Muscle Tendon Changing Classic ( YIJIN JING ): The Treasure of Shaolin Kung Fu

Yijin Jing is an ancient manual that contains series of exercises that is left behind by the great Zen master Bodhidharma at Shaolin temple. Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5^th– 6^th century. It is said that he is the one who transmit Zen to China.

The word Yijin Jing in Chinese is a combination of the words YI (change), JIN (tendons and sinews), and JING (methods). As the name says Yijin Jing is a relatively intense form of exercise that will help to maintain a healthy body by strengthening the muscles and tendons. It is said that Bodhidharma created this exercise by combining the Indian Martial Art Kalarippayattu and Yoga and this exercise is said to be the key element of Shaolin’s physical conditioning.

Shaolin monks practice this exercise regularly to build their internal energy (QI) so the monks can improve their health by changing their bodies from weak to strong. This is the main reason Yijin Jing integrated into Shaolin martial arts so that the monks can improve their martial arts skills.

But it is believed that the true essence of Yijin Jing was lost in time because the manual was written in an Indian language which was not well understood by the monks in the temple. There is one legend that is one of the monks in the Shaolin temple decided to decipher the manual because he believed that the text contains valuable information more than simple self-defense technique. On his journey he finds an Indian monk named Pramati he examined the text but he can only able to partially translate the text.