Shao-lin-ssu

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Shao-lin-ssu (Jap., Shōrin-ji). Chinese Buddhist monastery, built in 477 CE, by the emperor Hsiao-wen. It was to here that Bodhidharma moved from S. China when he saw that the time was not ripe for the reception of dharma there. Shao-lin-ssu is associated with the development of kung-fu, an aspect initially of chʾi-kung (see CHʾI). Kung-fu was initially concerned with control of interior fears and thoughts, but developed in different directions in Japan in association with other martial arts.

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