Shaolin fighter in fights without rules. Shaolin monks: fighters or myth? Further history of the monastery

Probably, many have seen a video on YouTube where a shaved-head monk in orange Shaolin pants beats up oriental kickboxers in the ring. Using Shaolin Wushu with dexterity, he proves time after time that his kung fu is cooler than anyone else's. Who is he and where is he from? This is a question many martial arts fans ask.
There is negligible information about him on the Internet. From what is known, his name is Yi Long (according to some versions, Liu Yilun), and his real name is Liu Xingjun. Born in the Chinese province of Shandong in the urban district of Dezhou on April 1, 1987. His height is 1.76 m and weight is 72 kg.
Master of Chinese Wushu and Wushu Sanda, as well as a kickboxer. He studied independently at the Shaolin Monastery.
He began his performances in 2009 and has currently had as many as 73 fights, 61 of which he won, 23 times by knockout. He has only 11 defeats.

Who is Yi Long really? There are various theories.

1. Marketing move.

This is the most common version. Many believe that in fact Yi Long is an ordinary Muay Thai fighter who specially adapted his technique to Shaolin Quan. If earlier in the mid-90s the line between styles began to blur and MMA appeared, then in this case the reverse process occurs. People need spectacles and answers to questions from childhood: who is stronger than a Shaolin monk or a professional boxer.
Even if this is true and the basis of Yi Long’s style is not Shaolin kung fu, but mixed martial arts and kickboxing, then we must give him credit in such a complex mixture of technical techniques and beauty of movements, he manages to find a balance and kicks the butt of his opponents.

2. This is all staged.

There is another version that in fact everything was done to take money from the population with the help of an ordinary, well-thought-out show, like what wrestling is in the USA. They say that Yi Long's opponents play along with him, which is why he wins so many victories, and he diligently earns his living with good physical shape and acting talents.
To be honest, this version is hard to believe; it doesn’t look like staged battles at all. At the very least, wrestling is nowhere near what this mad monk does in the ring.

3. They select weak opponents for him.

Another theory says that it’s not for nothing that Yi Long doesn’t go outside of Asia, that if he went up against Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov, he’d be a monk. There will be no wet place left. The fact that the monk has sixty victories does not count - all his rivals are knocked out in batches due to their fundamental inability to fight. So the myth of the invincible Shaolin monk was created for the sake of show and money.

4. He is a real monk!

And of course, the version you want to believe in most of all. The fact that Yi Long is a monk of the Shaolin Temple and devotes all his free time to honing his kung fu skills, comprehending Zen Buddhism and meditation. Why is he in the ring then? Who in the temple could allow him to connect with worldly life? We will never get answers to these questions, since they will remain within the walls of Shaolin. And so be it - the legend will remain a legend.

When the era of “video salons” began, my first film there was “Shaolin: Challengers to Death.” To say that it left an indelible mark on me is an understatement.

It was only later that I learned that throughout the entire ancient history of China, there were about ten monasteries with the name Shaolin. But only one survived - the ancestor. This is the northern Sunshan Monastery.

Shaolin Monastery was founded in 495 AD. Indian monk - Bodhidharma, or otherwise called Damo. The name of the monastery comes from its geographical location. Literally translated - “Monastery in the forest, on Mount Shao.”

So were there famous and legendary martial monks there?

The monastery was founded back in 495, but only in 530 it found its way. The fact is that it was this year that the first patriarch of Chan Buddhism, Bodhidharma (Damo), arrived in Shaolin. He taught local monks a new cultivation method and radically changed the established Buddhist tradition. The monks now practiced meditation by developing martial skills.

Damo was originally from India and came to teach the local monks his teachings. And he came not to a wasteland, but to a monastery, built at the beginning of the 3rd century by Taoist monks. This monastery was a fortress on Mount Sunshan. The teaching began to be called “Chan” - which is based on contemplation of the world and meditation.

Damo taught: “every person is a potential Buddha, you just need to awaken him within yourself.” Damo did his best to spread his Chan teachings so that everyone would come to the Buddha.

Before Bodhidharma passed on his teachings to the monks, he sat for 9 years in a cave, reflecting and philosophizing on the problems of the universe and existence. Then the bright light of the sun burned his image on the wall of the cave for 9 years of meditation. For this, the monks were imbued with respect and reverence for the strength of his spirit. And then they accepted his teaching as truth.

This cave where Damo meditated is one of the main shrines of Shaolin. All Buddhists in the world consider this place ideal for meditation.

The reason for the monks to engage in the art of hand-to-hand combat was the need for physical survival in the conditions of harsh mountain nature, the threat of attack by wild animals, and, in addition, princely civil strife. The Shaolin Monastery is located deep in the Songshan mountain range, which led to the harsh living conditions of the monks. All this required them to have good health, unpretentiousness in everyday monastic life and the ability to protect themselves. Therefore, physical training through martial arts has become a necessity for them. Mastery of fighting techniques allowed one to protect oneself from predators.

