The Shaolin Temple was first built in the 19th year of Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 495) by Emperor Xiaowen Yuanhong in order to settle the Indian monk Batuo and built it on the mountain. Because it is located in the dense forest of Shaoshi Mountain , hence the name "Shaolin Temple". In the third year of Xiaochang in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 527), Bodhidharma, the 28th generation Buddhist of Sakyamuni, arrived at Shaolin Temple for three years and spread Zen Buddhism for the first time, which had a great influence. Therefore, Shaolin Temple is collectively known as the "Ancestral Temple of Zen" by world Buddhism, and it has developed rapidly on this basis. Especially in the early Tang Dynasty, the Thirteen Stick Monks rescued Li Shimin and received great attention from the Tang Dynasty, winning the title of "the most famous temple in the world". reputation.
Today's Shaolin Temple is not only famous all over the world for its ancient and mysterious Buddhist culture, but also for its superb Shaolin Kung Fu. "Chinese Kung Fu is the best in the world, and the world's martial arts comes from Shaolin." This is the birthplace of Shaolin martial arts, which is also a world-recognized authentic school of Chinese martial arts.
The Shaolin Temple includes the main building complex of the Shaolin Temple Residential Quarters, Pagoda Forest, First Ancestral Temple, Second Ancestor Temple, Bodhidharma Cave, Shifang Zen Temple, and Martial Arts Hall.
The permanent residence of the Shaolin Temple is the core of the Shaolin Temple. It is the place where the monks and deacons conduct Buddhist activities. It has a total area of ??more than 30,000 square meters and is a seven-passage building.
Shanmen: Shanmen is the main gate of Shaolin Temple. It is a Qing Dynasty building and was renovated in 1975. The three characters "Shaolin Temple" on the forehead of the door are personally written by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, with the words "Treasure of Kangxi's Imperial Pen" "One square seal.
The stone lions on both sides under the steps of Shanmen Hall were carved in the Ming Dynasty. They not only show the style of Buddhism, but also symbolize the suppression of evil and good luck. There are also east and west stone squares built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty on both sides of the mountain gate. One each.
The big-bellied Maitreya Buddha, also known as the Welcome Buddha, is enshrined in the Buddhist niche of the Shanmen Hall. We call Maitreya Buddha "the dignified and solemn Shanmen who likes to see the radiance of the world, smiles and welcomes people with endless blessings and endless happiness."
What is enshrined behind the Buddhist niche in Shanmen Hall is Wei Tuo Bodhisattva, known as the Dharma Protector Vajra. It holds a vajra pestle to protect the safety of the three treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in the temple.
There are many steles on both sides of the mountain gate corridor, known as the Forest of Steles in Shaolin Temple. These are famous original steles since the Tang and Song Dynasties. On the east side of the Forest of Steles is the former site of Ciyuntang, now the Stele Corridor of Shaolin Temple. It not only records the rise and fall of the temple, but also has high research value in terms of history, sculpture, and art. The Forest of Steles and Corridor of Shaolin Temple have a total of There are 108 inscriptions on the stele.
To the west of the Forest of Steles is the Chuipu Hall, which has 42 corridors around the perimeter. It uses clay sculptures and wood carvings to vividly display the origin, development, practice, essence of routines, national defense functions, and the battles of monks and soldiers in Shaolin Temple. , martial arts activities and other contents, *** Chen Zhan exhibited 14 groups of 216 hammer images. There are sitting meditation, running around the Buddha, Baduanjin, Xiaohongquan, Dahongquan, Liuhequan, Tongjiquan, Luohanquan, Zhaoyangquan, practicing basic skills, Thirteen Sticks Monk Saves the King of Qin, Xiaoshan Monk Goes to War with Commander-in-Chief, Yue Master Kong defeated Japanese pirates and lay disciples practiced boxing and martial arts. As the saying goes: After five minutes in the Tsui Pu Hall, you will come out with Shaolin Kung Fu. You can practice Shaolin Kung Fu by comparing the postures of these statues.
