Bodhidharma, affectionately known as the Dammo, is revered in China for having brought Buddhism to a Chinese people tired of Confucius’s rules and regulations. It was, however, not Buddhism as Indians knew it, but Zen Buddhism which struck the Chinese chord.
Having found, on his arrival, that the monks in the Shaolin temple fell short of what he was expecting, Bodhidharma retreated to a cave on a peak of Song Mountain where he stayed for 9 years in deep meditation facing the wall of the cave. During this time he not only developed the foundation of Zen Buddhism, but also, to keep his body fit and healthy, a series of exercises based on the movements of animals and birds that he saw around him. These were the origins of kung fu.
Visitors to the Shaolin temple complex usually ignore the small turning to the right past the Temple, prefering to look at the rather unaesthetic concrete statue recently erected on the top of the mountain through a telescope! They miss a very special experience. It is worth the climb to get away from the crowds and experience a little of the ambience of what happened so long ago yet still remains so important today
The cave is just below the statue, at the top of the steps. The view looking back down is incredible.
The gateway to the cave entrance
There is a very strong energy inside the cave — meditate there for awhile.
If you climb even further you find this little pagoda right on the top of the Peak. From there you walk down a bit to greet the Dammo!
This is what the Dammo eternally gazes at…
It is always hazy this far up but this picture shows the Chuzu nunnery, one of the few original buildings in the Shaolin complex. Perhaps it was too far from the main buildings to warrent destruction or perhaps the nuns weren’t considered to be a threat and so the building was spared.
Back at the bottom of Wuru Peak, a few minutes left of peace and silence before you are inundated by the noisy mob of tourists
And just to prove that the Dammo really DID sit in that cave for so long, the rock he was facing has been brought down from the cave and enshrined in a glass case in the Temple. Look closelyand you can see the Dammo’s shadow imprinted on the stone!
