This
beautifully gilded bronze statue depicting Bodhidharma seated on a meditation
cushion, he is dressed in a pleated robe Tibetan monk robe, with facial features
reveal his non-Chinese origin. In fact, Bodhidharma, the blue eyed Brahmin was
an Indian Buddhist missionary of royal decent, who arrived China in A.D. 526.
His name in Chinese is Da Mo (Greater than Evil). He is believed to have visited
Japan, where he is known as Daruma, the God of Fortune. Bodhidharma is regarded
as the chief of the Six Patriarchs of Buddhism. He teaches that perfection must
be sought inward through meditation rather than outward observances.<