Shaolin Temple

The Shaolin Monstery was built on Song Shan Mountain in China in the 19th year of the emperor Tai He of Northern Wei about 1,500 years ago (495 AD).   

Historical records indicate that the first Chinese monks used their military backgrounds to encourage a curriculum that included martial arts to protect themselves in an era and environment of general lawlessness.   

The monks combined Ch’an Buddhism philosophy and martials arts.  

Popular folklore sayings, “All martial arts under heaven originated in Shaolin.” 

Their influence on martial arts perpetuates today.

Legacy of Chan and Quan

Shaolin temple has two main legacies:

• Chan (禅), Chan Buddhism, the religion of Shaolin, and

• Quan (拳), the martial arts of Shaolin.

In Shaolin, Chan and Quan are not separate disciplines. The monks pursued the philosophy of the unification of Chan and Quan (禅拳合一; chan quan he yi).

In a deeper point of view, Quan is considered part of Chan. As late Shaolin monk Suxi said in the last moments of his life, "Shaolin is Chan, not Quan."

Shaolin Martial Arts

Shaolin combat methods are taught via forms (套路; tàolù). Shaolin kung fu has more than hundreds of extant styles. There is recorded documentation of more than a thousand extant forms, which makes Shaolin the biggest school of martial art in the world.

In the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Shaolin monks chose 100 of the best styles of Shaolin kung fu. While they shortlisted the 18 most famous styles, every lineage of Shaolin monks have always chosen their own styles.

Every style teaches unique methods for fighting (散打; sàndǎ) and keeping health via one or a few forms. To learn a complete system, Shaolin monks master a myriad of hand and weapon styles. Some of most popular weapons for students today include staff, broadsword, straight sword, 9 section whip, and spear, to name a few.