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The Shaolin Temple
The Songshan (Song Mountain) Shaolin Temple is the first and
original Shaolin Temple. It is
located in China, in the province of Henan, near Dengfeng city. The Temple is
located slightly NW of Song Mountain in a dense forest. The name of the Shaolin
Temple is derived from its location in this dense forest.
Shaolin Culture
Shaolin Kung Fu refers to the Songshan Shaolin Temple
Buddhist culture in this particular environment and the history of the
formation of this unique faith-based and martial arts system. It is a traditional cultural system
that fully embodies the wisdom of Chan (Zen) Buddhism and relies on the Shaolin
Temple martial monks to continue and preserve its wisdom and tradition.
Shaolin Kung Fu is a complete technical and theoretical
system in which martial arts techniques and the forms of martial art routines
have been combined with the practice and wisdom of Chan (Zen) Buddhism.
This combination creates a unique faith and culture.
Shaolin Kung Fu, in reality, is a meditation practice used
to determine the state of affairs lying beneath the surface of a human
being. It is a way to observe the
universal wisdom or intelligence that lies beneath the patterns of movement of
the human body. Chan Buddhism
deals with the true nature of humankind.
The true nature lying beneath the mind's reality. Shaolin Kung Fu
practice is believed to have given birth to the Chan sect within Buddhism and
the Shaolin Temple is known as the place where many of Chan Buddhism's
ancestors fully developed this line of thought.
Therefore, Kung Fu is brimming with the possibility of
experiencing the light of illumination and enlightment promised by following
the Buddha's way. Its defining
characteristic being the unity of Chan with the physicality of martial arts.
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