Found out about this guy today and its a pretty cool story.was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. According to Chinese legend, he also began the physical training of the monks of Shaolin Monastery that led to the creation of Shaolin kungfu.
The principal Chinese sources vary on their account of Bodhidharma's origins, giving either an origin from India or Central Asia. Throughout Buddhist art, Bodhidharma is depicted as an ill-tempered, profusely-bearded, wide-eyed non-Chinese person. He is referred as "The Blue-Eyed Barbarian" (碧眼胡:Bìyǎnhú) in Chan texts.
