As his legend grew, Bodhidharma was credited with the teaching that meditation was a return to the Buddha's precepts. He was also credited with aiding the monks of Shaolin Monastery—famous for their prowess in the martial arts—in meditation and training.

Although Zen Buddhism in China is traditionally dated to the 5th century, it actually first came to prominence in the early 8th century, when Wuhou (625–705), who seized power from the ruling Tang dynasty (618–907) to become empress of the short-lived Zhou dynasty (690–705), patronized Zen teachers as her court priests ...

1000 years ago, aspects of Buddhism merging with Taoism to form Chan Buddhism which later moved to Japan where it came to be called Zen. Many forms of Buddhism stress divinities, but because Zen does not, Zen is often called a spiritual philosophy rather than a religion.

Zen traces its origins to India, but it was formalized in China. Chan, as it is known in China, was transmitted to Japan and took root there in the thirteenth century.