拥有1500多年历史的少林寺今天是什么样子？少林僧人过着怎样的生活？少林功夫是不是真有电影、小说上的那么神奇？让我们一起走进今日少林。
Shaolin Monastery is more than 1,500 years old. What is it like today? What kind of life do the monks live? Is Shaolin Kung Fu really as magical as movies and books of fiction portray it? Well, let’s have a look at the monastery today.
Zǒujìn Shàolín Sì
走进少林寺 Approaching Shaolin Monastery
很多喜欢中国功夫的朋友都听说过少林寺，它到底在哪儿？关于它有哪些故事传说？让我们一起去看一看。
All fans of Chinese kung fu have heard of Shaolin Monastery. Where is it? What are the stories and legends about it? Here are some answers.
Guānjiàn Cí
关键词
sì、bēi、tǎ
寺、碑、塔 Monastery, Stele and Pagoda
In central China, in the wooded mountains of Dengfeng, Henan stands an ancient Buddhist monastery, which was first built in 495 AD in the Northern Wei Dynasty（北魏，386-534）. Legend has it that Northern Wei Emperor Xiaowen（北魏孝文帝）, a believer in Buddhism, had a monastery built for the Indian dhyana monk Buddhabhadra (跋陀) on the side of Mount Shaoshi（少室山）of the Song Mountains（嵩山）. The monastery, often referred to as Shaolin Temple, got its name “Shaolin”（少林）because it was nestled in the thick woods (林) of Mount Shaoshi. The second celebrated monk of the monastery was Bodhidharma（菩提达摩，?-528/536）, also from India. He was the founder of Chan Buddhism (Zen), a very important sect of Chinese Buddhism. After Bodhidharma, the monastery experienced a growth in the number of monks and in reputation and influence. It is reputed to be the cradle of Chan Buddhism.
Shaolin Monastery stands at the foot of the mountain. Inside the main gate is a seven-compound complex where the monks worship the Buddha（拜佛）, sit in meditation（坐禅）, chant the sutras（诵经）, receive guests, store books, hold services and live.
Qianfo (literally ‘Thousand Buddha’) Hall（千佛殿）, built in 1588, is the largest structure in the monastery. Entering it, you will be overwhelmed by the ancient fresco entitled Five Hundred Arhats Worshiping Vairocana Buddha（《五百罗汉朝毗卢》）. The arhats in the painting each have different expressions and distinctive characteristics, thus lending abundant interest to the work. In addition to Qianfo Hall, the Baiyi (literally ‘White Clothes’) Hall（白衣殿）also contains some frescos which depict monks practicing martial arts（武术）.
In the monastery stand many steles that record its culture, history and glory. A typical stele here is called Ode to the Mingling of Different Schools（《混元三教九流图赞》）. Carved on the stele is an old man, whose head, when seen from the front, is that of Sakyamuni（释迦牟尼）, founder of Buddhism; when seen from the left, is that of Confucius（孔子）, founder of Confucianism; and when seen from the right, is that of Lao Tze（老子）, founder of Taoism. The trinity of the three figures illuminates the essence of Chinese culture: profound and tolerant, drawing on the strengths and quintessence of varying schools.
About 300 meters to the west of the monastery is the Stupa Forest（塔林）which enshrines the remains of more than 250 abbots. Of different sizes and shapes, the stupas all bear inscriptions and carvings. This area has served as the cemetery for the abbots since the Tang Dynasty（唐朝，618-907）. Being the largest of its kind in China, the Stupa Forest provides rare information for research in ancient Chinese brick-and-stone structures and carvings.
Equally important in the history of classical |