the Tao, Zen, or Buddhism as relates to your practiced art?
[QUOTE=kfson;985817]the Tao, Zen, or Buddhism as relates to your practiced art?[/QUOTE]if i could name what relates to my practice it is not the true way of relating to my practice. 
[QUOTE=uki;985834]if i could name what relates to my practice it is not the true way of relating to my practice. :p[/QUOTE]
Aha! You’re a Mormon!
No worries, kfson, I can move this thread for you.
I’ll even leave a redirect on the Shaolin forum where you originally posted this.
In answer to your question, I took Buddhist refuge at Green Dragon temple which is part of the San Francisco Zen Center. I took my Shaolin disciple vows a year later inside Shaolin Temple. For me, it’s not how it ‘relates.’ It’s one and the same.
I’ve read a lot of Daoism. It is impossible to engage taiji/xingyi/bagua on an intellectual level without reading Daoism. Some practitioners don’t take martial arts on a cerebral level - and that’s fine - but given my position, I have to look at it from all angles.
[QUOTE=GeneChing;985838]
In answer to your question, I took Buddhist refuge at Green Dragon temple which is part of the San Francisco Zen Center. I took my Shaolin disciple vows a year later inside Shaolin Temple. For me, it’s not how it ‘relates.’ It’s one and the same.
[/QUOTE]
What does it mean “to take refuge” and “vows” with respect to the Zen Center and Shaolin Temple?
Taoism in our art.
Richard
i started my reading long before i started receiving physical instruction, a large portion of that included taoist, ch’an/zen literature. i dont know how my kungfu is impacted by that though, as i had an understanding of those things before i started martial arts physical practice with any seriousness.
actually now that i think about it, reading and learning about taoism probably birthed a large portion of my interest in chinese martial arts.
i dont really think about it much though.
martial art without natural principle is easily defeated. 
why r wite pplz interested in taoism and buddhism??!?
[QUOTE=bawang;985862]why r wite pplz interested in taoism and buddhism??!?[/QUOTE]why did hock socky china man claim to invent them??
cuz we r india neigbors lol and dis guy he cum 2 our countrie liek 8000 yrs ago
tru stroy
[QUOTE=kfson;985849]What does it mean “to take refuge” and “vows” with respect to the Zen Center and Shaolin Temple?[/QUOTE]
Kfson,
This may help with respect to the practice of “Taking the Three Refuges”.
To become a Buddhist is to take refuge in the Three Jewels, also called the Three Treasures. The Three Jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
The formal ceremony of Ti Samana Gamana (Pali), or “taking the three refuges,” is performed in nearly all schools of Buddhism.
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dharma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
Often people will recite the three refuges at a Buddhist holy place or their local temple.
You can think of it as a proclamation on par for with a Christian’s first recitation of the Nicean Creed, or a new Muslim convert proclaiming shahadah “'ašhadu 'al-l ilha ill-llhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muammadan raslu-llh”".
It is a very special thing.
I don’t know much about the Shaolin vows, maybe Gene can explain that. 
there are four noble truths that precede enlightenment… dharma is a raft and rafts are an optional method of navigating the river of life.
chinese martial arts with religious background mostly use chinese folk religion, calling on gods and spirits of famous heros for power and protection, and before the cultural revolution using magical spells and spirit possession is common
what seems to interst westerners most are non religious philosophies of budhhism, which they can dabble a little and still feel comfortable. most people intersted in these that i met are attracted by the idea of religion without gods, though in folk chinese buddhism and taoism there are mutitues of gods and demigods and idol worship is a vital aspect. but that turns white people off lol
[QUOTE=bawang;985874]chinese martial arts with religious background mostly use chinese folk religion, calling on gods and spirits of famous heros for power and protection, and before the cultural revolution using magical spells and spirit possession is common
what seems to interst westerners most are non religious philosophies of budhhism, which they can dabble a little and still feel comfortable. most people intersted in these that i met are attracted by the idea of religion without gods, though in folk chinese buddhism and taoism there are mutitues of gods and demigods and idol worship is a vital aspect. but that turns white people off lol[/QUOTE]where do the notions of “gods” and “demi-gods” stem from?? surely there must have been some events that were witnessed by ancient men and women - these events handed down and passed along throughout the ages tend to become blurred, hence the term “myth” or “legend”… history tends to repeat itself… i think the “gods” and “demi-gods” will soon reveal themselves once more to humanity.
chinese martial artists worship gods that were famous general with number of battlefield kills “zhan gong” who destroyed entire cities of non chinese peoples and helped expand the chinese empire
sure its cool to dabble in buddhism and taoism, but theyre not better than any other religion and they dont magically improve you as a human being
[QUOTE=uki;985879]where do the notions of “gods” and “demi-gods” stem from?? surely there must have been some events that were witnessed by ancient men and women - these events handed down and passed along throughout the ages tend to become blurred, hence the term “myth” or “legend”… history tends to repeat itself… i think the “gods” and “demi-gods” will soon reveal themselves once more to humanity. :)[/QUOTE]
nah, people just make sh1t up to try to make themselves feel less afraid of death
[QUOTE=bawang;985887]chinese martial artists worship gods that were famous general with number of battlefield kills “zhan gong” who destroyed entire cities of non chinese peoples and helped expand the chinese empire
sure its cool to dabble in buddhism and taoism, but theyre not better than any other religion and they dont magically improve you as a human being[/QUOTE]
if u send me a picture of yourself, I will make an altar to u and invoke ur name before I practice everytime
personally i was raised in a world completely devoid of religion. i had never been to church, never been preached to, never prayed. i had no real concept of god(s). in essence i had no faith. its strange because i dont know anyone else that grew up like that. anyone else grow up with out any religion at all?
as i got older and moved out in my teens (Ive been on my own since 15) i decided to study some religions to see what the fuss was all about. i read about a bunch of different types of religions. i read through the bible, i read literature related to the bible, i read literature about buddhism, i read about native american spiritual beliefs, learned my totem, etc. (im part cherokee) i read about satanism, i read about the muslim faith, i read about judaism, it was when i started to read about toaism, that the philosophies struck me as common sense. i liked that so i actually started to read more. the similarities between taoism and native beliefs is actually a lot if you compare them. its pretty interesting, both involve the balance of nature, and learning to coexhist within that balance harmoniously. also keep in mind i started to study taoism before i ever entered a kungfu school.
im still non religious, but from all the religions ive read about or studied to any degree, ive incorporated truths from them that i found to be generally across the board.
but then thats like asking why did all these peoples all over the world convert to the christian god? because it either made sense to them so they converted, or they had to.
IMO truth isnt confined to any particular culture, its universal.
[QUOTE=taai gihk yahn;985888]nah, people just make sh1t up to try to make themselves feel less afraid of death[/QUOTE]
according to chinese religion since famous heros commited great deeds their spirit must rise to the sky and they must have turned into gods and demigods
its treated not as myth or legend its treated as FACT.
not all religion is universal
if u dont believe all that nonsense dont falsely bow in front of your guan gong statues