Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 31 to 45 of 46

Thread: Please help, bit contraversial but i'd like honest opinions

  1. #31

    Buddhism is NOT a religion

    I saw you all discussing about what are "sins" in Buddhism. The true study of Buddhism is not a religion at all, it cannot have "sins".

    True Buddhism is the reality that life just "is". Buddhism has no sins, it has no label, and is most certainly not a religion.

    Buddhism defines the state that we are, to just "be". The moment you classify Busshism, or even if someone were to call themselves a Buddhist, then the entire purpose and what Buddhism means goes out the window.

    A brilliant book to read is "Sermon on the Mount" by Emmet Fox. He goes in depth about how Chrisitanity and Buddhism in their true states cannot be defined, as they are formless, and so most certaionly cannot be contained in any definition of what they are.

    Untouched, raw human emotion has no desire to hurt or kill. The only reason these things are required is because of "fear", out instinct to survive. Buddhism is about losing "unnatural" desires, to find our core emotion, which when unaffected sees no cause for fear, therefore no cause for violence.

    Yet at the same time, Buddhism absolutely accepts things we consider as "bad". Why? Because life just is.

    I believe kungfu is hindered so much in our day and age because we are always trying to "define" things, to give it "meaning" or "purpose". We fear not having things to hold on to. Take a look at what man has done to religion over time, he was so afraid of not having anything, that suddenly religions were over-run with rules, regulations, definitions. And to what effect? We as true being cannot live by rules, and because of this self-inflicted prison we have put ourselves in, we have become restless, violent, trapped.

    And the vicous cycle continues, because the more trapped we feel, the bigger the prison we make for ourselves. Once we realise and accept our own responsibility, the ket ot the prison door, then and only then can we be free.

    Kungfu was a tool to express freedom, form from formlessness, formlessness from form.

  2. #32
    "This amazing video will cover several never-before-revealed secrets of Combat Conditioning as well as the master keys to George W. Bush being able to stand proud and tall after defeating Saddam Hussein in a no-holds-barred fight. Order your copy today. Only $29.95 plus $7 S&H U.S. "

    http://www.bush-saddam.com/

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    monks

    I'm always amazed on how hung up people get on monks. Or any religious person, for that matter. Think about it for a bit. Have you ever really considered entering a monastery? What would have to be going on in your life for you to want to do that? Most people seem to beleive that people 'hear their calling' and leave it at that, but in reality, there's often much more going on. Before I had my kid, I seriously considered entering a monastery on several occasions. Accordingly, I have spent a lot of time doing intensive retreats and you meet the weirdest people in such places. Some are truly brilliant. Others are on the run. They're always interesting, but not always as holy as we'd like to believe. Just because you enter a monatery, you don't stop being human. If anything, you become more human, including all that is good, and more significantly here, all that is bad.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Posts
    5,492
    . Just because you enter a monatery, you don't stop being human. If anything, you become more human, including all that is good, and more significantly here, all that is bad.
    Thanks Gene, well said.


    I just like the statement "fake monk." It is as if they were holograms or something, kind of like saying fake breasts to me.....
    practice wu de


    Actually I bored everyone to death. Even Buddhist and Taoist monks fell asleep.....SPJ

    Forums are no fun if I can't mess with your head. Or your colon...
    uh-oh, I hope no one quotes me on that....Gene Ching

    I'm not Normal.... RD on his crying my b!tch left me thread

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    silicon

    For the longest time I used to say I was the real fake monk. Since everyone was claiming they were real monks and others were fake monks, I figured I should be the real fake monk. sometimes people still say I'm a monk, and I'm not. I do live near silicon valley, so maybe, in honor of np's fake breasts, I call myself the silicon monk.

    OK, that was a stretch, but it's better silicon than bulletproof....
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Where ever I Am; today, West Virginia, US of A, NA, N of EUdMexico
    Posts
    2,227
    Blog Entries
    1

    If you are still looking for thoughts

    "1. What do you guys think of barefoot zen?"

    I think it has a cute cover that I saw.

    "2. Buddhists, arn't they supposed to be non violent and yet they train with weapons etc..."

    I heard something relevant to this aren't they, do not kill? The death of many who would kill a hundred times more is saving the lives of those who surely would have died. Thus preserving life.

    There was a mention in a talkie, run before hurting. Hurt before maiming. Maim before killing. And if you have to kill...That's terrible, terrible...ah mi to fu~ The talkie this gist might be from is "Kung Fu."

    Use a Three-section-staff constantly moving without thinking and without getting hurt. Weapons require attention of the thoughts and improve coordination, perhaps even logical processes.

    "3. I'm currently reading an article called the 7 worlds of chan. So far the author made it pretty clear there was a hell a lot of buddhist corruption within china. Did the shaolin temple escape this corruption?"

