Shaolin Kung Fu refers to the Songshan (Song Mountain) Shaolin Temple Buddhist culture. It is a unique martial arts system that is also faith-based. It relies on the Shaolin Temple martial monks to continue and preserve its wisdom and tradition.
Traditionally, Shaolin Kung Fu has 5 training modules that complement each other – open hand forms, weapons training, practical self-defense, qigong and sitting meditation. The student develops mastery by using these five as “gates” to a deeper understanding. Each module develops separate abilities, which then inform the others.
For some people, the focus can be strictly on performance or strictly on practical self-defense.
For some, Shaolin Kung Fu is a type of 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.
For those who believe it is a meditation practice, Shaolin offers the possibility of experiencing the light of illumination and the enlightment promised by following the Buddha’s Way. Its defining characteristic is the unity of Chan (Zen) with the physicality of martial arts.
Chan(Zen) Buddhism deals with the true nature of humankind. Shaolin Kung Fu practice is one of the Chan(Zen) sects within Buddhism. The Shaolin Temple is known as the place where many Chan Buddhist ancestors fully developed the theology of Chan Buddhist thought.
It is a traditional cultural system that fully embodies the wisdom of Chan (Zen) Buddhism.