Can i join shaolin

The temple was founded over years ago in China and has been turning out top martial artists ever since. So, how long it takes to become a Shaolin Kung Fu Master? It takes 25 years for a Chinese child to become a Shaolin Kung Fu master. However, achieving full mastery in the Shaolin tradition is forever as it considered to be a lifetime endeavour.

While it is the most important location in China in martial arts history many Chinese martial arts predate the temple by centuries. Shuai jiao, the Kung Fu form of wrestling , for example is over 6, years old!

The reason that the Shaolin Temple was founded was to enable Chinese monasteries to better protect themselves. They had money, lands and power and many sought to take it from them. Monks had often practiced martial arts in the past, but Shaolin would enable them to formalize their training and learn to work together.

The Shaolin Temple was established in A. The very first monk to preach there was not Chinese but rather Indian. His name was Buddhabhadra though he was known as Baduo in Chinese. He preached a form of Nikaya Buddhism to the students and other monks of the temple. However, from its inception — the monastery was associated with Kung Fu or Wushu as it is known in Southern China. After Baduo, came Bodhidharma, who is considered today to be the founder of modern Chinese Buddhism, a monk who may have been Central Asian or Indian and again his disciple, Huike was a famous martial artist.

It is thought that all three of the martial artist disciples had a military background before arriving at the Shaolin Temple. It was used in battle during actions to defend the monastery against bandits in A. It is not until the 16 th century that another record of the Shaolin fighting in combat but over the course of 2 centuries there are nearly 40 records of battles involving the monks.

It was during this time that the Shaolin Staff fighting method was added to the Kung Fu portfolio as well as fighting with a spear. Much of the fighting from to involved pirates and while they suffered the occasional defeat, the pirates were driven from the region and at the battle of Wengjiagang warrior monks fought a group of pirates and while nearly pirates perished, only 4 monks fell during the combat.

Many Shaolin monks consider Chan rather than Quan to be the true definition of what it is to be Shaolin. The Shaolin Temple, in common with most other Chinese martial arts training centers, teaches its combat methods using forms. There will usually be a mixture of small and big forms that make up that style. However, some styles only have a single type of form.

The Shaolin temple teaches hundreds of styles. The core of their teachings, however, are a little simpler. They whittled down to styles during the Qing Dynasty which every student should master and there are 18 famous styles from this. If you want to be a Kung Fu Master at Shaolin, you would need to learn a complete system and many different styles and weapons. Most people choose to study Kung Fu at the Shaolin because they want to get the most authentic form of training. Because Kung Fu was formalized at the temple, the big draw to potential students is the chance to drink knowledge from the source.

The core of training Kung Fu at the Shaolin Temple is discipline. There are no creature comforts and initiates can expect a bed which is made from a plank of wood plus some sheets which must be folded neatly at the beginning of each day.

The training day starts at 5 a. Recruits are either beaten with a stick or made to stand for hours at a time on their heads on concrete. The practitioners of Shaolin Kung Fu, Shaolin Monks, are esteemed as some of the most committed warriors, too.

However, Shaolin Kung Fu is much more than just a martial art. It is part of a complete spirituality that is grounded in Buddhism.

The path of a Shaolin Monk, if you choose to follow it, will require you to completely change your life. Shaolin Monks give up much, restrain themselves from typical pleasures that we take for granted, and have lives completely dedicated to their faith.

Next, change your diet so it's in line with Shaolin beliefs by cutting out meat, eating raw foods, and reducing the amount you eat. To develop your education, contact a Shaolin teacher or temple in your area. Finally, consider traveling to China to study full-time at a Shaolin temple or apply to be accepted as a disciple at a temple in your own country. To find out more about Shaolin teachings or becoming a lay monk, keep reading! Did this summary help you?

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Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Educate yourself about what it means to be a Shaolin Monk.

Before you do anything, you need to read extensively about what it actually means to be a Shaolin Monk. This includes the duties, responsibilities, requirements, and other qualifications that Shaolin Monks must have. Kung Fu is studied, not to teach fighting, but to discipline the body and for the beauty of emulating the movements of the animals, which brings you into harmony with nature.

There are many books you can read that will teach you about the philosophy, about Buddhism and about meditation. Understand the history of Shaolin Kung Fu, and its years of development. Know that not all Shaolin monks are the greatest warriors. They are essentially Buddhist monks who have studied the technique of Shaolin. Understand the strict requirements that Shaolin Monks are held to today. Understand the philosophy and spiritual aspects of Shaolin Kung Fu.

Understand that Shaolin Kung Fu is not just about fighting. Shaolin is a complete worldview and lifestyle geared toward creating a balanced and strong individual who is at ease with his or her world. The martial arts aspects of Kung Fu are just physical manifestations of a complete spirituality that you will need to learn and live by as a Shaolin Monk. Shaolin Kung Fu is an outcropping of Buddhism. Shaolin Kung Fu requires intense training, self-control, and self-reflection. Shaolin Monks must possess a complete and utter dedication to their way of life.

Learn about Buddhism. Buddhism is the basic foundation of Shaolin spirituality. In order to truly understand what it means to be a Shaolin monk, you need to also understand what it means to live as a Buddhist. Before you continue on your path to become a Shaolin Monk, you should dedicate yourself to learning about Buddhism. If the idea of being a Buddhist excites you, continue on your path. Part 2. Commit yourself to Buddhism. STEP 4: We will process your application, confirm your payment and reserve your place in our school.

After this we will send you a PDF file with all the helpful information that you need to start organizing your travel. STEP 5: Around two months before of your estimated arrival day or when you are planning on going to the Chinese embassy we will send you an invitation letter that will help you to get your visa.

STEP 6: Go to the nearest Chinese embassy of your country with all the documents and the invitation letter that we send you to get your Chinese visa.