The origin of Shaolin Kung Fu

So far there is no consensus on the origin of the Chinese martial arts. According to a popular legend, the cradle of Chinese martial arts is the Shaolin Monastery on Song Shan Mountain in Henan Province in central China. According to legend, Ta Mo stared at a wall in a cave for nine years, lost in meditation. A shadow of his figure is said to have been depicted on the rock during this time. In order to create the physical prerequisites for this hard form of meditation and to make the body flexible again after a long period of immobility, Ta Mo developed exercises to loosen up and strengthen the body . These exercises are also known as the 18 hands of Lohan (Shih-pa lohan shou). Experts see them as the cornerstone of East Asian martial arts systems.

There are reasonable doubts that there was no kung fu in China before Ta Mo's arrival. However, Ta Mo brought an aspect into the martial arts that was previously impossible to find and has shaped it to this day. The new thing about his form of teaching was to learn to fight in order not to have to fight. This sentence, which at first glance seems paradoxical, is based on the assumption that if you are afraid of your opponent you are more likely to undertake a violent attack, true to the motto: attack is the best defense. However, without this fear, one can better assess conflict situations and find compromise solutions that are preferable to violent confrontations. Because, according to an old Chinese proverb, every fight avoided is a won fight.