Nice video.....
share your thoughts if any. I'll share mine below....
for me personally, I was born in 1985, so my spark might come from a different perspective than the underground theaters in 70s NY, and I was into "Kung Fu" and Shaolin before Wu Tang Clan came out for sure, though I am an avid Wu-Tang Clan fan/enthusiast. I know the I watched "Kung Fu" the tv show re runs as a young kid in elementary, that along with Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon and Shaolin vs. Lama, were my earliest introductions with Shaolin in Film/TV.
Also, I cant honestly say my interest in Kung Fu came solely from Film/TV, a lot came from growing up in the Bay Area (Oakland) and having an inherent passion for Martial Arts. Plus Oakland's Chinatown is very potent in terms of spreading true Chinese culture in a genuine way, and its always been welcoming for Blacks in Oakland, since the 60s.
Since high school I've always sought to link the cultures, historically and in present times, in any way possible. Oddly, that's another topic few (though few is better than none) like to entertain outside of Hip-Hop and Wu-Tang Clan. Runoko Rashidi is one author that has done some great work around the topic.
With TCMA with Black youth, a stigma came with it at some point, even though Wu-Tang made "Kung Fu cool in the hood" to a degree, as we got older, that was kinda lost to my generation alone, and there was a period where you'd be called a nerd or wierdo, for being immersed in Kung Fu in the hood. Still Kung Fu prevailed thru that period, and through the help of Anime (though its Japanese, shows like DBZ, and Kenichi The Mightiest Disciple pay homage to TCMA) the younger generations after mine saw a rekindling of that old school love for Kung Fu, then with Avatar/Kung Fu Panda etc, the bridge reached further into the youth.
Seeing this video on youtube was refreshing, though it reminds me of how segregated things can be in the media and in our social perceptions. So much history gets mis- taught, or just completely overlooked, especially surrounding Asia & Africa, I'm just glad a true root of Shaolin culture has survived and keeps thriving to enlighten the world and reach the youth. Everyday, or at least a few times a week, I meet new Black youth who are either training Shaolin, or fascinated about Shaolin, and thats always a great feeling.
Shaolin is for all, and though people love to say this or that about it, Black presence, to my knowledge, by historical fact, has always been in Shaolin. The paintings on the wall are always a touchy topic for certain people because with race, we are supposed to be touchy lol.....well I'm pretty open minded about it. I don't call the monks on the walls in Shaolin "Indian" because that term didnt exist at the time the murals were there, and it certainly didnt exist during the time of Buddha, like most the so called racial titles or dividing "nationalities", there were tribes albeit, and plenty of migration from Africa into all of Asia and vice versa. Some of the story wont be told in the mainstream for whatever reason, which is why I love the work Gene does, and the RZA both.
The proof is in the pudding. The story of Buddha (Shakyamuni), by his own telling, goes back at least 28 Buddhas before him, and 35,000 years before him (we never hear about this), starting some where in Nubia. Which when I compare the statues faces, the older Buddhas, and Kshatriya Kings, like Jayavarman I- VII, look like pharaohs with different crowns (google Jayavarman, and google 'Sunesret I') . or the statues of Samayak Sambo (SAMBO!) in China and Japan, who look like my Uncles lol .....I always noticed these correlations with "Africans and Asians" since a kid. Its common sense, yet one of those things we are taught to ignore, like the paintings in Shaolin, the origin of Buddha etc.....same "historians" will tell you aliens built the pyramids, and talk about Egypt like its a foreign planet (not in Africa lol) , or the noses on statues around the world were shot off or broken off for unknown reasons, or tell you humans are 8000 years old etc.....I digress.... you know the saying, "whoever wins the war gets to write the story, even if it's the villain" ....so for whatever reason at some point, someone made a strong effort to write global Black presence, (or break 'black noses') out of history lol......
not to be bias or too racial, this talk has to happen eventually anyway, and some will like it, others wont. Until people get over their so called differences, we'll never be able to put the honest picture of what is now world history as a puzzle, back together.
..and for the record I'm not into spooky stories or mysteries, I can see whats in stone plain, telling a story much more pure, and true, than what man speaks to suit a political or racial, or religious agenda. If you want to talk history about this stuff, in a respectable way, I'm open to it. Also for the record, to my knowledge, China has always shared, and honored all their roots, to the Black and beyond. A lot of things arose and blossomed within China, and a lot of things arose outside of China, and blossomed later in China, like Dhyana practice for example (Ch'an/Zen).
Since castes in "India" with Brahmanism placing the darkest people at the bottom, and probably a bit before that, I know the world has been trained to look at 'Black people' like EVERYTHING else BUT a Buddha, OR any thing noble and divine, so I understand, how even some 'Buddhist' who should have an universal view of equanimity, absolutely detest the idea of a 'Black Buddha' and the argument is race doesnt matter in enlightenment, which is true. Yet we are talking about a story of world history, and facts about it, and that ALWAYS transcends race, at least if you are an Earthling
.....like some devout Christians (even Black Christians) hate the term or idea of a "Black Jesus" , saying his race doesnt matter, but all the depictions of him are italian looking, favoring Ceasar Borgier.... even though, the region of the world and time period, that the bible takes place in was hot as @#%t!!!! everyone was probably pretty dark skinned around the time/place. common sense stuff. I digress again lol...... don't get your feathers ruffled either, we're all open minded adults, and I'm speaking from a scholarly perspective. (& remember, its meditation Novemeber, if you are ruffled, review Bodhidharma's "4 Practices", and return to this thread)
Plus you cant BS Buddha, the top principle on the Dharmachakra (8 fold path wheel) is RIGHT VIEW (knowing the truth) .....meaning you cant just turn a blind eye to fact in order suit something selfish, truth is true, as is nature is natural, and must be honored or the way becomes corrupt, and history shows this. the only way to un-corrupt the way is with brutal, and critical honesty, starting from within yourself. so if any of it (facing a certain truth or nature) makes you uncomfortable, go within and examine why before you speak.
back to Black Kung Fu Cinema lol......
Recently Films like Black Dynamite (which I loved) are cool and great, yet they as a comedy, make a novelty or parody of the Black "kung-fu man" , like Blaxploitation flix did....so I dont know how much justice they do for the culture in the long run, it almost perpetuates the "kung-fu jive style" stereotype to the uninitiated. I'll do my part as a Black practitioner and student of Shaolin to share with those around me, no matter what they look like, at all times, and I'm not ashamed of it. Kung-Fu Soul Brothas in full effect!
The stigma has to change for the better and at some point cease to be a stigma at all, so that young blacks in the "hood" dont think meditation is weird, and kung fu is nerdy! and I feel, strongly, that if they knew the role their ancestors had in meditation and martial arts in general, that would be a ground breaking start. In all respects, Kung-Fu saved my life as a youth and its still saving a lot of Black youth every day. I'd like to see that trend grow stronger.
I know there are a lot of Black Kung Fu practitioners on this forum, who may or may not speak (I'd love to hear your point of view), I had to speak on it.
the video wasn't long enough lol had to post and share my thoughts here.
Shout out and Salute Sifu Kisu!
Amituofo