2000 Photo Contest, Arts and Entertainment, 2nd prize
Photographer

Isabel Muñoz

Agence Vu

01 January, 1999

At the Shaolin temple men practice a particular form of wushu, war art. The 18 basic positions of what some call Shaolin Kung Fu are inspired by the movement and agility of animals. According to legend, over 1,500 years ago, the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma introduced Indian principles of meditation and yogic calisthenics to the Shaolin monks' own tradition, to help them endure the physical demands of long periods of meditation. Over the centuries, the men of the Shaolin temple added skills from different martial arts to Bodhidharma's original system, and became renowned as warrior-monks.

About the photographer

Isabel Muñoz

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