The origin of all martial arts leads back to the famous Shaolin Temple in Henan Province in China. 1500 years before the Indian monk Bodhidharma (also known as Ta Mo) came to the Shaolin temple and found the Shaolin monks in a catastrophic health condition.
He taught Buddhism to an already existing group of monks, and also taught some form of martial arts based on Indian martial arts and/or dance. The reason he did this was variously given as the monks were out of shape, or needed to defend themselves, or China was too cold to sit in yoga meditation and so he invented a moving meditation.
Bodhidharma developed the 18 boxing techniques of Shaolin and trained the monks to prepare their body condition willingly for the long meditations. The exercises should promote the health of the monks, the steely muscles and stimulate the internal organs, so they live longer.
Famous Shaolin monks story
The Shaolin temple was in the lawless territory and was often the target of bandits. The monks were often attacked and robbed. For this reason, physical training took the form of a basic self-defense system.
Later they introduced weapons systems. Due to their extreme discipline and cultivation practices, the monks incorporated an aspect of spirituality and mental control into their fighting arts.
During the heyday of the Shaolin Temple over 2500 Shaolin monks have been trained with Shaolin Kung Fu in numerous styles. Especially 13 famous Shaolin monks have gone down in history because they have helped the famous General Li Shimin in the Battle of Qianglingkou to win. Their weapons are the dreaded Shaolin Gun (stick).
Shaolin monks training methods………………..
Shaolin training is something of interest to many in the western world. Ever since the Chinese kung fu movies arrived people have been trying to learn their moves. Shaolin monks train their whole lives in various disciplines. They train in kung fu, mindfulness meditation, and many gymnastics-style physical skills. They also have strict nutritional guidelines that they live by.
In all practices of the Seventy-two Arts at first, the basic theory is studied, and only then exercises are done. At first, those who practice the arts train the softness of their sinews and bones and try to make agile all their joints and articulations. Then they set into motion the main breath, strengthen the internal organs, improve blood state, consolidate body strength, control the cinnabar field, and concentrate energy in it, overcome their desires and requirements.
The strength spreads on the four extremities and the hundred joints and articulations, now a fighter is in command of unlimited power and he can move off one thousand jins. Your arm weighing only ten jins (5 Kg) can move a thing weighing ten thousand jins(5 Kg) with a stroke. Your arms are as the head, your legs are as the tail. Everything is permeated with a single movement, the body moves like a dragon.
‘Shaolin exercises develop forces of the whole human organism, all joints, and bones; you are capable of striking with all parts of your body.’
ananyamahadevan 