Editing Shaolin Monastery (section)

{{Short description|Chan Buddhist temple in Dengfeng, China}}
{{Redirect|Shaolin Temple}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox religious building
| name                  = Shaolin Monastery
| native_name           = 少林寺
| native_name_lang      = zh
| image                 = Shaolin Temple (10199450903).jpg
| image_upright         = 1.2
| caption               = Mahavira Hall, the monastery's main building, in 2007
| map_type              = China Henan
| map_caption           =
| coordinates           = {{coord|34.508141|112.935396|type:temple_region:China|format=dms|display=it}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| religious_affiliation = [[Chan Buddhism]]
| location              = [[Dengfeng]], Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| deity                 =
| sect                  =
| festival              = <!-- or | festivals = -->
| consecration_year     =
| leadership            =
| architect             =
| architecture_style    = [[Chinese architecture]]
| functional_status     = Active
| founded_by            =
| creator               =
| funded_by             =
| established           = 495
| groundbreaking        =
| year_completed        =
| construction_cost     =
| date_demolished       = <!-- or | date_destroyed = -->
| materials             =
| elevation_m           = <!-- or | elevation_ft = -->
| elevation_footnotes   =
| designated            =
| added                 =
| refnum                =
| footnotes             = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
  |Part_of  = Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth"
  |child    = yes
  |criteria = Cultural: (iv)
  |ID       = 1305-005
  |year     = 2010
  |Location = China
  }}
| website               = {{URL|shaolin.org.cn}}
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| pic = Shaolin_si_(Chinese_characters).svg
| piccap = "Shaolin Temple" in Chinese
| picupright = 0.5
| c = {{linktext|少林寺}}
| l = "Temple of Shao[shi Mountain] Woods"
| p = Shàolín sì
| w = Shao<sup>4</sup>-lin<sup>2</sup> ssŭ<sup>4</sup>
| wuu = Soh<sup>去</sup> lin<sup>平</sup> zy<sup>去</sup>
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|sh|ao|4|.|l|in|2|-|s|^|4}}
| j = Siu6-lam4 zi6
| y = Siuh-làhm jih
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|s|iu|6|.|l|am|4|-|z|i|6}}
| tl = Siàu-lîm sī
}}

'''Shaolin Monastery''' ({{lang-zh|labels=no|c=少林寺|p=shàolínsì}}), also known as '''Shaolin Temple''', is a monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of [[Chan Buddhism]] and the cradle of [[Shaolin kung fu]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shaolin Temple {{!}} History, Description, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shaolin-Temple |access-date=21 December 2024 |website=britannica.com}}</ref> It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak of the [[Mount Song|Songshan mountain range]] in [[Dengfeng]] County, Henan province, China. The  name reflects its location in the ancient grove ({{Lang-zh|p=lín|labels=no|c=林}}) of Mount Shaoshi, in the hinterland of the Songshan mountains.{{efn-lr|Of the several etymologies, Shaolin is always taken as a compound of "lin", ("grove"), due to its use in Bei-lin and Ta-lin, toponyms of nearby geographic features. "Shao-" introduces some uncertainty, as it may have many meanings. Currently the most popular meaning is as an abbreviation of Shaosi, as presented in {{harvnb|Shahar|2008|p=11}}: "Shaosi grove". References from art and literature usually present this grove as bamboo. Currently, the area is free of any groves, but Shahar points out that this could not always have been the case.}} Mount Song occupied a prominent position among Chinese [[sacred mountains]] as early as the 1st century BC, when it was proclaimed one of the [[Sacred Mountains of China#The Five Great Mountains|Five Holy Peaks]] ({{Lang-zh|c=五岳|p=wǔyuè|labels=no}}).<ref>{{harvnb|Shahar|2008|pp=10–11}}</ref> It is located some {{convert|48|km|mi|abbr=on}} southeast of [[Luoyang]], the former capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534), and {{convert|72|km|mi|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Zhengzhou]], the modern capital of Henan Province.<ref name="auto">{{harvnb|Shahar|2008|p=9}}</ref>

As the first Shaolin abbot, [[Buddhabhadra (Shaolin abbot)|Butuo Buddhabhadra]] devoted himself to translating Buddhist scriptures and preaching doctrines to hundreds of his followers. According to legend, [[Bodhidharma]], the 28th patriarch of Mahayana Buddhism in India, arrived at the Shaolin Temple in 527. He spent nine years meditating in a cave of the Wuru Peak and initiated the Chinese Chan tradition at the Shaolin Temple. Thereafter, Bodhidharma was honored as the first patriarch of Chan Buddhism.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.shaolin.org.cn/newsinfo/217/226/345/22757.html|title=Shaolin Monk Corps--Shaolin Temple|website=www.shaolin.org.cn|access-date=26 August 2021|archive-date=26 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126200414/http://www.shaolin.org.cn/newsinfo/217/226/345/22757.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese Religions and Philosophies |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/chinese-religions-and-philosophies/ |access-date=7 November 2024 |website=education.nationalgeographic.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=The Interaction of Taoism and Buddhism in the Chinese Culture |url=https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/125920475.pdf |journal=PDF}}</ref>

The Temple's historical architectural complex, standing out for its great aesthetic value and its profound cultural connotations, has been inscribed in the [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage List]]. Apart from its contribution to the development of Chinese Buddhism, as well as for its historical, cultural, and artistic heritage, the temple is famous for its martial arts tradition.<ref name="auto"/>  Shaolin monks have been devoted to research, creation, and continuous development and perfecting of Shaolin [[Kung Fu]].

The main pillars of Shaolin culture are Chan Buddhism ({{lang-zh|labels=no|c=禅|p=chán}}), martial arts ({{lang-zh|labels=no|c=武|p=wǔ}}), Buddhist art ({{lang-zh|labels=no|c=艺|p=yì}}), and [[traditional Chinese medicine]] ({{lang-zh|labels=no|c=医|p=yī}}). This cultural heritage, still constituting the daily temple life, is representative of Chinese civilization. A large number of prominent people, eminent monks, Buddhist disciples, and many others, visit the temple for pilgrimage and cultural exchanges. In addition, owing to the work of official Shaolin overseas cultural centers and foreign disciples, Shaolin culture has spread around the world as a distinctive symbol of Chinese culture and a means of foreign cultural exchange.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 July 2024 |title=2024 Shaolin Games: A Gathering of Cultures and Traditions |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2024-shaolin-games-a-gathering-of-cultures-and-traditions-302199948.html |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=PR Newswire}}</ref>