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Thread: Shaolin Journeys

  1. #46
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    Check out our latest ezine article

    Gene Ching
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  2. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    Interesting to see the mainland Wushu schools capitalizing on Wing Chun by offering tuition originating from 'Cen Neng' (??) paired with Bajiiquan.

    Gene, can you confirm that this name is the same as 'Sum Nung'?
    Ti Fei
    詠春國術

  3. #48
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    Interesting observation

    I didn't put that together. Let me see if I can get the Chinese characters from the author. Can you post the Chinese characters for Sum Nung?
    Gene Ching
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  4. #49
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    http://www.wingchunkuen.com/modules....content&tid=89

    I just checked Renes site and it does look like it IS Sum Nung lineage but if you could confirm that would be great.
    Ti Fei
    詠春國術

  5. #50
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    wow! that old lady doing the virgin work is outstanding!
    Kung Fu is good for you.

  6. #51
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    ttt

    nice perspective.
    Life
    Shaolin's kungfu strikes some as commercialized, but I get a kick out of it
    By Karl Arney (China Daily)
    Updated: 2011-06-16 08:09

    China's vast assortment of historic temples is enough to impress just about anyone, but Westerners in particular are often drawn to them for the simple fact that we have nothing like them back home.

    That said, though, it's understandable that after seeing a few and spending enough time in China, the magic of new temple experiences can sometimes fade. Beautiful as many are, once the initial exotic novelty wears off, so too can the excitement.

    As it happens, one of the country's most famous and divisive, Dengfeng's Shaolin Temple, is located in my backyard. Having been there twice now, I've had a chance to experience it with the wide eyes of a new temple-goer and the more jaded eyes of someone two years into his China stay.

    Shaolin is many things to many people in the West, but its original role as the early center of Chinese kungfu remains its greatest claim to fame across the world.

    In spite of this, I've heard a number of critics dismiss the 5th-century landmark as having been "Disney-fied", which is to say it has been changed and commercialized to cash in on its famous name.

    Going there today, these dueling reputations are on full display before you even step foot on the temple grounds.

    Shaolin's kungfu strikes some as commercialized, but I get a kick out of it

    Driving into Dengfeng, you get the feeling that the city is one immense training ground for some kind of kungfu army. Martial arts schools line the roads and seem to always have students practicing their craft in the yards, which makes for interesting sightseeing.

    On reaching the outside of Shaolin Temple, however, you're greeted by a giant electronic billboard advertising what waits inside, followed by a massive stretch of merchandise shops. This is not something one expects to see when visiting an ancient kungfu temple. Even on my first visit, this struck me as strange.

    Were this another temple, that kind of commercialism might validate the critics. But Shaolin has a few things working in its favor that help transcend their complaints.

    In terms of what is actually there, the temple grounds have some excellent kungfu displays and performances.

    On a given day, a visitor can see people balancing on spears, throwing needles through glass and into balloons, breaking metal bars over their heads, and much more, as well as some fun combat reenactments and weapons displays.

    But Shaolin truly has a special place in the heart of many Americans because of its long-standing place in our cult-culture, having enthralled multiple generations with its legend.

    A big part of that comes from a 1970s TV show called, simply, Kung Fu.

    It focused on a Shaolin monk roaming around the US' West of the 1800s, solving problems and imparting Eastern philosophy to those he encountered. If the plot sounds a bit silly, the show itself was done quite well, and many - from my dad to my college roommate - remember it fondly.

    Shaolin was tied to another generation of American culture in the 1990s when it was championed by the massively successful New York hip-hop group the Wu Tang Clan.

    Wu Tang comprised nine rappers who shared a love of old Shaolin kungfu movies and often began their hard-edged songs with spoken clips from those films. To many of my generation, Wu Tang and all things Shaolin are almost synonymous.

    Devoid of certain context, the Shaolin Temple could arguably be seen as a tourist trap with some fun kungfu shows and not much else to distinguish it from the many others scattered across China.

