According to legend, after Dharma came to Songshan, he sat still all day, and even birds flew to his shoulders, and his heart had already entered the bliss of enlightenment. Nine years later, it was not until Huike came to learn from the teacher that the tranquility was broken.
At first, Hui Ke was standing in the heavy snow. Dharma ignored him and only said to him, "I won't preach the Dharma for you unless it snows red." Hui Ke realized that this was Dharma's meditation instruction, so he quickly cut off his left arm with a knife, and the deep red blood stained the snow.
The Origin of the Founder of Dharma
Knowing what Hui Ke wanted from himself, Dharma agreed to accept him as an apprentice. Since then, the master and the apprentice have hit it off, and Dharma Zen has been handed down.
Zen advocates "seeing the heart and seeing the nature" and takes meditation as the main means of practice. This habit originated from Buddhism. In addition, it should be noted that the later Buddhist monks, whether practicing or inheriting Buddhism, basically implemented the characteristics of Buddhist meditation. Therefore, Dharma is regarded as the ancestor of Zen in China, and the Zen master respectfully calls it "the founder of Dharma".