Sui, Tang, Wu Zhou, and Song dynasties[edit]

Emperor Wen of Sui, who was a Buddhist himself, returned the temple's original name and offered to its
community 100 hectares of land. Shaolin thus became a large temple with hundreds of hectares of fertile
land and large properties. It was once again the center of Chan Buddhism, with eminent monks from all
over China visiting on a regular basis.
At the end of the Sui dynasty, the Shaolin Temple, with its huge monastery properties, became the target of
thieves and bandits. The monks organized forces within their community to protect the temple and fight
against the intruders. At the beginning of the Tang dynasty, thirteen Shaolin monks helped Li Shimin, the
future second emperor of the Tang dynasty, in his fight against Wang Shichong. They captured Shichong's
nephew Wang Renze, whose army was stationed in the Cypress Valley. In 626, Li Shimin, later known as
Emperor Taizong, sent an official letter of gratitude to the Shaolin community for the help they provided in
his fight against Shichong and thus the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. [20] According to legend,
Emperor Taizong granted the Shaolin Temple extra land and a special "imperial dispensation" to consume
meat and alcohol during reign of the Tang dynasty. If true, this would have made Shaolin the only temple in
China that did not prohibit alcohol. Regardless of historical veracity, these rituals are not practiced today.
[21] This legend is not corroborated in any period documents, such as the Shaolin Stele, erected in AD 728.
The stele does not list any such imperial dispensation as reward for the monks' assistance during the
campaign against Wang Shichong; only land and a water mill are granted. [22] The Tang dynasty also
established several Shaolin branch monasteries throughout the country and formulated policies for Shaolin
monks and soldiers to assist local governments and regular military troops. Shaolin Temple also became a
place where emperors and high officials would come for temporary reclusion. Emperor Gaozong of
Tang and Empress Wu Zetian often visited the Shaolin Temple for good luck and made large donations.
Empress Wu also paid several visits to the Shaolin Temple to discuss Chan philosophy with high monk Tan
Zong. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the Shaolin Temple was extremely prosperous. It had more than
14,000 acres of land, 540 acres of temple grounds, more than 5,000 rooms, and more than 2,000 monks.
The Chan Buddhist School founded by Bodhidharma flourished during the Tang dynasty and was the
largest Buddhist school of that time.