Bodhidarma was a Blue-Eyed Barbarian!

Here's an excerpt on what Wikipedia says on Bodhidarma under the topic "Greco-Buddhism":

• "Bodhidarma, the founder of Chan Buddhism, which later became Zen, and the legendary originator of the physical training of the Shaolin monks that led to the creation of Shaolin Kung Fu, is described as a Buddhist monk from Central Asia in the first Chinese references to him (Yan Xuan-Zhi, 547 CE). (Ref #1)  Throughout Buddhist art, Bodhidharma is depicted as a rather ill-tempered, profusely-bearded, and wide-eyed barbarian.  He is referred to as "The Blue-Eyed Barbarian" (碧眼胡:Bìyǎn hú) in Chinese Chan texts. (Ref #2)"

REFERENCES:

1. Broughton, Jeffrey L. (1999), The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen, Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBN 0-520-21972-4. pp. 54-55.
2. Soothill, William Edward; Hodous, Lewis (1995), A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms, London: RoutledgeCurzon https://web.archive.org/web/20140303182232/http://buddhistinformatics.ddbc.edu.tw/glossaries/files/soothill-hodous.ddbc.pdf

#GrecoBuddhism #Bodhidarma #Pankration #MalaySilat #ShaolinGongfu #FMA #MMA

Was Bodhidarma a Pankration practitioner?

"Pankration, as practiced in historical antiquity, was an athletic event that combined techniques of both boxing (pygmē/pygmachia – πυγμή/πυγμαχία) and wrestling (palē – πάλη), as well as additional elements, such as the use of strikes with the legs, to create a broad fighting sport very similar to today's mixed martial arts competitions... 

However, Pankration was more than just an event in the athletic competitions of the ancient Greek world; it was also part of the arsenal of Greek soldiers – including the famous Spartan hoplites and Alexander the Great's Macedonian phalanx...

Dioxippus was an Athenian who had won the Olympic Games in 336 BC, and was serving in Alexander the Great's army in its expedition into Asia. As an admired champion, he naturally became part of the circle of Alexander the Great. In that context, he accepted a challenge from one of Alexander's most skilled soldiers named Coragus to fight in front of Alexander and the troops in armed combat. While Coragus fought with weapons and full armour, Dioxippus showed up armed only with a club and defeated Coragus without killing him, making use of his Pankration skills..." (Wikipedia)

After Northern India was conquered by Alexander the Great, Greek and/or Macedonian kings ruled the territory for at least the next 200 years...

According to legend, some early Malay kings descended from Alexander the Great...

Bodhidarma, a Buddhist monk from India is accredited with separately creating the first preset forms of both Chinese Shaolin Gongfu and Malay Silat...

Was Bodhidarma also of Greek and/or Macedonian descent?

Where did Bodhidarma get his groundbreaking martial arts training methods? Could it be from Pankration?

#MartialArts #Pankration #Bodhidarma #ShaolinGongfu #MalaySilat #MMA #FMA