Today, I learned that Shaolin is so much more than just gongfu/kungfu fighting.
We have all been hoodwinked!
- The Shaolin martial arts displays that tourists see are actually performed by secular students of the neighboring schools who have shaved their heads and donned monastery robes.
- Shaolin martial monks NEVER spar amongst themselves
- Each of the monks follow their own training, and have their own speciality
Dad alerted me to this photo exhibition that was featured on Zaobao on Saturday (24-Nov-2007), held by Justin Guariglia (an Italian-American photographer whose passion for Chinese culture drew him to China to study Chinese and marry a Taiwanese wife) in Singapore.
Visit Justin's website!
Location: PageOne bookstore VivoCity
Date: 24-Nov-2007 to 30-Nov-2007
Time: 10am to 10pm (10:30 on Friday and Saturday)
I'd most likely be going after work - join me!
The following article was quoted from ChannelNewsAsia. For posterity, I've taken the liberty to post the full text here after attributing the source (see the link just now):
Mention Shaolin monks and most would associate it with kung fu fighting.
With Jackie Chan and Jet Li acting as martial arts masters in Hollywood movies, most people including US photographer Justin Guariglia equate kung fu fighting with inflicting physical violence on others.
However, this view changed for Guariglia as he was privileged to be the only photographer to be given total access to the Shaolin monks in the famed Buddhist temple in the central Chinese province of Henan after eight years. Most monks and journalists are not given this opportunity as more often than not, only the commercial aspect of Shaolin monks are presented to the masses. This, Guariglia said is an absolute façade, for most importantly, what happens inside the temple is not explained to the people.
Having earned the trust of the monks of the Shaolin Monastry, the photographer who is also a contributing editor to National Geographic Traveller, published a book with pages of photographs, hoping to provide the true definition of martial arts and enlighten the world of the real and rare view of what takes place inside the famed temple and its occupants.
The Shaolin Monastery was built by the Emperor Hsiao-Wen in 496 CE, and the first abbot of Shaolin was Batuo. Batuo was an Indian monk who travelled from southern India over the himalayas and into the Shaolin Temple which ended up being the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Kung Fu.
Monks consider kung fu the vehicle for Zen and a form of meditation and not violence. The real Shaolin monks that live in the temple study Zen Buddhism and practice classical Shaolin kung fu forms, which are rarely seen outside the temple. These Shoalin monks practice kung fu not for the sake of fighting but for self cultivation.
These monks have not toured in traveling shows since the 1990s and those who perform in various countries, are actually students whose primary role is to entertain the public. These students are trained in schools outside the Shaolin Temple. None of these schools are officially sanctioned by the temple nor are the students trained in any form of deep inner Zen Buddhism, but instead, are taught wushu, a contemporary form of martial arts.
However, the monks aren’t afraid of this misconception that these students are showcasing to the world as they understand through popular culture that it is the sparring in martial arts that captures and holds the interest of people. Thus, such tours will help to keep the name of Shaolin alive in the minds of people, even if its meaning is not exactly whole and right.
Should you want to learn more about the life of Shaolin monks, a talk and slideshow presentation will be conducted by Guariglia on the 21st of November at 6pm at The Arts House.
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