Tianwang Hall We now see the second building of Tianwang Hall. The original building of Tianwang Hall was burned down by Shi Yousan in 1928. This was rebuilt in 1982. The two Vajras outside the temple gate are said to be the two generals "Hum" and "Ha". Their duty is to protect Buddhism. On the inside of the hall are the four heavenly kings, also known as the four kings. Their duty is to observe the good and evil behavior of all living beings, help those in need, and bring blessings to the world. According to the characteristics of the combination of the four heavenly kings, people mean "good weather".
The Main Hall is the central building of the temple and an important place for monks to conduct Buddhist activities. Like the Tianwang Hall, this hall was burned down by the warlord Shi Yousan in 1928. It was rebuilt in 1985. The hall is a mountain-style building with double eaves and five bays in width. Enshrined in the center of the hall is the present Buddha, Sakyamuni Tathagata Buddha. On the left is the past Buddha, the Medicine Buddha of the Oriental Pure Glaze World. On the right is the future Buddha, Amitabha Buddha of the Western Paradise World. Inside the hall The sculptures hanging on the east and west gables are the Eighteen Arhats, and the sculptures hanging on the back wall of the screen wall are Guanyin.
The difference between the Main Hall of Shaolin Temple and the Main Hall of other temples is that there are standing statues of Bodhidharma and King Kinnara, known as the founder of stick skills in Shaolin Temple, on the left and right of the Third Buddha. In addition, there are unicorn statues under two large pillars in the middle of the hall, indicating that Zen Buddhism is a completely Chinese-style Buddhism.
The buildings on both sides of the front of the Main Hall are the Bell and Drum Towers, the Bell Tower in the southeast and the Drum Tower in the southwest. The original buildings were destroyed by war in 1928 and rebuilt in 1994. They are fixed buildings of the temple. What we often call "morning bells and evening drums" is a signal for monks to live and carry out Buddhist activities.
The stele in front of the bell tower is the "Emperor Songyue Shaolin Temple Stele", commonly known as the "Li Shimin Stele". It was erected in the 16th year of Kaiyuan of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (728 AD). On the front is Li Shimin's instruction to the master of the Shaolin Temple and others, commending the Shaolin monks for their military exploits in helping the Tang Dynasty pacify Wang Shichong. The fifth line from the right has the word "Shimin" initialed by Li Shimin himself, and the inscription is "Emperor Taizong Wen's Royal Letter". The big character is from the imperial book of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, Li Longji. Engraved on the back is Li Shimin's "Inscription of the Royal Book of the Shaolin Temple Baiguzhuang", which records the story of the thirteen stick monks who rescued the King of Qin. It is also the historical basis for the filming of the film "Shaolin Temple".
To the north of "Li Shimin Monument" is the "Xingshi Monument of Xiaoshan Zen Master", which records the experience of the 24th generation Zen Master of Caodong Sect in Shaolin Temple and the merits of revitalizing Shaolin Zen. On the back of it is the "Hunyuan Three Religions and Nine Streams of Illustrated Stele", on which are engraved images of the three religions of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. This stele reflects that Songshan is a place where Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism gather, and embodies the confluence of the three religions. Important ideas. Further north we see the "Qianlong Imperial Stele" engraved in the 15th year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1750 AD). The inscription is a five-character poem: Tomorrow I will look at Zhongyue, and tonight I will stay in Shaolin. My heart will be quiet in the Six Zen Zen. The temple is deep in the mountains, and the ancient wind will leave the sound of the trees. The spirit of the earth will be overcast at night. It should be raining on the rocks, and I will chant outside the window at night.
The temple on the east side of the Main Hall is the Kinnara Hall, which was rebuilt in 1982. The King Kinnara carved inside is the unique protector of Shaolin Temple. Here are shown three different images of King Kinnara’s Sambhogakaya, Dharmakaya and Yingkaya.
Opposite the Kinnara Hall on the west side of the Main Hall is the Sixth Patriarch Hall. It was rebuilt in 1982. The front of the hall is dedicated to Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. On both sides are the first ancestor of Zen Buddhism, Bodhisattva Bodhisattva, second ancestor Huike, third ancestor Sengcan, and fourth ancestor. The ancestors Daoxin, the fifth ancestor Hongren, and the sixth ancestor Huineng are known as the sixth ancestors who worship Guanyin. On the west wall of the Sixth Patriarch Hall is a large-scale painted sculpture "Dharma Returning to the West with Only One Footstep".
