Kung fu

Start writing...Da Mo (Bodhidharma)

In the year 527 AD, a monk known as Da Mo (Bodhidharma) arrived at the Shaolin Temple. Dat Mo is belived to have been an Indian monk who was probably born in Kanchipuram near Madras. Da Mo travelled to the city of Kuang, now known as Canton, where he was granted an audience with the Emperor at the time, Wu Ti of the Liang Dynasty. The Emperor had instructed local Buddhist monks to translate Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese with the intention that the general populace would then have the ability to practice the Buddhist religion. After his audience with the Emperor, Dat Mo travelled to a monastery in the Kingdom of Wei before finally arriving at the Shaolin temple. When Da Mo initially arrived at Shaolin, he was refused admittance, perhaps because he was considered a foreigner. Rejected by the monks, Da Mo went to a nearby cave and meditated by staring at the cave wall for nine years until the monks recognized his religious prowess and admitted him. Legend has it that he bored a hole through one side of the cave with his constant gaze. Unfortunately, the real reason that Da Mo earned his recognition from the Shaolin monks is lost to history. There is also a story that a local monk was so moved by Dat Mo's piety that he cut off one of his hands in symaphy. Once admitted to the temple it is believed that Dat Mo found his Chinese disciples too weak, both physically and mentally, to practice the intensive meditation required by his path to enlightenment. Dat Mo is regarded as the founder of Chan Buddhism which is probably better known by its Japanese derivative, Zen Buddhism.

Many people know Chinese martial arts by the umbrella title kung fu (/k fu/; Chinese: pinyin. In Greater China, numerous fighting techniques have emerged over the years.

Different schools are known to incorporate hand positions called Mudra, also used in the Indian religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Some think the 108 pressure points used in Chinese martial arts were inspired by the marram po

1. The founder was from India

The Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, supposed to have founded the Shaolin order, is said to have meditated for nine years in a cave close to his monastery. According to the myth, the monk slashed off his eyelids and flung them to the ground so he would never sleep again. When he threw his eyelids open, green tea started to grow there, and now it is used by Buddhist monks to help them concentrate during their daily meditation.

2. It is studied in a “Kwoon”

Dojos are schools that teach Aikido and other Japanese martial arts. Bow 45 degrees with your hands at your chest, right fist closed and left open palm out. This is the proper way to enter a "kwoon". It is a symbol of harmony within yourself and the yin and yang.

4. The most elite Shaolin monk was a werewolf

Alright, so he was not a true werewolf. Later in the nineteenth century, a monk named Tai Jin lived. The unfortunate man was affected by hypertrichosis. The abnormal growth of excessive amounts of hair on affected regions of the body has earned this condition the nickname "Werewolf Syndrome." Perhaps knowing that he was, in fact, the best fighter in all of China, according to legend, would have boosted his confidence.

Was Kung fu originated in India?

It is one of the oldest martial arts styles, and the Shaolin Temple itself has their roots in the teachings of two Indian monks. So the theory goes. It is believed that Buddhabhadra, a dhyana master from northern India, brought Buddhism to China in 1500 CE.