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| HISTORY &
DEVELOPMENT OF SHAOLIN TEMPLE The Shaolin Temples begin their history as early as 540 A.D. Hinayana Buddhism, the prevalent form practiced in India at the time, was present in China as early as the 1st century, but China had already built a foundation of spiritual/philosophical doctrines, and the Small Circle path of Hinayana Buddhism didn’t fit well into the Chinese psyche. The temple was visited by a monk from India named Bodidharma . He had come to visit China because or the Emperors drive to have many of the Buddhist texts, available at the time only in Sanskrit, translated into Chinese. When Bodidharma (which became Ta Mo in Chinese) first arrived at the temple, he was initially refused admittance! But undeterred, Ta Mo instead made a nearby cave his retreat for a period of 9 years, where he meditated until his efforts eventually won him entrance into the first Shaolin temple. It is reported that the monks within the newly-built temple in Honan were already practicing the 18 Hands of Luohan Boxing, techniques for revitalizing their bodies & in turn, their minds. Chinese Kung Fu had been a codified system of methods & techniques for 2000 years prior to Ta Mo’s visit, & a connection was made between the postures of Ta Mo’s Indian Yoga & the old Luohan Boxing. The Yellow Emperor’s Treatise on Medicine had already used animal-frolicking exercise to unite the mind/body condition by developing the state of ch’i and strength in the human body, & the physical posturing was clearly the same from both the Indian & Chinese perspective. The need to enhance one’s physical/mental being for the purpose of spiritual development & augmentation of those abilities is identical both in Chinese martial arts & philosophy. The two ancient physical yoga's of India & China united to become one. United through the spiritual pursuit of Dharma & personal enlightenment. As time went on, this Buddhist sect became more and more distinct because of the martial arts being studied. Chan Buddhism was born. |
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Within
the confines of the temple, monks began to develop these
martial arts into methods & styles that would become distinctly
Shaolin. Being located in central China, Shaolin Temple became the
‘crossroads’ of many walks of live. From military personnel seeking a
peace their warrior life could not offer, to government ‘criminals’,
provided the appropriate respect to the monastery & it’s practices
was maintained, all were welcome within the walls of Shaolin Temple.
Being isolated in the middle of nowhere (a young forest to be exact),
the temple was often a target for roving bandits. What a better target,
a bunch of monks & nuns who have sworn off violence & the ways
of the world? Relying on imperial guards for protection was only as
reliable as the next bribe or shift in government opinion. Thus martial
arts found yet another reason to be developed within the temple - the
monks lived there, so the monks should be the guardians of the temple. |
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Traditionally, students involved in Shaolin training spent their
lifetime developing their mental & spiritual abilities as well as
their physical prowess. Much like modern day universities, China’s old
temples were involved in teaching anyone who wished to learn the fruit
of the old monk’s studies. These studies included, but were not
limited, too calligraphy , math, history, manners and customs, Taoist
and Buddhist philosophies, painting, music, textile work, agriculture,
pottery, poetry, medicine and cooking. Often, people from the
surrounding countryside would come to the temple to ask advice
pertaining to their fields or the medical condition of a village
member, or even to learn specific fields of study themselves. And on
many, many occasions, Buddhist monks would practice service to others
by traveling far & wide to offer their knowledge for the sake of
helping others. |
