The India Tea LegendLegend from India attributes the discovery to Prince Bodhi-Dharma, the son of King Kosjuwo. Very little biographical information exists about the Buddhist monk and, subsequently his history is layered with dozens of legends. Most accounts are in agreement that he was from South India and is considered the Father of Zen Buddhism. Bodhi-Dharma traveled north to preach Buddhism. Different accounts place his arrival in the north at different times. One claims he arrived during the Liu Song Dynasty (420-479); later accounts date his arrival to the Liang Dynasty (502-557). He was primarily active in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). Most accounts now date him about the early fifth century. Buddhist art almost always depicts Bodhi-Darma as an ill-tempered, bearded, blue-eyed barbarian. He is sometimes thought to have been a direct descendant of Buddha. Bodhi-Dharma was in the practice of wall gazing (meditation or quieting the mind). He supposedly retreated to the northern Chinese kingdom of Wei to a cave near the Shaolin Monastery where he faced a wall for nine years, not speaking or sleeping for the entire time. After some years, he was overcome by exhaustion. He picked up some leaves from an unidentified tree and began to chew on them. It was a tea tree and the astonishing properties of this plant allowed him to continue on his way and keep his vow.
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