What does kung fu mean?

Kung fu is actually means time and effort. It is about the time and effort it takes to master anything. You could have kung fu in your job, your parenting skills, your martial arts and even in washing the dishes. So really all of life can be put into the label of kung fu. Shao lin is young forest. It refers to the forest where the Shao Lin temple was built, a forest. The monks at the temple trained in kung fu in all the areas of their lives. They trained to a ridiculous extent and to train children the way they did then now would be considered child abuse. I will talk some about the training that I know about later. Jackie Chan said in his autobiography I am Jackie Chan that when he was a boy training for opera that he had to be up at 4 in the morning and that he was not allowed to use the bathroom until lunch time. The teachers thought on the matter was if the students weren't sweating out the urine they weren't working hard enough. He was also beaten with rattan if he was to go to the bathroom before lunch time. Now I am clear that Jackie Chan is in no way a Shao lin monk however I tell this story to illustrate the intensity of the training in China even outside of the Shao Lin temple and if the training was that intense outside of the temple for something such as opera you can imagine how intense it was inside of the temple when their lives and spiritual beliefs on the line. So I am inviting you to take on practicing kung fu in your life. Imagine what it would be like if you were simply committed to doing whatever it took to master those things that are important to you. What if you were masterful at your job? What if you were masterful at listening to your spouse/significant other. Of course this line of thought applies to the martial arts as well and that is a great place to begin your journey in kung fu, even if your art isn't "kung fu"