Near the end of the Ming Dynasty (circa 1600 A.D.) there was a three-year-old boy named Mew Hing. This boy was given to the Buddhist monks of the Shaolin (ShilLum) Temple at the age of three, as was a common practice at the time. After being taught the Shaolin ways, the young Mew Hing became what is called a wandering monk. These wandering monks would travel across the country, all over China, even into India, Tibet, and as far as Africa. As they wandered, they would spread the teachings of The Buddha, heal people, and visit the numerous temples throughout the land. These monks were constantly learning from their traveling experiences, they would study the ways and customs of the numerous provinces and countries, gaining valuable knowledge of customs, herbs, medical practices, philosophies, politics, and martial techniques.
After Mew Hing had traveled far and wide across the continent of Asia, he decided to return to the Shaolin Temple where he continued his studies of Kung Fu. Eventually Mew Hing became one of the Abbott Leaders at the Shaolin Temple and studied directly under the High Abbott where he mastered the Shaolin Art of Kung Fu.
After escaping the Infamous Burning of the Shaolin Temple, the Five Elders, as these five survivors are now called (Fung Doe Duk, Mew Hing, Gee Shin Shim Shee, Bak Mae, and the nun; Ng Mui), made their way to the E’mei Mountains (also spelled O’mei). During this journey the four monks and one nun took on the ways and customs of the Daoist’s (also spelled Taoists), including many of the Daoist martial arts and martial meditations. This helped them to hide from the Manchurian authorities that were hunting down all Buddhist dissidents. Upon reaching the E’mei Mountains, they took refuge in the Kwong Wai Temple. Here they increased their already amazing Kung Fu knowledge.
It was after the slaughter at the Kwong Wai Temple that Mew Hing developed his 18 Daoist Palms System of Kung Fu (Sup Bot Mo Jung Pai). His new Martial Art System was a culmination of all the fighting arts and martial skills that he had learned from his travels and the high-level teachings of both the Shaolin and Daoist monks. Mew Hing selected 2 people to be his helpers to assist him (his left- and right-hand men) and 18 master disciples which he called Lohon (also spelled Lohan) (The term Lohon comes from an ancient Buddhist legend of special beings that helped preserve and protect the teachings of The Buddha after his death.) The Lohon were the “sacred protectors and keepers” of the art, sworn to preserve the art by teaching it to those that were worthy.
This is where the special titles of the 18 Daoist Palms System came from. The 2 helpers: The left- and right-hand men, are today known as “Executive Assistants or Special Assistants.” The 18 Lohon Titles have been awarded to eighteen very select students of The 18 Daoist Palms System.
Five Elder Monk Mew Hing’s 18 Daoist Palms System. There has been a lot of misinformation about the 18 Daoist Palms system. Many people just do not understand the complexity of this system and the awesome amount of information contained within its teachings. At one time, Mew Hing’s art was kept secret in another art. It was an art within an art.
In 1988 this art was officially separate once again when it was passed to James Patrick Lacy. Grandmaster Lacy was the first western person to hold the title as Grandmaster or Jung Shee to an authentic Five Elder Art. Before given his title, he was also a master of the White Tiger system, the very system that held mew Hing’s art for over 350 years. When he became the 7th Generation Grandmaster of Monk Mew Hing’s 18 Daoist Palms System, he then housed all his White Tiger information within the walls of the 18 Daoist Palms System.
So, the art that was once hidden in the White Tiger System had reversed its roles and housed the information that he was taught from the White Tiger system. Because of this change many people thought that the Mew Hing system had many forms and were confused on what was the real 18 Daoist Palms.
On the physical level, one of the most vital aspects of Ta Mo’s legacy is his exercises and breathing techniques.
Ta Mo was allegedly the son of Indian King Sugandha and as such was a member of the warrior caste. Consequently, most authorities agree that he received some sort of martial arts training throughout his youth. According to legend, when Ta Mo arrived at the Shaolin Temple, he found the monks in such poor physical shape that they were incapable of staying awake through the long hours of meditation that he required. Thus he introduced a set of 18 exercises into their regimen meant to condition and develop their bodies and minds- much in the way that hatha yoga does.
Known as both “18 Movements of the Arhan Hands” and “18-‘Monk Boxing,” these exercises were basically therapeutic and meditative. Authorities believe that these were the forerunner of Shaolin Kung fu from which many of today’s forms of the art developed. These exercises proved so popular with his students that other authorities insist that Ta Mo is also responsible for several additional exercise courses.
Known as the “Sinew Changing Course” and the “Marrow Washing Course,” these exercises (like IS-Monk Boxing) served to strengthen vital internal organs and prevent disease. Yet, it was only after Ta Mo’s death in A.D. 557 that Shaolin Kung fu began to come into its own as a fighting art.
During the early Tang Dynasty (seventh and eighth centuries A.D) the monks of the Shaolin Monastery were asked to help combat an invasion. They acquitted themselves with such astonishing ease that they instantly became famous for their skill throughout China. Impressed, Chueh Yuan immediately revealed his quest. The peddler, whose name was Li Chieng, modestly explained that he did not have any great knowledge of the martial arts, but he offered to introduce him to Pai Yu-feng, the acknowledged master of Shansi, Honan, and Hopeh-provinces that comprised a sizable hunk of China. At the time, Pai was fifty and at the height of his power. With a reputation as a kindly, spiritual man, Pai received Chueh warmly and listened openly to his plans for the advancement of kung fu. He was impressed by the young man’s expertise and burning desire to elevate the art and agreed to accompany Chueh to the Shaolin Temple.
There they enlarged and refined Chueh’s 72 movements into 172 actions which were subdivided into five animal styles or forms. Each form was made up of a set number of actions that imitated the movements of the dragon, tiger, leopard, snake, and crane. Each form represented the cultivation of one of the five “essences” that Pai believed all men possessed.
The dragon style is designed to nurture the spirit. The tiger style trains the bones to resist heavy shock. The leopard style develops strength. The crane style trains the sinews. The snake style is for building chi.
Pai’s program bad an enormous Impact on the art for two reasons: First, it combined the best aspects of the soft fist with the hard fist. Second, its animal forms became the basis of many of the schools that exist in China today. Yet, despite this striking advancement, the Shaolin art was almost totally destroyed scarcely a century later. This was no simple decline, but the result of an invasion by a powerful border tribe, the Manchus. By 1644 the conquest was complete, the Ming dynasty was ousted and the Ch’ing dynasty installed.
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