Silk Route and India

The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected various regions of Asia, including India. It played a crucial role in facilitating cultural exchange, economic activity, and the spread of ideas between different civilizations.

India was an integral part of the Silk Road network, and its location made it a significant hub for trade and cultural interaction. The Silk Road routes connected India with Central Asia, the Middle East, and beyond, allowing the exchange of goods, technologies, religions, and philosophies.

Indian merchants were actively involved in the trade along the Silk Road, exporting commodities such as textiles, spices, precious stones, and medicinal plants. These goods were highly sought after in distant markets, and their trade brought wealth and prosperity to Indian cities and regions.

The Silk Road also facilitated the spread of Buddhism from India to other parts of Asia. Buddhist missionaries and pilgrims traveled along the routes, spreading their teachings and establishing monasteries in various regions. The transmission of Buddhism through the Silk Road played a crucial role in its popularity and adoption in countries like China, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Additionally, the Silk Road allowed for the exchange of knowledge and ideas between India and other civilizations. Scholars and intellectuals from India traveled to different parts of the Silk Road, sharing knowledge in fields such as mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and philosophy.

The Silk Road's influence on India was not limited to trade and cultural exchange. The interactions along these routes also had an impact on Indian art, architecture, language, and religious practices. For instance, the art and architecture of the Gandhara region in present-day Pakistan, which was a prominent Buddhist center along the Silk Road, showcased a unique fusion of Indian and Hellenistic artistic styles.

Overall, the Silk Road played a significant role in connecting India with the wider world, fostering trade, cultural exchange, and the spread of ideas across continents. It contributed to the rich tapestry of India's history and influenced various aspects of its civilization.

Bodhidharma :The Greatest Travelling Monk

Bodhidharma is one of the most influential Indian Buddhist monk which have a great impact on China.The teachings of Bodhidharma changed china forever. The time period of Bodhidharma was traced from 450 A.D to 600 A.D.

The earliest historical reference of Bodhidharma is the "Luoyang jia lan ji " written by Yang Xuanzhi in 547 A.D.

Bodhidharma is believed to have born in kanchipuram , Madras (disputed !),in the kingdom of Pallava king .

The meaning of Bodhidharma in India is ---Bodhi (enlightening ) + Dharma (Religion ).

Bodhidharma left his monastery in India to follow his master's last wish that he go to China and spread the teaching. Bodhidharma started his journey from South India to Indonesia...Malaysia and than China .

Some say he traveled by sea, “risking his life over the towering waves,” from Madras in southern India to Guangzhou and then by land to Nanjing. Other scholars believe that he walked a well-beaten trail over the Pamir Plateau, across the desert and along the Yellow River to Luoyang, the provincial capital and center of Chinese Buddhist culture. In any case, the journey from India is agreed to have been long and dangerous.But he surpassed every difficulty and danger because of strength of his enlightened soul .

He reached china in 478 A.D ( disputed !)

He is said to be resided in the court of Emperor Wu Dai ( 445-550 A.D) Liang
dynasty.

Their meeting is as simple as the Truth -----

" The emperor came to see him. He touched Bodhidharma’s feet and the first thing he uttered was this: “I have made so many temples, so many Buddhist ashrams. And millions of bhikkhus, Buddhist sannyasins, are fed by me, supported by me. I have changed the whole country into a Buddhist world. All these virtues – what do you think, sir, I am going to gain through them? What will be the benefit? What will be the award?”

Bodhidharma looked at this Emperor and said, “You will fall into the seventh hell.”

The emperor could not believe it, because all other monks, saints – so-called – were saying, “You are earning such virtue, punya, that you are going to be received into the ultimate nirvana,” and this man says “seventh hell”!

Emperor Wu said, “Have you gone mad? What are you saying? Are you aware?”

Bodhidharma said, “I am aware of what I am saying and you can rely on me: you will go to the seventh hell.”

“But why?” the emperor cried. “I have not done anything wrong.”

Bodhidharma said, “It is not a question of doing wrong or right. The question is the very ego, that you have done something. Thank God, thank the Buddha, blessed be his name – it is through his grace something has happened. You don’t be the doer, you please don’t come in, because the ego has to go to hell, and if you are egoistic you will have to follow it. You are not going to hell but the ego has to go to hell, and if you are identified with it you will have to go. Nothing can be done about it, no virtue can save you..."

After some time ,he traveled to Mount Song and established First Shaolin Temple in Henan Province . Legend says that Bodhidharma meditated there for 9 years. During this time he was accepted by many Chinese monks , which was convinced  by his teachings .

It was said that Bodhidharma started teaching people in meditation, but people were very weak in physically and mentally...they lack the necessary stamina and discipline which is needed for mediation .Therefore is instituted some breathing exercises , physical exercises.This was the origin of Martial Arts. Disciplines and martial art exercise were transmitted orally for centuries until Yi Jin Jing , Xi Sui Jing and Shi Ba Luo Han Shou were composed .

Later on Chinese martial arts take many form and became very advanced .Today World remembers the Great Master ,Great Spiritual Soul...Bodhidharma ...Who changed Everything ....the world never be same after Bodhidharma .