Shaolin Monk Rain Demonstration

Get the latest Flash player

martialartscinema
May 12, 2007

The Shaolin Monks of China perform a private demonstration for United Studios of Self Defense an American Martial Arts Organization. The demonstration took place at the Shaolin Temples in Henan C...

The Shaolin Monks of China perform a private demonstration for United Studios of Self Defense an American Martial Arts Organization.

The demonstration took place at the Shaolin Temples in Henan China. The monks performed the demonstration even though it rained.

The Shaolin temples (Shàolín Sì) are a group of Chinese Buddhist monasteries famed for their long association with Chán (Japanese Zen) Buddhism and martial arts. They are perhaps the Buddhist monasteries most familiar in the West. The name "Shaolin" means "Young Forest".

Shaolin is situated on China's central Taoist sacred mountain, Songshan in Henan province. It was founded during the Northern Wei dynasty in approximately 497 AD and remains one of China's oldest Buddhist temples. It was said to have been used as a home by the Indian monk Batuo during the thirty years he spent preaching Nikaya Buddhism in China.

Probably the most famous name associated with Shaolin is that of Bodhidharma or Tamo (pinyin: Dámó), an Indian monk who travelled to China in 5th century to teach Buddhism. A traditional story relates that Bodhidharma sat in meditation facing a wall in a nearby cave for nine years. Bodhidharma's ministry at Shaolin formed the basis for what would later be called the Zen or, in China, Chán (both terms means Meditation) school of Buddhism.

After entering Shaolin, it is said that Bodhidharma found the monks out of shape from a lifetime spent only in study and scholasticism, so he introduced a regimen of martial exercises which later developed into kung fu. Traditionally, the Shaolin monks developed their martial arts expertise as a defense against aggressors' attacks, as a means to promote health, and as a mental and physical discipline.

The temple's military fame began during the early Tang Dynasty (618-907). Records describe Shaolin fighting monks saving the life of the future emperor Li Shimin (in this record, it says that the monks were in and out of the fort before anyone could even raise the alarm) and assisting in his fight against renegade forces.

Once enthroned, the gratified emperor enlarged their compound and gave permission for some monks to continue their military training. Shaolin kung fu reached its peak during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when several hundred Shaolin monks were given military status and personally led campaigns against rebels and Japanese bandits. By this time, the Shaolin had developed their own unique style of martial arts, known as Shaolinquan.

The original temple survived being sacked and rebuilt many times, but the Manchus destroyed the compound in 1647 and massacred almost the entire population of monks. Shaolin was not rebuilt until around 1800. The most recent destruction was a fire set by the warlord Shi Yousan in 1928, which destroyed the buildings and many priceless manuscripts of the temple library.

Category: Entertainment

Tags:

Olympics 2008 Beijing Shaolin Monks bruce lee kung fu akido thai boxing fighting

More From: martialartscinema

Play All Stop Autoplaying | Play Next

QuickList(0)

Clear | Save

1,192 ratings

526,989 views

Favorite

Playlists

Flag

Want to add to Favorites? Sign In or Sign Up now!

Want to add to Playlists? Sign In or Sign Up now!

Want to flag a video? Sign In or Sign Up now!

Statistics & Data

Video Responses (0)

This video has no Responses. Be the first to Post a Video Response.

Text Comments (1,311) Options

oyeboy94 (3 days ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

These guys are amazing. Don't think you'd beat one of these guys in a fist fight...or a kick fight...or any kind of fight.

exavian1 (4 days ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

There is only one thing that describes this BAD ASS!

Neylonx (5 days ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

its true they tend to do badly at the UFC (not that the shaolins enter that, i mean martial arts in general) but that might be because they have rules, and im sure these guys can pull off some pretty disabling moves, but theyd result in broken arms and stuff, so at the UFC martial arts is always restrained
but i reckon in real life they could easily defend themselves against a knife, gun at close quarters, group of people, etc.
what more would you want?

oTyLeRv (6 days ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

thats amazing fighting !!!!

owenbutler5 (1 week ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

Make the biggest loser contestants do these type of work out,
they will be thinner than a stick.

bloodizraw (1 week ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

can anyone tell me the name of the weapons the monk at 1:08 was using?

lazykid1000 (1 week ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

Look up the word Dao in wikipedia.

lazykid1000 (1 week ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

Actually, you would have to type "Dao (sword)" to pull up the article in wikipedia. Entering the word dao alone takes you to an article about Daoism.

Blattte (1 week ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

guys stop talking about guns... monks har needels or a sharp thing with them , who is faster a monk or a idiot with a gun? ofc monk will kill him in no time

Ashuiegi (1 week ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

i agree , these hours of training give them reflexe much more fast then the average person they could hit you befor you even realize it

Showing 10 of 1,311 comments

Show More Comments

View All 1,311 comments

Would you like to comment?

Join YouTube for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.

YouTube	Programs	Help	Policy	Discover
Contact Us	Advertising	Get Help	Privacy Policy	YouTube on Your Phone
YouTube Store	Developers	YouTube Handbook	Terms of Service	YouTube on Your Site
Press Room	Partnerships	Community Help Forums	Copyright Notices	YouTube on Your TV
Business Blog	Content Management	Safety Center	Community Guidelines	YouTube RSS Feeds
YouTube Blog		Creator's Corner		TestTube

Add YouTube to your Google homepage

Current Location: Brazil Show locations

Shaolin Monk Rain Demonstration

More From: martialartscinema

QuickList(0)

Related Videos

Statistics & Data

Video Responses (0)

Text Comments (1,311) Options

Would you like to comment?