Is YanFei from the new issue the same dude…
who used to have that website angrymonk.com or madmonk.com or furiousmonk.com…something like that?
I know that dude was in L.A.
You mean Yanfan?
There are three Yanfeis mentioned in The Gold Mountain Monks: 38 Shaolin Immigrants to the San Francisco Bay Area By Chen Xinghua and Gigi Oh in Shaolin Special 2007B. But I’m guessing that you mean Yanfan from The First American Branded at Shaolin Temple By Melissa Leon-Guerrero Do. I’m not sure if it’s the same guy. I was kind of hoping one of you out there could confirm this or not.
[QUOTE=GeneChing;810657]There are three Yanfeis mentioned in The Gold Mountain Monks: 38 Shaolin Immigrants to the San Francisco Bay Area By Chen Xinghua and Gigi Oh in Shaolin Special 2007B. But I’m guessing that you mean Yanfan from The First American Branded at Shaolin Temple By Melissa Leon-Guerrero Do. I’m not sure if it’s the same guy. I was kind of hoping one of you out there could confirm this or not.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, the white dude. I tried to find that website on waybackmachine, but I must have the URL wrong. I could have sworn it was furiousmonk.com.
Yanfan
Yanfan’s website is www.shaolintemplela.com. I still don’t know if he was the furiousmonk or petulantmonk or tizzymonk or whatever. All you white guys look alike to me. 
he looks like… is he that guy from bulgaria?
he was teaching after spending 9 months in shaolin. i saw some videos of his. not to hate, but not too impressive for being a shifu. he was out of breath for a long period after just a couple minutes of easy forms. but 9 months isnt very long. kind of confusing.
is that him?
I don’t think so…
…but all you white guys look alike to me. 
Just kidding.
Yanfan (Franco Testini) is Italian. I’m not sure who the Bulgarian guy is that you speak of…
i guess not then. but i must agree, those white european guys all look alike. these two guys are like twins!
Mind you, I’m not saying he wasn’t…
…I just don’t know. I don’t know the Bulgarian guy at all. Was he from Italy originally?
i have no idea about who he is really. but i know his name is nothing like franco tortellini, or anything. i think victor azmonov.
he was on a bulgarian talkshow talking about and demonstrating his gongfu which he learned while spending 9 months in shaolin, then became a teacher.
that show is on youtube. here is part one. maybe some bulgarian speaker here can translate? he shows his taijiquan and staff form on parts 3 and 4.
love the robes
I’ve never heard of that guy in those vids. But Shaolin is so vast now that there are legions of people involved that I’ve never heard of. It’s impossible to stay on top of it all anymore.
The First Western Shaolin Monk - Shi Yan Fan
A link to a new documentary in the works about Shi Yan Fan the only Western (or non-Chinese) Shaolin Warrior Monk to be ordained into the tradition (the Jieba Ceremony).
http://www.siron.tv/landing/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=54
If anyone knows anything more about Shifu Shi Yan Fan aka Franco Testini, please post here…
Gene, all you guys who look like Ming the Merciless look alike to me with your long hair and beards and mustaches.
I can only tell you apart by your hair colour!
More on Testini
Karate Kid has been good for coattailing.
Shaolin Temple’s real kick is inner peace
Closely aligned with the temple in China, the shrine in Sherman Oaks focuses on philosophy and meditation.
BELIEFS
June 19, 2010|By Ann M. Simmons, Los Angeles Times
-
Mel Melcon, Los Angeles Times
China’s world-famous Shaolin Temple gained prominence among many Americans with the release of the 1980s martial arts movie of the same name. An updated version of the film, loved by fans for the riveting kung fu stunts of the temple’s legendary fighting monks, is in the works. And in recent weeks, Hollywood’s remake of “The Karate Kid” has topped the box office, wowing audiences with its seemingly magical martial arts techniques.
But while kung fu continues to make a splash on the big screen, members of the Shaolin Buddhist Temple in Sherman Oaks are keen to spread a different message about the Shaolin culture and what their sanctuary has to offer.
