BASIC HISTORY OF CHI KUNG

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495 AD

Martial Chi Kung ,Derives its beginnings from Both Buddhism and Taoism.

Many Years ago Emperor Xiaowen adopted Buddhism as his religion ,

As there wasn't allot of Buddhist Teachers in China at the time the Emperor Invited an Indian Monk to China, You will be Familiar with this Buddha he was the fat Buddha that we are all Familiar with today.

His name was Pao Jaco ( The Happy Buddha). Li Mi For.

The Emperor was so impressed with what Pao taught ,He Ordered a temple built.

This was the Original Shaolin Temple !

The Shaolin Temple is one of the birth places of Martial Chi Kung and Zen Buddhism.

The original Shaolin temple is located in Mount Song - the central mountain of the "five mountains" of China, near the city of Zhengzhou, Hunan Province. Mount Song is further divided into two mountains: the Taishi and the Shaoshi. The name "Shaolin" was inspired by the lush forest of the Shaoshi Mountain. Another story suggests that the temple was built on a piece of land that had recently been ravaged by fire, because the builders planted many new trees. The temple was thus named Shaolin ("Shao" meaning "young" or "new", and "Lin" meaning "forest"). This monastery was akin to an imperial temple where emperors of every dynasty would ascend to pray on behalf of the people.

Historically, Shaolin monks included some of the best generals, ministers, poets, philosophers, and various famous people. Thus, in Chinese history, the Shaolin Temple was both a focal point and an education centre for some of China's elite. It truly represents an important Chinese cultural landmark. The history of the Shaolin temple is long and controversial, but it is most important to acknowledge its impact on the Chinese population and the Martial Arts.

Pao Jaco was one of the indian Patriarchs ,One of the first to enter into China.

He was to instruct His students in Nei dan techniques (internal) Meditations .

This was practiced for many years ,The monks would call there bodies the Chow pai nang ( notorious skin bag )

They believed as it was there spirit that they were training to Enlightenment why waste time with the body.

527 AD

And until Da Mo arrived this was considered the only path to enlightenment.

At this time none of the training had a Martial Flavor.

Da mo arrived in China and met with the Emperor at the time who was a Buddhist.

The Emperor asked Da Mo how close was the emperor was to reaching Enlightenment.

Da Mo asked the Emperor How many times did he Meditate the emperor replied none!

Da mo informed the Emperor that Enlightenment must be Earned and although the Emperor had Helped to Spread Buddhism in the World IE China, That was only the first step then must come the training then the Meditation ,This is the only way DA MO Replied.

DA Mo then withdrew and headed to the Temple ,Shaolin Temple.

Before Reaching the temple ,The Abbott of the Monastery had heard of his coming and was very concerned.

He was aware that DA Mo had different methods of teaching and he was worried that the monks minds would be altered by this new way of thinking.

Because of this He told the monks not to allow DA Mo into the Temple.

When DA Mo arrived he wasn't given entry into the temple and was shown to a cave in the nearby mountains.

DA Mo Was aware that the monks in the temple were week in Health and were only practicing Half of the Path ,Ie Nei Dan and that a balance was in need .

Because of this Da Mo Remained in the area and resided in the Cave that he had been shown,While he waited to be given entry into the temple nine years passed by.

Finally as one of the Shoalin Monks passed by the Cave & ventured in and saw that where Da Mo had been Meditating he had infact burned an image into the wall directly opposite. He Quickly ran back and informed the Abbott.

The Abbott finally agreed to listen and Learn from DA Mo.

He saw that many of the monks at the Shaolin temple were sick and weak and therefore could not perform their mediation. He introduced a set of exercises to improve their body and cultivate the spirit. Those sets of exercises are similar to the postures found in Yoga. They were recorded in two books: The Shi Sui Ching and the Yin Gin Ching.

In no time the Monks bodies became so very very strong and when they returned to there Martial Training they found that there strength had multiplied 10 fold .

Over the next few years this training was included in there martial training hence the Creation of Martial Chi Kung in China.

Also during this time DA Mo Passed his Knoll Age on to 3 laymen , One of witch being Hui-k'o. It was Hui-k'o, Who was shown the higher levels of the training The Shii Soei Ching ( Marrow and Brain Washing Classic)

Bodhidharma transmitted the patriarchy of his lineage to Hui-k'o. & Hui K'o became the patriarch of Charn Zen .

During this time Da Mo taught two Classics. The Yi Gin Ching and the Shii Shoei Ching,These were adopted by the Shaolin Temple & taught to the monks.

After his nine-year mediation, he introduced a new form of Buddhism - now known as Zen Buddhism, which appeals specifically to the Chinese mind.

During his life he had very few disciples, only three of which have made it into the history books. Bodhidharma transmitted the patriarchy of his lineage to Hui-k'o. Soon afterwards, Bodhidharma passed into Nirvana. He passed away at ???? Longmen, Luoyang (still in Hunan) in 536 A.D. and was buried in Shon Er Shan (Bear Ear Mountain). A stupa was built for him in Pao Lin Temple. Later, the Tang dynasty Emperor, Dai Dzong, bestowed on Bodhidharma the name Yuen Che Grand Zen Master, and renamed his stupa Kong Kwan (Empty Visualization).

