I've been to temples all over the world and they all have associated stores of some sort. Some sell strictly temple related items such as incense and statues, while others will actually contain groceries and cigarettes. It's normal practice. Foreigners should beware buying from a 'temple store' that they don't know because the store may not be officially connected to the temple.
If you find out it is a temple store, then you can be assured the money will go to ventures within the temple. I don't recommend overseas online purchasing at any rate..definitely call the place.
now there is a shop/restaurant in the temple. i have to say they have done it nice. but i feel like shaolin is selling out big time
two years ago you could go up to fawang temple for free and when you got inside they gave you free books on budhism and confusionism (i think i might have spelt that wrong ). now you have to pay to use the road leading to the temple then then you have to pay to get in
even if you want to walk up song mountain you have to pay aswell. its really getting out of control.
its not the destination that is important it is the journey getting there
...that's not at all uncommon in Chinese temples. It's traditional to offer incense, souvenirs and other blessed tchothkes at religious sites. That's not exclusive to China or Buddhism.
There was a restaurant inside Shaolin Temple by '96. I'm not sure that it has been open continuously since then. That too, believe it or not, has some tradition to it. Many Taoist and Buddhist temples offered vegetarian fare, often in the form of fake meats, in order to convince new initiates that vegetarianism was a viable option.
Gene Ching
Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
Author of Shaolin Trips
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Getting back to commercialism, in the States, what's everyone's opinion of Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming? He has a couple of schools of here in Andover and Boston, Massachusetts and it's contract and quite expensive. I don't know if Wah Lum in Boston and Malden, Massachusetts is Shaolin but the school in Malden charges at least $200 a month to study. Who can afford such things in this economy - or any economy for that matter.....
To Ah Mui with love.
I'm not sure what it is that makes people think just because there is spirituality involved the place should provide things free of charge or at the least dirt cheap.
There is no such thing as free books. Those books cost money to print and that money comes from donations to the temple. There is still money involved at every turn. The money collected for the road travel is used for the road (or do you think spiritual people don't have to pay to repair a road someday?). The money collected for temple entry is used for the temple. And so forth.
Unfortunately money is a requirement everywhere in the world. We can't do anything about it. I can relate to this personally. I'd love to teach Buddhism for free here in the states, but I don't have big donators paying for the plane tickets or the flyers or anything. The 'donations' are the fees for the classes collected prior to entry and it all goes back into travel and teaching expense.
Funny ussd www.ussd.com charges $250 a month for their fake shaolin kempo. I doubt they are doing well ethier.
Okay, it's Praying Mantis - this is what their website shows for the price list. I could probably take three months of Wing Chun WITH private lessons cheaper than what these people charge for group in Maldan - and I assume true of Boston too....
Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy
“A Center for Healthy Development for All”
Kung Fu:
First Month: Additional Month: Quarterly____________
Adult Traditional Kung Fu Group Class $200 with uniform $115 $410 (new members-QTR)
(Scheduled Classes) (shirt, pants, shoes, $330 (add. 3 months)
Sash & School Handbook)
Youth/Junior Kung Fu Group Class $190 with uniform $105 $380 (new members-QTR)
(Ages 7 to 17) (shirt, pants, shoes, $300 (add. 3 months)
Two to four classes per week. Sash & School Handbook)
Youth/Junior Kung Fu Group Class $155 with uniform $70 $280 (new members-QTR)
(Ages 7 to 17) (shirt, pants, shoes, $200 (add. 3 months)
(Saturday or Sunday Only) Sash & School Handbook)
Little Mantis Group Class $165 with uniform $85 $315 (new members-QTR)
(Ages 3 to 6) (shirt, pants, shoes, $240 (add. 3 months)
(Thursday & Saturday) Sash & School Handbook)
College Student Plan $360 (new members-QTR)
$270 (add. 3 months)
Private Instruction with Sifu $280 with uniform $200
(4 weekly private 30 min. lesson per month. Includes option to attend one group class per week.) Individual Private Lessons: $40 per half hour
Tai Chi:
Group Class (Ages 10+) $200 with uniform $115 $410 (new members-QTR)
(shirt, pants, shoes, Handbook) $330 (add. 3 months)
Private Instruction with Sifu $270 with uniform $200
(4 weekly private 30 min. lesson per month. Includes option to attend one group class per week.) Individual Private Lessons: $40 per half hour
***All Extracurricular Classes on Special Training, Meditation, Lion Dancing, and Gymnastics are free and opened to all students.
To Ah Mui with love.
I would say clearly - yes. A good teacher is a good teacher. If I can't afford my classes for JKD, it's free. My Wing Chun teacher came down for me just so I could afford to go back. When a school charges this much - it's not a school, it's a business. Frankly speaking, why does the student need to get a manual with the class? Haven't you paid enough to learn about the style that you have to pay extra to have it in writing?
To Ah Mui with love.
im not saying the temples dont need money. the point i was trying to make is, before the temple were run by real monks/abbots that only used what the temple and the monks/nuns needed. now you have people elected to run the temples. and there not there to spread the word of budhism their there to make as much money for the goverment as possible.
now at fawang temple there are goverment tickect collectors at the gates NOT MONKS. the goverment have seen how much money can be made and are spreading it the the temple and mountains in the area. when i asked one of the old monks that i kind of know whats going on? he just said "its the goverment" he didnt say much more about it and i wasnt comfortable about asking cos he didnt look happy.
when i tried to walk up song mountain (the right hand side of fawang temple). you get 3 quarters of the way up and there is a ticket both when i ask them if they owen the mountain the man said to me "no but the goverment do"
temples have been living of donations and self sufficiency for hundreds if not thousands of years. open your eyes and realise that goverments are corrupt and just want to make money anyway they can.
its not the destination that is important it is the journey getting there
school is business.
how much is university tuition?
how much does tax cover for public school?
how much for a course in mma?
a person who has goods or services to offer is free to charge what they like.
If you can't afford that school, go to another one.
You go to the grocery store and you don't negotiate there and yet bread is cheaper in one place than another and really high quality bread will cost you much more than typical bread.
I've probably listed to much, but you get my point right?
Kung Fu is good for you.