|
Ta Mo & Shao-lin
In the sixth century AD the Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma (Ta Mo) came to the Shao-lin Monastery in an effort to transmit the Cha'n (Zen) meditation tradition to China.
Seeing that the monks there were in poor health he taught them the 18 Buddha Hand Exercises to improve their physical condition and assist them in their meditation.
Over time this developed into the original Shao-lin system of Kung Fu and the precursors of the Wei Chia (External) and Nei Chia (Internal) schools of Kung Fu.
What is common to all internal styles of Kung Fu are Chi Kung, and martial arts practice based on natural principles and meditation.
Nei Chia
Legend credits the refinement of practices established by Ta Mo to Chang San-feng, who lived from 960 to 1279 AD.
According to these stories, he heard an unusual noise outside in his courtyard, and looking down from his window saw a crane and snake fighting.
|
Ta Mo (Bodhidharma) |
The crane attacking with its sword-like beak and the snake in turn twisting and bending and staying out of reach then counter attacking, the crane then raising its leg and lowering its wing.
In this he saw the Tao (Way) or Yin-Yang principle (Tai Chi). The strong, changing to the yielding and the yielding, changing to the strong.
From this he identified the same concept in water, the movement of animals, clouds and trees in the wind. He then created forms based on these movements and adapted the Southern Shao-lin martial forms that he had previously learned to the idea of Taoist meditation.
His practices are part of the foundation of the Taoist Wudang Mountain School that stands in contrast to Buddhist Shao-lin tradition. From here the three main internal systems of
- Tai Chi Chuan
- Bagua
- Hsing-Yi
are derived.
Tai Chi
In the 17th century a student of the Wudang Mountain School, Chiang Fa, taught the principles of Nei Chia to the villagers of a town in Honan province - almost all of whom were called Chen. Thus began the first family school of Tai Chi Chuan (Chen Style).
|
Yang Style
Yang Lu-chan studied with the Chen family in the early 19th century. From this he then developed the original Yang family form which further exemplifies the Taoist principles of softness, relaxation, flexibility and naturalness.
Yang Lu-chan (and some would say the art of Tai Chi Chuan in general) came to prominence as a result of his being hired by the Chinese Imperial Manchu family to teach Tai Chi to the elite Palace Battalion of the Imperial Guards in 1850, a position he held until his death.
The development of the other three recognized styles of Tai Chi can in turn be traced back to the Tai Chi of Yang Lu-chan. Yang Style is well known for its comfortable postures, simplicity and practicability.
|
A Manchu Imperial Guard |
|