    But for my money, any place I can visit that can turn both my Dad and arguably the greatest rap collective of the '90s green with envy is always going to be a winner.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
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  7. #52
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    Photo gallery

    There's a dozen pix on xinhuanet about this. Some amusing photos. Follow the link.
    U.S. kungfu fans visit Shaolin Temple in Henan Province
    English.news.cn 2011-06-29 19:54:38


    A monk performs kungfu for the visiting U.S. martial art fans and other tourists in the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng City of central China's Henan Province, June 29, 2011. A group of more than 70 Shaolin kungfu fans from a U.S. Shaolin kungfu center on Wednesday visited the Shaolin Temple, the ancient Chinese monastery famed for its Buddhist traditions and kungfu. (Xinhua/Wang Song)

    Gene Ching
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  8. #53
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    quick, take a picture.

    shaolin d'oh?

  9. #54
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    Not quite a warrior's journey...

    ...but the political implications are fascinating.

    Mozambique president calls for co-op with central China province on agriculture, trade
    English.news.cn 2011-08-15 14:22:39

    ZHENGZHOU, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique is willing to promote cooperation with China's Henan Province on agriculture and trade , said Mozambique President Armando Emilio Guebuza during his visit to Henan.

    Guebuza arrived in the most populous province in central China on Saturday and met with Governor Guo Gengmao and Vice Governor Shi Jichun.

    During his visit, Guebuza attended the business seminar on economic and trade cooperation between China (Henan) and Mozambique, and visited an agricultural research and development center.

    He also visited the Shaolin Temple, a Buddhist monastery well known for its martial arts school, or Shaolin Kung Fu, where he watched the performance of Shaolin Kung Fu by Shaolin monks.

    During his stay in China, he had talks with President Hu Jintao, and also met with top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao, respectively.

    Guebuza also flew to China's southern city of Shenzhen to attend the opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Universiade on Friday.

    After the visit to Henan, Guebuza returned to Beijing on Monday morning.
    Gene Ching
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  10. #55
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    Charlie Hunnam

    I suppose this could go in our Celebrities studying martial arts? thread, but I'm always partial to our Shaolin forum here.

    Charlie Hunnam `to live at the Shaolin Temple`
    By Lee Brown Sep 15, 2011, 4:37 GMT

    'Sons of Anarchy' star Charlie Hunnam spotted out at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. He was walking into the 'Bing' bar to meet reported girlfriend Liv Tyler who was inside. - Splash News

    'Sons of Anarchy' star Charlie Hunnam spotted out at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. He was walking into the 'Bing' bar to meet reported girlfriend Liv Tyler who was inside. - Splash News

    Actor Charlie Hunnam is taking a break from acting to live at the Shaolin Temple.

    Despite his best success ever with TV hit The Sons Of Anarchy, fitness fanatic Charlie is packing his bags and heading to the mountains in China.

    'There are four hours of silent meditation a day and eight hours of kung fu and weapons training,' he told Men's Fitness magazine, appearing shirtless on the cover.

    'I want to switch my mind off for a while and get centered.'

    Charlie - who admits to keeping a machete in his office - revealed that he had first turned to martial arts, learning boxing as a kid, after getting 'a couple of really good beatings' growing up in England.

    Having moved from Newcastle to the Lake District early in his childhood when his parents split, the 31-year-old says, 'I was a city kid in a country environment, and I got a couple of real good beatings. Five or six guys just slamming me.'
    Gene Ching
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  11. #56
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    Songshang Mountains

    I'm posting this here as it has some travel info at the end.
    The Irish Times - Saturday, September 24, 2011
    Kung fu temple is a big hit in China
    CLIFFORD COONAN

    YOUNG MEN spring through the air, performing elegant punches and kicks, while others bound across the dirt, swords flashing through the misty air. This is the Shaolin temple where kung fu was born 1,500 years ago, in the Songshang Mountains of central China.

    In one ancient tree in the temple there are dozens of small dents, where warrior monks practiced finger punches over the centuries. Now it is a place of pilgrimage for martial arts enthusiasts and Zen Buddhists, and thousands of young people who study kung fu, or wushu as it is known in China, in schools around the temple.

    The commercial success of the temple has some monks shaking their heads, as they believe the commercial success of Shaolin threatens its spiritual peace. One monk said he was leaving after decades at the temple to take up life as a hermit in the mountains of eastern China.

    “There are internal conflicts here, and it’s complicated. When I came here it was very shabby, and it has improved a lot. But I don’t think this is a place for religion anymore,” he says.

