Are there real Shaolin Monks?

[gunbeatskroty]

Someone told me that after the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the '60s, the Commies shut down the Shaolin Temple and all the Monks either fled or were incarcerated or worse, killed off. As the Temple decays after many years, Martial Artists worldwide started donating money to sustain its upkeep.

Then once China became capitalistic, they reopened the Temple and turned it into a Chinese Disneyland with a Shaolin Temple theme. And it's now populated with the Chinese Wushu Team, dressed up as Shaolin Monks, doing parlor tricks to earn tourism dollars and teaching classes to anyone with a checkbook.

[bawang]

in the sense of real buddhist monks training martial arts, yes. the real monks dont live in the main tourist "temple", but the outer shrines. the main temple is for making money.


as a real military fighting force with its own politial power, no, it does not fit the traditional criteria of "monk soldiers".

[LFJ]

Whoever gave you your information is a rather misinformed themselves. There are monks who were ordained long prior to Cultural Revolution who remained in and around the monastery and lived through the 1990's and 2000's, teaching many people. Some of their disciples still live at the monastery. Some of the older ones have rooms in the main yards, others live in the newer dormitories at the side and rear of the monastery. That said, currently there is a much larger number of young monks who have joined up in recent years due to the martial arts craze. But older traditionally trained, Chan knowledgeable monks are still there. Sort of behind-the-scenes of the tourist attractions, there is still regular Buddhist practice taking place. In fact, the majority of Shaolin monks aren't wuseng. That is just a small part that gets the attention because that's what the monastery is famous for.

[Hanak]

In fact the information in some way is right!

The other thing is, yeah there are still monks at the temple.
But if you look to the history of the temple its allmost allways been like that.
Governement politics inside the temple, think of the 13 Monks Rescue the Tang Emperor ... Dynasty (960-1279).

A good thing to know history of shaolin well is read the book, shaolin temple written by Meir shahar.

The best in it gerne, and you can find it cheap on second hand, and for the IPAD lovers epub is allmost free.

http://www.amazon.com/Shaolin-Monast.../dp/082483349X


But please do not think that you will arrive there sit in the rain for day's and suddenly a monk will call you and train you privatly in the temple or arround. THAT IS CALLED MOVIES

[gunbeatskroty]

Good info, thanks.

[ShaolinDiva]

There are real Shaolin monks that dwell in the USA, come and go back to China actually. We had one here recently and he was more Buddhist Shaolin monk than a kung fu monk. In fact, its difficult for them when they live in USA and quite a struggle for them.

Regardless, if they decide to focus their "monk hood" on buddhism or kung fu- they all have to train in kung fu first. Its part of their Shaolin system- kung fu, mediation and buddhism. You can't have the mind without the heart which is Chan-Zen and vice versa.

[gunbeatskroty]

Whoever gave you your information is a rather misinformed themselves. There are monks who were ordained long prior to Cultural Revolution who remained in and around the monastery and lived through the 1990's and 2000's, teaching many people. Some of their disciples still live at the monastery. Some of the older ones have rooms in the main yards, others live in the newer dormitories at the side and rear of the monastery. That said, currently there is a much larger number of young monks who have joined up in recent years due to the martial arts craze. But older traditionally trained, Chan knowledgeable monks are still there. Sort of behind-the-scenes of the tourist attractions, there is still regular Buddhist practice taking place. In fact, the majority of Shaolin monks aren't wuseng. That is just a small part that gets the attention because that's what the monastery is famous for.

I should have made myself more clear as I was referring to the Shaolin Kung-Fu fighting monks, in a sense that they were pretty much wiped out after the Cultural Revolution. They had Kung-Fu monks and non-Kung-Fu monks at the temple. Now it looks like they have a those who joins to train Shaolin KF with or w/o the Buhdism aspect.

And since then and up to the re-opening of the temple, like in 2008 or something, there hasn't been enough time to train any formidable Shaoling Kung-Fu fighters and most of the ones floating around are fake and really Chinese Wu Shu fighters....which actually makes them even better fighters than the Shaolin ones anyway. Like this guy, Yi Long:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1WZvuS-mMM

[YouKnowWho]

The 1st time that I went to Shaolin temple was back in 1980. I saw only 4 monks in the whole temple. I didn't see any of them trained MA.

I still remember that I needed to use 粮票 (food ticket) to buy food in restaurant.

[Miqi]

My old coach comes from near Shaolin, and trained there as a child - quite an interesting story, actually. He - obviously - knows the temple very well and said that although there are a lot people around who aren't really monks, nevertheless there are some "special", actual martial arts monks who train at or around the temple, but not in areas that the tourists go to. So, short answer, yes - yes there are.

[MarathonTmatt]

@ Kellen & GunSmoke-
Again, you both have good points and more experience fighting than me! Good points about adrenaline and also staying in motion (so strikes aren't dead-on.) In the scuffles I have been in recently with other kids I was always able to win. Wrong place to train I guess, outside in a basketball court- I attracted some challengers. I got one kid in an arm lock and he said he was sorry, when he tried to worm out I just applied more pressure... he wasn't going anywhere. The other kid I cross-kicked in the shin (I have a long reach) and wore out because I had more endurance-he started out aggressively but I got him on the defensive before he folded. Anyway, these weren't really bad kids, they were just being wise-asses. I'd like to think all 3 of us walked away as better people (but maybe not!).
As you have pointed out, who knows how anyone would really fare against some maniac who REALLY wants to hurt you bad. There are some real rough people out there after all so yes- reality check! (anybody read any of Rory Miller's books?)
Thanks for the replies, cheers.

[Shaolin Wookie]

Bah. It's the same with all state religions. Even if every "real" monk there right now up and left to study abroad, the government would appoint new "real" monks, just like they did the first bunch during the twentieth century. They're real monks if they follow their religion, true. But how many still in china will say a cross word about the government in earshot of big brother? I don't see how any religion desicated to truth could flourish in such an environment.

[marklee]

I asked my master from China about the monks, and he affirmed that the original monks had all left the temple during the Cultural Revolution.

[pazman]

I asked my master from China about the monks, and he affirmed that the original monks had all left the temple during the Cultural Revolution.

End of thread. A guy on the internet asked some other guy and now we know the answer.

[bawang]

I asked my master from China about the monks, and he affirmed that the original monks had all left the temple during the Cultural Revolution.

who is your master?

[Alex Córdoba]

It's just BS, otherwise, go collect your $1,000,000 from the Amazing Randi:
http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

I mean, you can use $1,000,000 can you? Otherwise, making claims about supernatural activities over the internet w/o being able to demonstrate it is just BS.

Are you able to demonstrate this?:

Someone told me that after the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the '60s, the Commies shut down the Shaolin Temple and all the Monks either fled or were incarcerated or worse, killed off. As the Temple decays after many years, Martial Artists worldwide started donating money to sustain its upkeep.

Then once China became capitalistic, they reopened the Temple and turned it into a Chinese Disneyland with a Shaolin Temple theme. And it's now populated with the Chinese Wushu Team, dressed up as Shaolin Monks, doing parlor tricks to earn tourism dollars and teaching classes to anyone with a checkbook.