In the course of Chinese history, there is no description of a Kung-Fu School (Martial Arts School) more powerful than the Shao Lin school. The Shao Lin school was the Harvard of martial arts school. It comes as no surprise to many people that today most popular styles all have some basis at least, in Shao Lin teachings. Tai-Chi, the 5 Animal Fist and Wing Chun are all said to have descended and evolved from the original Shao Lin teachings.
Then why did Shaolin Temple fail? What was the cause of its downfall? Why is no more than a tourist attraction today?
The answer lies in what was perceived as excellent Feng Shui for the temple by the original Feng Shui Masters of that time.
Although there is pre-conceived notion that there was only one Shao Lin temple in olden China, there were actually five temples. We will take a look at the Feng Shui fallacy that caused the downfall of the Her Nan temple.
Her Nan is part of the Midlands, a territory so renowned for its Feng Shui potential that for centuries, clans fought hard and long for this territory. A land with such great 'qi' reserves that it would take a knowledgeable and powerful Feng Shui Master to tap into the essence of it. The slopes, forests and Chong Yue Sung mountains all blend into a beautiful background. Which also makes it all the more difficult to ascertain the Feng Shui at a given spot.
Rightfully, the powerful, commanding Shao Lin Temple was located on top of Sung Mountain. Crossing the Dragon's Meridian(Vein), the 'qi' of the area was intense and empowering. The Temple faced South 1 (Degrees) but in such a way that it almost seemed to face South 2 as well. Only a true Feng Shui Master would have been point out the correct degree.
The stone range to the right of the Temple; their White Tiger, gently embraces the temple and passes in front of the main door. What Feng Shui Masters now refer to as the curl of the White Tiger "Ann" (a reference to the special formation "Ann", where the White Tiger passes your front door).
The entrance to the Temple was also located in an auspicious direction, facing the fabled Green Dragon. However, the great distance between the Temple and the Green Dragon meant that the 'qi' was not as effective. Also the valley located between the Green Dragon and the temple meant the powerful 'qi' reduced its energy. They also created a wide and spacious courtyard, referred to as a Ming Tang (Bright Hall) in Feng Shui. Below the Ming Tang lay a great valley through which an expansive river ran. Unfortunately this is where all their troubles began.
The Shao Lin Temple faced a very auspicious and powerful Feng Shui direction, . This has the temple sitting on North 1 (degrees), facing South 1 (degrees).
The San He Water Feng Shui requires that in this formation, water should flow from left to the right. As you may have guessed, this was not the case. The large river in front flowed, right to left.
In effect dooming the Temple. Imagine the Temple as a human body. The river as it's blood. Now imagine your blood flowing backwards throughout your body and you'll get a picture of the Temples Feng Shui.
When a home is built on such a terrible formation, the occupants are said to suffer great mishaps and calamities. They are also said to have no descendants to carry on the family name.
And the Shao Lin Temple was no different. Although only monks resided in the Temple (they were all required to take a vow of celibacy), they literally had no one to carry on the Shao Lin teachings. All their students left after a short time. They also eventually ended up fighting against one another.
Natural disasters constantly befell the Temple and during the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Guang Xu attacked the Shao Lin Temple. With the aid of the Manchu army, the only thing that was left after the attack was a smouldering pile of rubble.
A dreadful reminder of the ill-effects of incorrect Feng Shui.
