Introduction to must-see attractions in Songshan Shaolin Temple

Introduction to the must-see attractions of Songshan Shaolin Temple

Introduction: It was around the early Tang Dynasty when Shaolin Temple became famous all over the world. It is located on the Zhongyue Song Mountain, 13 kilometers northwest of Dengfeng City, Henan Province. It is backed by Wuru Peak and is surrounded by mountains. The peaks are connected and scattered in an orderly manner, forming a natural barrier for the Shaolin Temple. Songshan Mountain is bounded by Taishi Mountain to the east and Shaoshi Mountain to the west, each with thirty-six peaks, each with its famous peaks. What fun place is there in Shaolin Temple? Let me experience it now.

Shaolin Temple Mountain Gate

Highlights in the Temple

Shaolin Temple Mountain Gate

Above the mountain gate hangs a rectangular black gold plaque inscribed by Emperor Kangxi and a pair of stone lions , male and female facing each other. There are two stone squares standing symmetrically on the east and west side of the eight-character wall. The outer banner of the east stone square reads "Ancestral Truth" and the inner banner reads "Bhaduo Chuang". The inner banner of the west stone square reads "Mahayana Resort" and the outer horizontal banner reads. Um: "Song Shao Zen Forest". The overall structural configuration of the mountain gate is high and low, which is very harmonious.

The Hall of Heavenly Kings

Located at the end of the forest of steles, it is named after the four heavenly kings who symbolize "wind, tune, rain and smoothness". Between the mountain gate and the Hall of Heavenly Kings, there is a long It is a long corridor, with a forest of steles shaded by green pines and cypresses on both sides of the road.

Main Hall

In the hall, there are statues of Sakyamuni, Medicine Buddha, Amitabha, Guanyin, and Eighteen Arhats. The entire building has a reasonable structure, is majestic and majestic. The buildings on both sides of the front of the hall are the bell and drum towers, the bell tower in the southeast and the drum tower in the southwest. The "morning bell and evening drum" are a signal for the monks to live and carry out Buddhist activities.

Thousand Buddha Hall

Located behind Lixue Pavilion, also known as Pilu Hall, it is the last hall in the temple. The murals in the temple are very famous and are treasures among the murals in Shaolin Temple. The most famous ones are "Thirteen Stick Monks Save the King of Tang" and "Five Hundred Arhats Vairocana", with bright colors, harmonious composition and fluttering clothes.

Shaolin Temple

Sutra-Tibetan Pavilion

Also known as the Dharma Hall, it is a place where monks in the temple store scriptures and preach. The white marble reclining Buddha statue inside was a gift from a Burmese disciple of the Shaolin Temple. There is a large iron pot under the platform of the Sutra Pavilion. It was cast in the Wanli year of the Ming Dynasty. It was a small pot used by the Shaolin Temple monks for cooking at that time. The prosperity and prosperity of the Shaolin Temple at that time can be seen. 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 and Buddhists taking refuge.

Abbot’s Room

The Abbot’s Room is the place where the abbot lives and manages affairs in the temple. When Emperor Gaozonghong of the Qing Dynasty visited Shaolin Temple, he used the abbot's room as his palace, so it was also called the "Dragon Court". To the west of the abbot's room is the abbot's retreat, that is, the abbot's residence after leaving office. There is a couplet in front of the retreat room: "The Zen forest at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain is quiet, and the bells and chimes are lingering in front of Wuru Peak."

Damo Pavilion

Also known as Lixue Pavilion. Enshrined in the shrine in the hall is a bronze seated Bodhidharma statue, 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.

Opening hours

08:00 to 17:00

Fees

Tickets are 100 yuan. Including Shaolin Temple, Pagoda Forest, Three Emperors Village, and Shaolin martial arts performances.

You can enjoy a 50% discount with your student ID card.

Shaolin Temple Pagoda Forest

Transportation

Self-driving: Starting from Zhengzhou, 80-100 kilometers (1.5-2 hours)

Driving route: Zhengzhou City-Zhengzhou West-Zhengshaoluo Expressway-Direction to Shaolin Temple-Dengfeng Dongxia Road-Dengfeng City Huancheng Road-Shaolin Temple.

Bus: Take the tourist line bound for Dengfeng City at the long-distance bus station opposite Zhengzhou Railway Station. The bus runs every 30 minutes and takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes. If starting from Dengfeng City, the taxi fare is about 30 yuan.

Tourist bus: The bus station on the east side of Luoyang Railway Station departs at 6:00 and 7:00 every morning and goes directly to Shaolin Temple. At other times, long-distance buses from Luoyang to Xuchang also pass by the gate of Shaolin Temple. The journey takes about 2 hours.

Special reminder:

There are many scalpers and gangsters around the Shaolin Temple.

Avoid inappropriate titles. The monks and Taoists in the temple should be respectfully called "Master" or "Master", and the presiding monks should be called "Elder", "Abbot" and "Zen Master". The monks in the lamasery call them "monk" or "Lama", which means "guru". They should not directly call them "monk" or even other insulting titles.

Avoid improper etiquette. The common way to salute when meeting a monk is to put your hands together and lower your head slightly, or put one hand in front of your chest with your head slightly lowered. Do not use improper etiquette such as shaking hands, hugging, or touching the monk's head.

Avoid inappropriate conversation. When talking to monks and Taoists, you should not mention words about killing, marriage, or eating fishy meat, so as not to offend the monks.

Avoid inappropriate behavior.

When visiting temples, you are not allowed to make loud noises, point out comments, make sarcastic remarks, or walk around or touch temple objects. In particular, you are not allowed to touch or carve statues. If you encounter Buddhist activities, you should stand silently or quietly leave.

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