    Many others are inspired by the Shaolin kung fu tradition. Kung fu is the epitome of martial arts, and practitioners say other fighting arts – including karate – originated from kung fu. It is hugely popular here and abroad – there are more than a million students of Shaolin kung fu around the world and many centres of Shaolin culture globally.

    For the 60,000 young would-be kung fu stars kicking and punching away at the schools around the temple, Shaolin kung fu offers a way out of poverty.

    Wu Zhiqiang comes from near the Henan capital of Zhengzhou. He is 17 years old and has been in Shaolin for four years. There are 4,000 students at his school, including some girls.

    “I’ve been practicing since 5am,” he says, still brandishing a spear at lunchtime. “We practice outside in the morning, then study in the classroom. My aim is to go to physical education college in Zhengzhou. But some of my friends want to be coaches. And of course some of us want to be in the movies.”

    Built in 495, kung fu owes its existence to an Indian monk, Bodhi Dharma, who began to preach Zen Buddhism in the temple and started its martial arts tradition. The Shaolin style was expanded over the years from 72 basic fighting movements to 170 moves, divided into five styles named after the animal the movements were supposed to resemble: tiger, leopard, snake, dragon and crane.

    Of course, anyone familiar with Kung Fu Panda will know these animals, as they are the Furious Five who help the good-natured, portly Dragon Warrior on his quest.

    For some people the temple has become too commercial, a victim of its own success. It is true that the sight of telephone kiosks with Buddhas on top is jarring – you wonder if it’s a direct line to the Buddha himself.

    Qian Daliang, general manager of the Henan Shaolin Temple Development Company, says that to say Shaolin had become too commercial was a misunderstanding.

    “Our aim is to protect Shaolin, and maintain the real Shaolin,” he says in an interview. “We have a good name but people here and overseas use the name to make money and in some cases ruin the name of Shaolin. We have to protect ourselves, and our intellectual property,” he says.

    There are thousands of tourists in Shaolin, but it retains a sense of what it is all about.

    The 1,200-year-old Pagoda Forest has featured in many a kung fu epic and its 228 brick pagodas survived the Cultural Revolution, when Red Guards marauded across China destroying religious sites as one of the “Four Olds” that had to be smashed. Their status as burial sites saved the pagodas, although the monks in Shaolin were forced to drink alcohol and eat meat by the Red Guards.

    They remember this still, and they have a saying: “Alcohol and meat only pass through your digestive system, but Buddha is within.” The Red Guards flogged them and paraded them through town.

    Reform and opening up in China has seen a revival in the temple’s fortunes. In the temple’s offices there are photographs of famous visitors, including Vladimir Putin and former leader Jiang Zemin.

    The indignities of the Cultural Revolution were only the latest major setback for the temple. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times during its history, including once in the 17th century by rebels for its support of the Ming emperor. In 1928 it was largely burned down by the warlord Shi Yousan over a three-month period, and its manuscripts destroyed.

    At the back of the temple complex you come to two buildings which each played a major role in Shaolin’s rebirth. Hong Kong was key in reviving Shaolin’s fortunes, as the wild interest in martial arts movies during the 1970s saw a host of movies featuring Shaolin-style kung fu.

    The building at the very back of the complex was used in one of the most famous of these, a ground-breaking martial arts epic The Shaolin Temple in 1982 which featured Jet Li and led to a surge of interest in matters martial.

    Of course, the success of The Shaolin Temple built on another, earlier TV show featuring the monastery, familiar to anyone who watched British TV in Ireland on Saturday evenings in the 1970s. Shaolin is where Kwai Chang “Grasshopper” Caine (played by actor David Carradine) learns his kung fu in the TV show of the same name. Caine trudged his way across 19th century America, having surreal adventures that always ended in some ace martial arts and contained a fairly heavy dose of mysticism from his teachers Master Po and Master Kan, whose gasps of “Grasshopper” punctuated the action.

    A new movie Shaolin , which features Hong Kong heart-throb Andy Lau and action hero Jackie Chan, is on DVD release in Ireland and director Benny Chan is a huge fan of kung fu. “Like many of my peers who were starting out in the film industry in the early 1980s, I was influenced and inspired by the original Shaolin Temple. I mean, wow, there was Jet Li executing the most perfect of 360-degree roundhouse kicks in mid-air. It was both stunning and riveting. Don’t forget The Shaolin Temple was made before China opened up – it was such a rarity,” he says.

