Shao-Lin Do is an ancient
art and
science that teaches how to live well and
healthy and, eventually, to become immortal. Incidentally,
martial arts are only one component of Shao-Lin Do's four
major elements which comprise the arts and science of living well. According to the ancient
sages,
in order for
one to become
immortal, one must
live to be at least 140 to 160 years
old. Because it takes this many
years of living for a person's mind to
develop and
evolve into a
higher level of consciousness that
his/
her body begins to
vibrate (
wavelength) and eventually attain a state of
immortality. Shao-Lin monks understand that there are at least four major elements that constitute longevity:
mind, body, herbs and martial arts.
The
novice to the world of
martial arts would believe the Shao-lin
Temple was a place dedicated to pure Shao-lin
fighting. In fact, student
monks learned
history, manners, customs, tradition, and of course,
Buddhist and
Taoist philosophies. It did not stop there.
Painting,
music,
medicine,
agriculture,
cooking and much more were taught along with the martial arts.
It is important to emphasize over and over again,
The monks did not put fighting skills at the top of the list of their learning criteria. In fact, there are a few sayings which depict the monk 's feelings about battle. One states:
"To fight is the lowest form of arbitration." Another states,
"One who engages in combat has already lost".
All the arts taught at the Shao-lin Temple were aimed at leading a monk closer to
enlightenment as well as using all his
skills and
knowledge to help others. What in essence makes a monk a Shao-lin monk is all the various types of training taught at the Temple. The martial arts aspect of his training alone did not qualify him to be called a Shao-lin Monk. It was his spiritual development above all else that qualified him as a Shao-lin Monk.
Not all the monks at Shao-lin Temple chose to learn the martial arts. Some preferred to focus on their spiritual development with little or no interest in martial arts. With or without martial arts training they were still called Shao-lin Temple monks. The only distinction you might hear said, is the term Shao-lin Fighting Monks which indicated they also learned martial arts.
Still, no matter how much Shao-lin
Kung Fu they knew, fighting was to be avoided at all costs. The martial arts training was only a means to help temper the body, not to hurt others. Only when there was no way out would they defend themselves, and even then the amount of force used against them would be returned to the attacker.
(The Shao-lin Monk knew to take a human life would mean the losses of his own soul.)
see also;
shaolin temple