Brief History
At the foot of Sung Shan (Sung Mountain), built approximately 495 AD, lies Shaolin Ssu, the Shaolin temple. Legend states that the Shaolin monks hired instructors to teach them self defense skills to help them ward off bandits. With determination and focus the monks grew stronger. Learning, collecting and developing different forms and styles of fighting arts. Thus, the legend of the Shaolin Fighting Monks was born!
The Legend Begins
It was in the sixth century (approximately 520 AD) that Ta Mo, known as Bodhidharma in India, crossed the Himalayas and made his way to the Shao-Lin Temple. There, he taught the Shao-Lin monks the 49 postures of the I Chin Ching, the “Muscle Change Classic”. Throughout the centuries the Shaolin monks added to and perfected their art, and it spread to other temples. The monks of the Fukien, Shantung, Omei, Kwangtung, Wutang, and Hua Mountain temples focused their attentions on various aspects of the art. Northern and Southern Fist, Shantung Black Tiger, Fist of Hua Mountain, White Crane, Iron Bone Training, Tai Chi Ch’uan, including a wide variety of long and short range weapons are just a few of the styles and training methods practiced.
Shaolin Kung Fu still exists today, over fifteen hundred years after Ta Mo’s arrival at the Shaolin Ssu. His 49 postures of the I Chin Ching and much of the subsequent material has survived. The Shaolin Art has prevailed despite various attempts to eradicate it. The Shaolin Monastery is still standing and allows visitors, as does the cave where Ta Mo is believed to have meditated for nine years.