During the one and a half thousand years of the monastery’s existence, unique forms of wushu, different from other schools and movements, were created, selected and passed on to new generations. The fundamental foundations of the Shaolin style were formed by the end of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) - the beginning of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Shaolin MonksThe Sui era is the time of expansion of the Shaolin domain. Since the buildings of the monastery and its lands were located in the foothills of the Songshan ridge, where armed gangs who traded in robbery found refuge, the monastery was forced to create its own small paramilitary detachment for self-defense. The nature of the actions of the defenders of the monastery was predetermined by the conditions of its existence: the emphasis was not on large-scale operations of armed detachments, but on the skill and courage of individual monastic fighters.

Over time, the practice of monastic wushu became more and more profound, and at the turn of the Sui and Tang eras, Shaolin monks became famous for their martial art throughout the country.

After the Sui dynasty came to power, Emperor Wendi (reigned 581-605), who highly revered Buddhism, granted the monastery 100 qin (about 667 hectares) of land. Since then, the Shaolin Monastery has become a large estate, and the monks have become landowners. At the end of the reign of the Sui dynasty, massive unrest occurred in the guards, wars broke out one after another, drought and crop failure occurred. Under such conditions, the Shaolin Monastery, which had extensive land, became the target of an attack by a rebel army consisting of hungry peasants. Rebel troops approached the monastery and burned it. Only one pagoda survived from the buildings. After these events, the monks who practiced wushu organized an armed detachment to defend against robbers. Subsequently, the fighting monks not only successfully defended their territory, but also provided assistance to the imperial court. The story of how thirteen Shaolin monks helped the Tang emperor suppress the rebellion became widely known.

For this help, the monarch granted the monastery the highest permission to maintain an army of monks: this is how Shaolin became the first center of martial arts in the entire country.

In the 13th century, the Shaolin Monastery was headed by Abbot Fuyu. He was a reformer monk who did a lot for all of Chinese Buddhism. Fuyu believed that too many monks were leaving the monastery. At the same time, returning to the world, they talked about themselves as some kind of Shaolin superheroes, did not hesitate to embellish their exploits and invent various fables.

Then the abbot gathered all the monks of the highest ordination for a council in the monastery, where it was decided to create and introduce a special exam into the practice of training monks. This exam was a special complex, which represented the entire Shaolin technique.

36 steps of Shaolin

This complex was divided into 36 stages and called 36 halls. After each stage of the Shaolin Temple Monks, the student had to take an exam.

In the first halls, combat stances and movements were studied.
In the second halls - punches.
Thirdly, with your feet.

In the following stages, the monk improved as a fighter with all types of bladed weapons.

It became almost impossible to leave the monastery. To do this, it was necessary to pass 13 outposts - special obstacles on the way, for those who wish to leave the monastery. Each outpost was guarded by experienced monks - professional Shaolin fighters.

Monks who wished to leave the monastery had to measure their strength with the guards and reach the central gate. They were called the mountain gates. The rules said that those who fail to reach them the first time will remain in the monastery forever. Therefore, those wishing to leave the monastery decreased many times. And those who managed to do this were real Shaolin monks, for whom there would be no shame.

When the Mongol rule began, Abbot Fuyu opened 5 branches of the main Shaolin Monastery. Special monks were sent to these branches not only to preach the teachings of Damo, but also to teach Shaolin Wushu. Monks were not allowed to carry bladed weapons, but a staff was not considered a bladed weapon and was always at hand.

The staff is the main weapon of a Shaolin monk. Fuyu introduced a special set of training with a staff. The abbot himself could knock down more than 3 warriors, strong and armed with swords, with one swing of his staff.

Historical chronicles say that Shaolin monks repeatedly helped the rulers of China in the fight against robbers and pirates. In the 14th century, at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates and various robbers regularly committed robberies and raids on the coastal border of China.

In 1553, in the fight against raids, one of the most talented commanders of that time, Qin Qigua, was ordered to lead the army. Then he begins to gather the most famous fighters throughout China.

The commander, knowing well the attitude of the people towards the Shaolin monks, decides to turn to the monastery for help. The mentors of the monastic army expressed their agreement. A detachment of monks was assembled, led by a young fighter named Yen Gun, whose name meant “the light of the month in the void of heaven.”

But historians are at a loss about the size of this army. Some say that there were more than thirty monks, others that there were more than a hundred. It is logical to assume that each of the thirty monks led and trained his own detachment of fighters.

This confusion consisted in the fact that everyone declared himself a monk of the Shaolin Temple, if more or less, he possessed martial arts and some kind of weapon.

