The Shaolin Temple Story

The Shaolin Temple Story is an in-depth, well-written tour of the Monastery by someone who has lived, worked, and studied there for forty years. For those interested in Shaolin Kung Fu, the book introduces the secrets of its beginnings.

On the east side of the Shaolin Temple's Square, there is a Ming dynasty stone archway engraved with a couplet:
"The earth is in the middle of heaven.
The midst of heaven and earth.
The origin of Chán Buddhism.”

Explore the History, Culture, Kung Fu, and Chán Traditions of the original Shaolin Temple and Monastery in China, as recalled by the current Abbot of the Monastery, who documents in words and pictures how Chán (Zen) Buddhism and Kung Fu developed over fifteen hundred years at Shaolin Temple. During the last forty years, he has worked to preserve Shaolin Temple and Monastery's history, culture, and traditions. He examines Shaolin’s cultural role in China and worldwide.

The Right Reverend Shi Yongxin is the current Abbot of the Shaolin Temple in China. He traveled to Shaolin when he was sixteen years old to learn Buddhism from Xingzheng, the elderly abbot of the temple. Ultimately, he became a monk. When Abbot Xingzheng passed away in 1987, Shi Yongxin began administering the affairs of Shaolin. In 1999 he became the Abbot of Shaolin Temple and Monastery.

In addition to the history of the temple and monastery, Abbot Shi Yongxin looks at how Chinese Zen or Chán Buddhism developed at Shaolin over the last fifteen hundred years. Shaolin has faced ups and downs in the country as empires evolved. The book contains archival photographs, drawings, and current views of the temple and area.

“The Shaolin Monastery and Temple are located on Song Mountain (嵩山 Sōngshān). It's an area made up of several mountains that rise to fifteen-hundred meters in Dēngfēng (河南), a county-level city in Hénán Province. There are thirty-six peaks here that stretch for sixty kilometers. The highest peak is one-thousand-five-hundred-twelve meters above sea level. The seven peaks of Songshan Mountain (嵩山) stretch for sixty-four kilometers between Luoyang and Zhengzhou. Mountain slopes rise steeply from the valley and are thickly covered with trees, giving them an impressive appearance. The highest peak (Junji) reaches only fifteen hundred meters in altitude. Shaolin Monastery is located under the Five Peaks of Southern Song Mountain.

This book has been translated into English from the original Chinese manuscript. In addition to archival pictures and documents, new photographs of the Shaolin Temple were shot for this book.