Shaolin Kungfu

Songshan Shaolin Temple in China is the original temple of Chan Buddhism. With more than 1500 years of historic tradition, the Shaolin Temple was founded in 495 AD, and the first abbot was the meditation master Batuo. Later, the great Indian master Bodhidharma arrived at the Shaolin Temple, and on WuruPeak behind the Temple, he sat facing the wall inside the cave meditating for nine years. He initiated the teaching and meditation practice later known as “Chan” (Zen). Chan Buddhism, combined with traditional Chinese culture, through “insight” in the daily life, one may comprehend the knowledge concerning the nature and universe, which is contained in the Buddhist dharma.

Shaolin Kung Fu was created, developed, and memorialized within the Songshan Shaolin Temple’s specific to Buddhist cultural, historical, and geographic traditions. The practice of Shaolin Kung Fu is maintained and intertwined into the fabric of daily activities of Shaolin Sangha’s religious life, guided by the doctrines of understanding Chan Buddhism by means of martial arts, while practicing under the guidance of Chan Buddhism in order to comprehend the profound implication of life in Buddhism, as well as, the wisdom of Chan Buddhism. Shaolin Kung Fu takes the master-disciple relationship, as its transmission base, the oral instruction and exemplary teaching as its transmission mode, the forms and aphorisms as its guiding practice, and cultivated within the discipline of Buddhist precepts – so, it is an unique expression of the lifestyle of Shaolin monks in pursuit of “the unity of Chan Buddhism and Martial Arts”, and is manifested in the human being’s extraordinary ability of creativity and its ideal in experiencing a meaningful life.