Before Shaolin there was India.

[Mudryah]

Indian monks taught Kung fu to Chinese monks.

 

[Mudryah]

In the early 6th century when Bodhidharma took Buddhism with him to China (Shaolin Temple), he also took and introduced to the Chinese monks an Indian martial arts called Kalaripayattu. This came to be known as Kung-Fu and later on went on to several Asian countries and took shape of several Asian fighting arts.

[bakeneko]

I still did not see any concrete evidence for this. Usually Damo stories are seen as "flavoring" or foundation myths for the wu shu communities nowadays.

[Mudryah]

[Mudryah]

On the walls of the shaolin temple are Indian and Chinese monks practicing together that's the only evidence of it but we will never know. The same with Zhang San Feng.

[Mudryah]

[Mudryah]

[9th]

Extremely complex systems of martial arts of various kinds are much older than both China and India.

 

[Yulaw]

There is no verifiable historical evidence that Bodhidharma took Buddhism with him to China and taught martial arts to Shaolin. Also martial arts was written about in China as early as 2697 BC and it has absolutely nothing to do with Shaolin or .the currently mythical Bodhidharma.

 

And for the record, movies and films are not proof

 

A big misconception is that all Chinese martial arts came from Shaolin and that is simply not true.

Edited October 18, 2013 by Yulaw

[Wells]

Indian monks taught Kung fu to Chinese monks.

 

 

This claim is as ridiculous as claiming that african tribes invented dancing or that germanic tribes invented sword fighting!

It's much more likely that several things were invented simultaneously and independantly from each other in different areas of the world!

Edited October 18, 2013 by Dorian Black

[Wells]

On the walls of the shaolin temple are Indian and Chinese monks practicing together that's the only evidence of it but we will never know.

The same with Zhang San Feng.

 

What's the same with Zhang San Feng...?

So you claim that some indian guys taught Tai Chi Chuan to Zhang San Feng???

[RongzomFan]

Does someone need to invent fighting?

 

Even little kids fight without being taught.

[ChiDragon]

Indian monks taught Kung fu to Chinese monks.

 

From my side of the story as a Chinese, It was known to me that when Darmo went to China and stopped by Shaolin Temple to preach Buddhism. However, Darmo had discovered that the Shaolin monks were in poor health because they had been sitting all day and night in practicing Buddhism. Hence, he taught the monks Kung Fu and Chi Kung to improve their health.

Edited October 18, 2013 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

Does someone need to invent fighting?

 

Even little kids fight without being taught.

 

Yes, if one knows how to fight, then one will only hurt the opponent but not oneself.

[Protector]

This claim is as ridiculous as claiming that african tribes invented dancing or that germanic tribes invented sword fighting!

It's much more likely that several things were invented simultaneously and independantly from each other in different areas of the world!

 

It's not a claim, it's common knowledge

[SonOfTheGods]

Indian monks taught Kung fu to Chinese monks.

 

the youtube comments are deja vu @ the pit

[RongzomFan]

 

Yes, if one knows how to fight, then one will only hurt the opponent but not oneself.

 

Is that guaranteed in stone?

[Wells]

It's not a claim, it's common knowledge

 

Yep! I'm sure he taught them acupuncture as well! Not to forget how to make gun powder!

[9th]

no, no, no

 

they learned how to make gun powder from alien monkeys

 

[Wells]

no, no, no

 

they learned how to make gun powder from alien monkeys

 

 

Impossible. These alien monkeys landed only in Japan, but NOT in China!

[9th]

Impossible. These alien monkeys landed only in Japan, but NOT in China!

 

Thats only partially true. You see, back when they landed there, Japan was still connected to China! Im talkin pre-Pangaea, baby.

 

 

 

 

BTW, They also built a fortress in Baalbek. Later people built temples on top of it.

 

[Protector]

Yep! I'm sure he taught them acupuncture as well! Not to forget how to make gun powder!

 

No, he just taught them the basics

Then one day one monk left the Shaolin temple and saw a crane fight a snake, a typical story that is also sometimes part of Wing Chun and many other legends for some reason. That's how tai chi was invented, a style that is specifically made to fight the strong Shaolin monks who dominated the kung fu world. Another lineage that got mixed into what would become tai chi was a family that would murder prisoners in different ways to find how to break a person, many people died until something came out of it but not many like talking about that story.

[Protector]

The only way to survive in the world of kung fu was not to die, and many styles challenged each other until we got what we have today. The Shaolin temple was constantly under attack from people like that until one day they found a way to fight. Then they called the local masters and the mix of all that became Shaolin. Many Chinese martial arts are rooted in Shaolin system because of what came into it and what came out of it, but it had to start somewhere.

 

Oh and I'm supposed to tell you that that's trolling

[ChiDragon]

Is that guaranteed in stone?

 

I can tell you this. The legend says Dharmo was, during his meditation, facing the wall in a cave. After nine years, his image was imprinted on the wall in the cave.

Edited October 19, 2013 by ChiDragon

[Wells]

Oh and I'm supposed to tell you that that's trolling

 

No, just sarcasm.