The Shaolin Grandmasters' Text: History, Philosophy, And Gung Fu of Shaolin Ch'an

By Order of Shaolin Ch'an

Book Overview

This book encompasses a number of different elements that all fall under the branches of Shaolin. It is broken into three parts: The History and Spiritual Philosophy of Shaolin, The martial arts of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0975500929
• ISBN13: 9780975500927
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Order of Shaolin Ch'an
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.0" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

A Solid Foundation for Shaolin Chan Practice.

This book, "The Shaolin Grandmasters' Text: History, Philosophy, and Gung Fu of Shaolin Ch'an" is extremely well written and covers all the basic of Shaolin Chan. (Chinese Zen Buddhism as Practiced in the Shaolin Monasteries.) The book covers, as it's title implies, the history and philosophy of both the Buddhist practices and the Gung-fu practices as well as how they are interrelated. The dharma lessons are intriguing as there are a number of lessons from texts dating back to Tamo (Bodhidharma) and his direct disciples. The information on the Gung-fu is very fundamental and explains the history, traditions and philosophy of the arts. This is NOT a how to manual. If you are a practitioner or fan of the martial arts, this is a must have item. Many common misconceptions about Shaolin are corrected in this book. Some of the basic training methods of the original Shaolin temples are explained, as are the basic concepts of some of the styles that were taught at Shaolin along with detailed history of the temples and their styles and why Monks who love peace and admonish violence study and master martial arts. If you are a Buddhist or interested in Buddhist teachings, particularly a Chan or Zen Buddhism, then this book covers a great deal on the philosophy and teachings of Bodhidharma, the founder of Chan/Zen Buddhism as well as the early history of Chan/Zen Buddhism. If you are looking for a "How to be a Shaolin Master is three easy lessons" book, this book is NOT for you. Sorry!

An Historical Analysis

The primary strength of this book is that it sincerely attempts to remain loyal to the superiority of an historical analysis of Shaolin Chan and its associated martial arts. As any good academic will tell you, a given topic can only be understood in its historical time and place. The Shaolin Grandmasters' Text does an outstanding job at reaching for this standard while always acknowledging that no one has all of the pertinent facts of a 1500 year old lineage such as Shaolin Chan. Combined with this historical analysis are general overviews of several gongfu styles and fundamentals of the Shaolin moving arts. One of the overall messages of this book that grants it such value is the emphasis on the reason for Shaolin Chan: to cultivate self-awakening. This book is recommended for the novice and the instructor.

Clarification

I am a contributor to The Shaolin Grandmasters' Test, and would like to make some comments about the book. I will do my best to represent other contributors, both living and deceased. Complaints that we fail to shower compliments upon the People's Republic of China (in general) and the resurrected Shaolin Temple in Honan Province (specifically) are not without substance. Many reviewers who are affiliated with the new Shaolin Temple may be offended by our book because we have tried to be truthful. Our perhaps it is simply the blunt presentation. The PRC today employs tens of thousands of human and computerized monitors to censor the information accessible by the Chinese people. Internet sites with the word "freedom" typically do not make it onto the computers of Chinese citizens. The PRC continues to imprison Tibetan Buddhists who so much as say something positive about the Dalai Lama. The Shaolin Temple is the nucleus of a massive tourist industry, and has given rise to kung fu schools nearby for 10,000+ Chinese boys - keeping many young men "occupied" in a nation where the ratio of men:women is horribly skewed. Shaolin kung fu schools in Europe have been sued for using the "Shaolin" name - by an entity intimately connected with the Shaolin Temple. Stating these sorts of facts earn us the distinction of "having no room in our heart[s] for mainland China". Our book is far from perfect. Many of our now-deceased priests were old enough to feel some personal bitterness over the incompetence of the Ch'ing dynasty, and many of our senior members had negative personal experiences with "Red China". In some places in the book, this bitterness shows. Deciding to leave some of these sentiments in the book was not a simple decision, but perhaps it was a wrong one. Buddhism does indeed reside in the heart. Anyone can choose this path. The Buddha even made provision for self-ordination, for those spiritual seekers who could not find a Sangha. I do not doubt that the Shaolin Temple in Honan houses some devout Buddhists, and human beings deserve compassion and fairness regardless of spiritual persuasion. But being a Buddhist and practicing martial arts are not sufficient conditions for being Shaolin. Shaolin is a sect of Buddhism, comparable to how the Jesuits are a specific order of the Catholic Church. One might say, "Being a Jesuit is all in the heart - just don a collar, study theology and logic, and believe in your own Jesuit-ness." It isn't that simple. The presence of martial arts in Shaolin is what makes it distinctive to most people. But what makes Shaolin _Shaolin_ is its underlying interpretation of Buddhism - an interpretation which allows for these martial, moving meditations. There is also the matter of a historical tradition. Although we have not personally witnessed these elements with respect to the Shaolin Temple in the PRC, that isn't to say they aren't there. If anything, we will strive to better reflect our own ignorance of such matters in

Enhanced with charts, photographs, and themed artwork

The Shaolin Grandmasters' Text: History, Philosophy, And Gung Fu Of Shaolin Ch'an is a richly informative and very strongly recommended survey of Shaolin history, Buddhism, and the martial arts associated with Shaolin practitioners. The authors purport to be two Shaolin monks with a direct and unbroken lineage to the Shaolin Order of dynastic China. Enhanced with charts, photographs, and themed artwork, this 304-page compendium is informed and informative as to Shaolin martial arts practices and the Buddhist philosophy that undergirds them. Especially commended to the attention of dedicated martial artists, The Shaolin Grandmasters' Text will also prove to be of particular interest to students of Buddhism and will correct a great deal of modern misinformation put out from the People's Republic Of China's attempted commercialized resurrection of Shaolin -- as well as the American cinema's distortions of authentic Shaolin practices.

Worth the wait

This book is the best account of Shaolin and its practices available. It appears to be the only book written with inside knowledge of the real Shaolin order. Wong Kiew Kit's "Art of Shaolin Kung Fu" is one of the better "outside looking in" books dealing with Shaolin, but it is clearly not authoritative. "Bodhisattva Warriors" by Shifu Tomio Nagaboshi, - and even though it denies the existence of Shaolin - gives an excellent look at the esoteric union of Buddhism and martial arts, but it is a mess organizationally and delves a little too deeply into esotericism. The Grandmasters' text has the most complete package of history, philosophy and martial practices of the Shaolin order available to anyone. It is destined to raise controversy as it challenges many of the current assumptions about the state of Shaolin in the world today. Definitely a must-read for anyone interested in Shaolin, Buddhism or the martial arts in general.