A monastic army, armed only with staves, more than 2 meters long and weighing 15 kg. was formed and ready. Possession of such weapons spoke of the considerable strength of the monks. The myth that the Buddhist monk was a man of little power, engaged mainly in spiritual quests, was completely dispelled after these attacks against pirates.

Everyone saw that the monks in battle were superior to even the professionally trained best warriors collected from all over China. The Shaolin monks, remaining completely calm and without even changing their faces, entered into battle with several opponents at once and won, still trying to leave the majority alive, as evidenced by their fame for justice and virtue.

The enemy and ally were shocked when the monks used unknown and incomprehensible fighting techniques that no one knew or understood. And the worst thing for everyone is that the monks were not afraid of pain, nor were they afraid of death.

According to historical data, the monks took part in more than 100 battles with the Japanese. One of the legends, based on facts from the chronicle, tells how in one battle 4 monks fought with an entire detachment of Japanese. The detachment numbered more than a hundred Japanese.

Shaolin flourished during the Ming Dynasty. And this is the time of the 14th-16th centuries. At the same time, the number of fighting monks grew, but getting into the Shaolin Monastery was not so easy.

Shaolin legends say that they accepted only those who could withstand the most difficult tests of not only the body, but also the spirit.

But by 1925 there were practically no real masters left in the monastery. And in 1928, the outrageous military leader Shi Yuan completely set Shaolin on fire, destroying the unique sources of knowledge. A huge loss was the destruction of the treatise of the great Zhang Sanfeng, which was considered the only source of knowledge of Taijiquan.

The restoration of the original Shaolin culture was undertaken much later by Wu Shanglin, the son of the last master Ji Jin. For three years he trained the Shaolin monks - all modern masters of the legendary monastery trace the history of their skills to them.

The restoration of Shaolin was costly for China. After World War II, only seven monks lived in the ruins of the monastery, and only three of them had previously studied Shaolin martial arts. The country's authorities forcibly attracted wushu masters from all over the area. They became the progenitors of the modern Shaolin school.

The martial art of the monks is called Shaolin Si Quan Fa, or Shaolin Quan for short. This includes not only hand-to-hand combat, but also unique ways of wielding weapons.

Gradually, the monastery took an iconic place in popular culture. Shaolin has grown, turning the entire region into a true tourism mecca. Today there are countless commercial martial arts schools around it that are essentially just kung fu and wushu schools.

sources

Today it is difficult to find a person unfamiliar with the Shaolin Monastery. This place has been a refuge for centuries for monks who tried to combine physical perfection with spiritual achievements. This magical place is located at the foot of Songshan Mountain, southwest of Beijing. Today, martial arts fans from all over the world come here to learn the wisdom of Wushu and through meditation. But it wasn't always like this. A new round in the history of the Shaolin Monastery began quite recently, after its restoration in 1980, when the authorities decided to turn this place into a tourist center. And this idea worked - today thousands of people flock to Songshan Mountain to feel the spirit of this legendary place.

History of the monastery

The history of Shaolin is overgrown with countless myths and legends, so it is difficult to say for sure when it was created. It is generally accepted that the cult monastery was founded around the 5th century AD. The first abbot's name was Bato. He had many students who helped lay the foundations of this legendary place. It is generally accepted that a Shaolin monk is an invincible fighter with colossal physical power.

However, one of the legends says that Wushu did not originate immediately in the monastery near Songshan Mountain. The history of Shaolin martial arts began with the fact that it came to the territory of present-day China from India. His name was Bodhidharma. It was he who introduced compulsory physical exercises for them, since at the time of his appearance in the monastery they were so weak that they fell asleep during meditation. Traditions say that Bodhidharma had a huge influence on the development of Buddhism and Chinese martial arts. Let's take a closer look at the story of this incredible man.

Bodhidharma

The personality of Bodhidharma, whom the monks called Damo, is surrounded by many beautiful legends. Today it is difficult to say what kind of person he was, but it is believed that it was he who brought wushu to Shaolin. Before his arrival, it was believed that meditation was the best way to understand the world and achieve enlightenment. They treated the body rather disdainfully, considering it an annoying obstacle on the path to perfection. Therefore, the monks were physically weak, which prevented them from meditating for a long time.

Damo was convinced that the body and consciousness are closely related, and it is impossible to achieve enlightenment without developing the physical shell. Therefore, he showed the monks a complex called “Eighteen Arhats Hand Movement,” which then became Shaolin Wushu. There is a legend that Damo once sat for 9 years in a cave, contemplating a wall. After this, his legs refused to serve him, which forced Bato to create a complex for changing muscles and tendons “Damo Yijing”, which laid the foundations of Shaolin qigong. The methods of nurturing vitality that developed from these simple exercises were so effective that they were kept secret for a long time.

