The Shaolin Temple
The Song Mountain Shaolin Temple is also known as the Northern Shaolin
Temple. It was built in 495 A.D. The Shaolin Temple is generally accepted as
having the greatest influence on all existing martial arts today. Around 520
to 535 A.D. the famous monk Bodhidharma , also known as Da Mo, traveled from
India to the kingdom of Wei to spread Chan (Zen) Buddhism. This was during
the Liang Dynasty in China. After a failed meeting with Emperor Wu,
Bodhidharma
traveled until he reached Song Mountain in Henan province, the site of the
Shaolin Temple. Bodhidharma spent nine years practicing meditation in a cave
near the temple.
At the advanced age of 76, Bodhidharma noticed that monks who practiced many
hours of meditation each day were in poor physical condition. They couldn't
perform the physical labors necessary to maintain the monastery, and if
attacked by bandits, could not even defend the Shaolin Temple. Therefore,
Bodhidharma began teaching the monks the Eighteen Lohan Qi Gong exercises to
improve the health of the monks. The Eighteen Lohan Qi Gong exercises of the
Shaolin Temple were handed down by the ex-monk Choy Fook to Chan Heung and
are still taught in the present Choy Li Fut Kung Fu system.
Choy Li Fut was founded in 1836 by Chan Heung, a well known and highly
skilled martial artist of that period. Although known as a Southern style,
Choy Li Fut has its origins in both Northern and Southern China. Since the
system's founder had two teachers from the South and one from the North,
Chan Heung decided to combine the teachings of all three masters into one
system. Thus, Choy Li Fut is one of the few kung-fu styles that contains
techniques from both Northern and Southern Chinese martial arts.