What is Shaolin, Kung Fu, and Tai Chi
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First it is important to understand the Chinese terminology involved:
"Kung Fu" - literally means cultivation of skills or acquired skill.
"Tai Chi"- literally means supreme ultimate.
The name "Shaolin" is given to a Buddhist monastery built in the forest (Chinese word "lin") at the foot of Chung Yue Shao Shi Mountain, hence the name "Shaolin" was adopted.
"Wu Shu" means martial arts.
Brief history of Shaolin Buddhist Monastery
Shaolin Buddhist Monastery was first built in 495 CE by Emperor Wei Xiao Wen of China to accommodate a visiting famous Indian monk Pa Tuo.
During the tenure of Venerable Pa Tuo as the Abbot of the monastery, there were many young people with martial arts skill who came to join the monastery and be trained as monks. Over time, the practice of martial arts among the monks living in the monastery as a form of exercise routine to keep fit and healthy became a norm within the Shaolin monastery. Naturally, among the many disciples of Abbot Pa Tuo, several monks over time turned out to be experts in several forms of ancient Chinese martial arts.
About 528 CE, another famous Indian monk, Bodhidharma (or Damo) came to China. He was a prince of an Indian kingdom but decided to take on a monastic life and later became the 28th Patriarch of Chan Buddhism (Zen school in Japanese). He wandered for three years from India to China and finally arrived at Nanjing.
He later moved to the Shaolin Monastery where he established the transmission of Chan Buddhism in China. Legend has it that before he arrived at the Shaolin Monastery, he crossed the Yangtze River using his supernatural power by standing on a single straw. Chan Buddhism flourished throughout China in the 6th century CE under the teaching of Bodhidharma. Another famous feat of BodhiDharma which is popular among Chan Buddhist practitioners is his 9-year long retreat where he sat facing the wall of the cave.
The essence of Chan practice is the discovery of our true nature (Buddha nature) and meditation is the means by which a practitioner trains himself to achieve that state of the mind. Therefore, monks at the Shaolin Monastery had to do long hours of sitting meditation. This routine resulted in poor blood circulation, numbness of the legs, and muscular cramp.
In order to overcome these physical problems, Bodhidharma taught the monks a set of exercise routine to be practiced daily as a way to keep physically fit for the long hours of meditation. This exercise routine known as "18 movements" would later evolved through new innovative development by disciples to become part of the many formats of the famous Shaolin Kung fu.
Over its 1,500-year history , the Shaolin Monastery in ancient China has always been in the eyes of the ruling elites and the emperors, a prominent religious and social institution and hence of significant political importance to them. This situation has brought about both glorious as well as disastrous consequences in the triumph and tribulation of Shaolin Monastery. According to recorded history, the monastery has suffered numerous attempts to destroy its establishment by the political power of the day who were opposed to Buddhism and monks were subjected to oppression and persecution. Also, in times of political turbulence and social disorder, the monastery has often been intruded, robbed and damaged by bandits. Therefore, the monks were forced to defend themselves and to protect the monastery with the martial arts of those who mastered them. Over the years, it became a necessity to teach all monks living in the monastery some forms of martial arts, both for the purpose of keeping the body fit to practice meditation as well as for the defense of the monastery in times of turbulence.
Along the 1,500 years, these martial arts went through development and innovation, and ultimately evolved to become an amazing system of martial arts, combining the different expertise that existed in China during these years. It was recorded that there were as many as over 750 different formats of martial arts in the entire system of Shaolin Kung Fu, but today only less than 500 are now left with documentary reference available.
What is KUNG FU?
Martial Arts (in Chinese "Wu Shu") was never a part of Buddhism or Chan Buddhism, both in India and China, although in early India, Yoga practice was popular among many spiritual practitioners as an exercise to stimulate the flow of energy in the body by combining deep breathing and physical movement. When Bodhidharma, the first Patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China introduced the "18 movements" exercise routine to the monks at Shaolin Monastery, it was not martial arts ("Wu Shu"). It was meant as a keep-fit physical exercise to overcome the bodily discomfort and pain resulting from long hours of sitting meditation.
"Kung Fu" denotes "cultivation of skills" or "acquired skills" and the term in itself has no connotation of warfare or fighting as in the word "martial".
For example, when we say a chef has an acquired skill of cooking, we say that the chef has cooking "Kung Fu". Likewise, a trained mechanic who is adept at repairing any problems with cars, we say he has mechanical "Kung Fu".
A Chan practitioner has cultivated a high degree of meditative practice and has attained profound wisdom and forbearance; we say that he has perfected the "Kung Fu" of spiritual cultivation.
The monks at the Shaolin Monastery although trained in martial arts ("Wu Shu") were all inculcated with the philosophy of "Kung Fu". The martial arts were used to temper their physical body, nor to hurt others. Even when they are attacked, they only defend themselves with restraint using only the same amount of force used against them by the attackers. Any use of force in defense would be just to repel an attack back to its source, redirecting the force back to its source. The Shaolin monks were inculcated with the attitude that "to fight is the lowest form of arbitration" and "one who engages in combat has already lost".
What is Tai Chi?
Tai Chi has its origins based on legends and historical evidence. A legend has it that Tai Chi was founded by the Taoist Chang San Feng, who lived during 12th century in China. Chang traveled the mountains of central and northern China, where he learned martial arts and studied the Chinese Classics, and the I Ching, which describes the way of nature and Taoism.
One day, Chang observed a flying bird staring down at a snake coiled firmly on the ground, with its head and neck facing up toward the bird. The bird swooped down to strike the snake with its beak. The snake rolled to the side to avoid the bird's attack. Appearing surprised, the bird recovered in flight and attacked again and again with more precision and determination. The snake kept rotating its body from side to side, neutralizing the bird's strikes without giving up its coiled position.
Chang saw how softness can overcome hardness in the flexibility of the snake's posture and its constant shifting from side to side to evade the hard, powerful thrusts of the bird's beak. He then realized how the philosophy and principles discussed in the I Ching had practical applications to the martial arts.
From these realizations Chang created Tai Chi (Supreme Ultimate as he saw how opposing forces of nature can be harnessed to become tremendous power). Within the Tai Chi movements, one can observe the basis of Taoism and the I Ching, the Yin and Yang. These are the opposing, but complementary forces in nature, which are in constant change from one to the other. Many things in nature, like the days and the seasons, are constantly changing in continuous cycles. The movements of Tai Chi are also continuously changing, the body weight shifting from one leg to the other as the person moves from posture to the next.
Chen Wang Ting, an army officer living in Ho Nan Province during the late 16th and early 17th century brought about further development of Tai Chi martial arts by combining various martial arts techniques and adding Taoist philosophy, breathing technique, and acupuncture theory. Chen's system of Tai Chi was handed down through several family generations.
During the next 50 years, many improved versions of Tai Chi were developed by practitioners. They essentially are composed of slow, even movements which incorporate deep breathing. Different styles of Tai Chi evolved and became popular throughout the world today, due to its ability to improve one’s health and longevity and to prevent and treat chronic disease.
For these reasons, Tai Chi has been adopted by many Chinese Buddhist Monasteries as a suitable form of exercise routine to keep fit and healthy for monks and nuns living in the monasteries.
Conclusion
Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi are both a heritage of rich Chinese culture. They did not originate from Buddhism but they came to form part of the Buddhist culture especially that of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism
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Source: Nantien Temple, Wollongong, Australia.
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