shaolin spiritual teaching

8/11/2019 Shaolin Spiritual Teaching

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Amituofo in Shaolin Chan"Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arisingin either. And to invoke means to call to mind, to call constantly to mind the rules ofdiscipline and to follow them with all your might." - Bodhidharma

Amituofo is a common phrase used in Shaolin and throughout Chinese Buddhist traditions,especially the Pure Land school (Chin.: jìngt ! z ! ng ) and the Chan school (Chin.:

chánz ! ng ). The following article is an explanation of the meaning and unique usage ofthis phrase in the Shaolin Chan tradition.

Salutation

Amituofo (Chin.:! mítuófó ) is most often heard as a salutation (Chin.: zhìjìng )among Shaolin practitioners- monastic and laity alike. In greeting and taking leave,individuals join their palms in front of the chest and, with a slight

bow toward one another, recite Amituofo. This greeting is oftenalternatively accompanied with a single hand bow, in which the individual uses only the rightpalm in front of the chest as a remembrance of the dedicated spirit of the second Chanancestor Huike (Chin.: èrz! huìk " ), a story which is told in the article on theoriginof Shaolin Chan.

Amituofo is also used as a catch-all phrase replacing many common daily expressions, such as



"hello", "goodbye", "thank you", "fantastic", "sorry", etc.. In this way we are reminded of ourpractice.

So whatis our practice and what does Amituofo actually mean?

Nianfo Practice

Nianfo (Chin.: niànfó ) means Buddha Remembrance and is the practice of reciting aBuddha's name. Either reciting aloud or in silence, the mind is wholly concentrated on thename and gives no room to discursive thought. The mind then becomes one with the qualitiesof the Buddha— i.e., wisdom, compassion, etc..

This is a method of "protecting the mind" (Chin.: hànx #n ). It is said with a singlerecitation countless eons of negative karma (Chin.: nièyuán ) are destroyed. By not actingon impulse but from a clear and compassionate mind, unfortunate situations are accepted andallowed to pass without creating further causes for their reproduction. This is the familiarpractice in Western religious traditions, what is known in Jesus' teachings as "turning theother cheek". By acting in this way, no power is given to injustice and no further fuel is addedto the fire, but neither is it left to arise again later. It is rather fighting fire with fire , passively,allowing it to exhaust it's own sustenance. It is instantaneouslycutting karma.

Namo Amituofo

Namo Amituofo (Chin.: namo! mítuófó ) is the longer phrase used in Nianfopractice. Namo is a Sanskrit root meaning "homage to" (with utmost respect, honor, andadmiration). Amituofo is a Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit word Amit! bha Buddha.The Fo ( ) character denotes a Buddha in Chinese. Amit! bha then means "infinite/boundlesslight". So together, Amitabha Buddha or Amituofo is the Buddha of Infinite Light.

In the Pure Land school, Amitabha is the principal Buddha of the Pure Land. Prior to his

awakening he made 48 great vows and an aspiration to create a heavenly country for all beings to be reborn in to practice straightly to awakening. This country is described in theSutras with great detail of splendor and joy. Jewel encrusted birds, heavenly music, fragrant breezes, raining lotus flowers, and golden rivers adorn the land. In this land there is alwaysthe opportunity to learn directly from Amitabha.

Of course, to the Western mind this all sounds familiar, with pure faith resulting in heavenlylife after death. Naturally it can be made into an alternative belief and yet another religion.However, in the Chan school this is all allegory for the Pure Mind, as it is in this moment. It isa Pure Land right where we are.

"When the mind is pure, the land is pure."- Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra



As it is said; "all things are created by mind" (Chin.: y #qiè wéix #n zào ). Evenmodern Quantum Physics now recognizes this very old "Buddhist" principle. Therefore asBodhidharma says; "Outside this mind there is no Buddha".

The 18th Vow

Amitabha's 18th vow is one of the most important in Chan. It says that whoever should hear Amitabha's name and awaken their highest faith and aspiration to take rebirth in the PureLand, holding the recollection only ten times will destine them to be reborn there.

In Chan practice this means rebirth of — reawakening to — the Pure Mind, in this verymoment. As the Chan saying goes;

"The mind alone is the Pure Land, the original nature is Amitabha"(Chin.: wéix " n jìngt ! , b# nxìng mítuó ).

For this reason many wrist malas are made with 18 beads, or an extra strand of 18 is added tothe 108 bead necklace, to represent this 18th vow.

Nianfo in Chan

The fourth Chan patriarch Daoxin (Chin.: dàoxìn , 580-651) taught what he called the"Samadhi of Oneness," utilizing the recitation of the Buddha's name to pacify the mind. Itshould be noted however, that since this practice involved reciting the name of any Buddha —a practice dating back to the origins of Buddhism — it was not specifically designed to produce

rebirth in the Realm of Bliss, as in the Pure Land school; but it did act as a bridge linkingChan and Nianfo practices. Daoxin taught that the Pure Mind is the Pure Land.

