![]() Using the teachings of Batuo and his disciples as a foundation, Bodhidharma introduced Chan Buddhism, and the Shaolin Temple community gradually grew to become the center of Chinese Chan Buddhism. Bodhidharma's teachings were primarily based on Lankavatara Sutra, which contains the conversation between Gautama Buddha and Bodhisattva Mahamatti, who is considered the first patriarch of Chan tradition. The Indian arrived as a Chan Buddhist missionary and traveled for decades throughout China before, settling on Mount Song in the 520s. In the third year of the Xiaochang era (527) of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei, Bodhidharma ( 达摩 Dá mó), the 28th patriarch of Mahayana Buddhism in India, came to the Shaolin Temple. After that, Huiguang promoted the Vinaya in Four Parts ( 四分律 Sì fēn lǜ Sanskrit: Dharmagupta-Vinaya), which formed the theoretical basis of the Luzong (律宗 Lǜzōng) School of Buddhism, formed during the Tang Dynasty by Dao Xuan (596–667). Together with Huiguang, they translated master Shiqin's ( 世親 Shìqīn in Sanskrit: Vasubandhu) commentary on the Ten Stages Sutra (Sanskrit: Daśabhūmika Sūtra simplified Chinese: 十地经), an early, influential Mahayana Buddhist scripture. In the first year of the Yongping era (506), Indian monks Lenamoti ( 勒那摩提, in Sanskrit: Ratnamati) and Putiliuzhi ( 菩提流支, in Sanskrit: Bodhiruci) came to Shaolin to set up a scripture translation hall. ![]() Batuo's teaching was continued by his two disciples, Sengchou ( 僧稠 Sēngchóu, 480–560) and Huiguang ( 慧光 Huìguāng, 487–536). Historical sources on the early origins of Shaolin kung fu show that at this time, martial arts practice was existent in the temple. It also became a place of gathering for esteemed Buddhist masters. Thanks to Batuo, Shaolin became an important center for the study and translation of original Buddhist scriptures. The Jiaqing Chongxiu Yitongzhi (1843) specifies that this monastery, located in the province of Henan, was built in the twentieth year of the Taihe era of the Northern Wei dynasty, that is, the monastery was built in AD 495. Yang Xuanzhi, in the Record of the Buddhist Monasteries of Luoyang (AD 547), and Li Xian, in the Ming Yitongzhi (1461), concur with Daoxuan's location and attribution. History Northern Wei and Northern Zhou dynasties īatuo, also referred to in the Chinese sources as Fotuo and in Sanskrit as Buddhabhadra, had enjoyed the sponsorship of the Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei since arriving in Pingcheng via the Silk Road, around the year 490. In addition, owing to the work of official Shaolin overseas cultural centers and foreign disciples, Shaolin culture has spread around the world as a distinctive symbol of Chinese culture and a means of foreign cultural exchange. A large number of celebrities, political figures, eminent monks, Buddhist disciples, and many other people, come to the temple to visit, make pilgrimages, and hold cultural exchanges. This cultural heritage, still constituting the daily temple life, is representative of Chinese civilization. The main pillars of Shaolin culture are Chan Buddhism ( 禅 Chán), martial arts ( 武 wǔ), Buddhist art ( 艺 yì), and traditional Chinese medicine ( 医 yī). Shaolin monks have been devoted to research, creation, and continuous development and perfecting of Shaolin kung fu. Apart from its contribution to the development of Chinese Buddhism, as well as for its historical, cultural, and artistic heritage, the temple is famous for its martial arts tradition. The Temple's historical architectural complex, standing out for its great aesthetic value and its profound cultural connotations, has been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Thereafter, Bodhidharma was honored as the first patriarch of Chan Buddhism. He spent nine years meditating in a cave of the Wuru Peak and initiated the Chinese Chan tradition at the Shaolin Temple. According to legend, Bodhidharma, the 28th patriarch of Mahayana Buddhism in India, arrived at the Shaolin Temple in 527. Īs the first Shaolin abbot, Batuo devoted himself to translating Buddhist scriptures and to preaching doctrines to hundreds of his followers. It is located some 48 km (30 mi) southeast of Luoyang, the former capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534), and 72 km (45 mi) southwest of Zhengzhou, the modern capital of Henan Province. Mount Song occupied a prominent position among Chinese sacred mountains as early as the 1st century BC, when it was proclaimed one of the Five Holy Peaks ( 五岳 wǔyuè). The name reflects its location in the ancient grove ( 林 lín) of Mount Shaoshi, in the hinterland of the Songshan mountains. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak of the Songshan mountain range in Dengfeng County, Henan Province, China. Shaolin Monastery ( 少林寺 Shǎolínsì), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu.
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