The Tibetan Lama Style Martial Art has a long history. It is believed that the art had been practised by Tibetan Buddhist monks (lamas) in the monasteries for health and self-defence for centuries. The boxing art of the Tibetan Lama Style has its stressed laid on the techniques of attack and defence. Unlike the common exercises in external martial techniques, the purpose of its exercises are orientated towards the cultivation of one’s internal martial techniques. This is developed by the means of looking and thinking and applying the mind while using correct breathing techniques.

However, there is now no official record to establish when and by whom the art was first developed.

The following history that has been passed down this lineage of the Lama Style is in regards to a Tibetan Lama Monk named Atatuojun i.e. “Data Lama” who is from the period of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) who may have developed or further developed the Lama Style Martial Art.

Atatuojun was an eminent monk who had a good mastery of the Tibetan Buddhist doctrine. When he was cultivating himself in remote maintains, he used to see various birds and beasts fighting with each other for survival. He gradually realized boxing principals from the phenomena and then created the boxing techniques such as the Eight Fists, Eight Kicks, Eight Steps, Eight Catches, Eight Fingers and Eight Throws etc. He then realized the eight-character true essence meaning “striking at nothing but arties and veins and rushing the hands out by keeping the body away”.

It is believed that what Atatuojun had developed was in fact called the “Lions Roaring Boxing”. Since the inception it has been handed down from generation to generation of Lamaists with its contents becoming richer and richer. The Lama Style became prominent in the middle of the “Qing Dynasty” (1644 – 1911).