vigorous than their passive cousin Tai Chi, and are thus even further removed from the traditional requirements of silence and stillness. Yet it is in the grand ballet of the animal styles that the connection is closest to the ancient origin of moving meditation. That connection can be seen in the oral traditions.
Every style has its own folklore regarding its origins. Often they are like parables that teach moral and philosophical lessons as well as the style’s origins. But there is also a pattern to many of the tales. The following story is typical of these and contains classic story elements that point to an even older origin
In 15th century China, Wang Lang was a young bully who had studied martial arts from a young age. He would strut and intimidate the locals with displays of Kung Fu, but the older men in the village were unimpressed. “Pah! Who do you think you are?” They would mutter, “Your skills are nothing compared to even a Shaolin novice.” Stinging from such rebukes, Wang vowed to find this Shaolin Temple, and defeat its master. After an arduous journey, Wang reached the Temple and challenged the monks to a duel. Initially the monks ignored him, but day after day Wang issued his challenge and finally the monks accepted. Expecting to duel with the master, Wang was chagrined to find himself faced with the lowest ranking monk. Even more humiliating was his quick defeat at the novice’s hands. Wang sulked off to the nearby mountains where he trained for months. After his confidence was restored, Wang returned to Shaolin and defeated the novice monk that had beaten him earlier. But his next opponent was a senior monk who flounced him