    Even if there was corruption there corruption is lead by few who use good~ principles to get gains. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

    "4. It makes sense that many of our ideas about shaolin could stem from the nationlistic propaganda of the qing dynasty. Do you think this had any effect on modern day shaolin?"

    The Qing dynasty broke the stem of Kung-Fu in China and watched Shao-lin. It seemingly restricted development.

    "5. I can see how martial arts can give benefit as a form of physical exercise but the exercises described in barefoot zen seem even more suited to this goal of moving meditation. What do you think?"

    "He seemed to think current shaolin is a distortion of the truth which has been promoted by nationalistic chinese. In some ways it is all too easy to understand how and why this might happen too. Can anyone counter his arguments?"

    Counter not matter. His arguements might not matter. It is what it is. It was what it was. It is what it was. Propaganda and original intent. Even if both are referred to with a same name they are seperate. You have to listen to the propaganda, yet you can understand the truth~ and deal with that. No matter what is being promoted.

    Both could be true, so (needle and thread) there's no refuting and it doesn't matter. This point you bring might not be anything.-ish

    "Bandits and the like seems to be the usual reason for the monks to develop a martial art. Although it seems slightly inadequate for some reason. If shaolin was rich why couldn't they hire guards? If they were poor and self suffficient, why the target of bandits?"

    Shao lin was not the target of bandits as to why learn defense/fighting. Everyone was subject to bandits. And the monks were pick-off-able when they went Outside the temple~ for alms~ or supplies or whatever monks might be doing outside the monesyary/ temple. And if the monks get killed, then their beliefs practices can't spread~. Therefore dealing with bandit types is within promotion of perhaps almost whatever thoughts they were interested in sharing.

    People can be delusional. The greedy and desperate can speculate where to get gains and hard to convince otherwise. Monks are secretive. Some might feel only the rich keep to seclusion to hide their money. They see monks begging and think they scam a lot of money from begging and donations. Idols of gold... symbolic objects (jewel encrusted...)stereotypically people seemed to put more faith/belief value into whatever had great material value. (christian stuff made of gold...using precious jewels and metals people thought of it moreso as special-ish).

    Philosophies drove the country. Literature house strategies. Shao-lin perhaps had libraries -ish. People might have paid for these informations.

    If monks went wanderiung or even out of the monestary~ they might have to cross into highway person zones of ambush...no passage without payment...And people were killed because there were no immediate consequences and is caused people to be loyal by fear....theoretically perhaps.
    There are four lights...¼ impulse...all donations can be sent at PayPal.com to qumpreyndweth@juno.com; vurecords.com

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Where ever I Am; today, West Virginia, US of A, NA, N of EUdMexico
    Posts
    2,227
    Blog Entries
    1

    Borders: looked at the pictures and read some

    I think the author spoke of Kung-Fu and showed Karate. I think that the author wanted to sell a fresh perspective of Karate of the Push-hands claims.

    I don't think it looked like T'ai Chi Ch'uan push hands, which is the most common use of which I might be aware.

    I saw no White Crane Kung-Fu-ish. A Kata called related to White crane is not necessarily Kung-Fu White Crane (Perhaps it once resembled the Kata but something about being in China it got more fluid/picturesqe--the Japanese prefer Staight basics use now/looks menacing. Those forms seemd Japanese. Japanese is Not Chinese-ish. Shorin-Ryu might be Shaolin. But it's a Snap-shot--one fram in a progressive movie. Barefoot Zen seems to me so far, promotional/position gaining/recognition seeking-ish.

    Kara-te Is basics-ish of Chinese works at the time~ perhaps. Japan is an Island. China is a major portion of Half a continent~.

    The Japanese take a little information and look at it's parts an study libraries worth on All the little parts-ish. Karate did not have the leisure of China to advance the basics. The author is mixing things up. Saying Shao-lin as if Shaolin for all time when actually merely Shaolin for a Wee Small Point in The totality of Shao-lin.

    The hands were not Chinese named. A page with six hands in the book and four in the website. The ones called dragon are in Chinese Mantis or Crane. All the hands refer to grappling (breaking grabs--a juijitsu thing (jujitsu is a Japanese training--again Not Kung-Fu as with which I was baited-ish).

    He talks of these Japanese things it seems, wants to include push hands in Shori-Ryu Karate, and names the hands that have Chinese callings something I have not ever heard them called.

    I hope the slight redundancy gets across at least some of what about which you might have been wondering.

    I should look again at the specific questions you mentioned (that I didn't address~) and others you might have at least as a result of this post. He had a lot to say and it was informational, biased in some way (perhaps),...

    I mentioned the inconsistancies to me. I hope I was somewhat on target with at least some of your wonder.~
    Last edited by No_Know; 06-12-2003 at 07:50 PM.
    There are four lights...¼ impulse...all donations can be sent at PayPal.com to qumpreyndweth@juno.com; vurecords.com

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Chandler (Phoenix), Arizona
    Posts
    1,078
    Practicing with weapons and actually practicing to KILL OR MAIM with weapons are two different things.