Later, the fifth Chan ancestor Hongren (Chin.: hóngr" n , 601-674) also advocatedrecitation practice for beginners to quiet the mind. Much later the 16th century eminent monkZhuhong (Chin.: zhuhóng , 1535-1615), a practitioner of the unification of Chan and PureLand schools is quoted with the following;

"This (Pure Land) is the most primal and the most subtle and wondrous. It is also thesimplest. Because it is simple, those of high intelligence overlook it. Birth and death are notapart from a single moment of mindfulness. Consequently, all the myriad worldly andworld-transcending teachings and methods are not apart from a single moment of

mindfulness. Right now, take this moment of mindfulness and be mindful of Buddha,remember Buddha, recite the Buddha's name. How close and cutting! What pure essentialenergy, so solid and real! If you see through where this mindfulness arises, this is the



Amitabha of our inherent nature. This is the meaning of the patriarch coming from the West(the meaning of Chan)."

Looking back further to the founding patriarch of Chan, Bodhidharma (Chin.: dámó ), wecan see his teaching on proper Nianfo practice. He is quite clear with it;

Excerpt from the Breakthrough Sermon :

"Student: The sutras say that someone who wholeheartedly invokes the Buddha is sure to bereborn in the Western Paradise. Since this door leads to Buddhahood, why seek liberation inbeholding the mind?

Bodhidharma: If you're going to invoke the Buddha, you have to do it right. Unless youunderstand what invoking means, you'll do it wrong. And if you do it wrong, you'll never goanywhere.

Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arisingin either. And to invoke means to call to mind, to call constantly to mind the rules ofdiscipline and to follow them with all your might. This is what's meant by invoking. Invoking has to do with thought and not with language. If you use a trap to catch fish, onceyou succeed you can forget the trap. And if you use language to find meaning, once you findit you can forget language. To invoke the Buddha's name you have to understand the Dharma of invoking. If it's not present in your mind, your mouth chants an empty name. Aslong as you're troubled by the three poisons or by thoughts of yourself, your deluded mindwill keep you from seeing the Buddha and you'll only waste your effort. Chanting andinvoking are worlds apart, Chanting is done with the mouth. Invoking is done with themind. And because invoking comes from the mind, it's called the door to awareness.Chanting is centered in the mouth and appears as sound. If you cling to appearances whilesearching for meaning, you won't find a thing. Thus, sages of the past cultivatedintrospection and not speech. This mind is the source of all virtues. And this mind is the chiefof all powers, The eternal bliss of nirvana comes from the mind at rest. Rebirth in the threerealms also comes from the mind. The mind is the door to every world and the mind is the ford to the other shore. Those who know where the door is don't worry about reaching it.Those who know where the ford is don't worry about crossing it."Therefore, if we are reciting Amitabha Buddha (Amituofo), we should know that Amitabhameans "infinite/boundless light" and Buddha means "clear awareness". Namo AmitabhaBuddha (Namo Amituofo) is a call to mind, to take refuge — as in to return and rely upon —the boundless light of awareness, the wisdom that is the original nature.

The characters for Nianfo may also be understood in this way. Nian ( ) is made up of twocharacters. The top is Jin ( ) meaning now/at present, and the bottom is Xin ( ) meaningthe mind. Together they form the word Nian ( ) which means to remember, to behold themind (Buddha/Fo ) in this moment.

Nianfo practice in the Chan school is further extended to the traditional Chan practice ofquestioning. Huatou or "word/speech head" (Chin.: huàtóu ) is the practice of usingirrational or unanswerable questions to lead the questioner back to the origin of the questionitself- the point before thinking arises.

So in Chan practice, Nianfo is used for Samadhi (Chin.: dìng , Eng.: deep concentration)and then the Huatou "who is reciting Amituofo" is used as a method of introspective insight.

Amituofo in Shaolin



Reciting Amituofo is an important part of Shaolin practice. We use it to greet and take leave ofour masters, brothers, and sisters. We use it to say please, thank you, sorry, and great job. Wealso use it before and after training sessions, as well as to open and close each boxing set(Chin.: tàolù ) we practice.

Amituofo is a reminder to one another that there is something beyond the daily samsaric viewof life. Amituofo is a wake up call- not to live this life in vein, not to engage in empty practice.

Amituofo is recitation with the mind.Shaolin Wugong is recitation with the body.

Namo Amituofo means "return to the boundless light of awareness".

For the benefit of all sentient beings.

