A fifth-century Indian Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma is credited with bringing Zen to China. Although the tradition that traces its ancestry back to him did not flourish until nearly two hundred years after his death, today millions of Zen Buddhists and students of kung fu claim him as their spiritual father. While others viewed Zen practice as a purification of the mind or a stage on the way to perfect enlightenment, Bodhidharma equated Zen with buddhahood and believed that it had a place in everyday life. Instead of telling his disciples to purify their minds, he pointed them to rock walls, to the movements of tigers and cranes, to a hollow reed floating across the Yangtze. This bilingual edition, the only volume of the great teacher's work currently available in English, presents four teachings in their entirety. "Outline of Practice" describes the four all-inclusive habits that lead to enlightenment, the "Bloodstream Sermon" exhorts students to seek the Buddha by seeing their own nature, the "Wake-up Sermon" defends his premise that the most essential method for reaching enlightenment is beholding the mind. The original Chinese text, presented on facing pages, is taken from a Ch'ing dynasty woodblock edition.

The life of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, has, with the passing of time, been magnified to the scale of myth, turning history into the stuff of legend. Known as the First Patriarch, Bodhidharma brought Zen from South India into China in 500 CE, changing the country forever. In Tracking Bodhidharma, Andrew Ferguson recreates the path of Bodhidharma, traveling through China to the places where the First Patriarch lived and taught. This sacred trail takes Ferguson deep into ancient China, and allows him to explore the origins of Chan [Zen] Buddhism, the cultural aftermath that Bodhidharma left in his wake, and the stories of a man who shaped a civilization. Tracking Bodhidharma offers a previously unheard perspective on the life of Zen's most important religious leader, while simultaneously showing how that history is relevant to the rapidly developing super–power that is present–day China. By placing Zen Buddhism within the country's political landscape, Ferguson presents the religion as a counterpoint to other Buddhist sects, a catalyst for some of the most revolutionary moments in China's history, and as the ancient spiritual core of a country that is every day becoming more an emblem of the modern era.

"These original documents are crucial for understanding East Asian Buddhist development. Professor Broughton's analysis of the material provides a new and refreshing look at the tradition which was focused on meditation and the ancient lineage of Bodhidharma. . . . We can be grateful that the translations are accompanied by a detailed study that gives the reader access to the social and cultural events of the time."—Lewis Lancaster, University of California, Berkeley

The Childhood of Yashodhamman, the warrior prince of the Mallis who rule from Ujjaini, is chiseled and tormented with perpetual exotic visions, perhaps cautioning in advance for something grim and gory awaiting him in the future. Meanwhile, the unrelenting Hunas have begun their ingress against the distant Gandhara Kingdom once again. Mihirkula, the now outrageous commander of the Hunas, knows that to enslave the deeply fractured JAMBUDVIPA, Gandharan sentinels must be vanquished. But Mihirkula thirsts more than just to rule! The cultural and spiritual wealth of Jambudvipa shall be uprooted if Huna Mihirkula succeeds, though with Huna curse, rides a mysterious boon. Stakes are high, and the Mystery School of Global Balance Keepers puts the onus on the enigmatic Bodhidharma to bring back the balance. But, he cannot succeed in this delicate task without Yashodhamman, a young warrior now. Before that, however, Yashodhamman must become more than himself to fulfill his impending destiny. The fate of the entire JAMBUDVIPA is hinged on the fate of Yashodhamman! Would he really succeed without the true understanding of Love and Wisdom? And would JAMBUDVIPA come together in resisting the imminent collapse, to reclaim and conserve her soul for the evolution of Mankind? This Debut novel by Arpit Bharat explores JAMBUDVIPA, the land of ancient India and the depths of its ethereal richness, making it a literary feast. The story of JAMBUDVIPA, is a grand epic for love, courage, growth and wisdom, nudging the mankind to move away from a culturally conditioned way of chaotic, cacophonic and exhausting living…to move towards Sanity! all of that woven into an extremely delicate and deliciously complex plot!

Bodhidharma, the 5th-century Indian Buddhist monk who is credited with bringing Zen to China, had few disciples in his lifetime. Today there are millions of Zen Buddhists and students of kung fu who claim him as their spiritual father. The edition teaches four of his teachings in their entirety.

Zen Katha tells the story of how Bodhidharma, born a prince in the south Indian kingdom of Kanchipuram in the fifth century, had to discover ways to excel at unarmed combat because the royal Pallavas prided themselves on their wrestling skills. The prince became a monk and travelled to China. There, his somewhat eccentric behaviour led to various piquant situations. He became not only the Founding Patriarch of Zen but also the first peaceful fighting monk. As Chief Abbot of the Monastery of Shaolin, he initiated the tradition that now makes it unique.