Bodhidharma

Timeline

1. 401–470Southern India · IndiaTradition holds that he was the third son of a king of southern India; he later became a monk, studied under the venerable Prajnatara, received the Dharma transmission, and became renowned for the Chan method, before deciding to cross eastward to transmit the Dharma.
2. c. 470–520Guangzhou · LingnanHe arrived in China by sea, first reaching the Southern Dynasties, then traveling north into Northern Wei territory, active around Luoyang and Mount Song, teaching disciples the Chan method and the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra.
3. c. 520–532Shaolin Monastery · Mount SongHe faced a wall for nine years at Shaolin Monastery, demonstrating the 'wall-contemplation' Chan method, transmitted the Dharma to Huike, was venerated by later generations as the first patriarch of Chinese Chan, and established the Chinese Chan tradition centered on seated meditation.