Luoyang Attractions / Longmen Grottoes / Shaolin Temple

The grottoes and niches of Longmen contain the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese art of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316-907). These works, entirely devoted to the Buddhist religion, represent the high point of Chinese stone carving. The Grottoes are situated in Central China, northeast of Xi'an, the ancient imperial capital. The grottoes were started around the year 493 when Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) moved the capital to Luoyang and were continuously built during the 400 years until the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). Most of the figures and the grottoes were financed by the nobility of that time. There are more than 1300 grottoes and 700 niches, containing 40 pagodas, 2780 inscriptions and more than 100,000 statues and images. Many of the most beautiful sculptures were stolen or beheaded in the beginning of the 20th century and can now be found in various museums in the western world. But like the Dunhuang Cave Murals in the far north (at the end of the Silk Road), the Longmen Grottoes give a good impression of Buddhist art, and show the various styles of the northern Wei-dynasty and the Tang-dynasty. Most celebrated is the image of Buddha Losana,

which is 17.14 meters high in Fengxian Temple. The statue has plump, elegant and gentle features. Flanking the Buddha Losana are two disciples, two bodhisattvas, two heavenly kings, two warriors and two flying devas. The dignified Buddha sitting in the center represents the almighty emperor.

On November 30, 2000, the Longmen Grottoes were approved by the 24th UN Heritage Commission to be put on the List of World Cultural Heritage.

Located 7 miles east of Luoyang city, the White Horse Temple was built in 68AD during the Yongping reign of Emperor Mingdi in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). And it was the first Buddhist temple founded in China. It is said that one night in the year A. D. 64, Emperor Mingdi dreamed of a golden man 12 feet high, and the light from the man's head illuminated the hall where he stood. The next day he told his ministers, and the minister Zhonghu explained to him that he probably dreamed of Buddha in India. Then the emperor sent Cai Yin and Qin Jing as envoys to western regions to invite Buddha and learn Buddhism. After finished study, they came back with two eminent Indian dignitary monks - She Moteng and Zhu Falan, and a white horse carried the sutra and the figure of Buddha. In order to memorialize the white horse's contribution of taking back the sutra, Emperor Ming ordered the construction of the temple and named it White Horse Temple.

The buildings of White Horse Temple today, however, are not original. They are mostly from Mongolian, Ming and Manchu.

Shaolin Temple, south of Luoyang, in the region of Song Mountain, Dengfeng city, Henan Province, is the birthplace of the Martial Arts and Zen approach to Buddhism.

Shaolin Temple was established in 495 during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). And it grew larger and richer during the Sui, Tang and later dynasties. Its monks, threatened by bandits and other enemies, developed a system of self-defense that became known throughout the world as kung fu.

Shaolin does have a long tradition of Chinese martial arts, as the saying goes 'All martial arts (gongfu) are from Shaolin. And today the Shaolin monastery is the only temple in China that combines both martial arts and Chan Buddhism. As such, monks at the monastery may be martial monks, scholarly or clerical monks, or both. However, even the martial monks also practice Chan Buddhism. It is said that Chan Buddhism allows you to store and build up qi, while martial arts is the act of releasing qi; therefore, the two complement and complete each other. Because of this dual focus, there are two abbots at the Shaolin Temple.

There are many noted relics at Shaolin. There are over 300 ancient stone inscriptions, some of them by famous calligraphers. The large mural of 500 arhats in the Qianfo Hall was from the Ming Dynasty. There are 232 pagodas from different dynasties, known as the forest of pagodas. The oldest one was from the Tang Dynasty. The pagodas are the tombs of the celebrated Shaolin monks. The Shaolin martial arts are an important part of the relics.In a word, Shaolin Temple is worthy of a visit. It will give you a better understanding of Chinese Buddhism and the martial arts.