Long History

At the foot of Mt. Song is Shaolin Monastery.

In 496 AD Emperor Wen Di of the Northern Wei dynasty built Shaolin Monastery for an Indian Buddhist Monk by the name of Batuo so he could preach the Lessor Vehicle Buddhism, an early sect of Indian Buddhism advocating self-extrication. In 527 A. D. another Indian monk, Bodhidharma, arrived at Shaolin Monastery to spread the Greater Vehicle sect, which practiced deep meditation in a sitting posture , keeping the mind as tranquil and unaffected as a wall. Later followers worshipped Bodhidharma as the founder of the sect in China. Under him and his successors the Shaolin Monastery expanded and flourished.

Yang Jian (581-601), founder of the Sui dynasty, was a devoted Buddhist follower. He conferred on Shaolin Monastery around 583 A. D. 700 hectares of land so the temple became a big land owner. At the end of Sui dynasty, Zhi Cao, Tan Zong and eleven other Shaolin monks rescued the price of Qin, Li Shimin. After Li Shimin became Emperor Tai Zong of the Tang dynasty in 627 A. D. he granted a generalship to Tan Zong and awarded the others too. He also bestowed on the Shaolin monastery 300 hectares of land.