Arriving First at Guangzhou,
He Is Feared by All Who See Him
Patriarch Bodhidharma went to Guangzhou first.
When children there saw such a dark and bearded Indian, they
surrounded him as if he were performing a street show. At that time
the Chinese people were rather snobbish toward foreigners. They called
Indians "Mo Luo Cha" (meaning devil, or devilish ghost). The Patriarch
became Monk Mo Luo Cha. They even composed a rhyme that they chanted,
"Devil! Devil! Skin you, I will." They wanted to skin him alive! See
how Patriarch Bodhidharma was ridiculed and insulted?
However, Patriarch Bodhidharma could not
understand what they were saying because he did not know Chinese. He
didn't speak their language and couldn't communicate verbally with
them. He wanted to befriend the children in that place, but as soon
as they saw Patriarch Bodhidharma, they went crazy and scattered in
all directions. They dared not to be near this Mo Luo Cha. Why? They were afraid of his long beard.
