The Background of Monk Soldiers

Articles by
Benny Meng

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At Linshan Village of Xitianwei Township in Putian at the ruins of the Southern Shaolin Temple, there is a stone trough. It is engraved with Chinese calligraphy proclaiming that two Monk soldiers, Yongqi and Jinqi, of Linquanyuan Temple, the original name of the Southern Shaolin Temple, made this trough in September of the Year Jiayou of the Song Dynasty.

The mere existence of this archeological evidence gives rise to three key questions:

1. What is a Monk Soldier?

2. Did “Monk Soldiers” exist throughout Shaolin history?

3. How and why did monk soldiers come to Linshan in Fujian Province?

I. What is a Monk Soldier?

In answering the first question, we must begin by noting that the term ‘Monk’ refers specifically to a Shaolin Buddhist monk. There were Shaolin fighting monks who were treated as soldiers. Students often note the paradox between a monastic advocacy of standing aloof from worldly affairs and refusing to kill any life and a monastic development of a soldier that would take life without batting an eyelid. They wonder how the two can stand side by side.

To explain the existence of Monk Soldiers, we need to go back to the earliest inhabitants of the Shaolin Temple. The official position of the Temple and Chinese Government historians today is that the original monks were retired military men and robber barons looking to live out the remainder of their lives in a tolerant setting with others of their kind. In other words, the original Shaolin Temple possessed martial arts experience from its inception. Shortly after the Temple’s creation, history pushed the Temple into the military limelight, as seen in the story of thirteen cudgel fighting monks saving the early Tang Dynasty Emperor’s life. During the transition from the Sui Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty (619 A.D.), Wang Shicong (a general from the previous dynasty who possessed Imperial aspirations of his own) occupied Luoyang City as a stronghold for its defile. In September of that year, Emperor Li Shimin deployed a large army to besiege Luoyang City. At this key point, Zhicao and Tangzong, two Shaolin monks, started an uprising against Wang Shicong. They captured Wang Renze, the nephew of the rogue general. Zhicao and Tangzong, along with other monks, joined Emperor Li Shimin’s army and helped convince Wang Renze to provide assistance key to overcoming Wang Shicong. Following subsequent victory, Li Shimin went on to unify China. He so appreciated the help from the Shaolin Monks that he granted them an imperial jade seal authorizing the Shaolin Temple to organize Monk Soldiers. Wherein other temples have monks that practice martial arts, this is the first, and only official government sanction in Chinese history for monastic creation of monk soldiers.

From this historical anecdote, we know that Tang Emperor Li Shimin chartered the Shaolin Temple to organize a monk army, most likely because Shaolin monks had helped him to establish his power and might be needed for similar action in the future. It laid the groundwork for Shaolin monk soldiers to become China’s ‘special forces’ for meeting specific military needs. This explains the difference between the Shaolin Temples and other temples in China: Shaolin legally trained armed Monks who were proficient with Kung Fu, and only Shaolin could legally maintain an army of Monk Soldiers. Other Buddhist temples did not have this same privilege.

II. Did “Monk Soldiers” exist throughout Shaolin history?

As indicated above, the authorization for creating monk soldiers came directly from the first Tang Dynasty Emperor. The inscription of “Monk Soldiers” on the stone trough in Putian was done during the Song Dynasty 300 plus years later.

Jiayou was the reign title of Song Emperor Zhao Zhen who assumed control 96 years after the Great Song Emperor Zhao Kungyin (960 A.D.). Zhao Kungyin unified China from the situation of separatist warlord regimes and established the great Song Dynasty. It was very beneficial to the prosperity and growth of the country and its cultures. The steady economy and political policy of the Song Dynasty promoted the development of Buddhism. Instead of oppressing Buddhists, the Dynasty protected and encouraged them. They ceased Confucian driven destruction of Buddhist temples and supported the study of 157 Buddhist monks in India. Zhao Congcin, the Emperor’s Secretary, went to Chengdu personally to carve “ The Great Buddhist Scriptures”. The dissemination and development of Buddhism was expanded. Many temples, including the Shaolin Temples, benefited from these new policies. The Manuscript of Shaolin Boxing said that the Great Song Emperor visited the Shaolin Temple and sent famous generals to Shaolin to teach monks about the art of war and at the same time learn Shaolin Martial Arts. In essence, the military and Shaolin were still learning from each other. The Great Song Emperor himself was very good at Kungfu (Boxing) too. He knew 32 moves of the Long Fist boxing. Shaolin Annals of Martial Arts Monks records “The Great Emperor of Song Dynasty, Zhao Kunyin, as a grandmaster of Kung Fu. He supported the head abbot of the Shaolin Temple and helped organize 3 National Competitions of Martial Arts for monks, his generals, and folk martial experts.” This represents the first time in history that a national level tournament combined the talents of Shaolin, the military, and civilian martial expertise. In total, 18 formal systems came together and competed.

