Zen Buddhism spread to the five ancestors of Hongren, resulting in two lineages: North and South. Huineng, the sixth ancestor, said with "epiphany" that he mainly preached in the south and called it "Nanzong"; Shen Xiu adhered to the principle of "gradual enlightenment" and mainly preached in the north, which was called "Northern Sect".
The north and south factions later evolved into "five factions" (Luyang, Lin Ji, Cao Dong, Yunmen and Fayan). For thousands of years, these two wonderful Zen flowers have had a glorious history. In the early Qing Dynasty, South Shaolin was burned by the Qing government.
I. Shaolin Temple
Shaolin Temple is located at the foot of Wuru Peak in Songshan Mountain, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province. It is named "Shaolin Temple" because it is located in the dense jungle of Shaoshi Mountain in the hinterland of Songshan Mountain. Founded in the 19th year of Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty (495), it was built by Emperor Xiaowen at the northern foot of Shaoshi Mountain in Songshan Mountain, facing the capital Luoyang.
Shaolin Temple is a world-famous Buddhist temple and the ancestral home of Zen in Han Dynasty. It occupies an important position in the history of Buddhism in China and is known as "the first temple in the world". It is famous all over the world because Shaolin monks have devoted themselves to developing Shaolin Kung Fu, and is known as "Shaolin Kung Fu is the best in the world".
Shaolin Temple is now a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction and a national key cultural relics protection unit. Historic buildings in the world, including the Shaolin Temple's Chang 'an, Chu Zuan and Tallinn, are all famous world cultural heritages.
Second, cultural exchange.
Since the founding of New China, the cultural exchanges between Shaolin Temple and other parts of the world have been continuously improved in terms of specifications, scale, frequency and scope. European and American dancers, world Muay Thai kings, NBA stars and Hollywood movie stars rushed to visit, and monks from traditional Buddhist countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka went to pay their respects.
From the appointment of the abbot of Shaolin Temple by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Elizabeth II, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, former Australian Prime Minister Howard and former South African President Mandela, to the personal visits of Russian President Putin, former US Secretary of State Kissinger, Taiwan Province politician James Soong, Lien Chan, Wu Boxiong and former International Olympic Committee President Rogge, all these further prove and highlight the extraordinary and extensive influence of Shaolin Temple.
In 2004, the California Senate and House of Representatives voted twice to designate March 2 1 day as "Shaolin Temple Day in Songshan, California" and became a festival established by the California Parliament in the form of legislation.
Shaolin Temple has not only established more than 40 overseas cultural institutions in dozens of countries around the world, but also spread to more than 300 cities around the world. Shaolin monks teach Buddhist scriptures, practice martial arts and meditate in these Shaolin cultural centers. Shaolin Temple also held Shaolin Culture Festival in Europe and North China, which conveyed the spiritual connotation and oriental values of culture to the mainstream society of all countries in the world in various ways.
On March 20th, 20 16, in order to celebrate "Songshan Shaolin Temple Day" in California, the Shaolin Kungfu Temple in Los Angeles, USA, held colorful celebrations with local believers, students and parents in Thomas Burton Park to celebrate this legal festival named after "Shaolin Temple".
Third, Shaolin Kung Fu.
Shaolin Kung Fu is the most systematic martial arts school in China, with more than 700 kinds of martial arts routines. Because it is based on Zen, practicing martial arts and practicing Zen, it is also called "martial arts Zen". The word "Shaolin" has become a symbol of traditional martial arts in China. Shaolin Kung Fu includes 72 stunts such as Shaolin, Shaolin boxing, Shaolin stick, Shaolin spear, Shaolin fencing and Shaolin fencing. ?
In addition to the above-mentioned knives, guns, swords and sticks, Shaolin Wushu weapons also include trident (also known as big palladium in the south), convenient shovel, three-ring sleeve, Emei thorn, crescent shovel, halberd sickle, Xiuquan, Tian Fang painted halberd, double hammer, big axe, double axe, three-section stick, sharp stick, seven-section whip, nine-section whip and Shuang Bian.
Shaolin routines include empty sword, empty pistol, single pistol, empty dagger, stick-piercing gun, grass-sickle combined gun, pointed stick combined gun and so on.
The martial arts of Shaolin Sect are: moving handle, thinking handle, tiger pounce handle, Youlong flying step, Feng Dan facing the sun, crossing handle, old man holding gourd, fairy picking eggplant, stealing peach from the bottom of leaves, cutting melon after the head, Hei Hu stealing heart, old monkey moving branches, gold thread winding, iron fan answering the door, stepping gun and kid holding gun.
Qigong is a major category of Shaolin Kungfu. The qigong circulated in Shaolin Temple includes Yijinjing, small martial arts, nailing, life-prolonging Yin-Yang method and mixed Yuan-Yi qigong. There are many training methods of hard and soft kungfu, such as bone unloading, snatch, acupoint secret method, bunt technique, various medication methods and treatment methods. ?
The essence of Shaolin Kung Fu is the unity of Zen and martial arts. Shaolin Temple is the ancestral home of Zen Buddhism, aiming at understanding nature and Taoism. In the eyes of Buddhists, meditation is the right way. Shi Yanzhu, a descendant of Shaolin Kung Fu, said: Boxing and bravery are the last skills, and monks only practice martial arts to win people's hearts. At the same time, it also has the effects of strengthening the body and prolonging life.
Fourth, cultural values.
Songyang Academy is a state-level cultural relic of world historic buildings, one of the four major academies in Song Dynasty, and also the center for the spread and development of Luopai Neo-Confucianism. Many famous scholars come here to give lectures, which plays an important role in the history of education in China.
Known as "rare treasures", the Hanfeng general cypress and the Datang monument of Songyang Academy have attracted many tourists and become symbols of Songshan's rich historical and cultural accumulation. Songyang Academy occupies the hinterland of Songshan Mountain in Zhongyue, surrounded by mountains, with numerous archways, long streams and pleasant scenery. 1982 65438+ In February, when the contemporary poet Wenshan visited here, he wrote a seven-character poem of Songyang Academy.
There are many inscriptions inside and outside Shaolin Temple, among which the Yuan Dynasty inscriptions are not only considerable, but also of precious cultural value. It is a rare physical document for studying religion, politics, history, calligraphy art and Chinese-foreign exchanges in the Yuan Dynasty. There are many strange stone tablets and precious inscriptions in the "Ciyuntang" stele gallery on the right side of Shaolin Temple.
Among them, there are two big monuments, which live in the south and stand tall. The one in the west is "the monument of the great Zen master Yu Gong, who was awarded the title of Dasikong Kaifuyi by Dayuan and the title of Duke of Shanxi Shaolin by the Third Division" (note: Yu Gong, that is, Master Fuyu). This monument opened the first page of the history of the Great Shaolin Temple in the Yuan Dynasty.
On the exquisiteness of calligraphy, it should be counted as "Dayuan rebuilt the Xiao Liang Desert Master Monument in Songshan Shaolin Temple, Henan Province". This monument was built in Zheng Zhi for seven years (1347). The inscription is 3.23 meters high and 1.38 meters wide. The book was written in the last five years (1339) by Ouyang Xuan, a scholar at that time. The inscription on the book list was written by Kang, a great calligrapher in Yuan Dynasty. Dayuan Rebuilding Shaolin Temple in Songshan, Henan Province not only has high artistic value of calligraphy, but also has certain documentary value.