Shaolin Kung Fu

Shaolin houses warrior monks in the grounds of the centuries old monastery. The monks practice martial arts. Bodhidharma started Wu Shu for physical fitness and spiritual growth. There are some western martial arts students who study with the Shaolin monks and they come to China full of big dreams. They learn wushu weapons training and sometimes it is a gift from the Shaolin monks. The studenst also learn the Budhist philosophy and it is hard going sometimes without electricity and running water on tap. They shave their heads and in the dojo they listen to the sound of their own bodies.

They have to obey a very strict discipline and meditate for hours to attain spiritual harmony. Buddhism helps them gain peace and they practice non-violence and the development of chi, the universal energy. Buddhism and martial arts do not contradict each other. There are many stupas in the Shaolin forest where the monks like to train. Day after day, they practice their martial arts as a way to simulate fighting and to improve the reflexes of their mind and body. In Shaolin there are 18 different styles and you develop a great energy because of the training in martial arts.

Some forms of kung fu enable great flexibility of the arms and legs which is good for your health and your mind. Fist kung fu is very powerful and the shaolin monks can break things like boards with their fists. Even young kids learn kung fu at the Shaolin monastery. they leave their villages when it is too hard to stay with their families. The monks teach the other students as it is their obligation to pass on their knowledge and skills. Becoming a Shaolin monk is not easy and there is a lot of hard training and discipline. Several times a day they go to the monastery to burn incence and make offerings at the alter in the temple. They have to learn calligraphy as well and there are thousands of ideograms to learn.

The monks have a four square meter room where they study and live. They have to perservere and train very hard for many years. They are taught easy skills at first so they cannot use their skills to do bad things. They are not allowed to abuse their martial art skills. At sunset they have their dinner and they can eat meat as well as long as they do it outside of the temple. They have a collective prayer at the end of the day. They also learn different mudras that energise certain energy flows in the body. It is not just about meditating and then going away. There are many schools in the area that teach different styles of kung fu that are derivative of the original shaolin martial arts. They are training to go into the army or the police force, for example.

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