“When people come here, it’s not just about martial arts,” said the temple’s master, Italian-born Franco Testini, 43, whose Buddhist name, Shifu Shi Yan Fan, was given to him by the abbot of the Shaolin Temple in China.
“Hollywood has completely exaggerated the martial arts scene,” added Cindy Truong, 32, a temple volunteer and event coordinator. “It’s not all about Chinese people being thrown over chairs. The martial arts you see in the movies, that’s Americanized. It’s a very small part of Shaolin culture.”
Situated on a busy stretch of Ventura Boulevard, the temple opened in 2008 and offers a tranquil escape from the world outside. Instruction focuses on Buddhist philosophy and meditation, the art of ancient Chinese tea ceremonies, a combination of stretching and breathing exercises known as chi gong, tai chi — and, of course, martial arts.
“But we don’t train people to punch and kick,” said Truong. “We train people to become strong internally, and that emanates externally. We try to educate people, that it’s more than just fighting and fancy moves.”
Testini stressed the link between breathing, listening and learning as a key to developing harmony between the mind and body.
Although there are several Shaolin schools in Los Angeles, only the Sherman Oaks shrine is listed on the official website of China’s Shaolin Temple, where it is described as “the first official branch organization in North America.”
What makes the Sherman Oaks temple even more unusual is Testini, its master.
In 2007, Testini became the first Westerner to be accepted into the elite of the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple in eastern central China, his supporters said. In an ancient ritual, he received the Buddhist brand marks that symbolize his high status in Shaolin culture, they added.
Articles in Chinese news media and American martial arts magazines publicized the honor bestowed on Testini, whose journey to monkhood began when he was a youngster in his hometown of Brindisi, an Italian port city.
Testini was 7 when he started taking martial arts lessons, he said. At 9, he began to compete. By his teens, he had won numerous competitions. And at age 21, he entered the monastery and eventually took vows to become a monk. His study at home was complemented by numerous trips to China’s Shaolin Temple, to solidify his discipline and faith.
Advertisement
In 1994, Testini arrived in the United States. He didn’t speak English and he was homeless for the first several months, sleeping on the beach or in abandoned cars. He traded martial arts instruction for food and soon developed a following of students and friends, who eventually found him permanent shelter. And in 2008, his students helped him lease a former furniture store that became the Sherman Oaks temple.
For Testini, his good fortune wasn’t the result of luck but of his unwavering conviction that “everything is within reach.”
It’s a message he preaches daily, over tea, to the more than 50 people who have become members of the temple.
“You have to learn to believe in yourself,” said the monk, who still struggles to tackle some English words and grammar.
On a recent morning, about a dozen students gathered in the shrine’s small hall, decorated with Chinese murals and ornate golden figurines, to practice chi gong. Testini drifted among the participants, gently adjusting their positions.
“He can feel your aura and energy, your intensity and anxiety level,” said Truong, as she observed what has become a familiar ritual. “Just by looking at a person’s facial expression, he can see what kind of stress they have inside.”
The breathing exercises and positive thinking Testini teaches help to relieve that stress, said Gene Cantamessa, who attends the temple five days a week.
Cantamessa, who said he is “pushing 70,” is among the temple’s longtime members, whose ages range from 2 to 80. Some are novices to the exercises and meditation; others have years of experience. Several work in the film industry and use the Sherman Oaks shrine to escape from the Hollywood hustle.
“I find the meditation very good,” said Cantamessa, a retired production sound mixer. “I like the experience of concentrating … the peace of mind. I feel like a different person when I’m in here.”
“You find a sense of inner calm,” actor Adrian Paul, 50, said of his frequent attendance at the temple. “It allows you to enter another world, which centers you. Shaolin is what ballet is to dance. It’s the foundation that gives you the ability to do what you want to do, better.”
Rosie DiPrima said she got interested in the temple after observing her children, aged 7 and 10, participate in a martial arts class.
