About Us
Shaolin Temple Cultural Center – Austin
Official Shaolin Temple Training Center
“All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin” – Chinese folklore
Welcome! Established in 2001 by Shi Yan Chan, 34th Generation Shaolin Warrior Monk, and Scott Petengill (Shi Heng Ji), 35th Generation Shaolin Warrior Disciple, we are officially sanctioned by Abbott Shi Yong Xin of Shaolin Temple to teach Shaolin Kung Fu. We are the Austin area’s true source for authentic Shaolin Kung Fu….. But what is Kung Fu? Where did it come from? What makes Shaolin Kung Fu special?
History
Shaolin kungfu was created over 1500 years ago at the Song Shan Shaolin Temple located in the wooded mountains of Henan in Northern China. Martial arts were already a part of the cultural fabric of ancient China when the Indian monk Bodhidharma (Da Mo) arrived at Shaolin Temple to teach Chan Buddhism. The legend says that he encouraged the monks to train in kungfu to give them energy and help them stay awake during long periods of meditation. From these exercises blossomed a system of self-defense that has survived the ages and spread across the world. Shaolin kungfu became a way for the monks to protect themselves from marauding bandits and dangerous animals in the remote mountains. There are many legends of Shaolin Warrior Monks throughout Chinese history that inspire popular culture today.
In 2010 UNESCO declared Shaolin Temple and other adjacent areas including the Pagoda Forest and Chuzu Temple as World Cultural Heritage sites. All of our instructors have trained at Shaolin Temple along with many of our students. To this day it is still a working Chan Buddhist monastery. Shaolin and Bodhidharma are also famous for establishing Chan Buddhism in China, known to most Americans as Zen (the Japanese word for Chan). The combined fame of being the birthplace of Shaolin kungfu and the center of Chinese Chan Buddhism makes the temple in the mountain woods a very special place indeed!
What is Kung Fu?
In Chinese, “kungfu (gongfu)” is a term defined as the mastery of an art. In a sense kungfu means the accomplishment of a difficult task through highly concentrated effort over time. If we work hard and practice, over time we accomplish our goals. We will have good kungfu. It can be said that one can achieve kungfu in anything, not just martial arts. The Chinese term for martial arts is “wushu.” “Wu” is defined as militaristic or military and “shu” is defined as a technique.
Westerners often use the term “kungfu” to refer to traditional Chinese martial arts. The term “wushu,” also known as modern wushu, is generally used to refer to the competition style that is derived from traditional kungfu and promoted by the Chinese government . Traditional kungfu styles are many and varied. Modern wushu is more codified, with a focus on competition, featuring jump-kicks with rotations, much like jumps in ice skating. Kungfu has many styles. China is a big country! Styles are categorized as being internal or external and are often shaped by their place of origin (North or South of the Yangtze River) and philosophical roots (Buddhist or Taoist).
What Makes Shaolin Kung Fu Special?
Shaolin is well known for its self-defense applications, wide stances, kicks, open and closed hand strikes. Because of its long history, it has more than a thousand forms that include internal taichi forms known as rouquan. Shaolin teaches the principle of the six harmonies, three external, three internal. We are a part of the Shaolin Temple Cultural Center network of schools. That means that we have direct professional and social ties to Shaolin Temple in China and the monks who train there. With schools in Europe, North and South America, Australia, and Africa, Shaolin kungfu is living history that belongs to the world!
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