Five Kung Fu Animals Stand For a Series of Specific Steps in Learning How to Fight

[I:https://healthclub90.com/storage/2011/08/AlCase49.jpg]Boddhidharma brought Kung Fu to the Shaolin Temple some 2500 years ago, and the world has been learning ever since. A hundred generations of religious fanatics perfecting themselves through fantastic, rigorous exercises. Interestingly, the five animals of Kung fu stand for a series of steps in the progression of fighting tactics and strategy.

The Tiger is known for strength. He is a strong animal, and he charges in aggressively on the attack. He is a do or die animal, and the old saying is ‘If two tigers fight, one will die and the other will be maimed.’

The Leopard is known for creating fantastic quickness. He moves in and out, snapping his attacking movements with amazing speed. He may not be as strong as a Tiger, but he has learned to ‘dance’ with his opponents.

The Crane is the first step into ‘True Soft,’ as that animal remains aloof, poised and waiting, evading and avoiding. Not dancing, but matching the movements and waiting for the precise moment to counter. And the attack is not violent, but exact, often utilizing pressure points.

The Snake is definitely True Soft. Instead of charging, dancing, or even waiting, it is part of the motion, going with the motion, taking advantage of the movements by being them. This is not just going away from the attack, but merging with the attack, and turning it to advantage.

With the gradient steps from Tiger to Snake we have a series of steps from hard to soft, from external to internal. Interestingly, this is really a gradient method from learning to go against, to learning to go with. The next animal, the Dragon, is represents the summation of these steps.

The dragon is neither hard nor soft, it is both both of these attributes. It is being able to go against or with at will. it is the ability to combine all animals, as one wishes, in whatever manner, in the middle of combat.

Thus, the five kung fu animals train the physical form, discipline the mind, and finally, manifest the spirit. For the dragon, as the last animal, represents imagination, the ability to choose, and these are the hallmarks of a spiritual being. As the old phrases have said, the Tiger strengthens the bones, the Crane resides within stillness, and the Dragon trains the spirit, and this gradient sequence of concepts definitely represents the True Shaolin Teachings. 


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