Shaolin Monk status

Question for the board.

Has any forgeiner ever been awarded the status of Shaolin Monk?

In japanese arts there are top students, like Shihan rank in some systems but I'm relatively new to the chinese systems.

Respectfully,

Brian

I do not know what race the guy is, but there is an article in the new issue of Black Belk magazine that talks about how a guy went to train with the Shaolin Monks. I am not sure if he was granted the title of one, however.

I know of many non-Chinese Buddhist monks,
the title means only that you are a practicing Monk of the sect. Not all Shao-lin
Monks train in the CMA.

Ric Wu

I don't believe non-chinese are allowed to be ordained as Shaolin Monks. They can be taken on as deciples though, which just means they studied wushu at Shaolin Temple or from a Shaolin Monk.

Well my thoughts:

Odd, why are chinese allowed to be monks and none others. I think its kinda wrong. If some one puts in the time and has the spirit I think they should become Shaolin. Letting others not join their ranks, then the whole Shaolin community loses.

What is taught at the temple? It's wushu? What kind of wushu, the showy or combative?

Thanks

Brian

The monks are all amateur level chinese wushu athletes, but I've heard they spar. Wushu is both flashy and combative.

Didn't Shaolin monks journey over to America to spread Shaolin teachings? There is supposedly an Overseas Headquarters here.

I've heard of something like that being so in Holland also.

I would think if they came to spread Shaolin outside of China they would be willing to give non-Chinese the status of "monk".

Brad since when are Wushu athletes taught to break rocks with only one finger? and since when have Wushu athletes practiced chi kung?

I'm no expert, but from what I've seen on documentaries I find comments like that to be just silly and unfounded.

I just read an article saying that Shi Guolin just opened the first official Shaolin Temple branch in New York, so they might start giving "monk" status to others. You also have to remember that the Shaolin Temple is controlled by the Chinese government so who knows. If anyone is really interested, the article has contact info for the Overseas Headquarters in New York: Phone(718)359-1791, E-mail Guolin@Juno.com, Web www.shaolin-overseas.org
Hope this helps answear some questions :-)

All I've seen on the documentaries are parlor tricks and wushu forms. So some of them can smash things, big deal. So can pro wrestlers. I have practiced qigong and so does the Beijing wushu team. I love the Shaolin Monks and think their martial arts is fantastic and I don't see why their practicing wushu seems so threatening to you. Wushu being strictly a perfomance art is a MYTH!

Its not threatening. :P

Most people seem to refer a dancing art and not a fighting art when they say Wushu. So I had to disagree.

I don't think either of us can prove those being parlors tricks or not, but I'd like to think they gained some kind of talents through constant practice.

Isn't that ONE of the main factors that seperates the dancing arts from the fighting arts? Being able to "smash things". That's why I mentioned it.

Wrestlers smash cans and household objects on their heads. I wouldn't compare that to busting big stones and bricks on their heads.

I have witnessed one test of human endurance, performed by a professional wrestler, of which I DARE any man - Monk or Mantis to partake in. Just the thought of this vile test gives me the creeps...

Here's the link -
www.slimjim.com

Humbly / IM

oh my hehehe

In China, "wushu" means what we call kung fu. WE call the flashy, new style of tournament art wushu, but kung fu was called wushu by the chinese hundreds of years ago. In the temple, they teach and study traditional wushu (kung fu, gong fu). Some also learn the newer stuff, too. The people who go to Shaolin as tourists prefer seeing the flashy new stuff...so that is what the monks and deciples show them, most of the time. Then you get tourists who come home and say absurdities, such as the monks are rich (LOL), cant do trad. kung fu, arent really monks, etc... it's just comical. As for foreign monks...I doubt any foreigner has had a good command of mandarin, and has been interested in devoting his life to the study and transmission of Chan (Zen)...and at that temple. However, perhaps Shaolin doesn't give that title to foreigners. Make one call and find out.
What is taught at Shaolin? To whom? Monks? foreigners? For one month or 25 years? Call them and ask. As far as documentaries...I have seen modern, tournament forms and martial forms that are hundreds of years old.

Modern wushu mearly refers to anyone who uses modern wushu training tecniques as a base for their martial arts. You can still be a modern wushu artist without giving up your traditional style. Many of the pro wushu players are also excellent at traditional styles too. Also as for my remark about the monks being amatuer wushu athletes it's true. If they were good enough they would have been placed on pro teams by the government at a young age.
Almost every form I have seen practiced by the monks are new forms created after the creation of modern wushu using what was considered to be the best aspects of each style.
I do agree that it's hillarious that anyone would say the monks are rich. And the monks are legal monks certified by the government. But I can see why someone would claim that they aren't true monks if even half of what I've heared about their behavoir is true. And it hasn't helped anyones view of the monks that there are all kinds of phoney shaolin monks touring around the world. I do like what Shi Goulin is doing in New York by opening up a legitament branch of the Shaolin Temple.