HealthKick Kung Fu

The Shaolin Temple of the Song Shan Mountain is location in China in Henan province.  The construction of the Temple started in the nineteenth year of emperor Tai He of Northern Wei about 1,500 years ago (495AD). The Temple was originally built by Emperor Xiao Wen of Northern Wei for the purpose of creating a monastery to accommodate the visiting monk BO TO Le from India.

Later, around 527 AD,  Bodhidharma (Damo), a senior monk from India, arrived at the Shaolin Song Shan Temple. He took residence in a cave in the Wu Ru Peak, which is situated behind the Shaolin Temple. Bodhidharma meditated there in absolute silence for nine years, sitting in a cross-legged stance, facing the rock wall. He then established the doctrine of Chan Buddhism in China (Zen) and has been recognized as the first patriarch of the Chan (Zen) sect in China. The Shaolin Monastery has also been recognized and revered as the sacred founding site of Chinese Chan Buddhism.

The Shaolin Temple flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties and reached the peak of development in Yuan and Ming dynasties. According to historic records, the Shaolin Temple had suffered from natural and man made disasters during the last 1500 years. However, the monks of the Shaolin Temple have always preservered and carried forward their tradition and culture. The combined ideas of Chan Buddhism and martial arts practiced as one are the soul of the Shaolin Kung-Fu system. From 1951 to 1996, the decades of the long renovation of the Shaolin Temple revived this culture for the modern era.

Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Monks Performance Team was founded in 1988, to promote the traditional Shaolin culture. Shaolin Charity and Welfare Fund was established in 1993, with the aim to relieve people from poverty and help those in need. In 1995, the Shaolin Publishing House was established to promote the understanding of Chan(Zen) culture and its in-depth meaning and secrets. Among the published works are the quarterly journal “Chan Dew”, “Collections of Shaolin Kungfu” and “Medical Secrets in Shaolin Kung Fu."

Shaolin Kung Fu seminars were organized to study the cultural treasures of Shaolin Kung Fu. In order to protect Shaolin Kung Fu’s profound culture with a history of 1500 years, in 2002 Abbot Yong Xin organized and initiated the registration under the UN Education and Science Organization of Shaolin Kung Fu. Shaolin Orphan Center was open in 2003 to support the “Thousand-orphan and Light-opening” project. Upon invitation, Abbot Yong Xin led a delegate team to attend the “Songshan Shaolin Temple Day” ceremony established in San Francisco which is defined and officially recognized by the US California State Congress, in which provides a great opportunity to promote cultural exchange between the two countries.