Blue-Eyed Barbarian

I wanted to write it as it was difficult to leave the topic that had occupied much of my thoughts during the period of writing the book. I also wished to have a place to provide supplementary information about Bodhidharma and the book.

As I state in the introduction, the book is a fictionalized fleshing out of what exists regarding Bodhidharma's life. There are many descriptions of highlights of his legend, but in most cases, little more than that. No dates are given. There is no context to some of these fanciful stories, so one wonders what happened next. But snippets of the more notable events in the life of this great sage still don't explain how Bodhidharma was able to achieve what he did, and that is what I set out to do. I was very curious as to how it all came about.

But first, I had to understand what the issues were. What did Bodhidharma set out to do? Why was it important? In fact, the question of why did Bodhidharma go to China is one of the more well-known koans in the Mumonkan collection. The response seems not to make sense, but a factual interpretation is not the intent. Fortunately, one does not need to have a pendatic understanding of Buddhism to know what challenges faced Bodhidharma. Indeed, the evolution and diversification of Buddhism over the centuries mirrors what we have seen with other religions, such as Christianity.

Unlike the Chinese Zen monk, Budai (or Hotei as he is also known), Bodhidharma was not likely a fat, jolly figure. A figure who was able to garner attention and influence was likely a charismatic man of striking appearance. There is no physical description of Bodhidharma, but there are many paintings and statuary of him, but these vary widely, and many depict him at the end of his life. At his prime, I suspect that he cut a striking figure, and more like the fellow on the book cover.

The emphasis on the special meditation practice is central to Bodhidharma's teaching, and so I wanted to include this in the book, but not in a way that would turn it into a meditation manual. That would be an enormous off-tangent, and beyond the scope of what I intended to do. But meditation, the way Bodhidharma practiced it, is central to Zen Buddhism. In many of the branches of Zen Buddhism, it is stressed that one should make a regular practice of this. Do it daily. Don't do it with any expectation of some result. Just do it. Over tme, your mind will change, due to neuroplasticity. And the transformation can be detected by functional medical imaging techniques. Some have written that his meditation in public was sufficient to convince people that he was special, but is that a probable scenario? Likely not.

In my research for this book, I came across allusions to mysticism and alchemy. Given the descriptions of his physical capability, it is intriguing to speculate whether these practices were something that Bodhidharma was aware of, and had incorporated into his life. However, there was not enough evidence to compel me to include it into the biographic portion of my book. Since Bodhidharma did set on paper his exercise and health recommendations to the Shaolin monks, one would think that some hint of medicinals would be mentioned. However, the document that might contain this material has been lost to time. His relics have also been lost to time. What has been recorded as to their whereabouts is not detailed and is also not historically reliable. Names have changed, and surprisingly, there has not been meticulous preservation of his memorabilia and notabilia. So it is not out of the question to suppose that the discovery of some document might lead someone on an Indiana Jones-like pursuit of hidden treasure.

Getting back to Buddhism, it is now around 1500 years since the days of Bodhidharma, roughly the interval between the times of the Buddha and that of Bodhidharma. And once again, Buddhism is complicated again. Writings like these confirm to me that Buddhism will forever be fragmented into various denominations and sects, as people search for solutions that work for them. Some require a detailed breakdown of what they are experiencing, in order to make sense of what is happening with the changes in their minds. Sometimes, insights provided by Zen authorites of the East are insufficient to satisfy those accustomed to a more Western framework and approach. It is clear to me that there is no one path to enlightenment. Every seeker must find solutions that work for them, and this solution may not work for the next person.

Regarding meditation
In my practice, I have encountered many people who have experienced anxiety and stress. In order to help provide some guidance (as well as to help relieve my own stresses), I explored various texts from the Buddhism and Stoicism literature. I found it intriguing that both Roman and Asian sages recommended meditative practice. Today, meditation is recommended by many as part of a therapy program to gain control over anxiety. I recommended that everyone learn meditative techniques starting at an early age, as many Buddhist monks do. I feel that it wouldn't hurt to have meditation be taught in schools, as mastering it will pay off later in adulthood. If you're not familiar with meditative techniques, I recommended learning it now. It is a survival skill. Learn it before you develop overpowering anxiety and stress, as it will be harder to learn to focus under those circumstances. You want to be able to master this skill before you encounter strong emotions.

Two questions arise:

1. How does one know that one is effectively meditating?
2. What is really being achieved by meditation practice?

One of the reasons for writing this book was to delve further into the workings of meditative practice. I had found the standard meditation protocol of sitting still very difficult. Often, one's mind is too active and focus on breathing is difficult to maintain for more than 30 seconds. This frustration can lead many to letting their practice lapse. After reading about shisa kanko, the contribution of a physical action suggested that I might try something similar. As I alluded in the book, walking zazen, or kinhin is another way of practicing meditation. It is the foundation of tai chi and yoga, as well.