    He believes his Shaolin is the first officially sanctioned by Shi Yongxin, the abbot who is largely credited as the architect of Shaolin’s revival. A farmer’s son from nearby Anhui, Shi became abbot in 1999. He is known for his business-minded approach to transforming the temple and promoting Buddhism throughout the world over the past two decades.

    Since 1986, he has led Shaolin monk delegations across China and abroad to perform Shaolin martial arts shows. In 1994, he registered the trademark of the names Shaolin and Shaolin Temple.

    He demanded an official apology from an online commentator who dared to say Shaolin monks had once been beaten in unarmed combat by Japanese ninja warriors. At the same time, Shi was criticised for accepting the gift of a luxury sports car from local authorities, and many monks did not like the decision to host its own martial arts reality TV show.

    But Daliang insists the temple needs a commercial aspect to ensure its survival. “The Shaolin monastery has had its ups and downs. At one point there were over 2,000 monks here, but after the Cultural Revolution, there were only 15 monks left. But the spirit of Shaolin never stops, and that’s what we are aiming to continuously deliver,” says Qian.

    Get there

    Shaolin Temple is 13km from Dengfeng city, which is 96km west of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province in central China. Fly to Zhengzhou from Beijing or Shanghai, then take an express bus to Shaolin from Zhengzhou bus station, opposite Zhengzhou railway station. Or hire a car from Zhengzhou for around €90.

    Shaolin where to . . .

    Stay

    The Zen International Hotel is not far from the temple area and has a Zen Buddhist theme, while others include the Shaolin International Hotel, the Tianzhong Hotel and the Fengyuan Hotel.

    Eat

    Inside the temple complex there are several eating options, including the Joy vegetarian restaurant, which prepares food in tune with Buddhist philosophy. Kung fu noodles are also recommended.

    Local snacks are also available, such as the egg pei with vegetables, which is a kind of pancake that is delicious. Strict vegetarians, and even some confirmed carnivores, might want to avoid the local pancake with donkey meat.

    Temple access

    Admission is 100 yuan (€11.60) and the temple is open from 8am till 5.30pm. If you want to sign up for a day – or longer – of martial arts training, this is also possible at one of the schools near the temple.

    Around the temple

    The temple can be a full-on experience in terms of tourists, so heading to the mountains nearby is a good idea. Paths to the side of the Shaolin temple lead up to Wuru Peak, while you can also climb up the Shaoshi Shan mountain, or visit the Rope Bridge.

    When to visit

    The ideal season to take advantage of Shaolin’s charms is autumn, between October and November, when the maple leaves change colour and the mountains turn red.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  12. #57
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    I'm posting this here as it has some travel info at the end.

    There's a slideshow if you follow the link.

    Inside the kung fu temple
    Shaolin a fascinating glimpse into ancient Chinese culture
    By Jenny Yuen ,Toronto Sun

    First posted: Sunday, October 02, 2011 12:00 AM EDT

    DENGFENG, China -- It's the setting of Jackie Chan's latest film (Shaolin) and Chinese movie star Jet Li's first film (1982's Shaolin Temple).

    Featured in dozens of other productions, it's nothing like what you see in the many martial arts films produced by Shaw Brothers Studios either.

    The moment you enter Shaolin Temple, an unspoken air of respect shadows you. A calming sense lingers as you walk along stone-tiled paths that lead up to the monasteries, soaking up thousands of years of tradition.

    This is the place where Zen Buddhism was born and where kung-fu masters are trained.

    Tourists are ushered into a darkened theatre, where half a dozen monks demonstrate kung-fu skills: Leaning their body weight on spears positioned at their throats; using a pin to break a pane of glass and burst a balloon on the other side.

    There are 60 martial arts schools in Dengfeng with more than 10,000 students enrolled in the largest one. Children begin training as young as three or four years of age.

    "Most of the martial arts students are coming from the rural area, and they come here to learn kung-fu from the kung-fu masters," our tour guide Helen Huang explained.