The Sutra Collection Pavilion, also known as the Dharma Hall, was built in the Ming Dynasty. It was destroyed in 1928 and rebuilt in 1994. It is a place where monks store scriptures and preach. It houses a white marble reclining Buddha statue presented by a Burmese disciple of Shaolin Temple in 1996. There is a large iron pot under the platform of the Sutra Pavilion, which was cast in the Wanli year of the Ming Dynasty. It is said that it was a small pot used by the Shaolin Temple monks for cooking at that time. From this pot, you can imagine the prosperity and prosperity of the Shaolin Temple at the time of its restoration.
The east and west wings of the Sutra Pavilion are respectively the East Zen Hall and the West Guest Hall. The East Zen Hall is a place for monks to sit and meditate, and the West Guest Hall is now a place for receiving guests.
The abbot’s room is the place where the abbot monk (also the abbot) of Shaolin Temple lives, lives and manages affairs. On September 29, the fifteenth year of Qianlong's reign, Qianlong stayed here when he visited Songshan Mountain. The bell on the east side of the door of the abbot's room was cast in the Yuan Dynasty. This bell can only be struck in an emergency to serve as an alarm.
Dharma Pavilion is also called Lixue Pavilion. Enshrined in the shrine in the hall is a bronze seated statue of Bodhidharma, flanked by the second ancestor Huike, the third ancestor Sengcan, the fourth ancestor Daoxin, and the fifth ancestor Hongren. The four characters "Snow Seal Heart Pearl" hanging in the hall are the imperial inscription of Emperor Qianlong. Speaking of Bodhidharma Pavilion, there is a touching story. According to Buddhist classics: After Bodhidharma came to Shaolin Temple, a Chinese eminent monk Shen Guang followed him and humbly asked Bodhidharma for advice. However, Bodhidharma rejected him, but Shen Guang was not discouraged. Bodhidharma went to the cave to sit in meditation facing the wall, with Shen Guang standing behind him. Bodhidharma returned to the temple to attend to Buddhist matters, and Shen Guang followed him back to the temple. Shen Guang took good care of Bodhidharma and was inseparable. Every move of the Zen master was expressed with joy, day after day, year after year.
One night in the winter of 536 AD, Bodhidharma meditated in the Bodhidharma Pavilion. Shen Guang was still standing outside the pavilion. At this time, heavy snow began to fall in the sky, and the heavy snow submerged Shen Guang's knees. Shen Guang still clasped his hands together and did not move. Not moving, Bodhidharma saw Shen Guang standing in the snow the next morning after his meditation session, so he asked him: "What are you doing standing in the snow?" Shen Guang replied: "Please master teach me the true Dharma." Mo said: "You want me to teach you the Dharma, unless Tianlong Hongxue."
Shenguang understood, drew out the sword, and cut off his left arm. The blood suddenly turned red. Bai Xue, Bodhidharma He was moved, so he passed the mantle and bowl to Shenguang as a proof of the teaching, and named him "Huike". The idiom story that we now call "Yibo Zhenzhuan" originated from this. The story of "Broken Arm Seeking Dharma" has also been recited by Zen practitioners. At the same time, in order to commemorate the second ancestor Huike, who broke his arm in the snow to seek Buddhism, people also called "Dharma Pavilion" "Luxue Pavilion".
To the east of Bodhidharma Pavilion is the Manjusri Hall, which is dedicated to Manjusri Bodhisattva. Now please follow me to visit the highest hall of Shaolin Temple, and of course the most precious hall.
The Thousand Buddha Hall was built in the Ming Dynasty. It is the last building of the Shaolin Temple. It is also known as Pilu Pavilion. It is more than 20 meters high and covers an area of ??more than 300 square meters. It is the largest Buddha in the temple. The shrine in the hall enshrines Vairocana Buddha (the dharma body of Sakyamuni Buddha). The plaque "Dharma Seal Gaoti" hanging on the shrine is an imperial letter from Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. The east, northwest and three walls of the hall are painted in the Ming Dynasty. 500 large-scale color paintings of Pilu from the Luohan Dynasty. It was created by an unknown painter in the Ming Dynasty. The painting is exquisite and bold in design, and has high artistic research value. We looked on the ground and saw 4 rows of 48 stance pits on the floor of the brick pavement in the hall. They are the remains of the foot pits where Shaolin monks practiced boxing and martial arts over the years. From these foot pits, we can see that Shaolin Kung Fu is extraordinary.
