SHAOLIN KUNG FU: Luohan 18 Hands (luohan shiba shou)

instructor: monk De Yang
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combat strategy:

in Shaolin kung fu, 'Zen and martial arts unite (禅拳合一)'. it advises to avoid engagement in violence as far as possible. in a confrontation, "peace is better than victory, retreat rather than engage, avoid rather than oppose, hurt rather than wound, wound rather than kill. life is respectful."
Chinese Kung Fu has "36 famous tactics" of fighting. in a fight, techniques are governed by tactics and tactics by strategies. a strategy is a collection of tactics that work together. in Shaolin kung fu, fighting strategies are taught by the 10 famous combat styles, each style having a pair of or one solo form, 18 forms total. these shape a perfect collection of various manifestations of the fighting tactics.

Buddha's 18 hands teaches the first tactic:

tactic 1 - 'prowess':
"empty-city tactic (空城计)" – in military terms, a city is the target. an empty-city, with nothing to lose and win, is a wrong target. you should be a wrong opponent. fear is what bullies want to intimidate the victim, but calmness deters them. gaze into their eyes with confidence.

this involves intense prowess in moves. in this style, all moves are rigid and furious, teaching you how to appear a wrong target to everyone.
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history:

this is the oldest form of Shaolin kung fu.

Liang dynasty (502-557):
Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, entered Shaolin temple in 527 AD. he made meditation part of Shaolin monks' daily routine. monks had simple exercises to recover after meditation and cultivate their body as well. they combined martial art and Zen to form the union of body and mind.

Sui dynasty (581-618):
according to the historical records of Shaolin temple, monks of Shaolin temple had a select set of simple moves based on expressions of daily activities and Buddhism. they later combined these moves into a combat form which was later called 'luohan 18 hands'.

Tang dynasty (618-907):
until the Tang dynasty, the 18 moves were increased into 36 moves.

Jin and Yuan dynasties (1115-1368):
monk Jue Yuan, with the help of folk masters Li Sou and Bai Yufeng, developed the 36 moves into about 72. Bai Yufeng, after becoming a monk with the Buddhist name Qiuyue, became the librarian of Shaolin temple and later increased these into 173 moves.

Ming dynasty (1368-1644):
in Chinese Buddhism, the luohans, those who reach the enlightenment of Buddhahood, were originally only 4, and their number was increased to 16 over time, and in the Ming dynasty it was increased to 18. a group of monks increased the number of the luohan hands into 18 forms, each form with 18 postures with the beginning and ending salutes.
however, these extensions were not officially accepted by Shaolin temple and the monks only preserved their original luohan 18 hands.
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note: there are various other forms and styles named 'luohan 18 hands' in Chinese kung fu, and they are historically and technically different from Shaolin luohan 18 hands. these are just different styles with similar names. 🙏
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Shaolin Kung Fu tutorial:
bodybuilding:    • SHAOLIN KUNG FU: Body building  
techniques:    • SHAOLIN KUNG FU: Combat Techniques  
styles:    • SHAOLIN KUNG FU: Combat Strategies  
weapons:    • SHAOLIN KUNG FU: Weapons