Kung Fu — (some of) the legends and the wisdom
This post is not about kicking people and breaking bricks. This post is about some of the legends and wisdom taught in Kung Fu classes. You don’t need to do chain punches and spinning kicks to benefit from this ancient wisdom.
I have trained several different styles of Kung Fu for 10+ years combined. I would like to share some the legends I was taught, and how they have shaped my thinking.
Disclaimer: I don’t believe the following legends to be scientifically true. They probably contain some truth, but they are extremely difficult to prove.
What does Kung Fu mean?
My teacher used to explain to new students what Kung Fu means. His explanation changed over the years:
- “Kung Fu means hard work. You have to work hard to succeed.”
- “Kung Fu means that if you work hard today, you will be better tomorrow.”
- “Kung Fu means that the choices you make today will influence the possibilities you have tomorrow.”
Note that none of the explanations contains anything about fighting. They are all about your attitude.
It would be great to learn a native Chinese speaker’s translation.
Where did Kung Fu come from?
According to legend, martial arts originated in Ancient Egypt. Alexander the Great’s armies conquered Egypt, learned about martial arts and brought them back to Greece. The same armies also brought them to India.
In India a warrior-monk called Bodhidharma learned about martial arts and became a master. He travelled to China and met the Shaolin monks (read more about Bodhidharma on wikipedia).
The monks at the Shaolin temple were in poor physical shape, and Bodhidharma taught them how to fight to improve their shape (I’ll get back to this part of the story) — and Kung Fu was born.
Monks being young men with nothing else to do, the Shaolin monks became masters of Kung Fu.
Still according to the legends I have heard, the Shaolin temple was later burned down and the monks had to flee. They disguised themselves as a theater group, performing at nights and keeping their martial art alive during daytime. As they lived on a red boat, this era is known as the “Red Boat Era”.
Another legend states that the nun Ng Mui escaped the Shaolin temple when it was burned down and transferred her knowledge to other women. This legend does not work well with a story that only men were allowed to train at Shaolin.
Zen / Chan Buddhism and Kung Fu
Bodhidharma brought Chan Buddhism to the Shaolin temple, so Kung Fu and Chan Buddhism are connected. Chan Buddhism later developed into Zen Buddhism.
Here is a story I really like:
The Shaolin monks meditated for hours every day, and it was extremely difficult for them to “empty their heads”. If you have ever practised meditation, you know how frustrating it can be that the mind always wanders, constantly thinking about new things. The goal of their meditation was to be completely present, with all their focus on the present moment, and they just couldn’t do it.
Then they started fighting, and they made an interesting discovery: when young men throw punches at you, you stop thinking about anything else but defending yourself. They found out that martial arts training was a way to be completely present. We would probably call it “flow” today.
Sparring became a kind of “moving meditation”.
Being present in the moment / rituals
Many martial arts schools, Kung Fu and other styles, are still heavily influenced by this, even if they are not always aware.
Most martial arts have rituals to increase the effect. In Japanese styles (Karate, Judo, Aikido and more) in many schools, you are supposed to bow to the mat when entering it. Who bows to a mat? It doesn’t make sense. Bowing to a mat does not make sense, but in reality, you are bowing as a ritual to tell yourself that you are leaving the outside world behind, and enter the martial art world. The argument with your husband, the discussion with your boss, the deadline on your project — all those things do not exist anymore when you are on the mat.
It can be extremely helpful to incorporate such rituals in your own life, to tell your mind when you are off work, for example (leave a comment if you want to know more).
Wisdoms, principles and concepts
Kung Fu has many rules to live by. I would like to write about a few of them. If you are interested in learning more, please leave a comment.
Fear, greed and confusion
The big 3 to avoid are fear, greed and confusion. This applies to fighting as well as to everyday life.
When you feel fear, greed or confusion, your emotions take over. You are not thinking clearly.
Fear: It is natural to feel fear. Especially when you are new to martial arts and an experienced fighter twice your size starts throwing punches at you. And then you get over it. He is an experienced fighter, he can control his punches. You will not get hurt. You start punching back. You overcome your fear. It becomes a habit, and it transfers outside of the training room. By exposing yourself to your own fear in the safe environment of a Kung Fu class, you learn how to handle the chemicals in your body.
Greed: You want to win. So you attack. But your attack exposes you to counter attacks. Do not sacrifice your defense. In personal life, you don’t want to be greedy either. You want healthy relationships with other people. If you are too greedy, your relationships will suffer. Avoiding greed is about thinking long-term instead of short-term.
Confusion: Your opponent pushes your right shoulder backwards. You push back, tensing your muscles to move your right shoulder back to its original position. Your upper-body rotation is much stronger than his arm. As you push your right shoulder forward, he starts pulling. Before you know it, he has used your strength against you, pulling you to the ground. You were confused. You learn from it. Next time he pushes your right shoulder backwards, you use the rotational energy to punch him with your left hand. Fighting is about confusing your opponent. Don’t get confused, remember the big picture. In most creative jobs today, avoiding confusion is vital for your productivity and for avoiding burn-out.
