The Monk Spade (月牙铲) is one of the most iconic and symbolic weapons in Shaolin and Chinese martial arts. 🧘‍♂️ Originally not a weapon of war, but a tool of compassion, the monk spade was carried by traveling monks to bury the dead they encountered and to ward off wild animals without killing them — reflecting Buddhist values of mercy and nonviolence. With its crescent blade on one end and flat spade on the other, it combines both ceremony and combat, making it one of the most challenging tradit