Kung Fu

Matthew Artz writes in today's Bay Area (California) Argus that Shaolin monks have come to America to teach martial arts.

The Shaolin Temple, located in Henan Province, China, was built originally by the Emperor Hsiao-Wen about 496 CE. It is the birthplace of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism. Shaolin became famous in the West through Jet Li films and the 1970s television series "Kung Fu." Sometime after 600 CE, the monks of Shaolin began to incorporate martial arts as a meditation in movement to their Buddhist practice.

For many centuries, would-be martial arts masters traveled to the Shaolin Temple to study. But according to Artz, the current abbott decided Shaolin culture needed to spread to ensure its survival. Sixteen monks are now living in a San Jose artist housing complex and teaching martial arts in three Bay Area locations.