In ancient China there were strong rivalries among the many populations who lived there, but conflict also existed at a personal level. One’s study of martial arts was necessary both for defence from rival forces and for asserting one’s own authority. This is the main reason why everyone was jealously protecting the secrets of his own martial art while this antagonism did not allow a pacific exchange of cultural ideas, especially those on martial arts.
The diffusion of Buddhism in China made many believers, including many martial art masters, change their opinions on hatred and about "giving and taking". A Buddhist emphasizes inner progress, the course of the human spirit and one’s own understanding ability. There is a reason to people’s problems, worries and anxiety. These feelings are caused by greed, resentment and ignorance and lead to a continuous stream of negativity. In order to cancel this sense of concern and anxiety it is necessary to get rid of all greed, resentment and ignorance.
The Shaolin Monastery, built at the end of the 4th century A.D. in the Henan province in northern China, was initially built as a Buddhist temple. Many people started gathering around the temple from many different places and probably also from conflicting regions. Once at the temple they became Buddhist believers and followers and, thanks to this, they started putting aside all contrasts and began to peacefully exchange their cultural ideas, especially about kung fu.
Many books started to be written about these topics and were then handed down to successive generations, building up from previous experiences. This way Shaolin Kung Fu was born and the Shaolin monastery became not only a Buddhist temple, but also a place for the practice of Martial Arts.
It is clear that the development of Kung Fu is a result of the political and cultural changes that were affecting China throughout the centuries, but the history of this ancient martial art also features several legends. The most famous kung fu legend is probably the one of monk Da Mò.
Da Mò was a monk who came from India, "Tien Giù" in ancient Chinese. In the 510 AD he came to China from the sea, more precisely coming ashore in Guang Zhou, provincial capital of Canton. Later, he joined the court of the emperor Leàn Wu Di, who belonged to the Nian Leàn dynasty and was a practicing Buddhist. The emperor did not really like the personality and behaviors of Da Mò because the monk would not speak much, probably due to the fact that he did not know enough Chinese. Not being appreciated by the emperor, the monk set off from the court. He travelled towards northern China and finally arrived at the Shaolin monastery, where he died after living there for 9 years.
Legend tells that Da Mò invented the Shaolin style, but that is not probably true. Inside the monastery the monk was not talking to anyone and was meditating all day long staring at a wall: a method called "Mien Piì". According to Da Mò, reality could only be comprehended through meditation and the intuitions of the heart, that is through the power of thought: the "Zen" meditation practice, that the monk brought to China.
While at the Shaolin monastery, Da Mò never wrote any text on Buddhist religion and is therefore rather difficult that he would have left anything on kung fu.
