Karate is said to have originated with Bodhidharma an Indian Buddhist monk. Bodhidharma travelled to the lands of the Liang Dynasty in China around 1,400 years ago, a very far and challenging journey across towering mountains, dark valleys and mighty rivers.

It was whilst in China he lectured Emperor Wu of Liang about Buddhism and whilst there spent nine years gazing at a wall in meditation in a Shaolin monastery in Henan Province. After his death, Bodhidharma is said to have been burried at the foot of Bear Ear Mountain. Some time later temple priests were carrying out repairs, discovered an engraved chest at the site of the wall that Bodhidharma had spent nine years gazing.

In the chest were two texts:

• The Marrow Cleansing Sutra ( cleansing of the mind, so its true light may shine )
• The Muscle Modifying Sutra ( refers to the training of the body to achieve exceptionally strong sinews )

In Karate, there are two styles of Shorin-ryu ( Shorinji-ryu ) and Shorei-ryu. Each of these two styles has its own distinctive character. Shorei-ryu adopted the text of the Muscle Modifying Sutra, whilst Shorei-ryu places emphasis on the spirit.

It was whilst Bodhidharma was teaching his students that he realised the path to enlightenment neccessitated training to cultivate physical and mental fortitude. It takes an iron mind to forge an iron body and through toughing ones body informs the mind. It was at this point that Karate was born.