Shaolin Temple

The warrior monks performing in Sutra are from the Shaolin Temple, situated near Songshan Mountain in the Henan Province of China and established in 495AD by monks originating from India. In 1983, the State Council defined the Shaolin Temple as the key national Buddhist Temple. The monks there follow a strict Buddhist doctrine, of which kung fu and tai chi martial arts are an integral part of their daily regime.

A patriarchal clan system presides within the temple and in nearly 800 years, there have been more than 30 generations of monks. The representatives of the current generations have, in their surnames, the characters of Su, De, Xing, Yong, Yan, and Heng. Shaolin kung fu is one of the oldest Chinese martial arts traditions.

Based on a belief in the supernatural power of Chan Buddhism, the moves practiced by the Shaolin kung fu monks are its major form of expression. According to the guidebooks handed down in the Shaolin Temple, kung fu has 708 movement sequences, plus another 552 boxing sequences and 72 unique skulls for capturing, wrestling, disjointing, and touching vital points in order to cause injury.

The monks of the Shaolin Temple regard the perfection of their kung fu warrior skills as their lifelong goal. Fully understanding life with no fear in their hearts, their physical and mental practice embodies the ancient Chinese belief in “the unity between heaven and man.”