“After a week of watching, I started participating,” said DiPrima, 37, a movie industry chef. “It’s completely changed my life.”
“Although there are several Shaolin schools in Los Angeles, only the Sherman Oaks shrine is listed on the official website of China’s Shaolin Temple, where it is described as ‘the first official branch organization in North America.’”
um, no.
http://www.shaolin.org.cn/templates/EN_T_new_list/index.aspx?nodeid=572
The Sherman Oaks school is not affiliated with Songshan.
As for Shi Yan Fan, his performance starts about 1:05, judge for yourselves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPuDYBhhgFI
The jieba ceremony does not an ordination make.
[QUOTE=wenshu;1021158]“Although there are several Shaolin schools in Los Angeles, only the Sherman Oaks shrine is listed on the official website of China’s Shaolin Temple, where it is described as ‘the first official branch organization in North America.’”
um, no.
http://www.shaolin.org.cn/templates/EN_T_new_list/index.aspx?nodeid=572[/quote]
Shaolin Temple Cultural Center LA is listed in the “overseas cultural center” section.
The Sherman Oaks school is not affiliated with Songshan.
Shaolin Temple Los Angeles is listed in the “sub-temples” section.
http://www.shaolin.org.cn/templates/EN_T_new_list/index.aspx?nodeid=326
The jieba ceremony does not an ordination make.
Not in itself, but what are you trying to say?
The sub temple and cultural center sections are referring to the same thing; The Shaolin Temple Cultural Center.
I believe he is misrepresenting himself as a Shaolin warrior monk.
[QUOTE=wenshu;1021183]The sub temple and cultural center sections are referring to the same thing; The Shaolin Temple Cultural Center.[/QUOTE]
that doesnt seem to make any sense.
those listed in the overseas cultural centers section are not found on the sub-temples section, nor vice-versa.
one is also called “Shaolin Temple Cultural Center LA”, as it is.
and the other is called “Shaolin Temple Los Angeles”, as it is.
I believe he is misrepresenting himself as a Shaolin warrior monk.
based on what?
[QUOTE=shaolinseeker11;1015063] Shi Yan Fan the only Western (or non-Chinese) Shaolin Warrior Monk to be ordained into the tradition (the Jieba Ceremony).
[/QUOTE]
Ahahah, Never trust anyone who says that. I know at least 12 people personally who make that claim and another load I have heard of. Hell I’ve done the whole ceremony several times, with monks who were in Shaolin in the 60’s and 70’s and consider themselves above the authority of the new abbott when it comes to shaolin lineage (something most old/good masters agree on). I had to do it just to train with one of them…
Ni bu neng chi roe, neng chi bao? Neng Chiiiiiiiiiiii.
The only western guy who can claim that he is a shaolin monk is a guy called Shan Li who has been here in shaolin 13 years, and has actually left home and lives the ascetic lifestyle. But he doesn’t claim to be a shaolin monk. Its a really Douchebag thing to do.
hmmm…Southern Lion Dance, two handed “Bagua dao”, a girl doing Lien Bo Ch’uan, a guy doing the same three moves with the dan-dao..looks like a hodgepodge taken frm videos…:rolleyes:
A retraction
For the record
June 26, 2010
Shaolin Temple: An article in the June 19 LATExtra section about the Shaolin Buddhist Temple in Sherman Oaks said that it was the only temple in Los Angeles listed on the official website of the Shaolin Temple in China and that the website described it as “the first official branch organization in North America.” However, there is another Southern California temple listed on the site, in Temple City. A representative of the Shaolin Temple in China confirmed that the Sherman Oaks temple is recognized by the official temple in China, but said that the temple in China does not want to recognize “any temple as the first in North America.”
I’m changing the title of this thread from “Is YanFei from the new issue the same dude…” to “Yanfan (Franco Testini)” as my coach is named Yan Fei and I don’t want there to be any confusion. It makes MK’s initial post a little odd, but if readers get this far, they’ll understand it.