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SHAOLIN QUAN

Shaolin temple 少林寺 (Shaolin Si) was built for a Buddhist Indian monk called Ba Tuo in 495 to preach his faith. Buddhism was becoming very popular and well-respected all over China at that time. Many Chinese monks were sent to India to bring back Buddhist manuscripts to their homeland, where Indian monks were invited to preach their religion. There are no specific writings about what Ba Tuo taught in the temple, but he is known as the first abbot of Shaolin.​
The most famous character in the Shaolin history is an Indian prince called Damo, also known as Bodhidharma. He lived in the south of India were he practiced Mahayana Buddhism and was considered to be "enlightened". Invited to China by the Liang Wu Emperor he arrived to Guangdong in 527. After a while he visited the Shaolin temple but found the monks weak, sick, and very unhealthy. He decided to isolate himself in the mountain behind the temple to meditate. After nine years he returned to the temple with two classics: Yi Jin Jing (classic of muscle and tendons transformations), and the Xi Sui Jing (classic of brain and marrow cleaning). He taught the Yi Jin Jing to the monksin order for them to have more Qi and to be healthier but they also noticed that their physical strength was growing significantly. When added to their martial practice, it also improved the efficiency of their techniques. That was a new stage of Chinese martial arts.​
During the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) the Shaolin temple was allowed to have its own soldiers and its own private lands. Untill the Qing dynasty (1644) the Shaolin temple  continued to improve  its martial art training by absorbing lots of information from the outside world.​
Many monks traveled abroad in search of new skills, and new techniques to bring back to the temple. This explains why the Shaolin gong fu was so powerfull, and up-to-date compared to outside martial arts. Gradualy the temple turned into a famous laboratory of Chinese gong fu. Unfortunatley the temple has been burnt down 3 times since its creation resulting in the loss of a wealth of information about traditional Shaolin style.
 
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One of the meanings of "gong fu" is to put time and effort in the practice of a specific skill. When practicing gong fu the practitioner focuses all their intention on reaching their goal. It is an excellent way to improves one's body, patience, will and intention force.
Practicing Shaolin fundamentals or Shaolin jiben gong  少林基本 helps to improve the practitionner's body structure. The Shaolin forms not only help to reinforce the muscles and the tendons, but also improves one's movements and motions coordinations. This leads to the discovery of the old essentials of traditionnal Gong Fu, with all its philosophy. Since Shaolin gong fu was an important root to martial arts, many of its basics are common to other styles. It allows the student to adapt to any kind  of training regardless of the style

 

SHAOLIN LINEAGE

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Shi Ruzhong, also known as Guangru, was born in Puyang, Henan. From a young age, he demonstrated a strong passion for martial arts (武, wǔ) and Chan Buddhism (禅, chán). He was tonsured as a child at the Shaolin Temple on Songshan Mountain (嵩山少林寺, Sōngshān Shàolínsì), where he received training in martial arts and Chan Buddhism under the guidance of the elder monks Shangsu Xi (上素下喜, Shàngsù Xǐ) and Shangsu Yun (上素下云, Shàngsù Yún), who were the abbots of Shaolin Temple. His practice was rooted in the philosophy of "cultivating martial arts and understanding Buddhism" (耕武识佛, gēng wǔ shí fó), integrating the physical discipline of martial arts with the spiritual teachings of Buddhism.

In 1993, Shi Ruzhong became a disciple of Masters De Yang (德阳, Déyáng) and De Jie (德诫, Déjiè) at the Shaolin Temple. Under their guidance, he diligently practiced and learned to merge martial arts with Chan. His training emphasized the balance between traditional martial arts as the "essence" (体, tǐ) and modern techniques as the "application" (用, yòng), with the goal of purifying the true lineage of martial arts and restoring its original essence (正功本源, zhèng gōng běnyuán).

Ruzhong is recognized as a successor of Shaolin's unique skills, including Yijin Jing (易筋经, Yìjīn Jīng, Muscle-Tendon Change Classic), Xisui Jing (洗髓经, Xǐsuǐ Jīng, Marrow-Washing Classic), Xinyi Ba (心意把, Xīnyì Bǎ, Intention and Mind Boxing), and Dim Mak (点穴, Diǎnxuè, Pressure Point Striking). He also studied Humanistic Buddhism under the great monk Shangyi Xue (上怡下学, Shàngyí Xué).

Throughout his career, Shi Ruzhong held numerous significant positions, contributing to the spread of Chan and martial arts culture both in China and internationally. He served as the head instructor of the Shaolin Monk Training Academy (嵩山少林寺武僧培训学院, Sōngshān Shàolínsì Wǔsēng Péixùn Xuéyuàn), the head instructor of the Arhat Hall (罗汉堂, Luóhàn Táng) at the Shaolin Temple, and the Southern Shaolin Temple Martial Monk Troupe (南少林寺武僧团, Nán Shàolínsì Wǔsēngtuán). He also played key roles in various cultural and martial arts organizations, including the Beijing Buddhist Association (北京市佛教协会, Běijīng shì fójiào xiéhuì) and the Beijing Shaolin Chan Wu Health Research Institute (北京少林禅武养生研究院, Běijīng Shàolín Chán Wǔ Yǎngshēng Yánjiūyuàn). Notably, he served as the abbot of several temples in Beijing, including Guanghua Temple (北京广化寺, Běijīng Guǎnghuàsì), Nianhua Temple (北京拈花寺, Běijīng Niànhuāsì), and Huilongguan Zhenwu Temple (北京真武寺, Běijīng Zhēnwǔsì).

Shi Ruzhong's influence extends globally, with disciples spread across more than 80 countries and regions, including France, the United Kingdom, Russia, the United States, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Egypt, South Africa, Thailand, and Korea. Through his teachings, he has passed on the spirit of Chan and martial arts to tens of thousands of followers worldwide

 

Master Ruzhong, head teacher of the  warrior monks in the southern shaolin temple (Pu tian)

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