Learning martial arts is far more than just learning combat skills; it is an education of personality and mind. Lifelong, conscious training of martial arts is a unique way of improving one's own personality.
The philosophical basis of Shaolin Kung Fu is Chan Buddhism. Tai Chi is rooted in Daoism.

The Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama (later referred to as Buddha, "the Awakened One") is the founder of Buddhism. He lived from 536 BCE until about 483 BCE in northern India. At an early age, he realised that obtaining wealth and luxuries is no guarantee for happiness. So he tried to find the true nature of human happiness. After years of living as an ascetic and meditating he finally reached enlightenment at the age of 35. He spent the rest of his life teaching his disciples the theories of Buddhism.

Buddhism spread all over Asia and different branches developed such as Theravada in Southeast Asia, Mahayana in Central and East Asia and Vajrayana in the Himalayan region. Chan Buddhism derived from Mahayana.

Buddhism is fundamentally different from a religion in the Western understanding. In its original tradition there is neither an almighty god nor an eternal soul. The highest achievement of Buddhists is to be freed from the compulsive cycle of samsara and thus to reach nirvana.

The so called "Four Noble Truths" form the core of Buddhist teaching:

• Dukkha - Life is suffering.
• Samudaya - Suffering results from greed, hate and conceit.
• Nirodha - If the roots of suffering will be extinguished, suffering itself will be extinguished.
• Magga - The "Noble Eightfold Path" is the way to the end of all suffering.

In China, Chan Buddhism evolved through a fusion of Mahayana with Daoism and Confucianism. Its tradition was founded by the Indian monk Boddhidharma who lived at Shaolin 1500 years ago. Chan Buddhism's focus lies on meditation as the means to enlightenment. Rigorouos physical training is regarded as a central element in order to keep body and mind fresh and vivid.

Daoism is a Chinese philosophy and religion. Its origins cannot be exactly traced back; as is widely believed its beginnings lie in the 4th or 3rd century BCE.

It is not easy to find the exact meaning of Dao (or Tao). The original meaning of the word is "way". In classical Chinese, however, the term also stands for "method", "principle" or "the right way". Laozi on the other hand uses dao in the sense of "secret" or even "the secret's even deeper secret", something that is based in everything, that flows through everything and that cannot be put into words, since it is beyond common awareness. Laozi is the best known philosopher of Daoism. He is regarded as the author of the Dao De Jing ("The Scripture of the Path and the Virtue") and is said to have lived in the 6th century BCE.

Daoism knows a huge number of gods and religious rituals as well as different ways of meditation.

According to Daoist teaching, a vital energy, the qi, flows through our bodies and the whole universe. This qi is the prerequisite for all life and is in a state of eternal change. If this flow of energy is somehow obstructed, the results can be illness or even death. The idea of emptiness plays an important role. Laozi explained that the use of a vessel consists of its emptiness – just like the dao, which is empty and inexhaustible at the same time. If man can reach an inner state of emptiness and silence he is capable of realising that everything has a common origin to which it all returns
Another principle of Daoism is the realisation that in every existing thing there are two contrary principles working: one male (yang) and one female (yin).