    Think your normal nine-to-five work grind sounds bad? Imagine the typical regimen of a Shaolin student. They wake up at 5:30 a.m. and start training immediately -- before breakfast. Throughout the day, they continue to train and have classes, only breaking for meals. The day lasts until around 8:30 p.m., rain, snow or shine.

    The training is fierce, extremely consistent and progressive. There are no days off or breaks to watch TV or hang out for drinks with friends.

    After years of body conditioning and meditation, the monks are able to move themselves in ways that seem almost superhuman, control extreme pain and endure almost anything -- mainly because they practice daily and with fortitude.

    Today, trees surrounding the courtyard bear witness to the force of the monks: Holes dot the bark where students have practiced their finger-punching techniques.

    "Here, we have a chance to appreciate the real martial arts by the martial monks in the Shaolin monastery," Huang said.

    Originally built in AD 495 during the Northern Wei dynasty, the temple has become a major tourist attraction. It's a bit of a shame that giant video screens clutter the entranceway and detract slightly from the "Zen" of it all.

    The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. In 1641, the troops of rebel Li Zicheng destroyed the monastery because the powerful monks supported Ming and posed a possible threat to insurgents.

    Because "Shao" refers to "Mount Shaoshi," a mountain in the Songshan mountain range and "lin" means forest, it makes sense to have both life and death bound to the monastery. On the 16-hectare site, the Pagoda Forest houses 240 tomb for eminent monks and abbots. These were built during different dynasties and believed to serve as portals into the afterlife.

    Shaolin Monastery and its famed Pagoda Forest were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 as part of the "Historic Monuments of Dengfeng."

    Famous people who have visited Shaolin Temple include former Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2006 and basketball star Shaquille O'Neal three years later.

    Showtime in Shaolina

    When the sun sets, Shaolin shines.

    The Zen Music Shaolin Grand Ceremony began in 2007 as a way to integrate Chinese theatre with martial arts and traditional music, and promote tourism in Henan Province. It is truly a unique theatrical production on a scale completely foreign to North American theatre.

    Two mountains in Daxian Valley -- a south suburb of Dengfeng City and 7 km from Shaolin Temple -- serve as a powerful backdrop to the scenes that unfold during the hour-long show. The multi-platform stage is in a 1-km-long valley with near, middle and far settings comprised of brooks, forests and bridges.

    More than 800 musicians, dancers, villagers and monks star in this incredible show. The monks run all over the set with ease and precision, balancing buckets of water. Buddhist stone figures and pagodas, accented by different coloured floodlights, create a sense of archaic peace. Some of the older monks stand stock still and meditate through the entire production, which is truly impressive especially in the spring when temperatures dip below 10 C.

    Spectators can sit on prayer mats around the brook or in the auditorium. If it gets too chilly, visitors can rent "blankets," which are actually Chinese military coats, to wear or drape over their knees.

    Music -- with lyrics sung in Mandarin and dark eerie chanting by the monks -- is integrated with sounds of nature, like water splashing in a pond, and instruments such as hanging chimes, xylophones, drums and reverberation from gongs. Everything is synchronized through several acts in the show.

    At one point, lambs and goats run around the stage in a song-and-dance number with one of the actors. In another act, yellow-robed monks demonstrate their martial arts skills using wooden staffs.

    The producers use every opportunity to use lighting to their advantage. Monks scurry in lines carrying lanterns so all the audience sees are hundreds of glowing lights moving to a drum beat.

    Music and art direction are by composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero) and the Oscar and Grammy winner's skills are not wasted. Under a white LED full moon, breathtaking LED-lit men appear and disappear, flying through the air on wires and dueling with swords to a soundtrack of sorrowful cellos.

    A special guest makes an appearance towards the end -- all you have to do is look up.

    IF YOU GO TO CHINA

    SHOW TICKETS

    Tickets are 161 yuan (about $25) per person. The outdoor show runs nightly from March to November.

    TRAVEL INFORMATION

    For more on travel in China, call the China National Tour Office at 416-599-6636 or toll-free 1-866-599-6636, or visit tourismchina-ca.com.

    GETTING THERE

    Hainan Airlines has daily flights between Toronto to Beijing. Return economy fares start around $950. See global.hnair.com.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  13. #58
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    Endorsed by Vlad

    Putin says continues to learn skating and envies Shaolin martial arts masters
    Topic: Putin visits China
    22:07 11/10/2011
    BEIJING, October 11 (RIA Novosti)

    Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told Chinese journalists on Tuesday that he continues to learn to skate and envies skills of Shaolin martial arts masters.