To the east of the Thousand Buddhas Hall is the Guanyin Hall, also known as the Hammer Hall. In the hall, the great white-robed figure, Guanyin Bodhisattva, is enshrined. On the wall inside the hall is the boxing manual of Shaolin Temple painted in the middle and late Qing Dynasty.
To the west of Thousand Buddha Hall is Ksitigarbha Hall. In the middle of the hall is Ksitigarbha Ksitigarbha. Standing to the south of Ksitigarbha is the answering elder, and to the north is Monk Daoming. The north and south walls of the hall are painted with On the west wall is the "Twenty-Four Filial Piety Pictures".
The Shaolin Temple Pagoda Forest is the tomb of the eminent monks of the Shaolin Temple in the past dynasties, with a total area of ??more than 14,000 square meters. In 1996, the State Council announced it as a national key cultural relics protection unit. There are more than 240 masonry tomb pagodas from the Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties in the pagoda forest, including 2 Tang pagodas, 2 Song pagodas, 10 gold pagodas, 46 Yuan pagodas, 148 Ming pagodas, and the rest. It is a Qing pagoda and an unknown pagoda from the Song Dynasty. The Shaolin Temple Pagoda Forest is the largest and most numerous ancient pagoda group among the existing ancient pagodas in my country. The height of the pagodas here is generally less than 15 meters, ranging from the first to the seventh level. The height, size, level, and shape of the pagodas are based on It depends on the monk's status in Buddhism, Buddhist attainments, number of Buddhists, prestige, economic status and historical conditions during his lifetime.
The famous pagodas in the pagoda forest of Shaolin Temple include: the Zen Master Fawan Pagoda in the seventh year of Zhenyuan of the Tang Dynasty (791 AD), the ordinary pagoda in the third year of Xuanhe of the Song Dynasty (1121 AD), and the ordinary pagoda in the second year of Jin Zhenglong (1157 AD). ), the Kanran Stone Pagoda in the eighth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1580 AD), the Bi'an Pagoda in the fifth year of Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1666), and the Ju'an Elder Pagoda built in the Yuan Dynasty (later) to the fifth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1339). wait. Tallinn is a precious treasure for studying the history of ancient Chinese architecture, sculpture, calligraphy, art history and religious culture.
Chuzu Nunnery, Chuzu Nunnery is located under the Wuru Peak of Shaolin Temple, on the hillside behind the Shaolin Temple. It was built by Bodhidharma's descendants and disciples to commemorate Bodhidharma's face wall. Covering an area of ??7,760 square meters, the main hall of Chuzu'an is a typical wooden structure building in the Song Dynasty.
The Second Ancestor's Temple is located on the Boyu Peak of the Shaolin Temple. It is the tallest building in the Shaolin Temple and was built by the Second Ancestor Huike. Because it faces the First Ancestor's Temple from north to south, it is also called Nan'an. It is said that the second ancestor Huike once rested here after breaking the wall in the snow.
Bodhidharma Cave is located on Wuru Peak in the northwest of Shaolin Temple. The cave is about 7 meters deep, 3 meters high and 3.5 meters wide. From 527 to 536 AD, Bodhidharma faced the wall here for nine years. He finally achieved enlightenment and spread Zen Buddhism for the first time, which became a great initiative in the history of Buddhism. There is a Shifang Temple built in the Ming Dynasty. There are many stone carvings left by famous people in the past on the rocks on both sides of the cave.
Opposite the Shaolin Temple on the south bank of the Shaoxi River is the Shifang Zen Monastery. It was built in the seventh year of Zhengde (1512) and renovated in the tenth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty. It was a temple post office and a place for traveling monks to stay. It collapsed in 1958 and in 1993 Renovated every year. The newly built Shifang Zen Temple is different from the past. It is a new Buddhist Zen scene - the Five Hundred Arhat Hall.
The ten directions are the ten directions above and below the four corners.
Sizheng: There are four single-eaves resting mountain-style palaces in the east, west, south and north.
Four Corners: There are four scenic circles with their own characteristics in spring, summer, autumn and winter.