Zhao Kunyin’s son, Zhen Zong, continued to protect Buddhism and built 72 worship stations along the roads to the Capital and in the Capital. He increased the quota of monks and nuns. In 1021 A.D., the number of monks and nuns increased dramatically. This policy remained unchanged for at least 34 years. Therefore, Buddhists at this time were not only fully protected, but also the Monk Soldiers of Shaolin were given great responsibility and privileges. “Song History” records that the Emperor called the Monk Soldiers a “Victory Army”. These historical facts prove that in Jiayou Year of Song Dynasty, Monk Soldiers not only existed, but also occupied important positions in the dynasty.

The words “Monk Soldier” were also used in the Ming Dynasty in an article entitled “Daily Knowledge Annals,” written by Gu Yanwu, a famous scholar of that period. During that same period, Fumei, the famous poet of the Ming Dynasty, wrote a poem entitled Passing By Shaolin Temple, that describes Shaolin monks as well known for their martial arts skills and highlights their receipt of many honors from past Emperors. Likewise, a famous calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty inscribed a well-known work that reflects Observing Martial Arts in Shaolin.

The Grand Master of “Shaolin Cudgel Arts” during the Ming Dynasty wrote in his diary, “ There have been no Monk Soldiers in China’s temples except the Shaolin Temples, whose the most important task is to protect their temples.” Later, during the Qing Dynasty, Mr. Yang Zao also said that if monk soldiers have ever been mentioned, they refer to the Shaolin Temples. From these historical references, we can deduce that only the Shaolin Temples had Monk Soldiers, or Monk Soldiers could only come from Shaolin Temples.

III. How and why did Monk Soldiers come to Linshan Village?

Linquan Yuan Temple in Putian was considered to be a big temple. According to the stone inscription, it had more than 20 buildings with more than 500 monks living there. How and why did Monk Soldiers from Songsan Shaolin Temple come to Linquan Yuan (later called the Southern Shaolin Temple) in Putian? The answer is simple: Shaolin Monks traveled extensively throughout their history. To understand this practice, we must determine why there were traveling monks. Three key reasons for traveling monks have been confirmed by Chinese historians: 1) Direct orders from the Emperor for military assistance from monk soldiers; 2) Movements between the Northern and Southern Temples for political reasons; and 3) Chan Buddhism’s requirement for experience that could only be gained via travel outside the temple.

1. Direct orders of the Emperor for Military Assistance from Monk Soldiers

The Southern Shaolin Temple was ultimately the result of Northern Temple monk warriors responding to an Imperial order for martial assistance from Tang Emperor, Li Shimin. Pirate incursions in Fujian Province threatened stability and prosperity in Southern China and the monk soldiers were needed for special operations. Three of the legendary Shaolin Thirteen Cudgel fighting monks, Dao Guang, Seng Man and Seng Feng, led approximately 500 warrior monks south in the early 7^th Century A.D. to engage in battle against the pirates. Their special talents helped the Tang soldiers defeat the pirates.

Many warrior monks fell during the coastal battles. To commemorate their fallen comrades, Dao Guang was tasked by Tan Zong, Northern Temple grandmaster, to select a site resembling the Songsan “Jiu Lian” Mountain and then establish a Southern Shaolin Branch to commemorate their fallen brothers. Dao Guang selected the temple in Putian to fulfill this tasking. Tan Zong further tasked him to remember their ancestors and to spread the Chan Buddhist philosophy native to the Songsan Temple.

This type of deployment of monk soldiers throughout China is seen throughout Dynastic history. For example, in 1114 A.D., the Mongolians invaded China. The Chinese Emperor ordered the Shaolin Temples to dispatch Monk Soldiers to fight back. Over 500 monks intercepted the Mongolian army at the bank of the Yellow River. They were not successful, but history records that they were there at the order of the Emperor.

