Shaolin is a very old pathway. Its origins reside
in, first, the ancient tribes of the lands now known
collectively as China.
Shaolin is the art of the common people. It is
based upon natural movement - movements emulated from nature.
It uses as its tools the elements of nature. It is based upon
principles of the earliest lifeways of the people, lifeways
which were split and transformed into Taoism and Confuscism,
its "zen" method of thought - "now-be" -
adopted and grafted to what is called Zen Buddhism. It uses
as its weapons only the bare hands and the tools of primitive
peoples and, later, the tools of the farmers.
Shaolin's physical origins are the lands of the
North - the low mountains and hills - the tribal people
there. From dancing tribal stories of the origins of the
beginning of being, and dances describing and celebrating
birth, storms, trees in wind, water flowing, fire
dancing...all things of nature...the birth of a turtle, the
awakening from sleep of a bear...so... These were dances of
primitive people who were my ancestors very long ago.
Shaolin's origins reside there in the very beginning.
It is said that when the usurpers came, long ago,
my people were not ready. We were not warriors. Many of us
died. Those who survived fled deep into the wilderness.
There, we became warriors...over time. Never again would we
not be prepared. Hence the ancient saying, "always
prepared."
There are stories of great teachers who came -
gods descended to help our learning to be warriors. There are
two main versions of the story. One speaks of seven teachers,
one of which was a servant to another of the teachers. There
are mostly five main teachers, one who came later - the
Mantis - and the servant. There is also the story of twelve
teachers. But my own master said that these twelve were
desciples of the first "god" teachers who came to
help us.
You must understand. Our people were not angry
people. We were happy people. We moved with seasons - from
mountains and hills to plains and rivers, to the ocean
sometimes...all dependent upon the season of the year and the
needs of the people. We had times for fishing and gathering
shells and salt. We had times when we collected nature's
gifts in the forest. So and so. So was it told to me by my
masters. We were not warriors. We did not seek battle or to
fight our neighbors. The usurpers brought that with them. It
is the usurpers who thinned our blood over the many centuries
so that the true people no longer really exist. But the heart
of our people will not die, no matter how thinned our blood
becomes. In some it will always rise.
We are not fighting people by choice. We only
fight when given no choice other than death. It is the
usurpers who brought the ideas of conquering and levels of
privilege and class. It is not our way.
Shaolin is the warrior way of our lifeway. It is a
warrior way developed from our joy dancing...our life dances
of ancient times. We call it now Tao Dancing -- the joy
dance...the life dance...and it is a life giving dance...a
dance that brings the dancer into complete harmony of being
in Tao. We call it dancing in Chi. You are taught it when I
teach you Tao Chi. Warrior Dancing is the fighting art form
of Tao Dancing, the chi tranformed...transforming the person
into a warrior when the need comes.
The forms are our way of talking to each other.
They are our history. We pass our history and our knowledge
down through the forms and dances. They are not only teaching
tools, they are our history and our knowledge. I will tell
you the story of a form that I have shown you in the past.
Here is the story.
Legend has it that, long ago, seven
animals descended of the high kingdom, ventured into the
world to walk. In this world were men and the usurpers of
men who were enemies. The animals, who were also gods,
did see that there was no hope for men against the
greater knowledge and cunning of the strange. and it was
decided.
Into the tribes and villages, these
animals, who were also gods descended of the high
kingdom, came to be among men. They were: Dragon, leader
and master of form/formlessness; Phoenix, master of
fire/wind, who was Dragon's mate and servant; White
Tiger, master of ferocity/vigor; Crane, master of
disdain/disregard; Black Stalking Cat, master of
lightning/cunning; Snake, master of insinuation/death;
Monkey, master of disguise/trickery. To men these animals
began to give the power of themselves that men might
survive their enemies. But Leopard could not abide the
leadership of Dragon. Dragon and Leopard fought, and
Dragon defeated Black Stalking Cat who journeyed south.
Snake could not abide the harshness of the cold, and, in
the darkness of the night, stole forth alone to journey
west; Crane, longing for his mate, flew away to return to
the high kingdom, leaving only half his teaching and one
feather dancing in the breeze to remind us of his coming;
bored Monkey ventured east; Phoenix, freed from Dragon,
ventured North. So only White Tiger and Great Dragon
remained among the villages of men. Then, in an age,
descended also Mantis, master of power, shape and hubris.
And Mantis, who was stranger to the land and a leader in
his own right, did challenge Dragon. Again the quaking
thunder of gods at war shook the world of man. Again did
Dragon win, but the price was death. Phoenix, who was
Dragon's mate and servant, then rose from the North, and,
leaving that land cold and embittered, returned in a
great wind, and covered Dragon, who breathed again. Then
Dragon beheld fallen Mantis, who was broken into many
tiny pieces, and breathed upon him that Mantis too might
live, for Mantis was the mightiest warrior Dragon knew
besides himself. Waking, Mantis, swore alliegence to
Dragon and began to teach men also.
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