    The journalists praised Putin's interests varying from judo and skiing to diving and bomber jet flights but the judo black belt said there was nothing special about it.

    "Honestly, I do not see anything special about this. Hundreds of thousands people are taking judo and other martial arts. Scores of people fly jets and even more practice diving," the prime minister said.

    Putin, 59, known for his macho man image said he liked learning something new.

    "This process gives me pleasure," he said.

    "But obviously, I am doing this first of all to attract attention to the necessity of healthy way of life and to raise interest in sports and physical culture," Putin added.

    In February 2011, Putin promised to learn to skate during a video conference with young Russian sportsmen and participated in an informal game of ice-hockey already in April.

    He also said that he was impressed by martial arts at the Shaolin temple during one of his previous visits to China.

    "I remember how I was watching brilliant performances of martial arts masters and envied them. I cannot do this," Putin said.

    The Russian prime minister is a former judo champion in his home city, St Petersburg, and the author of the book "Judo with Vladimir Putin."
    But how many Shaolin masters fly jets?
    Gene Ching
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  14. #59
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    Shaolin Buddhist Meditation

    I use Buddhist meditation for Qigong, Internal Iron Shirt, and Internal Iron Palm;
    some of them are detailed in my book.

    Does anyone care to elaborate on any of the other Shaolin Buddhist meditation of spiritual practices?

    ****
    "Intense meditation can be exhausting, and the monks who followed Bodhidharma’s teaching took to exercising between bouts of profound thought. Legend has it that their exertions flowered into the martial arts – the spiritual home of which is the Shaolin Temple, squatting in its valley beneath Bodhidharma’s cave.

    Here you won’t find a terracotta army – this is the real thing, alive and kicking. But I had heard about a small group of monks living just beyond Shaolin, 5,500ft up on the edge of a rock face overlooking a remote valley. I was told that here I would find the true embodiment of Shaolin spirituality.

    The Shaolin Buddhist tradition was nearly lost: the grey men of the Cultural Revolution did not encourage its saffron-shoed monks to hone their skills. But new China takes a much more relaxed approach, and the Chinese are re-exploring their national identity as something separate from The Party. The warrior monks who crushed the ruthless with grace, who leapt walls and healed children with herbs, are potent heroes of the past, much more vivid than Mao."
    Last edited by Foiling Fist; 10-11-2011 at 07:31 PM.

  15. #60
    A certain person asked Master K'o [Hui k'o]: "How can one become a sage?"

    Answer: "All common men and sages are create by the calculations of false thought."

    Another question: "Since they are false thought, how does one cultivate the path?

    Answer: "What sort of thing is the path you want to cultivate it? Dharmas are not characterized as high or low; dharmas are not characterized as coming or going."

    From Master Yuan a contemporary of Hui k'o:

    ...Question: "What is the path?"

    Answer: "When you desire to produce the thought of moving toward the path, crafty ingenuity will arise, and you will fall into having mind. If you desire to give rise to the path, ingenious artifice with arise. If you have devices in your mind, crafty artifice with always arise."

    Also from Master Yuan:

    Question:"What is demon mind?"

    Answer: "Closing the eyes [in the cross-legged sitting posture] and entering samadhi."

    Question: "[What if] I gather the mind into dhyana so that it does not move?"

    Answer: "This is bondage samadhi. It is useless. This holds even for the four dhyanas, each of which is merely one stage of quiescence from which you will return to disturbance again. They are not to be valued. These are created dharmas, dharmas that will be destroyed again, not the ultimate Dharma. If you can understand that there is neither quiescence or disturbance, then you will be able to exist of yourself. The one who is not drawn into quiescence or disturbance is the man of spirit."

    Further: "If one is capable of not seizing on interpretations, not creating the mind of delusion, and not esteeming profound knowledge, then he will be a peaceful person. If there is one dharma to be esteemed or valued, this dharma will be the one most capable of binding and killing you, and you will fall into having mind. This is an unreliable state of affairs. There are innumerable common men throughout the world who are bound by terminology and the written word."

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