#我来唠家常#
▲ Shaolin warrior monk. Photo by Ren Hongbing
-The Legend of the Gentleman of Things-
Crooked Nut: Wow, you Chinese all know kung fu!
Chinese:???
Shaolin Temple: My!
Every once in a while, the hot search on the Internet will be dominated by the joke "Chinese know martial arts". Such a "misunderstanding" is not unrelated to Songshan Shaolin Temple.
As the ancestral court of Zen Buddhism, why did Shaolin Temple practice martial arts and create Shaolin Kung Fu in addition to Buddhism? How powerful is Shaolin Kung Fu, so that Jin Yong even took Shaolin Temple as the center to build a martial arts river and lake with swords and swords?
▲ Shaolin after the rain. Photo by Ren Hongbing
Once upon a time there was a mountain, and there was a temple in the mountain
For those who have been to the Shaolin Temple, it is difficult not to leave an impression on the ancient ginkgo tree at the mountain gate. Especially in late autumn, the golden ginkgo leaves hang on the curvy and vigorous trunks, as if opening the time channel of the Shaolin Temple, and every branch and leaf are telling the millennium time of the Shaolin Temple.
▲ The ginkgo tree at the mountain gate of Shaolin Temple. Photo by Ren Hongbing
▲ Shaolin warrior monks practice martial arts under the golden ginkgo tree. Photo by Liu Kebai
"Four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties, how many buildings are in the smoke and rain." During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Buddhism flourished in China, making a leap from quantitative to qualitative change. In 495 AD, the Indian monk Buddha Bhadra came to the Northern Wei Dynasty and was warmly welcomed by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty. In order to settle Badhara, Emperor Xiaowen deliberately built the Shaolin Temple at the northern foot of Shaomu Mountain, facing the capital Luoyang.
▲ Autumn colors of Songshan Mountain. Photo by Liu Kebai
When it comes to Shaolin Temple, there is always an unavoidable prefix - Songshan. As one of the earliest uplifted mountains in China, Songshan has the title of "the ancestor of ten thousand mountains". Songshan Mountain is located in Dengfeng, Henan, across the south bank of the Yellow River, with Luoyang in the west and Zhengzhou in the east. According to the "Historical Records", "the kings of the past three generations were all between Heluo, so Songgao is the middle mountain, and the four mountains are the same as their side." ”
▲ Topographic map of Songshan Mountain. Songshan was called "foreign" in ancient times, and it was called "sublime" and "lofty mountain" in the Xia and Shang periods. As one of the earliest uplifted mountains in China's land area, Songshan has a history of 3.5 billion years, and has undergone many crustal movements, and has been praised by geologists as the "Natural Geological Museum" of "five generations in the same hall". Cartography / Paprika
The tall and handsome Zhongyue Song Mountain, bounded by the Shaolin River, is divided into Taimur Mountain and Shaomur Mountain. Separated by only one river, the two mountain ranges have very different postures and have their own style.
▲ Shomuro Mountain long scroll. Photo by Liu Kebai
Different from the wide and tall Taimur Mountain, the Shaolin Mountain where the Shaolin Temple is located is majestic and precipitous, and all the mountains and rivers in the north can be found here. "Shaolin, Shaolin also". The beautiful and upright Shaolin Mountain, lined with trees, is also named after the Shaolin Temple.
▲ The location of Shaolin Temple. Cartography / Paprika
The original Shaolin Temple only assumed the function of promoting Buddhism. In those turbulent times, however, sermons were sometimes a luxury. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties when Shaolin Temple was born, the social environment was turbulent, and local armed forces often plundered and collected wealth. As a royal temple, Shaolin Temple has relatively rich assets and is the number one target of the armed rebel army.
▲ The scene of Shaolin monks practicing martial arts in the movie "Shaolin Temple" starring Jet Li. GIF from the movie "Shaolin Temple"
In addition, Songshan Shaolin Temple is located in the Central Plains, and the transportation is very convenient. However, in the era of war, transportation is accessible, but it also means more dangerous. Located on the ancient battlefield where soldiers must fight, Shaolin Temple is naturally immune to the invasion of war.
