I’ve got dozens of webpages that explain Shaolin Chi Mantis Traditional Buddhist Gongfu & Taijiquan. Nowadays, I’ve gone back to using Cantonese so Shaolin Chi Mantis Traditional Buddhist Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan.
That was the original name in 1992 when I decided to make it a business after teaching from living room since 1984.
Now, since about 2015, I added another tag to our school name to become:
Shaolin Chi Mantis Traditional Buddhist Kung Fu, Taoist Tai Chi Chuan & Confucian Strategy.
That’s the most accurate name of our school.
Buddhism = THE original Zen Buddhism (Chan Buddhism) of the original Shaolin Temple in China about 600 AD.
Taoism = The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu without the blood rituals added later. We don’t employ any of the spirits either.
Confucianism = The writings of Confucius as I’ve interpreted them in my 4-book series, Human Values for Success in Family & Business by Richard Del Connor / Buddha Zhen Shen-Lang.
Strategy = The concepts of Sun Tzu as I’ve rewritten them in my two books on strategy.
Traditional Kung Fu = The 18 Classical Weapons of ancient China 1,000 years ago plus the 10 Shaolin Forms that evolved about 900 AD at the Songshan Shaolin Temple in China. We also teach Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu of the 7-Star Praying Mantis and Tai Chi Mantis systems.
Tai Chi Chuan = Yang Style of Shifu Marshall Ho and the Tai Chi Chuan concepts taught to me by a half dozen masters.
Shaolin Chi Mantis was legally founded in 1992 when I was contracted by the Governor of Utah to teach in a maximum security prison. I became famous for the results of that. When a dozen other rehabs and churches hired me, I decided to make my hobby a business: Shaolin Chi Mantis.
In 1996 I realized that the beginner program of Shaolin Chi Mantis was more than what most people would ever want to learn. I also realized that this beginner program was sufficient to improve people’s lives, end drug addictions, stop sleeping disorders, and create balanced mental states. So I created the TAI CHI YOUTH nonprofit organization for troubled youth in 1996. This program is still more training and more difficult than 90% of all students are capable of learning. It’s the Shaolin Chi Mantis BEGINNER PROGRAM stretched out over four years instead of two years in SCM.
In 2008 I founded the Buddha Kung Fu schools. This is my compromise for students who want Chinese weapons but aren’t dedicated enough to learn all the weapons, all the Shaolin Kung Fu, or study the Praying Mantis of Shaolin Chi Mantis. Buddha Kung Fu is “Doable for Americans™.”
What is Shaolin Chi Mantis? It is one of the only “Mind-Body-Spirit” schools I have ever seen on this planet. I’ll leave it at that for now so I don’t have to discredit all the fake schools out there.
Shaolin Kung Fu originated in a small Buddhist Monastery in the Song Mountains of Northern China. The Kung Fu taught to the monks has been earning legends throughout the orient for over one thousand years. The Shaolin Temple is also where Bodhidharma transformed Mahayana Buddhism into Zen Buddhism 1,400 years ago. I’ve watched the videos on YouTube including some well-made documentaries. They don’t teach Zen Buddhism anymore at that temple. It’s owned and run by the Chinese government which denounces all religions so today the monks graduate by memorizing Buddhism sentences. That’s it. Which is not Zen.
At Shaolin Chi Mantis the curriculums were all written by me, Richard Del Connor / Buddha Zhen Shen-Lang “Spirit Wolf of Truth.” We teach the Traditional Chinese classical weaponry and fighting Forms of our Kung Fu Ancestors, as passed down through Gu Ru Zhong, Jing Mo Association, Tai Mantis Federation, and Grandmaster Wong Jack Man.
Shaolin Chi Mantis goals enrich the body, mind, and spirit so that each student can live a healthier, happier, spiritual life. We teach “Peace of Mind.”
Spirit of Zen
Shaolin Chi Mantis teaches martial arts, while our programs teach nonviolence and social skills. Richard Del Connor, Buddha Zhen (pronounced, “Jen”) has been a “Buddhist Scientist,” since 1980, studying the effects of Kung Fu, Tai Chi and Buddhism on hundreds of students.
Body, Mind & Spirit
“Body, mind and spirit” is more than a slogan at Shaolin Chi Mantis and SCM licensed schools. We develop the body to develop the mind. We develop the mind to develop the spirit of our students. We develop the spirit of our students to develop their lives.
Our original Shaolin Kung Fu founder, Bodhidharma, created Kung Fu more than 14 centuries ago to invigorate the monks of the Shaolin Temple to higher levels of spirituality and deeper levels of meditation.
You can throw all that Japanese meditation in the trash. When Zen Buddhism was created it included Shaolin Kung Fu. When some Japanese Buddhist monks studied at the Shaolin Temple they returned to Japan to be beheaded or give up all the Kung Fu. They replaced the Shaolin Kung Fu with “Doing Nothing.” Which is what you get from “Nothingness Meditation:” nothing.
It is the combination of developing the body that develops the mind. As the mind is developed, a greater spiritual universe unfolds for the student. So it is important that all three of these disciplines connect together and support each other. Body + Mind + Spirit.
- Shaolin Kung Fu develops the body with Yoga and complicated movements.
- Tai Chi Chuan develops the mind and energy flow with moving meditation.
- Zen Buddhism (REAL Zen Buddhism = Chan Buddhism) develops the spirit by self-awareness.
Shaolin Chi Mantis develops all three: Body + Mind + Spirit.
Warrior Athlete
Every person is an athlete, to some extent. Once you’ve learned to walk–everything is just one more olympic event. Life is full of athletic challenges ranging from “running a cash register” to “jumping into a business venture.”
As we learn to increase our physical and mental skills with Kung Fu, we increase our self-confidence and increase our abilities for success by being a WARRIOR ATHLETE. This is the Beginner Level of Shaolin Kung Fu.
Unfortunately most people think these physical skills are the goal of being Shaolin. Physical Kung Fu is the elementary school of Shaolin Kung Fu.
The second level of student development is the “Scholar Warrior” with an enriched mind.
The third level of student development is the “Spiritual Warrior” who sees reality clearly.
What you learn in the FIRST LEVEL as a Warrior Athlete:
- Classes start with Chinese Yoga stretching.
- Kicking and punching = aerobics.
- Qigong breath training = improved health.
- Tai Chi Chuan = moving meditation.
- Shaolin Kung Fu = spiritual self-defense.
- Zen Buddhism basics.
- Taoism basics.
Benefits of Shaolin Chi Mantis Traditional Buddhist Kung Fu & Taoist Tai Chuan.
- Energetic metabolism
- Enlightenment
- Feel energized
- Find your true self
- Healthy lifestyle
- Improve concentration
- Increase flexibility
- Increase self-awareness
- Increase self-confidence
- Learn self-defense
- Normalize weight
- Release stress
- Sleep better
- Spiritual growth
- Traditional inspirations
- Zen wisdoms
The 1999-built website of www.ShaolinChiMantis.com has lots of information.
In 2020 Buddha Zhen launched the online school “Kwoon” at www.ShaolinInteractive.com