu and whether or not the emperor had daruma killed or
> was he simply allowed to walk away after the emperor was told that
> the building of monastaries for buddhism was meaningless? i would
> also like to know of a book that would contain some of his sayings
> and sermons, and something that would draw reference to his his
> origins and how he came to become a patriarch of buddha.
> i am familiar with japan obtaining knowledge of buddhism, but
> how does this relate or connect to daruma? what is the underlying
> relationship between the two? any other information you could
provide
> would be greatly appreciated, thank you for your time and
> consideration of this matter.
>
> Regards,
>
>
> Andre
>
> p.s. would you happen to know of any websites pertaining to and or
> discussing the 47 ronin story? i have just read the book and must
do
> a book report on it, but i would like very much to discuss the book
> to make sure that i have caught all of the main points and ideas
from the story. thank you again, so much
>
> I look forward to hearing from you soon.