▲ Shaolin monk Songshan martial arts map. Photo by Liu Kebai
Therefore, in order to survive in the war, the monks of Shaolin Temple, led by Seng Chou, began to pick up sticks and practice moves spontaneously to protect the safety of the temple. In the long run, the Shaolin warrior monks gradually formed a regulation.
How powerful is Shaolin Kung Fu?
When it comes to Shaolin Kung Fu, people's initial impression is mostly that of stick monks. Sticks, in Shaolin Kung Fu, do have a pivotal position.
▲ The stick is the most used and conventional weapon by Shaolin monks. The picture shows the warrior monk performing the Shaolin stick method. Photo by Ren Hongbing
Most of the things in the world follow the most simple rules - "rely on the mountains to eat the mountains, rely on the water to eat the water". When choosing a weapon, Shaolin monks naturally have to look around first, and the Shaolin Temple happens to be located among the lush forests of Shaolin Mountain. For the monks of Shaolin Temple, wood is relatively easy to obtain, and the production process is simple, and the stick made from nature is the best personal weapon.
▲ Shaolin sticks are regarded as the "ancestor of a hundred soldiers" and "the ancestor of all arts". There is an ancient proverb "slow knife and quick stick killer" to describe the speed of stick smashing. Photo by Ren Hongbing
On the other hand, the use of sticks is the embodiment of Buddhist culture. Wooden sticks made from trees, compared with cold weapons, have more deterrent power than less lethality. For the Shaolin Temple, the original intention of practicing martial arts was to defend oneself rather than hurt others, and the use of sticks as weapons is the embodiment of the Buddhist idea of compassion.
▲ Two warrior monks practice martial arts next to Tallinn. Photo by Ren Hongbing
In addition, wooden sticks have always been a unique existence in Buddhist culture. From the appearance, the sticks used in Shaolin martial arts stand upright, which coincides with the idea of Buddhism teaching people to be "upright and upward". It is no wonder that in Buddhist culture, Zen Buddhism talks about "epiphany" and has the Zen method of "stick drinking", and in the literary masterpiece "Journey to the West" involving Buddhist culture, the Ruyi golden hoop stick used by Sun Wukong is also based on the stick.
▲ In the 3D animation "Journey to the West: The Return of the Great Sage", which is expanded and interpreted according to the traditional Chinese mythological story "Journey to the West", Sun Wukong is domineering with a golden hoop stick. GIF from the movie "Journey to the West: The Return of the Great Sage"
Since it can be famous for kung fu, the weapons of Shaolin warrior monks are certainly not limited to sticks. In addition to the wooden sticks for the introduction of weapons, "high-level" weapons such as fists, spears, and lancets are also included in the daily courses of Shaolin warrior monks.
▲ A young warrior monk performing kung fu. Photo by Lu Wen
In today's Shaolin Temple's Western Sage Hall, 48 footprints of different shades are clearly visible. According to the information, these seemingly messy footprints actually imply a discipline, and they are a set of Shaolin boxing methods in a row. What kind of long-term hard work can make the footprints deeply "imprinted" on the ground?
▲ As the saying goes, "ten years of sharpening a sword", good kung fu is not something that can be practiced overnight. Photo by Liu Kebai
The acquisition of any kung fu is not achieved overnight. After apprenticeship at the Shaolin Temple, the monks must spend one to two years practicing the basic skills such as standing on the pile; then they can learn the basic boxing techniques such as Qixing Boxing, Xiaohong Boxing, and Shaolin Wuzu Boxing; and only after learning the boxing techniques well can they practice weapons such as meteor hammers, nine-section whips, and shepherd whips. If you want to learn Shaolin Kung Fu systematically, you must have ten years and eight years.
Martial arts are part of the practice of Zen by the monks of Shaolin Temple. For the Shaolin monks who "walk, sit and lie down are all Zen", they integrate their daily martial arts training into their lives, and even when stir-frying, they can "hang the golden hook upside down" and operate a large iron pot with a diameter of one meter upside down.
