Buddhism　　 were　　 formed　　 around　　 a   master's
　　   interpretation  of a specific  scriptural  text, the
　　   reference  to  "  a special  tradition  outside  the
　　   scriptures"   would   seem  to  weigh  against   the
　　   emergence  of Ch'an  as a distinct  sect  in its own
　　   right.  Therefore, it  is  appropriate  to ask  what
　　   explains this emergence.
　　　　   The received  tradition  is that the Ch'an sect
　　   was  brought  to China  by a saint, Bodhidharma, who
　　   "came  from the West"  in the mid-sixth  century  to
　　   establish  the sect in China.  Reliable  information
　　   about Bodhidharma  is tenuous.  Dumoulin  insists: "
　　   that  he existed  and was a native  of India  can be
　　   regarded as definitely established.  " (2) According
　　   to tradition, he was  a dhyana  master  who  enjoyed
　　   great  esteem  and  won  many  disciples.  There  is
　　   textual  evidence  to suggest that he resided  for a
　　   time at the Yu ng-ning monastery  on Mt.  Sung, near
　　   Lo-yang, during the early sixth century, and another
　　   monastery nearby, Shao-lin, is also associated  with
　　   his name.
　　　　   According　　 to   the　　 received　　 tradition,
　　   Bodhidharma  was the mediator  of a tradition  going
　　   back to Shakyamuni himself: the Buddha once turned a
　　   flower  in his fingers  while  his face " broke into
　　   laughter," only the disciple Kasyapa understood  the
　　   meaning  of this laugher, and he was entrusted  with
　　   the  "seal  of  the  Buddha-mind"   on  which  Ch'an
　　   tradition   rests.(3)  Bodhidharma   is   the   28th
　　   patriarch in the Indian succession, and the first in
　　   the  Chinese,  of  Ch'an  patriarchs.   However,  as
　　   Dumoulin admits, the tr adition concerning the Ch'an
　　   patriarchate  is by no means  clear and unambiguous,
　　   most especially so far as the Indian line is
 
 
　　　　　　　　　　　　  P.393
 
　　   concerned, and the lists of Chinese Ch'an patriarchs
　　   often   include   names  which  also  occur  in  the
　　   patriarchates  of other  sects of Chinese  Buddhism,
　　   notably Hua-yen.  Let us consider  the tradition  of
　　   Chinese succession in some detail.
　　　　   Hui-k'o,  Bodhidharma's  successor,  cannot  be
　　   separated from the legendary accretions  surrounding
　　   the career  of his master, as is shown  by the story
　　   that he attained his patriarchate by cutting off his