The Adventures of Shaolin Temple(616 views)

Release date:2009-08-25 16:34:37

If you are looking for a real adventure off the beaten path, a trip to Shaolin Temple is definitely what’s in order. Shaolin Temple is nestled in the Song Mountains only 50 miles away from Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan. Most people know Shaolin as the origin of Kung Fu, but it is much more than that. It’s a sacred place of natural beauty, self awareness, Buddhism and a history that goes back over 1500 years. The compound is alive as thousands of students practicing martial arts everyday much like they did hundreds of years ago, so you can well imagine the energy pulsing in the air.

The Shaolin compound holds a number of attractions including the Shaolin Temple, Kung Fu exhibitions, the Pagoda Forest, and a cave where an eminent monk named Boddhidhama meditated for 9 years. The temple itself is only a 20 minute walk away from the main gate. As soon as you enter the Temple, you’re jolted with the feeling that you went back in time. The two major attractions of the temple are the Shadow Stone in which you can see Boddhidhama’s shadow burned into the rock from many years of meditation, and the Hall of a Thousand Buddahs where you can see footprints made in the stone by monks training for hundreds of years.

If you decide to take a trip to Shaolin, you can’t miss the outdoor Kung Fu performances. The most popular arena is located inside the Shaolin complex itself. Skilled performers breaking iron bars with their legs and heads is just one impressive aspect of the show. Another, and less well known nighttime show, is located outside the Shaolin complex. The arena is only 15 minutes away and is in a valley with mountains jutting up in the background. Intense spotlights blaze down from high mountain peaks from at least a mile away. The actual performance doesn’t have much fighting but is more of a Kung Fu choreography. The skill of the performers, the special effects, and the sound system are spectacular.

The Pagoda Forest is a very impressive attraction in the Shaolin Temple complex. The Pagoda Forest was a burial place for eminent monks. It is definitely one of the most unique man-made sights you will ever see. The area contains more than two hundred and fifty pagodas making it the largest concentration of pagodas in China dating from 791 to 1803.

Another place of interest in Shaolin is a cave where the famous Indian monk, Boddhidhama, lived and meditated for 9 long years. As legend has it, he went to the cave to become accepted in the temple and in the end discovered the very unique form of Shaolin Kung Fu practiced today. You may be surprised to find there is still one monk, Master De Jian, who has been practicing Kung Fu and meditating there for 15 years. Further up the mountain you will find an enormous statue of Bodhidharma watching silently over the Shaolin Temple. You won’t find many foreign travelers up this trail and will be impressed to see 80 year old Chinese women taking a pilgrimage to the top of this sacred spot.

My journey to Shaolin was one of the best trips I have ever taken. Although there are many tourist attractions, you still can get the raw traditional feeling of being in the real China. Shaolin definitely has something for everyone.

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