The Modern-Day Shaolin Temple

"All across history, Shaolin Temple has served the emperors," said Liang Yiquan, 74, the director of the nearby Shaolin Epo Martial Arts School, commenting on the abbot's influence. "Now they serve the Communist Party." --New York Times, Feb 10, 2005

When people find out that I practice kung fu, they often ask me if I've ever been to China, or if I'd like to go someday to study at the Shaolin Temple.

The fact is that I had one of the best teachers of Shaolin kung fu in the world (6th Degree Master Joe Schaefer, Ph.D.) right where I lived in Austin, TX, and he isn't even of Asian descent.

People have a tendency to think that "the real thing" is always off somewhere beyond their grasp, in some exotic and distant locale. This kind of thinking lets them off the hook. If you have a dream for self-improvement, the best thing you can do is to start today, and the only limitation is within yourself. People don't want to hear this because then they have to confront the difference between the reality of where they are now, with all their fears and limitations, and a fantasy of themselves working hard, changing their bodies, putting in a real and consistent effort at training in some distant and inaccessible time and place. The fact is, it takes real committment and hard work NOW to improve yourself.

At the New Orleans Shaolin-Do, we offer 24 classes each week. If you want to quit your job and do nothing but kung fu all day every day (and I don't recommend that you do it), you can do it right here in New Orleans, LA. We have all the training tools you need to become a master of martial arts and master of your own life.

Contact us now to schedule your free introductory class

The sad fact of the matter is, traditional Shaolin kung fu died out in China by the late 1920s. Here is a quote from http://www.beijingwushuteam.com/articles/shaolintour.html

"For those who may not be aware, the Shaolin Monks like you see in the movies no longer exist. By this I mean the historical Shaolin Monks, popular in Chinese history, folklore, literature and movies, who practiced Shaolin wushu while staying devote (sic) buddhist monks, living in the Shaolin Temple have disappeared. The temple was practically abandoned during the Cultural Revolution in China. What you find at the temple today is not what was there beforehand. The fact that the people you find in and around the Temple now claiming to represent it are not true monks is well known amongst martial artists in China. Jet Li himself is the best eyewitness, he went to the Temple in 1979 for the filming of Shaolin Temple and didn't find any martial monks. Read his remarks off his own webpage here. Furthermore it is a well known fact that martial arts masters from other parts of China were brought by the government to Shaolin in the 80's to reintroduce martial arts to the area.

"Presently around the temple there is a large number of private wushu schools, some of whom teach authentic Shaolin Wushu, but many of them also feature contemporary wushu (ie 'competition sport wushu'). Even if the people running these schools were buddhist monks (which many of them, of course are not), they would not be Shaolin Temple Monks (they would be "Monks who live down the street from the Shaolin Temple"). But then, are Buddhist monks supposed to be running a private martial arts school? Despite this fact, for many of these schools, their student's attire during wushu performances (if not practice) is the robes of Buddhist monks - kind of like dressing up like a Catholic priest during Halloween, somewhat sacreligious if you ask me.

"But what about the people that live and train IN the Temple? Well either way, we know they aren't direct, uninterrupted decendents from the historical monks. But still, you can ask the question: Are they true Buddhist monks? By that I mean they have taken the vows of a Buddhist monk (the same Buddhist vows that any monk, Shaolin or not must take and follow). There is a difference between a Buddhist and a Buddhist monk, just like there is a difference between a Catholic and a Catholic Priest, the standards of behavior within the religion are different, Monks and Priest are held to much higher standards of behavior than laymen. The behavior of the "monks" in the news and on these tours would lead you to believe that these people are not living up to those standards (see the update section at the bottom for examples). There very well may be true devote Buddhist Monks out there practicing Shaolin Wushu, but I'm afraid these people are a very small minority.

"As Jet Li alluded to, and anyone who has travelled to the temple and surrounding village can attest to, The Shaolin Temple and surrounding areas have been transformed into more of a 'tourist trap' by the Chinese and local governments and the local villagers in the years since the film. Dozens of martial arts schools popped up, some now quite large, with hundreds or thousands of students. Often times the instructors at these schools claim great pedigrees of martial arts knowledge ('Thirty-somethingth generation disciple of Shaolin Kungfu', for example) But here did these people come from? Where were they hiding from 1965 through 1980? Some journalists would lead us to believe that the government forced the monks to break their vows, leave the temple and assimilate into society, although I don't understand how the Red Guard can FORCE someone to get married and have children. Others mention that these monks may have been in hiding in the mountains during the Cultural Revolution, either way they certainly weren't living in the Temple and their sudden appearance in such great numbers lead one to be very suspicious. (three non-martial monks in 1980 to hundreds within a decade or two)."

