This Chinese scroll painting features Da Mo who was the founder of Zen Buddhism. The Japanese refer to Da Mo by the name Bodai Daruma or sometimes just Daruma. The calligraphy symbols on the right side of this Chinese painting say "Da Mo crossed the Yangtze River" and the other Chinese symbols have the meaning "Da Mo crossed the river to carry forth Zen Buddhism. Da Mo spent nine years gazing at the wall of a cave in deep meditation and then attained total enlightenment. So fierce was his gaze that the wall of the cave still bears the imprint of his gaze." The Da Mo scroll is made with white silk brocade material and measures 28x70 Inches. Da Mo is known by many names and is a very important figure in many different countries. Some of the names used to refer to Da Mo are; Bodhidharma, Bodhisattva, Bodhitara, Bodai Daruma, Daruma, Ta Mo, P'u-t'i Ta Mo, Da Mo, Te Mao and MANY others depending on the country, language or dialect in which his name is spoken. Da Mo is thought to be the founder of martial arts in China, which he introduced along with Zen Buddhism. Da Mo created the 18 hand and foot positions (18 hands of Buddha) that later evolved into Kung Fu and many other popular martial arts forms. Although martial arts were apparently being practiced in China before the arrival of Da Mo, many people still consider him to be the founder of Chinese martial arts.
Da Mo is the founder of Zen Buddhism, and many of the martial arts forms practiced today around the world. If you have an interest in either of these disciplines then this scroll painting is a must have.
This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 09 March, 2006.
