October the fifth is the anniversary of the death of Bodhidharma, the famous Indian monk and founder of Zen (Chan in Chinese) Buddhism. Heir to the teachings of the Buddha, he traveled to distant China, where he spread the Buddhist spirit through seated meditation, or zazen. Today, when mental magnanimity is greatly in demand, interest in zazen is rising. Bodhidharma physically demonstrated naturally the quintessence of Zen, and his teachings preserve their vigor even now 1,450 years after his death. On the anniversary of his death, we of Soto Zen pay reverence to him and conduct ceremonies, like the Darumaki, to repay our debt to him. Bodhidharma is more commonly known as Daruma-san and is often seen as a round red-colored doll, known as a good-luck talisman associated with temples and shrines. The good fortune associated with Bodhidharma (Daruma) comes from the legend that no matter how many times Bodhidharma fell down he would always get up.
Taiheiji