What is Kung Fu

[tranquilium]

Ancient martial art technique founded by Bodhidharma who was from India, I think from South India :-/

Kung Fu is a broad term for martial arts. Shoulin martial arts is just one branch out of thousands different ones in China and no Bodhidharma is not the progenitor of Shoulin martial.

Historians has different opinions just who exactly is the individual that is known as Bodhidharma, where he comes from and when he visited China. Some speculated that he is from South India. Others traced his origin to Persia. In general, the time he supposed came to China is around 500s, but the records are in conflict with each other and many of the records puts Bodhidharma's arrival time decades after founding of the Shoulin temple.

Of course, no historical records actually exists to related Bodhidharma with any sort of martial arts. It is generally accepted that Shoulin martial arts originated from many older schools of martial arts practiced in what is nowadays Henan province of China. It is rather easy to understand. Henan province has been the cradle of Chinese civilization and has seen significant amount of warfare over the years. Understandably many branches of martial arts sprung up in the area.

 

[Established_1965]

Kung Fu is a broad term for martial arts. Shoulin martial arts is just one branch out of thousands different ones in China and no Bodhidharma is not the progenitor of Shoulin martial.

Historians has different opinions just who exactly is the individual that is known as Bodhidharma, where he comes from and when he visited China. Some speculated that he is from South India. Others traced his origin to Persia. In general, the time he supposed came to China is around 500s, but the records are in conflict with each other and many of the records puts Bodhidharma's arrival time decades after founding of the Shoulin temple.

Of course, no historical records actually exists to related Bodhidharma with any sort of martial arts. It is generally accepted that Shoulin martial arts originated from many older schools of martial arts practiced in what is nowadays Henan province of China. It is rather easy to understand. Henan province has been the cradle of Chinese civilization and has seen significant amount of warfare over the years. Understandably many branches of martial arts sprung up in the area.

So what did Bhodidharma did it? Why is he so famous!

In Singapore, i have seen many Chinese worshipping bodhidharma! They usually tell me, he's second only to Buddha!

 

[tranquilium]

So what did Bhodidharma did it? Why is he so famous!

In Singapore, i have seen many Chinese worshipping bodhidharma! They usually tell me, he's second only to Buddha!

Bodhidharma is generally credited as the progenitor of Chan Buddhism school in China (Which itself is an ancestor to other schools of Buddhism such as Japanese Zen Buddhism school). In practice, however, Bodhidharma is actually simply a figure head. The actual individual who started Chan Buddhism is Huineng (慧能). To make an analogy, this is like a modern carpenter claims that his profession can be traced to Jesus, because he is a son of carpenter.

Basically, the Bodhidharma that is actually being worshiped in the same way a myth is worshiped. It has little resemblance to the actual sixth century figure which inspired the legend.

 

[will]

[

Kong Fu a name came from Cantonese or Just oversea Chinese know it.

you are not chinese,I'm very sure about that.because Mandarin chinese have the same words same gramma with Cantonese,they are all same except pronounciation.Every chinese know the word kongfu,because the kongfu stories have spreaded in China for thousands of years

 

[Tractor]

[

you are not chinese,I'm very sure about that.because Mandarin chinese have the same words same gramma with Cantonese,they are all same except pronounciation.Every chinese know the word kongfu,because the kongfu stories have spreaded in China for thousands of years

Funny I know there are two words for the pronunciation Kong Fu 功夫 and 工夫.

 

[will]

Funny I know there are two words for the pronunciation Kong Fu 功夫 and 工夫.

功夫in contonese pronounce kongfu,and in Mandarin chinese it pronounces gongfu.but the writting and meaning are all same.工夫 also pronounce gongfu but it means time,effect or something else.In Chinese a lot words have same pronounciation and different meaning.

 

[key-CN]

Kung Fu used to be China 's But now the sport around the world .Here is Tai Chi.

 

[Tang Yi]

...can you please translate it in english...

These sentences are really difficult to translate, it could be comprehended in different ways by different people. Any translation might lead to a wrong way, That's why @key-CN did not reply you.
Generally speak, these sentences are a poem of Buddhism in China. It tells that Buddhist should be extremely attentive, then he could become Buddha sooner or later in his life. And of course it can be applied on other things, Kung Fu, technic, skill, study, e.g.

 

[dravidianhero]

That is not entirely true. Bodhidharma introduced exercise using animal movement.
It was later generation of monks that turned it into Shoalin Martial arts.

