<!--QuoteBegin-acharya+May 19 2007, 07:26 AM-->QUOTE(acharya @ May 19 2007, 07:26 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Kalaripayattu - The Orient's treasure trove, a gift to the modern world and the mother of all martial arts. Legend traces the 3000-year-old art form to Sage Parasurama- the master of all martial art forms and credited to be the re-claimer of Kerala from the Arabian Sea. Kalaripayattu originated in ancient South India. <b>Kung- fu, popularized by the monks of the Shoaling Temple traces its ancestry to Bodhi Dharma - an Indian Buddhist monk and Kalaripayattu master.</b>[right][snapback]69009[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->About the bold bit in the above excerpt:
http://www.namyang.co.uk/learn-martial-art...artial-arts.php
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>The Origins of Shaolin Kung Fu</b>
<b>Tat Moh - the father of all martial arts</b>
The origin of Shaolin Kung Fu is generally credited to an Indian monk named Tat Moh, who is also known as Bodhidharma. The first name is the Chinese name he holds, the latter an Indian name. He began life as a prince in Southern India, but became a devoted Buddhist, renouncing his royal heritage to take up the simple lifestyle of a monk. He traveled widely, spreading the teachings of Buddhism. Eventually he rose to become the 28th Patriarch of Indian Buddhism.
<b>Shao Lin - The 'Little Forest' Temple</b>
In those days, it was common for Indian monks to travel to China where their Buddhist teachings were generally eagerly received. In the year <b>520 A.D.</b> Tat Moh made just such a journey, right through India and China, crossing the huge barrier of the Himalaya mountain range and finally arriving at a monastery called Shao Lin - which means 'little forest'.
He was disappointed, however, to find the monks very weak and unable to withstand the austere ways of Buddhism - a life which often consisted of long fasts and frugal living. The journey Tat Moh had made simply to be there bears testiment to his huge physical powers - to cross the Himalayas in this day and age is no small task and back then the trail was plagued by bandits and wild animals. The reason he arrived alone was simply because all his followers had died along the perilous journey.
<b>Chi Kung - The First Formal Martial Arts Instruction</b>
Tat Moh therefore retired into a cave and meditated in isolation in order to find a solution to the problem. When he emerged after nine years of hard study, he had devised a set of exercises for the monks. <b>These were similar to some Indian exercises such as Yoga </b>and were intended to regulate and strengthen the monks' chi flow. Their intention was to build the monks vigour and increase their health and vitality; and this they did, so successfully that Tat Moh's Chi Kung exercises are still practiced to this day. They form the basis of the Shaolin Martial Arts.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->More at that link.
More on this, as well as a bit on Chinese Buddhist Chi and Hindu Prana, mentioned in Rajesh_G's earlier post #89 in this thread. And HH's post 91 corrects a statement in there.
Wow, so much useful stuff already from way before I joined. And I was under the wrong impression that I'd read and reread most everything on IF already. Obviously not. Good stuff.
http://www.namyang.co.uk/learn-martial-art...artial-arts.php
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>The Origins of Shaolin Kung Fu</b>
<b>Tat Moh - the father of all martial arts</b>
The origin of Shaolin Kung Fu is generally credited to an Indian monk named Tat Moh, who is also known as Bodhidharma. The first name is the Chinese name he holds, the latter an Indian name. He began life as a prince in Southern India, but became a devoted Buddhist, renouncing his royal heritage to take up the simple lifestyle of a monk. He traveled widely, spreading the teachings of Buddhism. Eventually he rose to become the 28th Patriarch of Indian Buddhism.
<b>Shao Lin - The 'Little Forest' Temple</b>
In those days, it was common for Indian monks to travel to China where their Buddhist teachings were generally eagerly received. In the year <b>520 A.D.</b> Tat Moh made just such a journey, right through India and China, crossing the huge barrier of the Himalaya mountain range and finally arriving at a monastery called Shao Lin - which means 'little forest'.
He was disappointed, however, to find the monks very weak and unable to withstand the austere ways of Buddhism - a life which often consisted of long fasts and frugal living. The journey Tat Moh had made simply to be there bears testiment to his huge physical powers - to cross the Himalayas in this day and age is no small task and back then the trail was plagued by bandits and wild animals. The reason he arrived alone was simply because all his followers had died along the perilous journey.
<b>Chi Kung - The First Formal Martial Arts Instruction</b>
Tat Moh therefore retired into a cave and meditated in isolation in order to find a solution to the problem. When he emerged after nine years of hard study, he had devised a set of exercises for the monks. <b>These were similar to some Indian exercises such as Yoga </b>and were intended to regulate and strengthen the monks' chi flow. Their intention was to build the monks vigour and increase their health and vitality; and this they did, so successfully that Tat Moh's Chi Kung exercises are still practiced to this day. They form the basis of the Shaolin Martial Arts.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->More at that link.
More on this, as well as a bit on Chinese Buddhist Chi and Hindu Prana, mentioned in Rajesh_G's earlier post #89 in this thread. And HH's post 91 corrects a statement in there.
Wow, so much useful stuff already from way before I joined. And I was under the wrong impression that I'd read and reread most everything on IF already. Obviously not. Good stuff.