Pope Francis meets Shaolin monks in the Vatican
Best known for kung fu, the monks are the custodians of Zen Buddhism in China. The meeting with the pontiff comes a few days after their temple in Henan held a world conference on meditation and its contribution to peace and the development of relations between peoples.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – This morning Pope Francis received in audience in the Vatican a delegation of monks from Shaolin Temple, a key place in the history of Buddhism in China.
Some pictures released by the VaticanNews website show the pontiff in his study together with the men religious from the Chinese province of Henan.
The meeting took place a few days after the Future World Chan Forum (19-22 January) at Shaolin Temple, which brought together spiritual leaders and thinkers from all over the world to reflect together on how to promote meditation for individual well-being and the harmonious development of global relations between peoples.
Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb was present at the event in China, speaking about the contribution offered by the Declaration on Human Fraternity that he and Pope Francis signed in 2019.
Known in the West above all for the invention of the kung fu martial art (which monks still practise), Shaolin Monastery is the custodian of the tradition of Zen Buddhism in China.
The temple stands on the slopes of Mount Song, one of the five sacred mountains in China. It dates from the 5th century AD when an Indian monk, Bada, the 28th successor of a line of religious leaders that followed the Buddha, arrived in China and began to spread Buddhist teachings.
Temple construction began in AD 495 on the order of Emperor Wei Xiaowendi. In Shaolin the sacred Indian texts were translated into Chinese, shaping what are known as the precepts of Zen Buddhism.
In recent years the Shaolin Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010, has been criticised over its tourist notoriety and its connection to kung fu.
In response to the criticism, the monks insist that martial arts are only one aspect of the monastery’s culture and spirituality. They also note that they have more than 200 centres all over the world linked to their experience, with more than 100 million visitors.
A new, three-storey museum is being built in Shaolin, set to open this year.
The first floor will tell the story of the monk Bada and Zen Buddhism, while the second floor will provide a comprehensive overview of Shaolin history and culture through historical documents, objects, and digital installations. The top floor will feature an extensive collection of Shaolin's artistic and cultural treasures, including inscriptions, sculptures, murals, paintings, and calligraphic works.
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