Shaolin Kung Fu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A popular myth is that it was Bodhidharma that first created Shaolin kung fu. Indeed, Shaolin monks knew martial arts even before Bodhidharma. Besides, no historical record mentions Bodhidharma as a practitioner of martial arts. Like other myths of Shaolin, this myth [4][5] has, after all, some roots in reality. Bodhidharma was the founder of Chan Buddhism. This made the concept of martial arts part of Chan Buddhism. This was the birth point of religious martial arts, a unique style which was the first institutionalized style of kung fu.

Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907 AD): Shaolin soldier monks
During the short period of the Sui dynasty (581-618), the building blocks of Shaolin kung fu took an official form, and shaolin monks began to create martial art systems of their own. The 18 methods of Luohan with a strong Buddhist taste were practiced by Shaolin monks since this time, which was later used to create more advanced Shaolin martial arts. Shaolin monks had developed very powerful martial skills, and this showed itself until the end of the Sui dynasty.

Glad that you came up with this.One Tamil film which came 4,years ago(ezham arivu) spread false information that bodhi dharma was the creator of kung fu.Tamils felt very happy by watching that nonsense.

 

[Tang Yi]

the chinese copied kung fu from the ancient indians....it was an indian art of fighting......the chinese later named it as Kung fu

Kung Fu is originally a blend thing, it mix Chinese medication, war skills, Indian Buddhism, acrobatism。 it's not only from Indian, different sects of Kung Fu has different origin, for example, Tai Chi is from Taonism and Chinese medication.

Different cultures influence each other, it could not admit that something is indian's just because it has some elements from Indian, as well as you can't say mathematic is Indian's just because we all use Arabic numerals(Arabic numerals is in fact Indian numeral, Arab is information transporter.)

 

[gambit]

The best martial arts in the world in terms of quickly conditioning anyone into a better fighter than he/she used to be: boxing.

It ain't kung fu, karate, tae kwon do, savate, aikido, judo, or ju-jit-su, but simple plain old boxing. Put a man/woman into a six months boxing regiment and he/she will learn more quickly about self defense than any novice shaolin monk wannabe, karate-ka, judo-ka, aikido-ka, or tkd-ist, in the same time span.

 

[The Great One]

The best martial arts in the world in terms of quickly conditioning anyone into a better fighter than he/she used to be: boxing.

It ain't kung fu, karate, tae kwon do, savate, aikido, judo, or ju-jit-su, but simple plain old boxing. Put a man/woman into a six months boxing regiment and he/she will learn more quickly about self defense than any novice shaolin monk wannabe, karate-ka, judo-ka, aikido-ka, or tkd-ist, in the same time span.

Boxing is more or less useless without the referees. The best, in fact the only self-defense martial art is Krav-Maga. It takes about 6 months for a complete novice to develop acceptable skills

 

[JAT BALWAN]

Kung fu is only for Panda ....

 

[key-CN]

Whether fighting related to the ability to win now.Kung Fu is a sport.Kung Fu is a fitness role.Of course, some effort was invented for fighting.Those are not the purpose of the effort.Kung fu culture and boxing culture is completely two world .

 

[gambit]

Boxing is more or less useless without the referees. The best, in fact the only self-defense martial art is Krav-Maga. It takes about 6 months for a complete novice to develop acceptable skills

Am not talking about boxing as a controlled sport or even for athletic conditioning. Am talking about boxing as a pure martial arts and in terms of rapidly training anyone on how to use the tools he/she has, boxing is king. And am talking as a 2nd deg tae kwon do stylist. I grew up with judo then moved to TKD. While in the USAF, I learned boxing from a GG, some aikido, some karate, some wing chun, basically, every base I was at, I learned something new for at least one yr. From the GG boxer when I was at Cannon AFB in New Mexico, I learned more about using hands, arms, and elbows in one yr than from all the yrs in TKD.

When you do anything with open palms, you risk having those tools damaged and if any of them is damaged and grappling techniques such as judo is all you know, you are as we Americans say: Shit out of luck. The closed fist is much more structurally sound and more concentrated of power than any fancy open hand/palm techniques from any martial arts. The closed fist is also a much more natural a reflexive action when a person is threatened.

Jason Bourne is a recent fictional character, but I have always taught that if anyone want to fight Bourne-like, take in order: boxing for one yr, wing chun for second yr, then either karate or tkd in the 3rd yr. You can shorten the karate and/or tkd to six months, but the boxing must be at least one yr.

Kung fu is only for Panda ....

People are impressed with the 'five fingers exploding heart palm' technique. For me, my favorite is the 'three fingers lacerated liver' technique. I want my opponent to die an agonizing slow death.