Shaolin Gymnastics

Via Elizabeth Reninger, the About.com Guide to Taoism, here is a link to a video of a martial arts demonstration by Shaolin monks that's fun to watch (if you're watching on your office computer, turn the sound off before you click on the link).

The fabled Shaolin Monastery is the birthplace of Zen, but there are complaints these days it's more of a tourist attraction than a monastery, and the monks are more entertainers than monks. And I understand it's unlikely kung fu really was invented there. Still, there is archaeological evidence from the 7th century of Shaolin monks practicing martial arts. So whatever the connection is between Zen and martial arts, it goes way back.