Further history of the monastery

In subsequent years, the Shaolin Monastery experienced repeated ups and downs. It was burned to the ground more than once, but like a phoenix, it was always reborn from the ashes, continuing its important mission. Another beautiful legend is associated with the son of the military leader Li Yuan. His name was Li Shimin, he led one of his father's armies. In one of the battles, his army was defeated, and he himself fell into the river, the stormy waters of which carried him downstream. Fortunately, the inhabitants of the Shaolin monastery saved the man from certain death, cured him and gave him a guard of 13 monks who protected him. This was a devoted and useful retinue, because in those days one Shaolin monk could deal with a dozen bandits who abounded in the local forests.

After Li Shimin came to power, he thanked his saviors. They received a gift of land, and the rules of the Shaolin monks were changed - now they were allowed to eat meat and drink wine. This beautiful story gives an idea of ​​what life was like in those distant times. Obviously, the monks repeatedly had to participate in battles and defend themselves from robbers, who at that turbulent time were more numerous than the stars in the sky.

Shaolin today

Today, the Shaolin monk remains the same as hundreds of years ago. However, few people know that northern Shaolin was restored only in 1980. Before that, it lay in ruins for a long time, after it was burned in 1928, when the civil war was in full swing in China, and all power was concentrated in the hands of the militarists. Each of them wanted to own as large a plot of land as possible, not disdaining any methods.

Then came the Cultural Revolution, after which traditional martial arts were on the verge of destruction, and monasteries were considered a useless relic of the past. It was only in 1980 that the Chinese government realized that there was no point in destroying its cultural heritage, and the monastery was restored. Today it is visited by hordes of tourists, bringing good profits and contributing to the spread. Also, the Shaolin Monastery performs an old function - monks are trained here. Today, anyone can try to become a monk in this legendary place, regardless of nationality.

Shaolin monk fighter

Unfortunately, nowadays the situation is such that traditional Wushu is not considered a martial art. Many fighters consider it a dance that has nothing to do with the actual fight. And they are not far from the truth: most people practicing wushu today are focused on studying the formal complexes of taolu. Competitions are held based on them, where participants show an imaginary fight, and judges evaluate their performance. Imagine how boxers enter the ring one at a time and show shadowboxing, as a result of which one of them is awarded victory. Absurd, nothing less. But this is exactly the situation with traditional Wushu. Only in Wushu Sanda are full-contact fights practiced, but this is a purely sporting area.

And so, when wushu had already been written off, a man appeared who blew up the Internet with his incredible fighting skills. His name is Yi Long and he comes from the Shaolin Monastery. He does not hesitate to fight according to the rules of kickboxing with the strongest athletes of our time. People were finally able to see what a Shaolin monk could do against contact martial artists.

Differences in technique

Yi Long's fights against kickboxing and Muay Thai champions are interesting because he uses a unique technique that is unlike the usual style of fighting athletes. The fights of a Shaolin monk are distinguished by a huge number of throws and sweeps, for which modern adepts of striking martial arts were completely unprepared. Some of Yi Long's fights with martial arts champions looked so one-sided that for a time he was considered invincible.

But there were defeats, most of which were the result of the defiant behavior of the Shaolin Wushu adept. His habit of putting his chin under his opponent's blows, showing his superiority over him, more than once played against him. When the Shaolin monk felt his advantage over his opponent, he simply lowered his hands and took several clean blows to the chin. The result of such disrespectful behavior was a heavy knockout from the Muay Thai fighter.

Is Yi Long a monk or just a fighter?

Of course, every martial arts fan is interested in seeing what a Shaolin monk can do against a boxer or karateka. But this wushu player’s behavior in the ring leaves a lot of questions. How can a humble monk flaunt his superiority and show obvious disrespect for his opponent? Yi Long looks more like an MMA badass than a humble Buddhist.

Be that as it may, this fighter shows the wonders of mastering his body and excellent fighting skills. Perhaps his daring behavior is due to the specifics of contact martial arts, or maybe this is just a smart marketing ploy to stir up interest in his person. The main thing is that Yi Long showed that wushu is indeed a serious martial art that provides real fighting skills.

Shaolin monk in fights without rules

There is an opinion that the next step in the career of a wushu player will be the participation of Yi Long in the so-called fights without rules, or MMA. However, the probability of this event approaches zero. The reason is that the most important element of fighting in the octagon is the ground. In traditional and sports wushu there is practically no ground fighting, which is due to its history. Moreover, the most powerful techniques of traditional Chinese martial arts are aimed at hitting the enemy's vital points, which is unacceptable in But who knows, perhaps this mad monk will surprise us again by successfully performing in the cage. Time will show.