Zen

DAMO'S CAVE

Damo (達摩) is considered the Chinese patriarch of Zen Buddhism.

Legend has it that after being refused entry into China, Damo travelled to Shaolin Monastery and lived in a cave nearby, where he faced a wall for 9 years, not speaking for the entire time.

Seven years into his wall-gazing, he fell asleep and , angry at himself for this, cut off his own eyelids. As his eyelids hit the floor, the first tea plants sprang up. To this day, tea would provide a stimulant to help keep students of Zen awake during zazen.

by Jimi Wen