What does Bodhidharma mean?

Answer 1

Bodhidharma is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Ch'an (Zen) from India to China. In this tradition, there are three principal sources for Bodhidharma's biography:

• Yáng Xuànzhī's Record of the Buddhist Monasteries of Luoyang (547),
• Tánlín's preface to the Two Entrances and Four Acts (6th century CE), and
• Dàoxuān's Further Biographies of Eminent Monks (7th century CE).

The texts differ on the date of his arrival, with one early account claiming that he arrived during the Liú Sòng Dynasty (420-479) and later accounts dating his arrival to the Liáng Dynasty (502-557).

Modern scholarship dates him to about the early 5th century.

Answer 2

He was the Buddhist monk who is credited with introducing Zen Buddhism to China.

Answer 3

Bodhidharma is Tamilian from Kancheepuram, South India.

Answer 4

The name itself breaks down into Bodhi (enlightenment) and Dharma (path), perhaps the name is more a description of the man or his message than an actual name.