Prose about visiting Shaolin Temple in Songshan Mountain

Which passionate man doesn’t want to go to the Shaolin Temple?

When I was a teenager, I ran away from home with some of my playmates and planned to go to the Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts, but we finally gave up because we couldn’t get the money. Shaolin was my dream when I was young. I always thought that if I went to the Shaolin Temple, I would have high martial arts skills and that I could roam the world and eliminate violence...

I recently went to Zhengzhou on a business trip. After finishing the work at hand, several men said in unison: Go to the Shaolin Temple to have fun. . Unexpectedly, the dream that has been held for many years has become a reality without warning.

Zhengzhou City is 90 kilometers from Shaolin Temple, which takes more than an hour by car. We chartered a car and arrived at the entrance of the Shaolin Temple scenic area. The white marble gate tower, which is about ten meters high and twenty meters wide, is vigorously carved with the five characters "Songshan Shaolin Temple". A natural parking lot is formed outside the door, with simple decorations on both sides. The shop is filled with various martial arts equipment and Shaolin souvenirs.

Entering the scenic spot, a wide road paved with bluestones extends inward. The roadside is green with pines and cypresses, and walking on the road naturally makes you feel serious. A strange phone booth will suddenly appear on the roadside. A small monk meditating is carved on the top of the round stone booth. Occasionally, two stone monks fighting each other will emerge from the trees on the roadside.

Not far away is the Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts Academy. The training ground is on the left side of the road, and thousands of uniformly dressed students are practicing. Further ahead, there is the Shaolin Martial Arts Academy and the Shaolin Martial Arts International Performance Center. There are live martial arts performances at any time in the martial arts performance hall. Although there are one hundred and sixty tickets, there is still an endless stream of tourists.

About two or three miles away, we arrived in front of the main gate of Shaolin Temple. There was a huge crowd of people in a wide square in front of the temple. We hired a tour guide, and she said that the three words Shaolin Temple on the main entrance were mentioned by Qianlong himself. The first thing that attracts people when entering the temple is the dozens of thousand-year-old trees, including ancient cypresses that are more than a thousand years old, thousand-year-old ginkgo trees, and ancient privet trees planted by Japanese monks to hold the Buddha. Although these trees are more than a thousand years old, they are still flourishing. What impresses me most is that these ancient trees have not only withstood the test of time, but also accompanied the Shaolin Temple in three fire disasters. Among them, more than 90% of the Buddhist locust tree has been burned by the fire. Only a hand-width strip of bark on the trunk is left connected with the roots. The crown of the tree has been burned and sawed off. This is all that remains. The bark of the tree stubbornly sprouted new branches on the burnt top. Life is a miracle here.

We visited the "Tianwang Hall", "Mainxiong Hall", "Sutra Collection Pavilion", "Abbot", "Lixue Pavilion" and "Western Saint" in turn. Every building has a magical story, and the most touching one is the story of "Luxue Pavilion": It is said that Hui Ke, the second founder of Shaolin, waited outside the pavilion for a day and a night in order to seek Dharma from Bodhidharma, until heavy snow fell from the sky. He injured his knee, but he still couldn't move Bodhidharma's heart. He said, "If you want me to teach the Dharma, it will only snow red from the sky." Huike cut off his left arm with a knife and ran around the pavilion three times. The splattered blood dyed the white snow red. Patriarch Bodhidharma was finally moved and taught the Dharma to Huike. He became the second Shaolin Patriarch and continued the Dharma. Later presiding abbots always wore their cassocks on the left shoulder, and the pavilion in front of Huike's broken arm was renamed "Lixue Pavilion" in memory of Huike.

In the practice hall, I witnessed with my own eyes the huge holes made by monks stomping green bricks into the soil while practicing.

At this time, I finally understood: the secret of Shaolin’s world-dominated martial arts comes from the persistence and will of the Shaolin people! It makes Shaolin survive through disasters and become more prosperous after thousands of years of vicissitudes!

The tour guide took us to visit Tallinn, which is the home of eminent monks of all ages. It is full of strange things, with different sizes, heights and shapes. The higher the reputation, the taller and more majestic the tower. This is the historical memorandum of the monks. From the pagoda alone, you can find out your contribution to Shaolin during your lifetime.

After visiting Tallinn, we said goodbye to the tour guide and took the cable car to Songshan Mountain on the opposite side. Standing in front of the temple, we looked at the top of Songshan Mountain. It looked like a lying giant Buddha. The top of the mountain was almost a straight line. Standing on the top of the mountain, you can have a panoramic view of Shaolin Temple and Pagoda Forest. Climbing to the top of Zhongyue Mountain will give you a great view of the Central Plains...

You should bring some souvenirs after your trip, right? The most numerous ones were Buddhist beads, so one person bought a big one and a small one.

What should I buy for my daughter? Among a bunch of sculptures of martial arts monks, I chose a little monk carrying water, a Hanhan Spring, and a little monk struggling to carry a load of water. My daughter is an only child, and she will have to rely on herself in the future. Giving her the Shaolin spirit of diligence and perseverance, so that she can always understand the principle of a monk carrying water and food, is the best gift. I bought myself a pair of nunchucks. My wife doesn’t believe in Buddhism, so I don’t have anything to bring her.

Back on the streets of Zhengzhou, when my colleagues were hanging big Buddha beads around their necks, wearing small beads on their wrists, holding their palms in front of their chests and laughing, I was still silently thinking about the true meaning of Shaolin spirit...