What does "Shaolin" mean to you?

[HuangKaiVun]

What does "Shaolin" mean to you?

Is it just martial arts, is it religion, or is it nothing?

To me, "Shaolin" embodies a smooth way of living that seeks to get the most out of every moment.

This practice is facilitated by the constant and joyous practice of "Shaolin" kung fu, though any other art could be used in such a manner.

Shaolin kung fu opened my eyes to the other styles. Once my eyes were open to the other styles, opening my eyes to the rest of the world was not difficult.

[WongFeHung]

Shaolin=young forest, so to me, I see myself as a young forest, roots firmly entrenched in the earth,just starting my growth-but with potential to expand upward, reaching towards the heavans. Young trees are still growing, adjusting, settling, yet humble-"nothing is more humble than bamboo-the taller it grows, the deeper it bows"
The legacy of Shaolin is always inspiring to all martial artists, despite the comercialization of the temple today. I haven't been there yet, but I definately plan on going to both Temples (the one in Fukien seems to be becomming even more of a tourist trap than the northern one)just to be there, to touch the soil, breathe the air, and 'take in the vibe'-so to speak. To absorb the energy that was once Shaolin. There must be a tremendous spirit there still. I was at the opening of the Chung Yen Temple in NY, one of the largest Buddhist Temples in the USA, and despite the commercialization, there was a sense of awe that is indescribable.(to me, at least. To my fiance' who is Buddhist, well, frankly, she was disgusted!)

[CJ Max]

Shaolin is Kung Fu!
Kung Fu is Shaolin!
The Crane and the Tiger!

CJ Max

[HuangKaiVun]

Tentigers, do you teach Hung Gar?

I go to the Chuang Yen Monastery fairly often, and I think it's quite nice. I'm all for the commercialization of Buddhism, for Buddhism is about living well and not about attrition.

I'm less awed by the monuments and such than I am by the devotion of the monks and practitioners like myself.

[Ironpig]

I think that Shaolin has meant different things to me at different times of my practice.

At first it symbolized an ideal to strive for and a mystery of foreign culture.

As I practiced more, it came to mean more about my personal practice and carrying on a tradition of learning. I am less concerned with "kicking butt" as I am with mental health and right mindfullness and right practice.

Shaolin is more of a concept than a place, a Unicorn to pursue and understand.

Just a few pennies from a pig......

IronPig

[WongFeHung]

Huang, yes I do Hung Ga. In Huntington, L.I.

[WongFeHung]

I think the main Hall is breathtaking, and the Gwun Yum (Kuan-Yin) pavillion at the lake is serene-my personal favorite.(I only wish it were more secluded.)

[fiercest tiger]

to me it means money making and communist, wushu crap. sorry but thats what i means to me, ive been there 4 times, no more real kung fu in shaolin, the monks arent real and its all money making.

but i love my style! :D

peace

bakmeimonk@hotmail.com

[Black Fist]

Shaolin may not be what it was, but there is still an interesting feel when one approaches the main halls, the old paintings, the plaques etc....
That feeling of wow what it must have been like.

A Style is just that but shaolin is a beautiful temple of history that touches on every martial art even your own in some way or another. I mean a school that one studies in may not even be shaolin but some still use the shaolin name. That is how wonderful the shaolin name is, it is more of a way the past has affected our present, "we are today but from our thoughts of yesterday"

Shaolin is more akin to the spirit within.

[HuangKaiVun]

Tentigers, we know each other.

You'd know me if you saw me, though I no longer practice HG because I'm not attending our sifu's school.

If I recall, you had once competed in an internal forms tournament using the Tiet Sin form - to the consternation of the judges.

I'm using Kwong Wing Lam's Northern Shaolin video series now, but I do visit the HG school from time to time.

I'm practicing hard and will come by your school at some point.

[MonkeySlap Too]

Shaolin represents all long fist styles to me. Even the Muslim ones. The reason for this is that the term has been used by Chinese instructors that way for years. So this, to me, is the current meaning in relation to Shaolin martial arts.

[Lucky Red]

what shaolin Means to me
i think something my sifu told us the first Training he said that we where all like a young forest supporting one another and sometimes one tree rose above Others but that was only beacuse of the Support by the Other Trees something like that i really like that thought

Gentle Giant

[CJ Max]

Hi Lucky Red,

Do you know Shaolin Kung Fu?

CJ Max

[WongFeHung]

Feel free to come by any time! We're on 188 depot rd in Huntington Station NY, we have noon classes mon-thurs, and evening classes as well-ngoh-ge mo-gwoon, hai nei-ge mo-gwoon! (me casa-well, you get it,)Yes, I competed in internal division with the Iron Wire form-took second! The judges didn't quite know what to make of it. One told me, "I knew it was internal, but I didn't know what it was!" It was good to educate the judges, because most people look at Hung Kuen as purely external, and are not aware of the internal side.(frankly, I don't think it is external at all!)

[HuangKaiVun]

It was YOU who gave me advice to seek out the KWL videotapes, TenTigers.

I've grown by leaps and bounds as a martial artist, and I'll definitely stop by to see you - who were once my sifu.