2. Movements between the North and South for political reasons

During the Tang Dynasty, a struggle erupted over the selection of the 6^th Patriarch of Chan Buddhism. Sheng Hui declared himself the 6^th Patriarch and emphasized orthodox Buddhism with a strong dash of Confucian orientation in Northern China. The 5^th Patriarch’s choice for successor, Hui Neng, fled to the South where his more Taoist influenced form of Budhhism flourished. Ultimately, a subsequent Tang emperor declaring the Southern lineage as the rightful Patriarchy later served political purposes. With this declaration, Chan Buddhism’s roots had left Northern China. Journeys from North to South were to be expected. The nature of Chan Buddhism seen today is fundamentally a fusion of Taoist and Buddhist thought and culture.

Another documented example of political movements to the south can be gleaned from a well-documented Song Dynasty incident. A young man named Haizhou escaped from the imperial slaughter of his entire family by hiding in the Northern Shaolin Temple. He became a monk and learned extensive Shaolin Kungfu over the next decade. The Emperor later learned of his hiding place, thus forcing him to flee overnight for the safety of Southern Shaolin Temple where he remained.

Other examples of politically driven movements to the south stem from the struggles between Ming and Qing Dynasties. As the Qing cemented control of Northern China 30 years before Southern China fell, many monks from the North traveled to the Southern Temple to continue rebellion against the Qing conquest.

3. Chan Buddhism’s requirement for experience that could only be gained via travel outside the temple.

For practicing Buddhism, monks had to travel outside the temple. Yongqi and Jinqi, whose names are reflected today in the reconstructed Southern Shaolin Temple’s records as the creators of the stone trough referenced in the opening paragraph might have traveled to Putian for any of the above reasons and decided to stay in Linquan Yuan.

Chan Buddhist history clearly explains that after the development of Buddhism, monks began to lead a wondering life in order to prove and expand their belief. “Fujian History” says that by the end of the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism has been evolved into 5 groups: Yang Zong, Caodong Zong, Yunmen Zong, Linji Zong, Fayan Zong. Most of them were founded by Fujianese. In other words, Chan Buddhism’s roots had moved to Southern China.

Therefore, the practice of Shaolin Monks taking Fujian as their destination for visiting would appear natural. Among the five groups referenced above, Caodong Zong’s founder was specifically from Putian, the location of the Southern Shaolin Temple. “Putian County Annals” records “DanZhang Huang went to Lingshi Mountain and became a monk. Later he moved to Cao mountain with a monk name Ben Ji.” Therefore, assertions that Shaolin monks of the Caodong group visited Putian are reasonable.

From above examples, we can conclude that as far as back as the Tang Dynasty, many famous monks of the Shaolin Temple visited Linshan, Putian and some of them stayed in what became the Southern Shaolin Temple.

From the above information we may conclude that Linquan Yuan was not just a common temple. It was a temple of Shaolin Martial Arts directly passed on by Shaolin Monk Soldiers. It became a branch of the Songsan Shaolin temple. In order to differentiate them, we call Songsan Shaolin Temple Northern Shaolin and Linquan Yuan as Southern Shaolin. After a while, people only remember the South Shaolin and forget about Linquan Yuan, the birthplace of South Shaolin. The Qing Government destroyed Linquan Yuan. The finding of its ruins and subsequent reconstruction is being described by the Government of China as the most significant archeological discovery in China’s extensive history of martial arts and philosophy. It is especially significant to the marital arts of the most popular systems in the West who find their roots in the Southern Shaolin Temple such as Wing Chun, White Crane, Southern Preying Mantis, Five Ancestor Fist, Southern Dragon and White Eyebrow.

A Note About the Authors: Sifu Benny Meng is the principle founder and Curator of the Ving Tsun Museum. He has traveled extensively throughout the world researching the roots of the art, and studying the training methods and applications employed in virtually every lineage of Wing Chun Kung Fu. Sifu Richard Loewenhagen is one of the founding committee members of the Ving Tsun Museum and currently serves as its Director of West Coast Affairs. Both authors are full time teachers of Wing Chun Kung Fu and are available for professional seminars on historical, as well as technical, aspects of the art and its training methods. Benny Meng can be reached at the Ving Tsun Museum, 5717 Brandt Pike, Dayton, Oh, 45424, phone (937) 236-6485 and emailed at BennyMeng@vtmuseum.org. Richard Loewenhagen can be reached at Meng's Martial Arts of Arizona, 3029 N. Alma School Rd, Suite 218, Chandler, AZ, 85224, phone (602) 820-2428) and emailed at sifu@mengsofaz.com .

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