Arent shaolin ‘monks’ much more disciplined?
I dont see why there is this constant comparison between shaolin and wushu when the two (to me) seem completely different, shaolin is a way of life, not a sport. You become a shaolin monk you are giving up alot more and it takes much more dedication to stick to the strict buddhist teaching.
Actually, I wouldn’t say they’re any more disciplined than any other Chinese wushu athlete. And they are wushu athletes. They learn modern wushu forms, sometimes compete with them, teach them, compete in San Shou, etc. Also like many other amateur wushu athletes(and pros too) they learn traditional wushu along with it, and have their own specialties. Like Jet Li specialized in Fanzi Quan. The inducing of Qi you talk about(if you’re talking about the spear to the throught, breaking bricks on the head, etc.) are usualy only tricks and nothing mystical that has to do with “qi”. What the makes the monks different from other wushu athletes is 1.They have a degree in Buhdism 2.They work at the Shaolin Temple 3.They get a lot more press coverage and 4.They practice forms and San Shou where most tend to specialize in one or the other(at least in the pro levels).
Shaolin Monks are actually very much involved in the sport aspect of wushu.
Also which traveling monks have you seen? I think the Shaolin Wheel of Life tour was actual directly affiliated with the Temple.
You may have misunderstood me. I was amused by the statement that legitimate Shaolin monks should be “self-respecting” and “****ed off” by the travelling shows.
Have you heard “Shaolin is first under heaven for CHAN”, not for kung fu?
Wheel of life is definately affiliated with the Shaolin Temple. The DVD contains a documentary that shows how the show producers travelled from England, interviewed the monks, asked the Abbots permission and brough the ‘Monks’ back to England. They put the show together back in England. The bad guy and the abott are played by two famous English actors. There was no attempt made to disguise the fact that the show is a stage show put together by an English company makeing use of the people from the Shaolin Temple.
I haven’t seen the stage show live, depsite it comming to Oxford innumerable times but I have the DVD and it looks like modern WuShu to me but so what?
When they came to Tainan they let some other guys hit the monk and then let me do flying sidekicks on his chest.
Afterthat the got a bunch of spectators and monks to ram a telephone like pole into his abdomen. It was impressive.
fiercest tiger,
maybe the monk you hit wasn’t that tuff. Or you have a punch like a donkey stomp?
Some are genuinely from Shaolin, some not. Wheel of Life was from Shaolin. It had Shaolin talent and the blessing of Abbot Yongxin. However, it was similar to Cirque Du Soliel in the fact that it was a western company that hired the Shaolin talent. I did an article on Cirque back in October 2000 - http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=126 - they have been hiring talent from China, then placing them in a hig production setting. I heard Barnum and Bailey is doing the same thing with a Wushu act. Strange as it may seem to many westerners, there is a great tradition of martial arts in Chinese theater and circus. Most westerners have a very narrow view of martial arts, street fighting, b movies, and tournaments, but in China it is a constant fixutre on many levels of culture. But back to Wheel, it was a spin on the 1995 tour, sort of the next step of the evolution of Shaolin monk tours. Not everyone orange clad participant was a monk. Most are lay disciples. Obviously the kids can only be Shami. But they are, for the most part, Shaolin trained. Additionally, it’s all wushu since that’s what reads from stage. Face it, the only people who want to see the traditional is us and if a show wanted to do a world tour based on CMA ticket sales, they just wouldn’t make it. The show has to be pop. Monk tours seem funny to many Americans because of the setting, but it’s actually happening on several non-martial levels. Many different monastic sects are performing theatrically now, not only to generate funds for their temples, but also to spread their teachings. The ones that are most predominent are the Gyuto monks and the tantric chanting. Other Buddhist arts such as dance, painting and music are being performed as part of pop culture. Even other cultures, like the whilring dervishes, are performing in theater. The sacred is becoming pop performance. Since few actually go to temples now, this is a good thing, the ritual comes to theater. As we become more a global community, such performance become more important to our understanding of each other. You may see it as a circus act. But I see it as cultural exhange.
I wasnt claiming it to be a circus act, hey i thoroughly enjoyed it! (almost brought a tear to my eye…no joke!)
The circus act thing was just a ploy to get people to come and contribute which i’d say worked ok. This way I get to know about shaolin as my knowledge is very sketchy on modern teachings.
It was originally a discussion me and my friend where having while chillin one day and just something I wanted to debate with a more global gathering.
Thanks for the info again and i’ll read the article when I have time.
and 4.They practice forms and San Shou where most tend to specialize in one or the other(at least in the pro levels).