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All our knowledge merely helps us to die a more painful death than the animals who know nothing – Maurice Materling Death – painful in more ways than one. The ancient Chinese Shaolin monks developed a unique form of ‘Kung Fu’. Shaolin Kung Fu was the root of all eastern martial arts. The Shaolin art came about from observation of animals, and the incorporation of all defensive and attacking moves the animal made. Thus, forms or series of movements were named ‘The Tiger’, ‘The Monkey’ or ‘The Praying Mantis’. In practising this form of Kun Fu, the monks believed it would lead to inner harmony. Healthy body, healthy mind, healthy soul. The Shaolin monks had a deep respect for the animal kingdom – they held nature and its constituents in high regard. The monks existed to perform their martial arts meditation – it was a form of prayer. From this small example, we can glean a salient notion that some humans realise that the animal existence is the epitome of harmonious life. Animals, who ‘know nothing’, seem to live a life of relative peace, and die in a natural way. Why did the Shaolin monks not model their martial art on a conceived human idea? It may be because they realised that humani