The Patriarch Prajnatara instructed Bodhidarma, "Tathagata bestowed Mahakasyapa with the absolute dharma-eye, and was transmitted as such until it reached me. Now I shall instruct you: Even though China of the east is vast, there is no other path. The future shall depend upon our uncle's descendants to carry on. A golden cock is holding a single grain of seed to nourish and feed all the saints and monks everywhere."

In the temple of Tao, Bodhidarma said, "Coming from the far-away land to spread the wonderful Truth to man. Manuscript and Dharma, I cannot bring, but all are contained in my heart instead. Riding on a reed, I crossed the River Yangtze and people wonder how I could do such a thing. People hope to learn the power equal to this but what a pity that none has achieved. What is the power and how to attain it? When one sees power, power is actually nil. But people hope for power, thereby it grows from the heart. Taking root, it grows into power of a million kinds. Without power, yet power is there. With power yet one cannot find it. To achieve the understanding of the Truth, one must use the right method. Practising the inner heart meditation, one may realize more. All realizations take place from inside and not from outside. When the heart grows, everything will grow. When the heart dies, everything will cease. Passionate desire begins its growth from the seed. The root takes place and one sees the plant. If there be no seed or root, there will neither be newborn nor death."

Bodhidarma is the Patriarch and founder of Zen Buddhism and master of "Kung-fu". He also brought tea to China and to keep him falling asleep while meditating, he cut off his eyelids, and where they fell, tea bushes grew. Since then tea has become the beverage of not only monks but also everyone in the Orient. Faithful to this tradition, artists invariably depict Bodhidarma with bulging lidless eyes.

Shortly after Bodhidarma transmitted Tao to Huik'u in China, he died in 528 AD on the fifth day of the tenth month, poisoned by a jealous monk. Three years later, an official met Bodhidarma walking in the mountains of Central Asia. He was carrying a staff from which hung a single sandal and he told the official that he was going back to India. Reports of this meeting aroused the curiosity of other monks, who finally agreed to open Bodhidarma's tomb. All they found was a single sandal and ever since Bodhidarma has been pictured carrying a staff from which hangs the missing sandal.

This is a true story and not a legend. Spiritual people of the past are very divine. During the time of Confucius, when he needs the answer from Heaven, the Heavenly bird with long beak will descend from Heaven and write on the sand the answers and hence it is called sand writing. In this modern time in the temple of Tao, divine messages are delivered through similar process but instead of divine bird, it is young purified lady used by Heaven to deliver messages on the sand box.

Author: T.A Chew