Chinese Martial Arts traditionally dates from 520 B.C. when Bodhidharma arrived in Canton from India and was received at the court of Emperor Wu. Bodhidharma sojourned to China to instruct the people in Ch’an (Zen in Japanese). Bodhidharma possessed unique qualities for teaching Zen; he was the twenty-eighth Indian Patriarch in a line of direct apostolic succession from Gautama, the Buddha.
Emperor Wu thought of himself as a pious Buddhist and believed that Bodhidharma would recognize him as such. The Emperor described to Bodhidharma all that he had done to promote Buddhism and asked what merit he had gained. Bodhidharma replied, “No merit whatever!” That so shocked the Emperor that he inquired, “If good works are not sacred, then what is the sacred doctrine’ s first principle?” Bodhidharma responded, “It’s just empty; there’ s nothing sacred.”
The Emperor then dismissed Bodhidharma from his court. Bodhidharma retired to a monastery named Shaolin. The monks were more receptive to the sage’s teaching. During his stay in the Shaolin Monastery, he taught “The 18 Movements of the Arhan Hand”, the “Sinew Changing Course,” and the “Marrow Washing Course. These exercises had a significant influence on the development of Chinese Martial Arts.
The Shaolin “Hard Fist” gained a wide following for several hundred years. By the beginning of the 1400’s however, the “Soft Fist” styles of Pakua, Hsingi and Tai Chi began to exert a strong influence on the martial arts. By the 1500’ s, Shaolin was on the verge of extinction because of the “Soft Fists” popularity.
Master Pai Yu Fong, a great innovator in the martial arts, agreed to assist the Shaolin Order in improving their techniques. He modified and added to their style and created the “Five Formed Fists” based on the movements of the dragon, tiger, leopard, snake, and crane. Because of Pai’s contribution, the Shaolin Style enjoyed continued popularity and fame for another hundred years.
By 1650, the foreign Manchus had deposed the native Ming dynasty. Because of the Chinese’s resentment to the Manchus, the new government exercised strict controls overall martial arts. Since the Shaolin Monastery was the center of the Chinese Martial Arts, the Manchus burned the temple to the ground and killed as many of the priests as they could capture.
Some of those Shaolin Monks escaped reigned vengeance on the Manchus. These priests formed triad societies dedicated to terrorism against the Manchus. Others started the Tong, an underworld movement that eventually degenerated to base criminality. Some left China and sought homes elsewhere.
Okinawa became a sanctuary for many refugees of this period. One group of Shaolin Priests who escaped to Okinawa joined together to pirate the wealth of the Manchus. Okinawa served as the pirate stronghold for these successful raiders.
This group may have continued to pirate, but a terrible storm at sea brought them so near death that they pledged to repent in their ways if only they could be spared.
White Lotus Begins
Those few masters washed ashore, surviving the storm, built a monastery on the Northern Coast of Okinawa. They named the monastery White Lotus. Lotus is both the sacred flower of India, and the position assumed while meditating. White is the term they chose to represent the (‘empty” or the “void.” Hence, they called their Kung Fu taught at the monastery, Bok Leen Pai, White Lotus Style.
At this monastery, they began again to practice the ways of the Kung Fu masters of ancient China. The style that resulted is unique since it encompassed both classical and non—classical movements.
Some elements within this style are found in other styles, but few if any different styles have the overall uniqueness of the Northern Okinawan Monastery Kung Fu style, hereafter referred to as Chinese Kung Fu.
Naturally, “Bok Leen Pai” drew heavily upon Shaolin Kung Fu for its content. However, since escaping from China, the monks had visited many other countries, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, etc. The elements of other Asian Martial Arts were incorporated into Bok Leen Pai.
About Soft Fist
This form acts as a general introduction to many Chinese Kung Fu techniques and body movements. Chinese Soft Fist (Zhōng Ming Jeung) is composed of 200 movements divided into eight sections. None of the techniques are complex or difficult to execute. The form incorporates all five animal movements: Tiger, Snake, Dragon, Leopard, and Crane.
The neophyte at the temple was required to absorb a lot of Kung Fu in a short period. The Masters could not afford to permit a student to remain if the student would break under pressure in the long run.
The Masters usually gave six months for the neophyte to absorb this set, in addition to his other duties. If the neophyte could not perform the Soft Fist Set with some degree of proficiency after this period of training, he was expelled from the temple.
You’ll also be introduced to some of the ancient Chinese hand techniques: Leopard Fist, Cobra Strike, Phoenix Eye, Crane’s Foot, 1 Finger Jab, Side Elbow strikes, Cross Punch, Folded Wing Block, Tiger Tail Kick, and a lot more.