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DARUMA (Japanese)
Sanskrit = DHARMA (means Buddhist Teachings; Law)
Also known as Bodhidharma
Last Update Sept. 25, 2004 = Added More Photos
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Bodhidharma
Japan, Early 18th Century
by Chikanobu Shushin (1660-1728)
Ink and Colors on Silk
Pacific Asia Museum Collection
Gift of Dr. Jesse L. Greenstein
2002.4.15
Photo Courtesy of:
www.pacificasiamuseum.org
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Historical Notes
The historical Bodhidharma was an Indian sage who lived sometime in the fifth or sixth century AD. He is the undisputed founder of Zen Buddhism, and credited with Zen's introduction to China during his travels to the Middle Kingdom. (Note: Zen Buddhism is the term used in Japan, but Daruma's philosophy arrived first in China, where it flowered and was called Chan Buddhism. Only centuries later does it bloom in Japan, where it is called Zen). There are countless legends, some conflicting, about this sage. The best-known legends say he attained enlightenment (Japanese = satori) after meditating in a cave for seven years (some say nine years) without blinking or moving his eyes. Other tales contend he was facing the wall of a room at the Shorinji Temple in China. During those years of meditation, his arms and legs atrophied, shriveled up, and fell off. Legend also credits Bodhidharma with cutting off his eyelids. Apparently he dozed off during meditation, and in anger, he cut off his eyelids, which fell to the ground and sprouted into China's first green tea plants.
Daruma Dolls
Okiagari Koboshi (Tumbler Doll)
One of the most popular talismans of good luck in modern Japan is the armless, legless, and eyeless Daruma doll, or tumbler doll (see photos below). Sold at temple festivals and fairs, such dolls are typically made of papier-mache, painted red, and depict Bodhidharma seated in mediation. When knocked on its side, the doll pops back to the upright position (hence "tumbler" doll, or "okiagari koboshi"). The doll comes in many sizes - the standard size is larger than a basketball. While most Daruma dolls are male, some Japanese localities have female daruma ("ehime daruma" or "princess daruma").
Above: Daruma dolls, still in their protective plastic wrapping
Eye-Painting Custom
At New Year time, many Japanese individuals and corporations buy a Daruma doll, make a resolution, and then paint in one of the eyes. If, during the year, they are able to achieve their goal, they paint in the second eye. Many politicians, at the beginning of an election period, will buy a Daruma doll, paint in one eye, and then, if they win the election, paint in the other eye. At year end, it is customary to take the Daruma doll to a temple, where it is burned in a big bonfire.
Modern Woodblock by David Bull
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~xs3d-bull/hagaki/postcards.html
Undaunted Spirit, Resilience, Determination
A Japanese proverb closely associated with Daruma is:
Nana Korobi Yaoki (if you fall down seven times, get up eight).
Its meaning? Resilience and determination are the recipe of success. If at first you don't succeed, try try again.
 Zen, Tea, and Daruma
Zen was introduced to Japan early in the Kamakura Era (1185-1333) and became a favorite of the new Warrior Class (samurai) who had wrested power from the nobility. The primary aim of Zen Buddhsim is personal enlightenment, and according to Daruma, enlightenment cannot be found in books or sutras or in performing rituals. Rather, it is to be found within the self through meditation. Daruma taught that within each of us is the Buddha, and that meditation can help us remember our Buddha nature. By clearing our minds of distracting thoughts, by striving for a mental state free of material concerns, we will rediscover our lost but true Buddha nature.
The practice of Zen involves long sessions of zazen, or seated meditation, to clear the mind of distractions and to gain penetrating insight. Zen's assimilation into Japanese culture was accompanied by the introduction of green tea, which was used to ward off drowsiness during the lengthy zazen sessions. One Daruma legend says that Daruma brought green tea plants with him when he traveled to China; another says that Daruma plucked off his eyelids in a rage after dozing off during meditation -- the eyelids fell to the ground and sprouted as China's first green tea plants!! To this day an early form of the tea ceremony is carried out in some Zen monasteries in Japan in honor of Daruma.
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by Matsubara Banryu
(1848-1935)
Zen points directly to the
human heart, see into your
nature and become Buddha!
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THIS SECTION COURTESY OF:
Shambhala Zen Art Gallery http://www.shambhala.com/zenart/
You can visit their wonderful site to purchase Zen artwork.
Daruma's famous encounter with the emperor of China went like this:
"I've constructed dozens of Buddhist temples, supported hundreds of monks and nuns, and sponsored countless religious ceremonies," the proud emperor informed Daruma. "How great is my merit?"
"No merit at all," Daruma replied bluntly.
"Tell me then," the emperor wanted to know, "What is the first principle of Buddhism?"
"Vast emptiness, nothing holy!" Daruma shot back.
"Who are you?" the thoroughly perplexed emperor demanded.
"I don't know!" Daruma announced, departing as suddenly as he had appeared.
The most common representation of the grand patriarch in Zen art is as a half-body Daruma. By revealing only the upper half of Daruma's body, Zen artists challenged the viewer to look beyond the surface in order to grasp the patriarch's essence. Although seemingly hidden from view, Daruma's core the Buddha-mind can be discerned if one contemplates the painting as an organic whole rather than trying to analyze it from historical, aesthetic, or philosophical perspectives. In half-body Darumas, the face and head are brushed first, then the robe and finally the eyes are dotted in to animate the image. When the painting is complete, an inscription is usually added. In addition to half-body Darumas other common portrayals are side-view Darumas, wall-gazing Darumas, rushleaf Darumas, one-sandal Darumas, and snowman Darumas. When asked how long it took to paint a portrait of Daruma, the great Zen artist Hakuin replied, "Ten minutes and eighty years."
 This Section Courtesy of:
http://web-japan.org/atlas/crafts/craft_fr.html
Where Are Daruma Dolls Made?
Daruma-making in Takasaki began in the late 17th century as a relief measure for farmers who were suffering from famine. The story is that the Daruma Temple instructed farm households to make dolls from papier mache as a way of earning extra income. These days nearly 100 households annually make about 1.6 million darumas, accounting for about 80% of all darumas made in Japan. Every year on the 6th and 7th of January, a daruma market is held in the precincts of the Daruma Temple, and hundreds of thousands of people visit it.
Below Photo: Making daruma (Gunma Prefecture)
Photo courtesy of http://web-japan.org/atlas/crafts/craft_fr.html
Temples
Horin-ji (Darumadera) in Kyoto is devoted to the Daruma as he appears in popular culture. For more on Horin-ji, click here (outside link).
Roundness
Says Alan Booth in his book "Looking for the Lost:"
The Japanese associate Daruma not with piety, but with roundness. Thus a snowman in Japanese is a "Snow Daruma" and a potbellied stove is called a "Daruma Stove."
Bodhidharma (Daruma)
Tokusan and Rinza (Soga Jasoku)
courtesy: www.baxleystamps.com/litho/sr/fafe_2.shtml
Bodhidharma (Daruma)
15th Century, by Shokei
Kyoto, Nanzenji Temple
Daruma
Kamakura Era, 14th Century Ink Painting
Inscription by Issan Ichinei
Courtesy of the Tokyo National Museum
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