This is because of the physics of the matter. The submarine is designed in a conical shape because that is the best shape for traveling at speed through liquids like water. Any other shape would cause the submarine to be harder to handle or travel inefficiently.
If the sub travels at a lesser rate of speed, it can be destroyed by faster moving enemy subs. If it has a different design it cannot maneuver quickly enough to defend itself against more maneuverable enemy subs. This subject of submarine design is all related to the matter of combat and combat functions.
Shaolin Kung Fu is taught by patterns, and the patterns are designed to travel through a different substance. The Shaolin forms are designed to travel through air, and with an eye to the effects of gravity. But such considerations do not limit the Shaolin master, but rather unlimit him.
The patterns of Temple Kung Fu, you see, are designed around the construction of the body, and the body can react to air and gravity in many different ways. The body of the Shaolin Master is trained to move in ways other than a human body. The body of the Shaolin Master can imitate the movements and behavior of a Mantis, or a dragon, or any other animal.
Thus, the limit of the environment is changed by the body that is traveling through it. And the body traveling through it is changed by the considerations of the being operating the body. And, the person operating the body can change how he uses it on a whim.
A submarine can never change, and if you built a submarine in a different shape, the submarine would not work. But Shaolin monks are built to assume a variety of shapes. The key is the mind.
The ability to change shape, to shift the way one moves, is possible through enhanced intelligence. To learn how to use the body in a variety of ways enhances the intelligence. It may have taken great intelligence to make a submarine, but a submarine can't do Shaolin kung fu, and will never be a Shaolin Master. - 31497
About the Author:
Al Case has analyzed shaolin more than 40 years. You can read about his sometimes bizarre but Always Unique Theories of Kung Fu by picking up a free ebook at Monster Martial Arts.
