72 Systemizing Martial Practice
tor for Henan, Cheng Shao (jinshi 1589), visited the monastery and dedicated
a poem to its fighting monks. Weaving together Buddhist and military imag-
ery, the vice censor in chief argued that war on behalf of the state does not
contradict the Buddhist prohibition of violence. On the contrary, Shaolin
monks attain the “fruits of enlightenment” by their military protection of
the people. They are able to “transmit the lamp”—that is, propagate the
Buddhist message—by their heroic contribution to national defense:
Imperial decorations for banditry suppression are the true fruits of
attainment,
National defense and world pacification are the lamp-transmission.
Under a prosperous reign, emergencies we need not fear,
By loyalty and heroism Vairocana spreads the Mahâyâna.^58The Shaolin monks’ support of the regime earned them not only words of
pr a ise but a lso mater ia l benefit s. In 1581 a nd ag a in in 1595, Deng feng C ount y of-
ficials issued formal letters, exempting Shaolin’s lands from taxation. Both letters
were engraved in stone at the monastery to ensure its tax-free standing under fu-
ture bureaucrats. Interestingly, the two documents specifically warn low-ranking
clerks not to exact money from the monastery for their own pockets.
Dengfeng County officials granted Shaolin tax breaks on the basis of the
monastery’s military record. Their letters provide important information on
the monastery’s involvement in warfare, for they list one by one the campaigns
in which its monks took part:
During the Jiajing (1522–1566) reign, the Liu bandits, Wang Tang, and
the pirates, as well as Shi Shangzhao and others created violent distur-
bances. This monastery’s fighting monks (wu seng) were repeatedly
called upon to suppress them. They courageously killed the bandits,
many earning the merit of putting their lives on the line. Thus this
monastery’s monks have relied upon culture (wen) and warfare (wu)
alike to protect the state and strengthen its army. They are not like
monks in other monasteries throughout the land, who merely conduct
rituals, read the Sutras, and pray for the emperor’s long life.”^59Word of the Shaolin’s meritorious services had reached the imperial palace it-
self. Emperors, empresses, and eunuchs vied with each other in patronizing
the monastery. In 1587, for example, the Empress Dowager Zisheng commis-
sioned a special woodblock edition of Buddhist scriptures in 637 cases, to be
kept at the Shaolin Monastery. The empress dowager’s gift was announced in
an imperial edict by her son, the reigning emperor Zhu Yijun (r. 1573–1620).
In his edict, the emperor alluded to the Shaolin monks’ military service to the
state. “Buddhist scriptures,” the emperor wrote, “are not without merit for the
defense of the state and the protection of the people.”^60