Bodhidharma ［菩提達磨］ (n.d.) (;  Bodaidaruma): The founder of Chinese Zen, or Ch’an, Buddhism. Biographical information concerning him is scanty and contradictory, and it is difficult to distinguish fact from legend. He is said to have been a prince of a kingdom in southern India. He studied Mahayana and eventually devoted himself to the practice of meditation. Thereafter he traveled through several countries and went to China by sea. There he was welcomed by Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty (502–557) and preached the Zen doctrine in Chien-k’ang, the capital city. However, since his teaching was not accepted, he retired to Shao-lin-ssu temple on Mount Sung, where he is said to have meditated facing a wall for nine years, thus awakening to the profound truth of Zen. His successor was Hui-k’o. Some sources put the year of Bodhidharma’s death at 528, and others at 536. He is said to have lived to be 150.