    Just because you swing a halberd around doesn't mean that you're training to gut somebody with it. To this point, I have not heard of Shaolin monks beating each other up with bamboo shinai or chopping through logs to hone their fighting skills.

    Something that people forget is that today's Shaolin kung fu bears little resemblance to old school Shaolin kung fu. In the 80s, the Chinese government brought in several Cantonese martial experts from the US (e.g. Frank Yee of Tang Fung Hung Ga) to teach "Shaolin" kung fu back to the monks. But if you look at the old frescoes of Shaolin kung fu at the temple, it bears little resemblance to the wushu longfist practiced at the temple today.

    Keep in mind that Shaolin kung fu, throughout history, has helped its monks become more openminded by incorporating other kung fu styles. This reality is still true today.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Where ever I Am; today, West Virginia, US of A, NA, N of EUdMexico
    Posts
    2,227
    Blog Entries
    1
    It seems that swinging a kwan dao won't gut one person ,just. It can gut several people as the kwan dao downand maintainedfor a bit at gut level.

    Hitting logs with kwan dao eventually ruins the kwandao perhaps. Practice enough like that and there's no good weapons around when the fight actually gets there. Hitting the log also has a different occurance than hitting a person. Control can be exhibited to cut/gash a person and keep momentum. Not so well and not like with a person a log

    But I liked the closing of your last post HuangKaiVun. And I think it's interesting that you instruct in what you came up with. that might be interesting to get ideas of what withwhich you came-up.
    There are four lights...¼ impulse...all donations can be sent at PayPal.com to qumpreyndweth@juno.com; vurecords.com

  10. #40
    Here is a thought that I had on this subject, and it would be interesting to hear other's thoughts. Isn't the intent, weather monk or not, of someone practicing a martial art that is in essence shao lin, doing so to obtain a certain balance? In other words, hasn't this person chosen a certain path towards enlightenment through martial arts? If that is the premise, then this person would have released quite a bit of karma. If a person attacks someone who has acheived balance with the intent to kill them, wouldn't he/she by virtue be an imbalancing force? So, would there be a kind of compassion from the "neutral" person by striking back with the same intent? Ultimately, this would equalize the gains and losses of karma to restore balance to yin and yang, no?

    Is this just new age bs? Is there validity to those who are well versed budhists regarding this line of thinking?

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    HKV

    Actually, there are plenty of Shaolin monks and folk masters (non-monks) who have preserved the traditional Shaolin. In fact, Taguo prides itself on looking exactly like those frescos, especially their qixing. People always blow off the local folk masters, but they are the real key to traditional Shaolin. Shaolin always does exchanges and always has, still does, so it's not so much that it is reteaching - it's more of sharing. What's more, the internal temple forms and high level Shaolin stuff looks nothing like the Canton stuff.

    As for killing, well, that's a fine paradox of zen, ain't it? If you're going to be 'in the moment' what better place than in combat? The Japanese really took this to a whole new level with warrior zen. You need only study Manjushri to see the a sword can mean many things. Killing need not be so literal. It can be symbolic of killing delusion. But at the same time, it can be literal if you beleive in icchantikas.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Chandler (Phoenix), Arizona
    Posts
    1,078
    Then I want to see their applications of their moves.

    If they really look like the frescos (and I'm not doubting you), then chances are that they have the combat mentality to boot.

    That said, my impression of old-school Shaolin kung fu is something that looks an awful lot like modern day NHB combat, but with much dirtier "illegal" moves.

  13. #43
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fukui, Fukui, Japan
    Posts
    254
    It is also known as "Enter the 36th chamber " in the States. It was a very good movie. "Fist of the white lotus" is also good.
    For traditional kung fu go to http://www.taishingpekkwar.com

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    HKV

    Taguo produces many of the best fighters in Shaolin. They've bred several national sanda champs and the bulk of their graduates go into the military or police. Of the schools at Shaolin now, I'd venture to say that Taguo is the most militant, but you have to be when you have thousands of students under one roof, so to speak.

    I wouldn't say trad. shaolin looked like modern NHB. Despite the comment no holds barred, few people die in the practice, so obviously many holds are barred. How can you have an illegal move and say no holds barred at the same time? Perhaps they've been choked out one too many times... Biting, eye gouges, vital point striking, joint breaking, that kind of stuff you don't see anywhere but in the traditional stuff, shaolin or otherwise really. But taking that into account, I agree with what your saying, sort of. Shaolin can be a vicious killing art. Many of the trad. moves are real killers.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  15. #45
    Thanks weightvest. My thinking has been a little scattered today and you brought me back to the place I want to be.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •