On Shaolin Kempo Karate: The Shaolin temple was first built around 495 A.D. by Chinese Emperor Hsiao Wen for
an Indian monk Batou, or, as known by the Chinese, Fo Tou. It was in the great Shaolin Temple in the Songshan mountains
of central China that Buddharama, a sixth century Indian monk, first introduced Buddhism and a form of meditation
methods and fighting techniques. He introduced to the temple monks a form of breathing exercises based upon animal
movements, mostly exercises for strengthening and conditioning the body. The reason he taught the monks these exercises
was to purify their bodies and develop inner strength. Then came the movement of the animals which were taught
for self defense purposes. Over a time, the monks changed and perfected these movements, gearing them toward fighting.
This style became known and feared as the art of Shaolin Temple Boxing. Buddhism and Shaolin Temple Boxing or Shaolin
Chuan Fa were the Shaolin Temple's main legacy to the world. So it was in China that the philosophical and religious
systems upon which many martial arts depend were first created and nurtured. The teachings of Lao Tzu, Confucius
and Buddha were blended with the development of the various Chinese martial art systems which spread to many other
Asian countries