The Shaolin Grandmasters Text

[gwa sow]

they have this book at the Borders by my house. It looks nice, hardcover and glossy black. But thats were it stops. I glanced through it and was not happy with it. I didn't read too much on the history just went to the martial arts section. um......... dont spend the money. please dont spend the money. there was stuff on choy lay fur, mantis dragon, and a few others but didn't see any ( again i didn't read everypage, just looked through it) stuff that was supposed to be shaolin - lohan, hong boxing, cannon fist, taizu or anything else like that. They might have worked hard on it but i wouldn't recomend it.

[richard sloan]

hmmm....orthodoxy of transmission....still gives us NO right to judge others or their work.

Well that is where you are wrong. If I am a painter under Tintoretto, and another comes along and claims to be such, and he never was, I have the authority vested in my transmission to say, no...this painter is not of the school of Tintoretto because of A, B, C, and D.

Anyways if a book makes you smirk (in sarcasm that is) and ask questions then I believe it is doing it's job. And if it was bogus why argue on it? Dismiss it and keep on walking *shrugs*. I have said it and written it countless times...truth is truth no matter where one looks to....so be ever aware because truth usually comes from the most unlikliest of places. Yes, even from a book that is being trashed as I post.

Bridge For Sale. Serious inquiries only, scenic location. Needs a little work. Excellent toll potential. Send SASE for details.

[dimmakseminar]

Dear Readers:

After much research, the name of the writer of this text can now be revealed.


The author is
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Just a Guy that goes by the name of Gen Kwan.


That is all.


Anonymously Yours,

*************

[LaterthanNever]

I've read it an while some of it seems fairly interesting..I have to admit to raising a serious eyebrow at some of the claims made about many of the styles.

Does anyone else have any thoughts? Thanks.

[LFJ]

toss it...

[MasterKiller]

Should be called "A bunch of white guys in Seattle watched too much Kung Fu the series on tv as kids and wrote a book."

[TenTigers]

is that the Black hardcover book? Nicely printed, bound and published.
I received it for free from the writers I guess. They must've sent one to all the Kung-Fu schools. It makes a good doorstop.

[nolte13]

Thats the funny thing about that book: It is nicely published with illustrations and all of that...but its still a giant steaming pile of s***.

So its a nicely covered, giftwrapped, bound and picture filled box of crap.

[David Jamieson]

Proof that you can shellac sh1t onto a shingle and sell it!

what tedious garbage this book is.

good kindling though.

[SimonM]

I've read it an while some of it seems fairly interesting..I have to admit to raising a serious eyebrow at some of the claims made about many of the styles.

Does anyone else have any thoughts? Thanks.

Haven't seen the book. My question, regarding the claims made about styles, does it cite any primary sources or any reputable secondary sources or does it just say "this is how it is" with no actual proof?

[tattooedmonk]

...but the anonymity thing is really odd. Legitimacy resides not within the name but within the work.

I am really confused as to why it is that everyone is embracing the negative and disregarding the positive . I thought we were supposed to embrace the positive and disregard the negative.

I am not saying ignore it but, if it does not follow what it is that someone believes why say it is BS?

Everyone has the right to practice and teach things with their own flavor and create their own traditions.

It is funny how if things do not fall or coincide with ones beliefs ,how quickly they are to dismiss it.

I have the book and read it . There are discrepencies but ,isnt there in everything, depending on the sources??

If you read the book you will find that 1/2 if not 2/3rds of what is in there is right on with everything else that is written about shaolin. They just have their own traditions.

[David Jamieson]

Reiterating something that is known from other sources, and then lacing those knowns with your own set of directives that in turn back an agenda to make money is not exactly on the up and up.

It has nothing to do with embracing positives or negatives, it has to do with calling a spade a spade.

So, there are many who will not support the actions of the producers of this book and there are many others that will continue to be duped with the "traditions" associated with the people who put together said book.

Maybe I'm not so forgiving, so what, who cares, that's my tradition. At least I'm not anonymous about it.

[SimonM]

I Everyone has the right to practice and teach things with their own flavor and create their own traditions.

It is funny how if things do not fall or coincide with ones beliefs ,how quickly they are to dismiss it.

I have the book and read it . There are discrepencies but ,isnt there in everything, depending on the sources??

If you read the book you will find that 1/2 if not 2/3rds of what is in there is right on with everything else that is written about shaolin. They just have their own traditions.

The question is not one of "truthiness" (to quote a colbertism) but rather one of factuality. What I am asking is not "gee it's wierd the authors want annonymity, why?" it is "is what the authors assert factually verifiable?"

[Sal Canzonieri]

These people in Seattle have been sued in court over 20 years ago for fraud.
They keep restarting over and over.
Now they are publishing.
Its a book of pure baloney, just like their schools were.
I saw video tapes of some of their students fighting back in the early 80s, it was laughable "animal" positions like in the movies. All you had to do was step up and punch them out, they left their center lines wide open while they did funny animal hand positions with their arms above and behind them. Very silly!

[David Jamieson]

Gene should sue them too for ripping off materials from his writings over the years, re wording it, embellishing and putting it out for a profit.

"village boxing" for instance. lol