A few years after his death, a Chinese official reported encountering Bodhidharma in the mountains of Central Asia. Bodhidharma was reportedly carrying a staff from which hung a single sandal, and he told the official that he was on his way back to India. When this story reached his home, his fellow monks decided to open Bodhidharma's tomb. Inside there was nothing but a sandal.

Bodhidharma contributed to Chinese civilization in two different ways: The concept of Zen Buddhism changed Chinese philosophy, and the integration of mental training with physical training influenced the future of martial arts.

It is very important to realize that Pao Jaco or DA Mo played no conscious role in the Martial attributes derived by their instruction in the Various training techniques that they taught. There teaching was of course of a spiritual nature where enthuses was spent on the Cultivation of the Mind Body & Spirit.

The two Main Paths at the time were Buddhism and Taoism.

The Major difference being that Buddhism was practiced strictly for Spiritual Cultivation and Taoism was practiced for Harmony in life , Longevity & Spiritual benefit.

Taoism would use what worked even sexual practices were encouraged for the Balancing of certain energies. And meat was also occasionally eaten.

However in Buddhism there was no practices outside of the Strict path ,Definitely any form of sexual practice and the eating of meat was forbidden.

However meat was Occasionally eaten should there be no other food available in the area , As it was looked upon as the animal giving its life for the purpose of the receiver gaining energy so to train spiritually. The Animal was rewarded though reincarnation.

SHAOLIN HISTORY

Chou (Zhou) Dynasty, 570 AD

The Empire was concerned about the spread of Buddhism. The government closed down the Shaolin Temple, and it remained closed for thirty years.

Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD)

By the end of the Sui Dynasty (581-618), Li Shimin, King of the Qin State, fought with the self-appointed emperor of the Zheng state, Wang Shichong. Shaolin monks, Zhi Cao, Hui Yang, Tan Zong and ten other monks took the side of Li and helped him catch the latter's nephew, Wang Renze, to force the self-appointed emperor to surrender. After Li Shimin was enthroned as the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he rewarded his followers according to their military merits and contributions. The Temple received 40 Qing (about 600 acres). The monks also received a royal dispensation that permitted them to train in martial arts in order to protect the property. The priest martial artists in the temple were called "monk soldiers" (Seng Bing).

From 600 to 1600 AD, the martial arts grew into the most complete system of Wushu in China, through the Shao Lin Temple. Martial art practitioners from all over China came to train at the temple, and they all contributed to the rich heritage of Shaolin.

Song Dynasty(960-1278 AD)

Jueyuan (Zhue Yuen), a renowned Shaolin monk, traveled across China to study the status of martial arts. During his travels, he encountered Li Sou, a famous martial artist from Lan Zhou, Bai Yu-Feng (Li Sou's friend) and Bai's son. Jueyuan convinced the three martial artists to return and train at the Shaolin Temple. After ten years of study, Bai Yu-Feng entered the temple and took the name Qiu Yue Chan Shi. According to the book Shaolin Temple Record, Qiu Yue Chan Shi was described as an expert in bare-hand fighting and narrow-blade sword techniques. He was credited with the improvement of the 18 Buddha Hands techniques into 173 techniques. He also compiled the existing Shaolin techniques and wrote the book, The Essence of Five Fist. This book described the practice methods and applications of the Five Fist (Animal) Patterns. The five animals included: Dragon, Tiger, Snake, Panther, and Crane.

Yuan Dynasty ( AD)

In 1312 AD, Da Zhi, a Japanese monk, came to the Shaolin Temple to learn the nature of Zen. During the next 13 years, he also learned elements of the Shaolin martial arts (barehands and staff). In 1324 AD, he returned to Japan to spread the idea of the Shaolin Temple.

In 1335 A.D., Shao Yuan, another Japanese monk, came to Shaolin from Japan. During his stay, he mastered calligraphy, painting, Chan theory (i.e., known as Ren in Japan), and Shaolin martial arts. He returned to Japan in 1347 A.D. Shao Yuan is regard as a "Country Spirit" by the Japanese people.

Qing Dynasty ( 1644-1911 AD)

The Ching government banned the Shaolin Temple and the practice of martial arts, in general, because of fear of rebellion. In order to preserve them, Shaolin martial techniques spread to the layman. All martial arts training in the Shaolin Temple was carried out secretly during this time. Moreover, the Shaolin monk soldiers had dwindled in number from thousands to only a couple of hundred, all trained secretly.

1900-1945

In 1928, there was a battle in the area of the Shaolin Temple. The Temple was burned for the last time by Warlord Shi You-San's military. The fire lasted for more than 40 days, and all the major buildings were destroyed.

I hope that this brief depiction of the history of Martial Chi Kung has been Interesting.

SIFU