Birth of Shaolin Kung-Fu

The famous martial arts style Kung Fu is widely associated with Chinese culture. Many believe Chinese Buddhist monks created the fighting style as a way to defend and support their culture. Yet, it wasn't the Chinese who created the art form but an Indian monk. Born into royalty, Tat Moh, also known as the Boddhidharma, lived his youth as the prince of Southern India.

However, during his adulthood, he renounced his royal bloodline and devoted his life to Buddhism, living the simplistic lifestyle of a monk. He traveled great lengths, spreading and teaching Buddhism everywhere he went. He eventually ascended to become the 28^th patriarch of India.

In the days before Christ was born, Indian monks would often travel to China where the teachings of Buddhism were eagerly accepted. And in 520 A.D., Tat Moh made his travel from India directly to China and settled into a monastery called Shao-Lin, meaning "little forest." When he arrived, he was surprised and disheartened to see the monks in weak and unstable conditions. These monks were unable to withstand the rigors and harsh ways of Buddhist life, which included long periods of fasting and frugal living.

In order to find a solution, Tat Moh meditated in isolation in a cave near by for several years. He emerged out of the cave after nine long years and devised a set of exercises for the monks. The exercises were intended to regulate, control and strengthen the monk's chi, or internal energy. Tat Moh's exercises mimicked many Indian exercises derived from yoga. They were so successful that Tat Moh's exercises are still used today. These simple exercises form the basis of the Shaolin Arts.

Lawlessness, bandits, thieves and criminals ruled the early history of China. Temples, monastery's and the monks who inhabited them were vulnerable to attacks. To protect themselves, Buddhist monks developed a unique fighting style based on the exercises taught by Tat Moh, the founding master. The fighting style is unique because it was developed to defend; therefore, the style lacked offensive attacks. This particular system was called "Lohon," named after the monks from the Lohon Temple. It is a basic form of Kung Fu that emphasizes strong body posture and low-stances.

As both the Lohon style and the exercises taught by Tat Moh gained popularity, the Shaolin monks practiced diligently to increase their skill and improve the art. The major leap forward in the evolution of Shaolin style martial arts came with the tiger style, the third installment of Shaolin martial arts. The tiger style emphasizes strong twisting punches while utilizing the mobility of the tiger stance. The new style produced so much power it was able to defeat the Lohon style. However, no style is undefeatable.

The monkey style is a fast and deceptive form of Shaolin martial arts. This style was more suitable for shorter people because it involved a lot of crouching and rolling. It was the monkey style that was able to counter and ultimately defeat the powerful strikes of the tiger style. Yet still, the white-crane style eventually defeated the monkey style.

This last and most technically advanced style of Shaolin arts is highly respected and its secrets are guarded by its masters. The style of the white-crane represents the pinnacle of the Shaolin martial arts era. It was from Tat Moh's basic exercises that the Shaolin developed its many different animal styles of fighting. To this day, we still use the beauty and sophistication of the Shaolin martial arts.