n the
death of the Buddha and the arrival of Bodhidharma in China. The
Chinese lists[802] do not in the earlier part agree with the
Singhalese accounts of the apostolic succession and contain few
eminent names with the exception of Asvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Deva and
Vasubandhu.

According to most schools there were only twenty-four Patriarchs.
These are said to have been foretold by the Buddha and twenty-four is
a usual number in such series.[803] The twenty-fourth Patriarch Simha
Bhikshu or Simhalaputra went to Kashmir and suffered martyrdom there
at the hands of Mihirakula[804] without appointing a successor. But
the school of Bodhidharma continues the series, reckoning him as the
twenty-eighth, and the first of the Chinese Patriarchs. Now since the
three Patriarchs between the martyr and Bodhidharma are all described
as living in southern India, whereas such travellers as Fa-Hsien
obviously thought that the true doctrine was to be found in northern
India, and since Bodhidharma left India altogether, it is probable
that the later Patriarchs represent the spiritual genealogy of
some school which was not the Church as established at Nalanda.[805]

It will be convenient to summarize briefly here the history of
Bodhidharma's school. Finding that his doctrines were not altogether
acceptable to the Emperor Wu-Ti (who did not relish being told that
his pious exertions were vain works of no value) he retired to Lo-yang
and before his death designated as his successor Hui-k'o. It is
related of Hui-k'o that when he first applied for instruction he could
not attract Bodhidharma's attention and therefore stood before the
sage's door during a whole winter night until the snow reached his
knees. Bodhidharma indicated that he did not think this test of
endurance remarkable. Hui-k'o then took a knife, cut off his own arm
and presented it to the teacher who accepted him as a pupil and
ultimately gave him the insignia of the Patriarchate--a robe and bowl.
He taught for thirty-four years and is said to have mixed freely with
the lowest and most debauched reprobates. His successors were
Seng-ts'an, Tao-hsin, Hung-jen, and Hui-neng[806] who died in 713 and
declined to nominate a successor, saying that the doctrine was well
established. The bowl of Bodhidharma was buried with him. Thus the
Patriarch was not willing to be an Erastian head of the Church and
thought the Church could get on without him. The object of the
Patriarchate was simpl