KUNG FU THOUGHTS

Ch’an Approach to training

Shaolin Temple is considered the birthplace of Kungfu and Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism. This doesn’t mean that

in order to practice Kungfu we need to be Buddhists, but the Ch’an philosophy can help us to see our

world with fresh eyes. This was the Bodhidharma's ambition when he came to China, he wanted to get

away from the books and learning and enter the pure raw experience.

One of the Ch’an teachings that we can apply to our kungfu training is aimlessness. This means:

You already are what you want to become. Does a tree have to do something to be what it is? The

purpose of a tree is to be itself, and your purpose is to be yourself.

We have everything. There is no need to put anything in front of us and run after it. So, whatever it

is that you believe you want – good health, more energy or to be an exceptional martial artist – you

already have it.

Bring this energy into your practice and you will find that it will enrich whatever you are doing –

running, kung fu , qi gong, meditation, and also your work and family life. It helps us to stop

putting our life on hold or waiting for the future when we think we will have more time or be less

stressed.

There is no future time there is only now. And now is the most important time we have. Now is the

building block for the future. Instead of drifting into the future of “if” and “when”, we focus on

the single point of now.

Train from that perspective rather than constantly trying to improve yourself or thinking there is

something wrong with you.

Remind yourself that right now you have all the elements for your health, you just have to apply the

Kungfu techniques you are learning.

Kungfu helps us to reach the potential in ourselves that we only dreamt of before. Using the powerful

life energy that exists inside our body we can make ourselves healthy and balanced. If you approach

these Kungfu teachings with intelligence and determination, you can bring to your life the wholeness,

health and inner satisfaction that you seek.

From Shaolin Monk - Lei