Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t13: Shaolin Temple
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t13
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Shaolin Temple
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Shaolin Temple (Shaolin Vihar) is a well-known Buddhist temple in China, located in Mount Shaoshi, 13 km from the west-northern Dengfeng, Henan Province. It is one of the best embodiments of the India-China cultural exchange.
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Shaolin Temple was built in the ninth year of Taihe period, Northern Wei Dynasty (495 CE). On the east of Mount Songshan, is Mount Taishi while Mount Shaoshi is on the west. Shaolin Temple gained its name because of its location in the bamboo forest of Wuru Peak (Five Breast Peak) in Mount Shaoshi. In the third year of Xiaochang period, Northern Wei Dynasty (527 CE), Bodhidharma, an Indian monk, came to Shaolin Temple of Mount Songshan. Since then, Shaolin Temple became well-known in the world.
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According to historical records, *Bodhidharma* was the prince of a country in south India, who gave up the throne for Buddhism and later came to China by sea. First he went to Jinling (present-day Nanjing) to meet Xiao Yan, Emperor Wudi of the Liang Dynasty (on the throne from 502 to 547 CE) and then started a journey northward, during which he passed by Luoyang and eventually settled at the foot of Mount Songshan. In a rock cave of Shaolin Temple, he sat in meditation facing a wall for the entire nine years and began to accept students and disseminate the *dharma*. Today, Damo Cave in Shaolin Temple is just the place of Bodhidharma sitting in meditation. During Tang Dynasty, Zen Buddhism was officially established which recognised retroactively Bodhidharma as the Adiguru of Chinese Zen. Zen is a product of Indian Buddhism in China and has a certain relationship with Bodhidharma’s thought and practice. Therefore, Shaolin Temple became the “ancestral Chamber” of Zen.
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Pagodas at the Shaolin Temple, Dengfeng county, Henan, China
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*Entrance to Shaolin Temple*
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During the early stage of Tang Dynasty when Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang (599-649 CE) was still the prince of Qin, he fought against the local forces, during which he was greatly helped by 13 monks from Shaolin Temple. When he became the emperor, he set up a monument in the temple to commend the monks of Shaolin Temple who were all skilled at Kung Fu. The monument can still be found in Shaolin Temple today. With the permission of the Emperor, the monks of Shaolin Temple could practice martial arts, eat meats and drink wine. From then on, Shaolin Kung Fu gained more and more recognition around China. According to a legend, Shaolin Kung Fu has a very close link with Bodhidharma. It is said that Muscle-Bone Strengthening Exercise, widely known as the source of Shaolin Kung Fu, was created by Bodhidharma. In an iron box left by Bodhidharma when he passed away, there were two books ie *Muscle-Bone Strengthening Exercise* and *Marrow-*cleared *Scripture*. In this sense, Shaolin Kung Fu can be traced back to Bodhidharma.
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(*Xue Keqiao*)