"佛教僧众修行概括为；戒，定，慧。" The practice of Buddhist monks can be summarized as: discipline, concentration, and wisdom.
-pg 12. 少林功夫概论
What Makes Shaolin
Slowly, I read the foreign characters that fill the "Shaolin Duan Wei" books. Throughout the pages, one theme is obvious. The merging of Buddhist ideas with the martial culture. The culmination of these two lifestyles creates the interesting product we now know as the "Warrior Monk".
"少林格斗具有以下三个特点： 一是快。。。二是准。。。三是狠。“
-pg 6. 少林功夫概论
With two contradicting cultures merging; there are a lot of conflicting ideas within the system of Shaolin. The martial art is supposed to be fast, accurate and violent. And yet, those that practice Shaolin Kung Fu are also supposed to follow the core idea of self defense, compassion, and abstaining from killing. It is expected of those who practice Shaolin Kung Fu to attach importance to learning the "actual combat" methods of the art. Yet, they must also adhere to the beliefs of being peaceful and developing good karma.
Seeing the official theories behind the art is interesting. As it adds depth to what would otherwise be a purely "physical" art. These conflicting ideas gives you a hint at the unique position the Shaolin Warrior Monks of the past were in. The monk side seeking peace and understanding, yet the warrior side being called to defend the temple when needed.
Martial Morality of China
The Shaolin Temple attracted many throughout history. Some came for protection, some came to pursue the Buddhist path, and others came seeking knowledge of the famed temple. This led to the temple attracting many kinds of people. Former generals and soldiers. Common folk. Martial Artists and more. All of these people brought their own knowledge and martial skills to the temple which helped develop the Warrior Monks.
Within China, there was also a belief known as Wu De (武德) or "martial morality" which was common among the military and nobles of the time. Since Shaolin attracted many, I believe these ideas also shaped the way of the Warrior Monks. Making their position in the temple and rules that they followed more complex.
Conclusion
The challenge for modern day practitioners is figuring out how to "embody Shaolin" in the modern day. All of these ancient, conflicting beliefs leaves a lot to be interpreted. This allows the idea of "embodying Shaolin" to be flexible to an individual's situation.
📿Johnny
Further Reading
Martial Morality
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