Page 157 - Popular Deities of Chinese Buddhism (Illustrated) and Symbols

“Alas! I saw him without seeing him;

I met him without meeting him;

I encountered him without encountering him;

Now as before I regret this deeply!”

Bodhidharma has a large following of devoted followers and his

festive day falls on the 5th day of the 10th lunar month of the

year. He is often depicted as a travelling monk, or in a meditative

posture, or standing on top of a reed which carried him across

a river, a feat which led people to have faith in his power as an

Arhant or Lohan, the Chinese term for an Immortal. According

to the Chinese tradition, Bodhidharma is one of the famous 18

immortals who has a great affinity with mankind. is group

of Lohans are generally found in many temples and they are

represented as possessing various kinds of supernatural power,

symbolised either by the wild animals crouching submissively

beside them and/or the special objects that are associated with

them. Although the Lohans are a step below the rank of a

Bodhisattva, they are Enlightened Beings who deserve our

reverence. Bodhidharma or Ta Mo is venerated for being the

founder of the Great Contemplative School of Ch’an or Zen by

the Buddhists, and others, for his protective powers or as the

great Sage of Shaolin Temple.

 