As Shaolin Martial Art originated from the Buddhism, so it is influenced by the thought of no killing living things and emphasizes the purpose of practice martial art is to keep healthy and strong body and to practice Zen Buddhism. Meanwhile, it is forbidden to pick a quarrel and make trouble. Shaolin Temple takes cautious consideration on the inheritance of martial art by the outsiders. If a secular disciple wants to learn the Shaolin Martial Art, he or she must pass several strict examinations on moral integrity and characters. It says that monk Jueyuan once established Ten Commandments in Shaolin Temple. Among them, there is a rule states that one should endure humiliation in order to carry out the life saving assignment and should not show up the martial art easily. So the martial monks are restrained by the Zen's commandments to respect the teacher and avoid the wine and woman. Although these commandments are mostly set for the martial monk, they somehow influenced the secular disciples in some extent.

As the martial monks in Shaolin Temple only practice the martial art to protect themselves, so Shaolin Martial Art often reveals the character of being restrained and humble. The martial techniques are in subtle style, with short movement range and practical skills. It emphasizes the inner power and to gain the upper hand behind the opponent. The names of the martial movements also indicate the influence of the Zen Buddhism on Shaolin Martial Art on the level of ideology.

As to the names of the movements and techniques, many weapons are named after famous Buddhist masters, such as Bodhidharma Rod, Bodhidharma Spade and Arhat Fists, etc, which fully reveals the monks' strong belief and profound understanding on martial art. In several skilled movement, the influence of the Zen Buddhism can still be sensed, such as the mettled horse movement in Dahong Fists which indicates the posture to place the left hand at the waist and the right hand in front of the chest like paying respect to the Buddha. Clearly, even in the fight, Shaolin Martial Art still maintains a respectful and peaceful mind. (Essay: Liu Tao)