The Shaolin Ideal

[kwaichang]

The priest had he been Shaolin would have allowed the thieves to take what they wanted. The hurting of someone due to the posession of physical objects is wrong on so many levels. The Ideal is to transend the "humanness" of life and progress along the spiritual path. Through Chan/ Christianity or other Spiritual endevors. The Shaolin MA were in my opinion a growth out of a need so as to attain a higher spiritual level. The mind and Body are one , one cannot be disciplined without the other, otherwise there is an imbalance of the Chi and life itself.
So : through time the arts were formed there is a good book called The Bodhisatva Warriors , it is good reading and may but some insight into this subject.
I am asked how can one learn an art to Kill and be a Christian or Buddhist I answer " I train to not kill". That always confuses them. Be in the moment. KC

[The Xia]

Shaolin temple has a long history of combat. Defense against bandits was actually a common use of martial ability. Shaolin monks also excelled on the battlefields.

[kwaichang]

We are talking the Shaolin Ideal . I feel the Ideal does not necessarily need combat or fighting to achieve. Training of body yes. Originally the I Ji Ching were taught not Combat of fighting techniques, those were introduced later . Why who knows society I guess. The concepts of Buddhism and Shaolin can be achieved thus w/o combat or fighting/ martial arts KC

[Shaolin Wookie]

The shaolin ideal is adaptation, self-improvement, and tradition.

It's decidently anti-stagnation.

It's not one thing. It's not the other.

It's everything (including wushu....sorry guys)...

[Shaolin]

Just as there is no one magical end all master killer technique, there is no one Shaolin ideal to explain everything. It is through the physical movements of Shaolin martial arts that we can discover these ideals. Every step, every stance, every punch, every kick is valuable. Every theory, every conception, every technique is equally important. All are interchangeable, all intertwine, all can be boiled down to one simplistic form. Keep training, if your heart desires all answers will be revealed with patients.