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The Shaolin Myth: What Really Happened at the Birthplace of Kung Fu?

Robert Young
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Monks in gray robes practice martial arts with staffs in a traditional courtyard. Text: The Shaolin Myth, Black Belt magazine.

Origins

Around 495, a nondescript Buddhist temple called Shaolin was constructed in Henan province in eastern China. Thirteen years later, an Indian monk named Bodhiruchi arrived with the intention of schooling the locals in Dhyana, his preferred form of Buddhism.


Arrival

Some 30 years later, another Indian monk showed up at Shaolin. His name was Bodhidharma. (Tamo in Chinese, Daruma in Japanese, Dalma in Korean)

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