Posted on Thursday, 6th November 2008 by Captain Chris
The monks have survived bandits, invaders and a cultural revolution. For centuries the Shaolin monks made martial arts and Buddhist teachings part of their daily lives. There are many misconceptions though and few truly understand the Shaolin and their Kung Fu. Not all those who live and train at the temple are monks many are students who come to study.
The monks developed their own close combat program that included weapons training and martial arts. Over time their teachings would not be confide by the walls of their monastery, and their method of hand-to-hand combat would go to inspire hundreds of other forms. While training in one of its many derivatives is easy to find it is almost impossible to find true Shaolin Kung Fu training.
Martial arts existed in China before the monks, and they weren’t invincible. Developed from exercises the original form of Shaolin Kung Fu was a solid combat effective martial art that stressed quickness and brute force, and utilized common weapons. Many monks were soldiers and even generals prior to embracing monastic life, and they influenced the development of the new martial art.
The monastery was destroyed several times, but the monks were a force to be reckoned with. Throughout their long history they would fight bandits, pirates, and helped many Chinese leaders in times of crisis. The monks also trained students to train, but not all students would follow the doctrine of the monks. As others developed their own versions of Kung Fu not all were as effective as the original.
In the 20th century the monks survived both the Chinese civil war and the invading Japanese, but when the communists seized control things would change forever. The communists persecuted the monks and made Wushu the official form of Kung Fu. The new form of Kung Fu is completely devoid of any spiritual aspects, and in China Maoist teachings are part of the training. Many who teach Kung Fu are actually teaching Wushu which looks impressive, but is completely useless when it comes to self defense.
Today the monks hang on to their traditions while adapting to an every changing world. The monks use modern weights and machines as part of their training, and when someone wrote an offensive article about them they contacted lawyers not assassins. Though some monks have escaped communist China few outside of the monastery practice true Shaolin Kung Fu.
Tags: Shaolin Monks
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