After spending several decades training under various Chinese grandmasters in the United States, I began visiting Shaolin Temple in Henan province, China, on a regular basis. Those visits have continued for the past 20 years. Every time I go, the abbot of Shaolin has me meet with a senior monk so I can continue to learn about the temple and its history, inside shaolin temple. The information presented here comes from those meetings, as well as from observations I’ve made over the decades.
BODHIDHARMA, WHOM THE Chinese call Tamo, did not build Shaolin Temple. It was already there when he arrived in the late fifth century or early sixth century. Nevertheless, the temple is now regarded as a national treasure by the Chinese and a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. What this means is the primary mis- sion of any Shaolin monk is taking care of his fellow monks and disciples and maintaining the buildings that make up the temple.