CLF, Shaolin and Zen Buddhism

[Fu-Pow]

I've been reading a book called "Zen and the Brain" recently. Shaolin temple was a Ch'an buddhist temple. Therefore, it stands to reason that CLF has some influence from Ch'an buddhism. Do any of you CLF practtioners practice this kind of meditation? If so has it helped your kung fu?

[extrajoseph]

Yes, I am practising my Chan (family) meditation right now and wrestling with this koan:

"If a running dog moos and a sitting cow barks, what kind of noise would a jumping panther make?"

:D

[Ben Gash]

No, and I have no desire to. The only thing that's going to help your kung fu is to do it more.

[JAZA]

In the last time I've been reading some buddhism books,I think that the core could be the same of the core of other relligions like Christianism, but when you go to the forms I think that is complicatted for someone who havent been rise in a buddhist culture to take it like religion, there is a lot of sutras of not a easy reading.
What I found good in Chan or Zen, its the action to keep the right concentration, action, think, etc when you are doing simple things like sweep your room and that could be the best relation with kung fu or use and arc and arrow like the japanese.

[chen zhen]

I have been reading a lot of D.T. Suzuki's books on zen recently, highly recommendable.

[David Jamieson]

If you are not meditating to augment your skills you are going to reach a plateau and stay there.

Meditation will take you higher, it will increase your awareness and you will know yourself better from this simple act.

Practice is one thing, understanding is another. Meditation has always been part and parcel to Kung Fu training on the whole.

the "martial" aspect is empty without insight to yourself. Insight to yourself is born of self examination. Self examination is an aspect of meditation.

To deny yourself this simple experience is to not know what could be.

peace

[Fu-Pow]

Nice response Kung Lek.

Here's a quote " Know your enemy and know yourself and in one thousand battles you will be successful."

This could mean many things but if Zen=knowing yourself then it definitely is a component of martial art.

[RAIN]

since 2 years ago , i am very fascinated with the budhism . the meditation state not only can help your kung fu , but your whole life , these is not a new age thing , is a hard practique like kung fu . and the two , budhism and kung fu are alike each other .
in many sutras ( budhism 's bibles ) you can find a lot of times the word " kung fu " . is amazing .
even the whole matrix movie script is stolen from budhism principles .