Here's a beginner's tip: stand in the shower and let the warm water hit the back of your neck. Gently rock from side to side, and do this for a minute. You will find that you are aware of the sensations of the water, the splashing of the water, and that it occupies all of your consciousness. Count each side-to-side sway. Later, aim for the same focus of mind while just sitting. In the book, I mentioned visualizing a ball floating in space that your exhalation sends off to infinity, and your inhalation brings back again to float right in front of you.
Another way of helping to maintain focus on the breath is to open and close your hands with each breath. Start with your hands resting on your lap. With each inhalation curl your fingers inward loosely, while rotating your palms inwardly. Then with each exhalation, relax and uncurl your fingers, rotating your palms outward as if in supplication.
If you are still unable to calm your mind enough to stay focused, try gentle rocking, enough to keep enough of your mind subliminally stimulated, to help you from being distracted by stray thoughts. Repetitive rocking helps babies to relax and fall asleep. Rhythmically swaying your body slowly can help to shut out distracting thoughts, promoting focus. Once you are "in the zone", the sensation can be quite pleasant (piti).

With repeated practice, it gets easier to attain the right state of mind and also easier to maintain it. Consider this technique is like training wheels - once you can master this state of mind, you may only need to sit quietly. But you have to get there first. Experiment with different frequencies of gentle rocking or swaying. Try it standing up, gently letting your body sway rhythmically. Once you have identified that sense of focus and mindfulness, you'll be able do meditate effectively while simply sitting. Also keep in mind that on top of feeling relaxed, it is important to maintain a conscious awareness that comes with attention to breathing - see below why this is necessary.

The ultimate goal is to harness the plasticity of your mind to decrease the dominance of the neural stimulation leading to heightened anxiety and fear. All of this neural training and rewiring takes time, and you must practice this diligently. Once you achieve this, you will be rewarded by being more focused and in control of negative emotions, and not let harmful and panicky thoughts dominate your consciousness.

Additional thoughts:
Many writings on meditation advise one to just sit without purpose and monitor one's breathing. It is noted that the mind may wander, and when this wandering is recognized, not to be upset, but to simply bring one's thoughts back to breathing. To the novice, this instruction seems inadequate, especially if one hasn't entered "the zone". Thoughts that one is wasting one's time leads to frustration, and cessation of practice.

However, there is benefit in this effort. It turns out that when there is recognition of "mind wandering", a part of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex is activated, and this is a good thing. One of the functions of the anterior cingulate is to suppress overactivty of another part of the brain called the locus ceruleus. This area of the brain is associated with the sympathomimetic autonomic system, and secretes norepinephrine when stimulated. This norepinephrine then stimulates the amygdala and other parts of the brain associated with fear. Researchers have found that activity of the locus ceruleus can be lowered with focus on breath control. The decrease in norepinephrine production by the locus ceruleus, promotes the induction of a sense of calm and tranquility. Anterior cingulate activation also sends a signal to the adjacent ventromedial prefrontal cortex (a control center of worry) which promotes a decrease in anxiety.

So the realization that your mind is wandering is to be expected when one is indeed meditating properly, as the constant act telling your brain to pay attention activates the anterior cingulate cortex. This is why Zen masters advised one to just to sit, focus on breathing, and just bring one's wandering mind back to focusing on breathing, and not feel frustrated. Bodhidharma may not have been aware of the neurobiology, but he understood the power of the process, and by this means, he sought to save humanity.

About me
A little about myself: I am a physician who has specialized in medical oncology and hematology. The story of Kevin Chen getting chemotherapy is a simplified version of what generally happens in clinic when things are straightforward and there are no complications. I do recommend a Supportive Care consultation for most people who are getting treatment for cancer. It can make a huge difference, especially for symptom control, emotional support, and even improved longevity. Not everyone is aware of this program.

For further reading

I hope that my book has whetted your appetite to learn more about Bodhidharma and Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism. Here are some sources that I found to be very helpful.

Ch'an Buddhism

The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma, translated by Red Pine
Zen Buddhism: A History, by Heinrich Dumoulin Tracking Bodhidharma, by Andy Ferguson The Bodhidharma Anthology: The earliest records of Zen, by Jeffrey Broughton

Meditation practice

The Mind Illuminated, by Culadasa
Practical Meditation, by Giovanni Dienstmann

Acknowledgements

The photo of the exquisite sculpture of Bodhidharma on the book cover was kindly provided by Lotus Sculpture.