Bodhitharman
The Indian Buddhist monk Bodhi (known by several names most of which are derivatives of each other: Tamo in China, Daruma in Japan, Bodhidharma in most of the world, to mention few of his names…) was born around 440 A.D. in Kanchi, the capital of the southern Indian Kingdom of Pallava.
He was Brahman by birth, the third child of King Sugandha, was a member of the warrior caste, and had his childhood as a prince in Kanchipuram, a Buddhist province south of Chennai (Madras). When he was young, he was converted to Buddhism and later he received his religious training from the Dhyana (meditation) master Prajnatara, and was considered very wise in the way of Dhyana or Zen practices.
Bodhi is said to also have been proficient in Ayurveda (an ancient form of holistic medicine integrating Body, mind and spirit) and Kalaripayat (an ancient Karate/Kung Fu like martial arts of India) which while including some weaponry included also weaponless forms that were practiced in conjunction with controlled breathing techniques of Pranayama, Pranayama is part of the “Eightfold Path of Discipline” in Astanga yoga.Besides he was a master of Hath yoga and Vajramushthi; a form of yoga and ancient Indian martial arts.
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