Bodhidharma: The Indian connection to Zen Buddhism

Ever wondered why a bearded Indian monk became the founding father of Chinese Zen Buddhism? Yeah, that’s Bodhidharma for you – straddling worlds and blurring boundaries between East and South Asian spiritual traditions.Most people think of Bodhidharma as Chinese, but his Indian connection runs deep. Born a prince in southern India, he abandoned royal comfort to follow Buddha’s path across treacherous mountains into China.What happened next revolutionized Buddhism forever. His wall-gazing meditation techniques and no-nonsense teaching style shook up Chinese spiritual practices, creating what we now know as Chan (Zen) Buddhism.But here’s what most history books won’t tell you about Bodhidharma’s Indian roots