▲ The mural in the Western Sage Hall (also known as the Thousand Buddha Hall) of Shaolin Temple - Five Hundred Arhats Dynasty Pilu (partial). Photo by Ren Hongbing
In fact, China has always had a tradition of martial arts. In troubled times, the temple of martial arts self-defense is far more than the Shaolin Temple. And only Shaolin Kung Fu is "out of the circle", which is not unrelated to two real historical events.
▲ Located on the back wall of the Baiyi Hall (Guanyin Hall) of Shaolin Temple, the mural of the thirteen stick monks saving the Tang King (partial). Photo by Ren Hongbing
At the end of the Sui Dynasty, when wars were frequent, Luoyang at that time was occupied by Wang Shichong, the surrounding people were oppressed, and the Shaolin Temple was also troubled. Knowing that the Tang army went to Luoyang, the local people, with the Shaolin monks as the backbone, helped the Tang army capture Wang Shichong's nephew Wang Renze, and swept away the armed separatist forces in Luoyang in one fell swoop. After this incident, Shaolin Kung Fu left a deep impression in the hearts of the local people.
Later, this story was constantly interpreted and became the outline of the script of the movie "Shaolin Temple".
▲ Shaolin warrior monks perform boxing. Photo by Ren Hongbing
What really made Shaolin Kung Fu famous all over the world should be the Ming Dynasty monk and soldier anti-Japanese incident. Zheng Ruozeng, a famous military theorist in the Ming Dynasty, was a staff member of Hu Zongxian, the commander-in-chief of the suppression of the Japanese, and recorded the deeds of the monks and soldiers against the Japanese many times in his "Jiangnan Jinglu": "Hangzhou was closed, and the three divisions led the monks and soldiers to 40 people, and the Japanese were destroyed."
▲ The master is so reliable!
Perhaps the real Shaolin Kung Fu is not as invincible as in film and television works, but it is a trustworthy armed force that supports justice and resists foreign aggression.
Why is Shaolin Temple the spokesperson of a decent family?
In Jin Yong's martial arts rivers and lakes, Shaolin Temple always occupies the C position in all major schools, and is almost the spokesperson of the famous and decent family. In addition to Jin Yong's literary rendering, the first appearance of Shaolin Temple in reality is also the most orthodox royal path.
Most of the time, the things promoted by the royal level are somewhat high and low, and ordinary people will feel a sense of distance and inevitably stay away, but Shaolin Temple has broken this "unregular" law with strong inclusiveness.
▲ African students learning kung fu at the Shaolin Temple. Photo by Ren Hongbing
For the ancient people, the rise and fall of the country was suffering. Especially for the people at the bottom, it is a luxury to be able to eat a bowl of hot porridge. Shaolin Temple with a royal background, a lot of land and land, in the face of the poor people who can't eat enough, Shaolin Temple often opens the mountain gate, soup soup and rice. This tradition continues today. Every year on the Laba Festival, Shaolin Temple still sets up a special soup kitchen, and there is no difference between people who come to give porridge.
Swipe left
▲ As in previous years, the masters of Shaolin Temple and Shaolin Pharmacy cooked Laba porridge for the citizens in Laba as scheduled. Photo/Visual China
In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, with the budding of the commodity economy, the trade activities of merchants became more frequent, and in order to ensure the safety of commodity transportation, the profession of dart master gradually became popular. To be a dart master, the most important thing is martial arts skills. And Shaolin Kung Fu was a well-known signboard at that time. As a result, many poor people chose to go to Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts and find a way out for life.
▲ Young warrior monk. Photo by Liu Kebai
From ancient times to the present, Shaolin Temple has been one of the life choices of many people. As a province with a large population, in the early years, Henan families had almost three or four children per capita. In an era when eating was a problem, sending children to Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts and acquire a skill was also a means of making a living.
