Bodhidharma was a legendary Indian Buddhist teacher, a monk. He is considered the founder and first patriarch of the Chan School in China, as well as the 28th patriarch and direct successor of the Buddha in India, although there is no solid evidence of this. Although various written sources speak of the practice of various types of wrestling and martial arts since ancient times, the founder of modern martial arts is considered to be the legendary Bodhidharma. He was a Buddhist monk, the founder of the Zen teachings. He lived in the 6th century AD. He was born in India, which he left to proclaim his teachings around the world. He is believed to be the founder of the also legendary Shaolin Monastery. Bodhidharma opposed his teaching to Taoism, saying that in order to attain Enlightenment (Satori) you need to overcome your consciousness and gain complete control over it. And to do that, you first need to overcome your body. To this end, he created several sets of physical exercises that his students had to practice every day. These exercises later served as the basis for the first forms of martial arts.