Bodhidharma, meaning "Enlightenment", abbreviated Dharma, was an Indian monk who came to China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties to spread Buddhism. Dharma was a Native of South India, the third son of King Xiangzhi of the Southern Heavenly Kingdom of present-day Southern India, with the surname of Sha diLi, born with Rui Xiang, who studied the Dharma in the Twenty-Seven Patriarchs of the Western Heavens, Prajnaparamita, and Dharma once said that he was more than one hundred and fifty years old. Dharma first arrived in southern China during the Southern Song Dynasty (420-479) and then to the Northern Wei Dynasty to teach Mahayana Zen. When Dharma came to the Northern Wei Dynasty to teach the Dharma, the Wei realm mainly practiced the study of sutra teachings, and could not understand the Mahayana Zen method of Dharma. Only a few disciples, such as Hui Ke and Dao Yu, were able to understand and pass on the Dharma Zen Dharma, especially Hui Ke, who was later revered as the second ancestor of Zen Buddhism. According to legend, the fifth day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar is the Christmas Day of Bodhidharma Zen Master, and the earliest record of Dharma is found in the Luoyang Galan.
Dharma's position on the development of Chinese Buddhism has always been emphasized as a very important position, considered to be the "Twenty-eighth Ancestor of the Western Ancestors" and the "First Ancestor of Zen Buddhism", Chinese Zen Buddhism is therefore also called "Dharma Buddhism", Dharma's Zen Buddhism advocates "directly pointing to the human heart, seeing nature to become a Buddha, not establishing words, and teaching others". According to legend, Dharma Guru came to China and met Emperor Liangwu, and although Emperor Liangwu was a firm believer in Buddhism, the Zen teachings transmitted by Dharma clashed with Emperor Liangwu's advocacy of worshiping Buddhism. Therefore, Dharma's mission in the south also turned to the north due to bad luck. When Dharma crossed the Yangtze River, a reed was folded on the side of the river and thrown into the river, floating across the river, which is the story of Dharma's ancestors famously crossing the river with a reed. After going north, Dharma came to the Songshan Shaolin Temple to sit on the wall all day long, and got the elegant title of "Wall View Brahman".
The reason why Dharma Guru faced the wall for nine years, that is, the teachings of Dharma Zen, was explained by the Tao Xuan as: "If it is at ease, it is also a wall view." If it is issued, it is called the four laws also. If it is a smooth thing, teach and protect the ridicule. If it is convenient, the teaching order is not. "After Dharma, there were two ancestors who could break their arms to seek the Dharma, thus establishing the Zen lineage. Dharma's deeds are full of legends, and it has always been said that Dharma has been poisoned many times, and it is not difficult to see the hardships of passing on the Dharma. As for the final outcome of Dharma, it is recorded in the "Biography of The Continuing High Monk, Bodhidharma" as "the journey of traveling to the end, the end of the accident", and there are also rumors that the Dharma lineage is finally passed on, although poisoned and no longer saves itself. After Zen Buddhism passed to China, through Hui Ke, Sang Xuan, Dao Xin, to the Five Ancestors Hong ren ren and divided into two factions, the Northern Shenxiu advocated gradual cultivation, the Southern Huineng advocated enlightenment, then known as "Nanneng Northern Xiu".
After the Middle Tang Dynasty, through the advocacy of Huineng's disciples Shenhui and others, Nanzong became the current of Zen Buddhism and prevailed. After the Song and Yuan dynasties, it continued to circulate, and had a major impact on the formation of Song Ming Theory, which spread to Korea, Japan, and is now popular in Europe and the United States. Dharma's influence on the development of Buddhism in China is so great, but history is inconclusive as to where he died. According to historical records, there are two theories of Dharma's destination, one is "carrying only the west to return", the Old Book of Tang, shenxiu biography and the "reconstruction of bodhidharma master Ta Ming and preface" recorded that when the Eastern Wei envoy Song Yun returned from the western region, he saw Dharma master Yu Onionling, carrying only his hands and walking alone, so there was a saying of "carrying only the west and returning". The second is the death of the "Luoshui River", which is recorded in the Old Book of Tang, the Biography of Shenxiu and the Biography of the Continuing Monks, "from 534 to 537, Luobin was destroyed".
In addition, The Japanese Zen doctor Suzuki also said that Dharma Guru went to Japan in his later years. So, where did Dharma Guru go in his later years? Where is the circle of silence? According to the "Henan Daozhi", "The Empty Box Temple is one hundred and seven miles east of the prefecture city, in the west of Bears Ears, that is, the burial place of the first zu Dharma. "Located in the western foothills of Bears Ears Mountain, about 1 km north of The Steep Gou Village in Xili Village, Shaanxi County, Sanmenxia City, Henan, the Empty Box Temple was originally named Dinglin Temple, and was founded in 58-75 AD during the Yongping period of the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to legend, after Dharma left the Shaolin Temple, he swam to Dinglin Temple, where he continued to spread Zen Dharma, and then died here. Some people saw that he had returned with only the west, leaving only an empty coffin here, so he renamed the Dinglin Temple to "Empty Box Temple". In fact, after Dharma died here, the body was cremated, and after cremation, one of Dharma's shoes was placed in the coffin, which became the "empty coffin".
According to historical records and surveys by the cultural relics department, the original main building of the Temple, sitting from east to west, was built according to the mountainous terrain, and the main buildings along the central axis were the Mountain Gate, the Tianshan Hall, the Daxiong Treasure Hall, the Thousand Buddhas Hall, the Mountain Land Hall, the Baiyun Guanyin Pavilion, the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, and the Tibetan Scripture Tower. In the south, there are Dharma Pagoda, Dharma Hall, Corner Tower, South Monastery, North Monastery, etc., with a total of more than 400 temple halls, covering an area of more than 50 acres, and the south 50 meters of the temple is Tallinn, covering an area of more than 30 acres, with more than 400 large and small tomb towers. At its peak, there were more than 800 monks and more than 400 houses, covering an area of more than 160 acres, which was a famous Buddhist holy place in the world. Due to disrepair and vandalism, only the ruins of the formerly thriving Temple remain. On the ruins of the ancient temple, there is only one Dharma Pagoda and three houses. Dharma Pagoda was built by Master Ji'an in the sixth year (538) of the Yuanxiang dynasty of Emperor Xiaojing of eastern Wei after dharma's death, when it was named "Yuanjue Empty Pagoda".
In the first year of Emperor Xuanzong's reign (724), it was changed to "Yuanjue Void View", which is now commonly known as Dharma Pagoda. The tower is a brick structure, two-story base of seven-level floating tu, about 12 meters high, octagonal shape, southwest of the arch window, the second level of the tower waist has a brick carved floral pattern, two on each side, a total of sixteen. In the fifth year of Ming Hongwu (1372), the Ancient Court Zen master rebuilt Dharma Pagoda. Not far from Dharma Pagoda, there are three stone steles, one of which was written by Emperor Xiao Yan of Liangwu in recognition of Dharma's immeasurable merits in founding Zen Buddhism, and the inscription "Ode and Preface to the Southern Dynasty Bodhi Dharma Master" is written by himself, which shows that Dharma's ancestor was buried in Dinglin Temple after his death.