Shaolin Buddhist Leader

WildBill · January 14, 2011, 2:45am

'Venerable Abbot Shi Yongxin assumes the head of Shaolin Temple during a peak period. Following the dark mire of the Cultural Revolution, the seeds that were silent all burst into bloom. Shaolin Temple is now like a rising lotus."

From: http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=153

Any conscientious Buddhist left in China during this ‘dark mire of the Cultural Revolution’ would have spoken out and been:
jailed, exiled or killed. Those left did not defend Shaolin, so where are the real leaders?

Jet Li looks to the Dali Lama as a Buddhist, but the Dali Lama does not teach and spread Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, let alone Shaolin.

Many who initially fled to the US, Taiwan and Hong Kong, became more focused on commercialism than spiritualism and meditation.

So who could be said to be the new leader of the Old School of Shaolin, before it was banned by Mao, along with Martial Arts? Certainly not the exhibitionists Wu Shu.

New Abbot is mostly commercially concerned, his priorities, reception, cooking and punishment:
'Venerable Abbot Yongxin’s first act was to appoint four monks as officials of Shaolin Temple. Shi Yinsong was appointed as Vice Abbot, responsible for filling in for the abbot as necessity demands. Shi Yongchan was appointed as advisor. His duty is to provide an example for the Shaolin monks. Shi Shengri was appointed as reception chief. He coordinates events such as religious festivals, meeting with dignitaries, and interfacing with the public. In fact, Shengri provided the inauguration information for this article that was not covered during Venerable Abbot Shi Yongxin’s interview. The last appointment was Shi Yanying as supervisor. He holds the “jie ban,” four traditional rods to punish any monks who violate the rules. Shi Yanying enforces the rules, which means he is the one to actually beat any wayward monks back on to the path. Each of the four punishment rods is used for a specific infraction: nonobservance of the rules of the supervisor, Buddhism, Shaolin Temple or the reception chief. ’

From: http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=153

David_Jamieson · January 14, 2011, 3:03pm

Dude, Shaolin Temple is 1500 + years old.
Mao has been dead for a long time and though he is still part of the communist consciousness, he has little to do with the state of shaolin in this time.

The Dalai Lama is a Buddhist. He practices Tibetan Buddhism and is the leader of the yellow hat sect of the lamas. Tibetan Buddhism is different form the Chan Buddhism of shaolin, but the 4 noble truths and the 8 fold path are at the core of each.

I don’t care much for the DL because of the political BS he wraps himself in which in my eyes takes him off the 8 fold path quite decidedly in my opinion. But who cares what I think right?

Don’t expect some idyllic and quaint scenario of 17th century china being preserved through shaolin temple. It exists in the here and now just like you and me.

Buddhism comes in many flavours, like Christianity does or Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism you name a religion and I can show you a few different versions of practice of it.

Shaolin is not diminished by modernity. It is diminished by unrealistic expectations placed upon it and it is diminished only in the minds of those who choose to do that. Otherwise, Shaolin IS Shaolin and that’s all it ever was and that’s all it will ever be despite the changes it undergoes from one generation to the next.

You gotta recognize that there is no rose coloured fairy tale shaolin world. they must eat, they must support themselves and their temple.

Also, China now is not the China of Mao. Update your reading material.

WildBill · January 14, 2011, 5:54pm

Spiritual Leadership

You read, and have discovered that Mao is not alive, good for you.

Read closer, the title is Shaolin Buddhist Leader, not Shaolin Temple.

Buddhism and Martial Arts were both outlawed in the PRC. Dissent is also outlawed.

Yes Buddhism survives, but it survives better outside the official confines of the skeleton left of what was Shaolin. Whitewashing and marketing the temple will not remove the blood, and the hypocrisy.

Being able to see truths through independent introspection and meditation, is
not allowed, only the parroting of the official Communist Party line.

Spiritual Shaolin Buddhism flourished even when it was banned by Mao and subsequent chairmens, and was continued OUTSIDE OF CHINA like the US, where freedom and independent thought continue.

What principles do the present Shaolin Temple Bureaucrats use to ignore Tiananmen Square?

Shaolin Temple is run by eunuchs (no guts or balls) with cash-register eyes only.

Wu Shu is not martial; it is choreography, strutting, gymnastics and ballet.

Only a few select in the Chinese military are taught the inner circle deadly training that used to be given to those spiritually pure.

Spiritual and inner circle methods have declined, and are only continued by the few, outside the public, official and commercial eye.

wenshu · January 14, 2011, 7:01pm

[QUOTE=WildBill;1072603]
Being able to see truths through independent introspection and meditation, is
not allowed, only the parroting of the official Communist Party line.
[/QUOTE]

I bet the whole time they sit there all they do is contemplate [SIZE=“1”][SIZE=“3”] [/SIZE][/SIZE].

taai_gihk_yahn · January 14, 2011, 8:04pm

[QUOTE=WildBill;1072525]'Venerable Abbot Shi Yongxin assumes the head of Shaolin Temple during a peak period. Following the dark mire of the Cultural Revolution, the seeds that were silent all burst into bloom. Shaolin Temple is now like a rising lotus."

From: http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=153

Any conscientious Buddhist left in China during this ‘dark mire of the Cultural Revolution’ would have spoken out and been:
jailed, exiled or killed. Those left did not defend Shaolin, so where are the real leaders?

Jet Li looks to the Dali Lama as a Buddhist, but the Dali Lama does not teach and spread Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, let alone Shaolin.

Many who initially fled to the US, Taiwan and Hong Kong, became more focused on commercialism than spiritualism and meditation.

So who could be said to be the new leader of the Old School of Shaolin, before it was banned by Mao, along with Martial Arts? Certainly not the exhibitionists Wu Shu.

New Abbot is mostly commercially concerned, his priorities, reception, cooking and punishment:
'Venerable Abbot Yongxin’s first act was to appoint four monks as officials of Shaolin Temple. Shi Yinsong was appointed as Vice Abbot, responsible for filling in for the abbot as necessity demands. Shi Yongchan was appointed as advisor. His duty is to provide an example for the Shaolin monks. Shi Shengri was appointed as reception chief. He coordinates events such as religious festivals, meeting with dignitaries, and interfacing with the public. In fact, Shengri provided the inauguration information for this article that was not covered during Venerable Abbot Shi Yongxin’s interview. The last appointment was Shi Yanying as supervisor. He holds the “jie ban,” four traditional rods to punish any monks who violate the rules. Shi Yanying enforces the rules, which means he is the one to actually beat any wayward monks back on to the path. Each of the four punishment rods is used for a specific infraction: nonobservance of the rules of the supervisor, Buddhism, Shaolin Temple or the reception chief. ’

From: http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=153[/QUOTE]

and we should care because…?

taai_gihk_yahn · January 14, 2011, 8:05pm

[QUOTE=WildBill;1072603]You read, and have discovered that Mao is not alive, good for you.