▲ The three-year-old warrior monk of Shaolin Temple in Songshan, Henan Province unexpectedly became popular on the Internet. Photo/Soogif
Even in today's era of food and clothing, most Henan children have known one or more friends who have gone to Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts. Going to Shaolin to practice martial arts is still a quaint complex in the hearts of many people.
There are no more "sweeping monks" in Shaolin Temple?
But when it comes to high force, the sweeping monk of Shaolin Temple is a name that must be mentioned. Keeping a quiet side in the downtown is people's traditional definition of "martial arts master".
▲ Sweep the floor and don't forget to show your skills. Photo/Visual China
However, today's Shaolin Temple is too "WTO" and appears frequently in the world, which is inevitably accused of "deviance". Labels such as "hype", "over-commercialization", and "eye-catching" were once in the dust.
▲ The Eighteen Bronze Men of Shaolin appeared on the stage of the CBS program "The World's Best". Photo/Giphy
"Bravely stand a snowman, and have peace of mind with a broken arm. The world is called the first, it is Zen not boxing. In fact, since its inception, the most basic function of the Shaolin Temple has been to promote Buddhism. Over the past 1,500 years, Shaolin Temple has experienced prosperity and war, and has never forgotten its original intention of inheriting Buddhist culture.
▲ Shaolin Temple Daxiong Hall - morning class. Photo by Ren Hongbing
Compared with the world-famous Shaolin Kung Fu, few people understand the Shaolin culture as the "ancestral garden of Zen Buddhism". In 527 A.D., 30 years after the establishment of the Shaolin Temple, Bodhidharma crossed the river with a reed, came to the Shaolin Temple, found a cave in the mountain behind the temple, faced the wall for nine years, and finally realized the Eastern Zen Buddhism. Since then, Bodhidharma began to spread Zen Buddhism in Shaolin Temple, and Shaolin Temple has also become the ancestral court of Zen Buddhism in China.
▲ The statue of Bodhidharma located on the top of the mountain behind the Shaolin Temple. Legend has it that when Bodhidharma was meditating and meditating in the cave, his figure blocked the sunlight thrown into the cave. Over time, the image of Bodhidharma was also imprinted on the stone wall, and this magical stone was called the "Bodhidharma Shadow Stone". Photo by Liu Kebai
Even today, when tourists are weaving, the monks of Shaolin Temple have not put down their homework for a day. At 5 o'clock in the morning every day, before the night fades, the monks of the whole temple will gather in the Daxiong Treasure Hall to chant and worship, which is the moment when the Shaolin Temple really belongs to the monks. The low and long Sanskrit sound wafts through the valley, making people trance for thousands of years.
▲ Night view of Dengfeng Stargazing Platform - Star Track. Photography / Jiao Xiaoxiang
In fact, nothing lasts. After a century-long war, the Shaolin Temple at the beginning of the last century is long gone. The mountain gate was dilapidated, the temple collapsed, and only a dozen old and weak monks remained.
After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee, national religious policies were introduced one after another, and Shaolin Temple ushered in spring. Not long after, the movie "Shaolin Temple" was staged, causing thousands of empty alleys, and a movie ticket of 2 cents sold a box office of 140 million.
▲ The movie "Shaolin Temple" directed by Zhang Xinyan and starring Jet Li was released in Hong Kong, China on January 21, 1982. 2 cents a ticket, creating a box office of 140 million, is a myth in the history of Chinese films. The picture comes from the Internet
In 1987, at the age of 22, Shi Yongxin began to fully preside over the work of Shaolin Temple, and he firmly believed: "Only development can have status, only development, can have influence, and only development can be worthy of the title of Shaolin Temple, a Buddhist holy place and the ancestral court of Zen Buddhism." This kind of "deviant" style of operation also made Shaolin Temple fall into the whirlpool of public opinion.
▲ Zen and martial arts are one. Photo by Ren Hongbing
Whether it's art or faith. As for the "white moonlight" in the heart, should it exhaust one's body and magnify one's character, or let it disappear and annihilate it, making people think about it?
▲ Young warrior monk. Photo by Lu Wen
What is Zen? Everyone has a different answer in their minds.