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ACCORDING TO DA ANCIENT LEGEND, an Indian Buddhist priest named Tamo travelled to China in the 6th Century in order to study at the temple of Shaolin. But the head-abbot, Fang Chang, was suspicious, so the priest was denied entry. Tamo then sought to prove his devotion by meditating in a nearby cave - and such was the strength of his faith that his unbroken meditative gaze bored a hole through the rock. On finally gaining access to the temple, Tamo met high standards of learning, but he was alarmed to discover that many of the monks failed to perform even the most basic physical requirements for meditation. Starting with simple movement exercises designed to enhance the flow of Chi, or life force, Tamo took it upon himself to bring the monks bodies up to a standard worthy of their intellects. Tamo formulated a set of exercises styled on the movements of the main 18 animals in Indo-Chinese iconography, and as the monks became more skilled at the basic routines, defensive combat elements were introduced. These exercises became famed as the Shaolin martial arts. Every style was varied and adaptable, providing the monks with a series of exercises and defensive procedures appropriate to their individual bodies. Some preferred to study the wild but regal movements of the Tiger style; others opted to master the martial art of Shaolin Crane, a style developed by a monk who saw a crane defeat an ape by darting repeatedly or unpredictable angles with its razor-sharp beak. Each monk was encouraged to experiment and find the style that suited their Chi. Over the centuries the styles developed and solidified, with certain arts incorporating the use of swords and other weapons. Most difficult of all styles was the Wu-Tang sword, and a true master of this style was practically unbeatable in battle. A student would progress through the various levels of mastery of the sword technique, each one more difficult than the last. Each level, or Chamber, took the swordsman nearer to invincibility, and on attaining the next Chamber, the monk would replace one of his natural teeth with a gold one. The monks who taught the Wu-Tang Style had reputedly reached the 36th Chamber - meaning they were invincible to all but a fellow 36th Chamber Wu-Tang master - and had platinum set into their gold front teeth. The monks used their mastery solely for defensive purposes, and swore never to teach the Wu-Tang style to an outsider. But a renegade faction believed that the Wu-Tang style was too important to be kept secret, and vowed to be free to teach it as they pleased. These rebels joined forces with their sworn enemies, the Manchurians, and sought to overthrow the temple of Shaolin, the eventual goal of the joint uprising being world domination. The rebels believed that they would be able to build an unbeatable army of Wu-Tang swordsmen, if only they could rid themselves of the monks and be free to use Wu-Tang style aggressively. The rebellion was successful, but the grand design remained unfulfilled. They were subsequently torn apart from each other, but the legend says that the heirs of the rebels will one day return to resume their quest for global control...
WU-TANG FOREVER!
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