| Shaolin Temple in Henan province, China is famous | | | | overlooking Shaolin. There he sat facing a huge rock |
| worldwide for its peaceful-looking monks who perform | | | | and meditated so intensely that his image was etched |
| incredible kung fu stunts. | | | | onto it! After nine years, the Shaolin monks decided |
| For a long time, I have been fascinated by the martial | | | | that Damo made sense after all and invited him back |
| arts skills of Shaolin monks. How are these monks able | | | | to the temple as their chief. |
| to achieve such amazing feats? | | | | What did Damo do in these nine years? He founded a |
| The answer lies in Zen. Zen is the wisdom behind | | | | Chinese style of Buddhism called Chan (Zen). In Chan, |
| Shaolin and it is what makes Shaolin Kung Fu unique | | | | everything a person does is meditation if the person's |
| and powerful. In fact, the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple | | | | mind is one with the task, be it washing dishes, |
| is the cradle of Zen and Kung Fu. | | | | chopping wood, sitting quietly or training in martial arts. |
| Zen is short for Zen Buddhism and is the Japanese | | | | Damo invented a self-defense art called Eighteen |
| translation of the Chinese word Chan. Chan itself is | | | | Lohan Hands based on the movements of animals he |
| adapted from the Sanskrit word Dhyana which means | | | | saw in the mountains. This he taught the Shaolin |
| "meditation". | | | | monks so they could protect themselves from wild |
| So, how did Chan Buddhism and Kung Fu come about | | | | animals and bandits. |
| at Shaolin Temple? | | | | He also created Yijinjing or Muscle-Tendon Change |
| In the legends of Shaolin, one figure towers over all | | | | Classic, a series of yoga-like movements to develop qi |
| others - Damo. It was Damo who introduced Zen and | | | | flow so the monks had more energy to practice Zen. |
| kung Fu to Shaolin. | | | | Damo believed that physical training toughened the |
| The story goes that about 1,500 years ago, an Indian | | | | body and thus allowed the mind to grow stronger. A |
| monk by the name Bodhidharma - or Damo as the | | | | strong mind could then control a powerful body in |
| Chinese call him - arrived on the Southern shores of | | | | motion. |
| China in today's Gaungzhou. | | | | An excerpt from the fully illustrated children's book |
| Passing through Nanjing, and crossing the Yangtze | | | | "Shaolin - Legends of Zen and Kung Fu" |
| River, Damo walked in the northerly direction until he | | | | (0-9733492-3-9) by Kah Joon Liow, 32 pages, includes |
| reached Shaolin Temple. He told the Buddha's | | | | original 3D-animated story "Enter The Zen" on DVD, |
| teachings to the Shaolin monks, but he was shown the | | | | published by SilkRoad Networks (Canada), Sept 2006, |
| door. | | | | US$26.95, With the participation of MDA. Copyright |
| Damo retreated to a cave in the mountains | | | | 2006, SilkRoad Networks Inc and MDA. |