THE HISTORY OF THE SHAOLIN MONKS
THE FOUNDING OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE
The Shaolin Temple was founded in 495AD as a Buddhist monastic institution on the order of Yuan Hong, a Chinese Emperor of the Northern Wei dynasty to provide a residence for Bhadur, the Indian Buddhist scholar monk, who is known in China as "Ba Tuo". The Temple was given the name "Shaolin" because of its location in the forest at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain.
For over fifteen hundred years the Shaolin Monks from The Temple have applied the discipline of martial arts as a unique manifestation of their religion.
The Shaolin Temple is regarded as the birth place of Kung-Fu, which is esteemed throughout the world as the best among the various forms of Wushu (or Chinese martial arts).
THE FOUNDING OF KUNG-FU
In the early years immediately following the founding of the Shaolin Temple in 495 AD, the first Soldier Monks created a set of eighteen different fighting actions - the original Kung Fu.
These were combined with the use of various weapons made from simple farming tools and were initially a means of providing daily exercise and as a form of meditation. Later they were used as a means of self defence.
From the beginning of the Tang dynasty the Monks assisted successive emperors to defend China and for decades during the Ming dynasty, they aided the emperors in their fight against foreign invaders, for which the Temple was rewarded with grants of land and money.
In today's more peaceful times, however, these practices are used purely for the purposes for which they were originally intended ~ as a form of meditation and for mental development.