New York Times Feb 10, 2005 Article about Shaolin

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/10/i...rtner=TOPIXNEWS

By HOWARD W. FRENCH

ENGFENG, China - Well-worn flagstones lead up a gentle gradient, through an imposing gate, past huge statues of fierce guardian spirits. The tiled eaves of a temple loom behind a giant ginkgo tree, all but groaning under the weight of a heavy snow.

Suddenly, the pounding of hammers and the whine of an electric saw interrupt the reverie. Only then does it dawn that this is no ancient temple but a re-creation. The impression is confirmed by a glance at the colors in the rafters, impossibly bright for anything truly old.

Discordant sensations may be forgiven. Like any temple, the birthplace of China's most famous form of kung fu is supposed to be a space of tranquillity and meditation. Yet Shaolin has become such a fixture of Chinese popular culture that much of the life of this holy shrine involves greeting paying tourists who arrive year-round by the thousands.

For the monks of Shaolin Temple, identity crises are nothing new. Is Shaolin kung fu popular entertainment or solemn exercise? Is it a money maker or tool of spiritual mastery? Is this idyllic site in the Song Mountains of Henan Province a contemplative retreat or a theme park? The short answer to all these questions is, of course, yes.

There are even two versions of how it all started. The official account, a blend of history and religious lore, places the origins of the Shaolin tradition in the sixth century. A Buddhist monk from India named Bodhidharma, or Damo, settled here then and began instructing local monks in scripture and the physical drills that are still said to be the basis of kung fu.

But if the question is more about when this country went kung fu crazy, then the origins trace back several thousand films to "Shaolin Temple," featuring the Chinese action movie star Jet Li.

Mr. Li, a four-time national martial arts champion, filmed mainland China's first kung fu hit here in 1979 (it was released in the West in 1982), just as China was embarking on its economic liberalization. The moviemakers borrowed as their plot the then-dilapidated Shaolin Temple's most famous legend, the story of 13 monks who rescued the Tang emperor from a vicious warlord.

The rest is, as they say, history. The road to Shaolin Temple today is literally lined with kung fu academies, which at last count numbered over 50. The schools are huge, some with over 10,000 students who come from all over China to train throughout the year, including now in this season's bone-chilling weather, in hopes of becoming the country's next Jet Li.

For the monks who run Shaolin, the explosive popularity of Shaolin kung fu has not been without problems. For one, anyone vaguely familiar with Chinese martial arts and with a little bit of business sense, here or abroad, can hang up a shingle claiming to run a Shaolin kung fu school.

The temple's leaders say they have had enough of this debasement, and have persuaded the Chinese government to declare the name a recognized brand, protecting it under the rules of the World Trade Organization. The temple is also on a short list for recognition as a United Nations World Heritage Site, protecting the name, which they see both as a valuable brand and a term of spiritual import.

"Shaolin wants to preserve our uniqueness, for the same reasons that developed countries value individuality," said the temple's leader, or abbot, who goes by the name Yongxin. "It's a process that the society has to go through, spreading standards. What Shaolin is trying to do is work from our origins, from the basics, and we're doing pretty well."

The monks' life, he said, was simple and austere, with frequent meditation and chanting prayer services. "It is a lifestyle that has lasted over 1,000 years," said Yongxin, a short, bald, pudgy man of 40 who pads about his chilly but ornate quarters in long, mustard-colored robes, attended to by tea-serving monks. "We get up at 4 a.m. and have breakfast at 7 a.m. and lunch by 11:30. There are morning and evening classes, prayers and scripture readings." There are also, he neglected to add, daily kung fu exercises.

Between Shaolin's distant Buddhist origins and its Hollywood-like revival, the temple has seen more than its share of ups and downs. It was nearly burned down in the 1920's, during China's civil war, and was damaged further under Japanese occupation 20 years later. Kung fu was banned under the Communists in the 1950's, and during the Cultural Revolution, in the 1960's, the monks, who were subjected to public humiliation and beatings, abandoned the temple altogether.

The current revival has been almost entirely overseen by Yongxin. Although he is reputed to be a kung fu master, like most of the monks here, his appearance is anything but fierce. Indeed, his most formidable weapon seems to be the mysterious government connections that have reputedly enabled him to reclaim the extensive lands surrounding the temple, clearing them of junky shops, hotels and other tourist traps.

"All across history, Shaolin Temple has served the emperors," said Liang Yiquan, 74, the director of the nearby Shaolin Epo Martial Arts School, commenting on the abbot's influence. "Now they serve the Communist Party. There's a political element to it."

Asked whether Shaolin's popularity was a blessing or a curse, Yongxin waxed philosophical. "Having so many schools teaching inauthentic kung fu may not be such a bad thing, as long as it can help promote Buddhism," he said. "We are not against pursuing commercial interests. We only hope we can play a positive role in the society, while not violating a spirit that is 1,500 years old."