Namo Amituofo



Terms: Wushu, Gongfu, & WugongThe martial arts are perhaps the most common path through which people come in contact with the ShaolinCulture (Chin.: Shàolín Wénhuà ). This is a good thing, because when people come to know about Shaolin Culture it provides the opportunity for them to understand it more fully and reap the personalbenefits it may provide. People who normally would not look for a spiritual practice may be introduced to itthrough the authentic Shaolin martial arts, and thus have their lives changed for the better. This way a

wider range of people can experience and benefit from the Shaolin Culture.

Unfortunately, manyschools that appear to teach some form of Shaolin martial arts only ever go so far. This is,however, reducing Shaolin from a Buddhist monastery (Chin.: sìyuàn ) to a mere martialarts school (Chin.: w ! xiào ). Still other schools that claim to teach a spiritual systemthrough martial arts may not be qualified to do so. These things make the true ShaolinCulture hard to find and difficult to learn .

People come to martial arts for many different reasons, and the training offers somethingdifferent to each type of person who seeks it. Shaolin martial arts, as part of authentic ShaolinCulture, offer much more than one might at first notice. Shaolin is a Buddhist monastery, andthe martial arts as practiced by its monastic community (Chin.: s$ngtuán ) are a part ofthe monastery's spiritual system of Chan Buddhism (Chin.: Chánfó ).

How then do we refer to Shaolin martial arts, in particular, when speaking of them as a part ofChan?

First of all, there are many Chinese terms used to reference martial arts in general, includingthose of Shaolin. Among them are such terms as Wushu (Chin.: w ! shù ), Gongfu (Chin.:

g%ngfu ), and Wugong (Chin.: w ! g%ng ). We will take a look at them each in turn.

Wushu

Wushu is a very common term for the martial arts today and the characters literally translateto "martial arts". It used to reference more than a self-defense system. It included all militaryactivities (Chin.: j&nshì huódòng ) (e.g. horsemanship, swordsmanship, archery).

However, the Chinese words and the English words carry slightly different tones. The word"martial" refers to the military and warlike activities, as does the character "w ! " ( ), butupon dissection of the character we may understand it more deeply.

The top-left of the character is another Chinese character: "y #" ( ), meaning the number"one". Located at the bottom-left is another: "zh " " ( ), which means "to stop". And lastly, at



the right of the character we find: "g$" ( ) meaning "spear".

In ancient times the character "zh " " ( ) referred to the feet. So "zh " " ( ) with "g$" ( )(which referred to a long handled, nondescript instrument) together meant "walking with a weapon". This is the ancient etymology of the character "w ! " ( ), meaning "martial".

However, in modern Chinese "zh " " ( ) means "to stop", and therefore looking at thecharacter "w ! " ( ) in this way, we get a sense of "protection" or "defense" by stopping theincoming spear. Adding the second character of Wushu, "shù" ( ), which literally means"art", we get a combined meaning of roughly "the art by which one stops the spear"- aprotective art as opposed to a "martial" art.

+ + = One + Stop + Spear = "Defense"

Gongfu

Gongfu, or kung-fu under the Wade-Giles romanization system, is by far the most commonlyused term in the West to reference the Chinese martial arts. It is often translated simply as"hard work" and, in Chinese, can refer to any sort of skill acquired through discipline. A violinist, for example, may have very good "gongfu". Once again let's dissect the characters tounderstand the fuller meaning of the term.

The first character "g%ng" ( ) is comprised of two separate characters. On the left is thecharacter ( ), also pronounced "g%ng". It's meaning is "work". On the right is "lì" ( ), whichmeans "power", "force", or "strength".

Placed together they create the character "g%ng" ( ) with the full meaning of"accomplishment", "achievement", "merit", "skill", or "result".

The second character is "f &" ( ) which means "man", "master", or those eligible for militaryservice (male adults). This character gives us the idea of "time", because one only becomes aman after going through the stages of infancy and adolescence into adulthood. Likewise, onecan only become a master through hard work over time. As the Chinese saying goes:

"Three feet of ice does not form in a single day."(Chin.: b #ng dòng s! n ch " , f $i y # rì zh # hán )

Wugong

Today both terms, Wushu and Gongfu, are often used to reference any martial art that comesfrom China. They are so easily used to denote a mere fighting art or method of self-defense. Wushu, in the West, has also become a term to identify the modern performance art whichhas been pulled away from traditional martial arts by the PRC and used in sportingcompetition for its beauty. Gongfu has thus been used, in English (kung-fu), to point to themore traditional martial arts training methods of China.

In Chinese, Wushu and Gongfu can refer to martial arts, both modern and traditional, and areeasily interchangeable. However, in any language or culture, both of these terms all too oftenfail to include the rich Buddhist culture that Shaolin martial arts come from. Therefore a newterm has been used to do just that.



In fact, Wugong ( ) is not a new term. It isquite old as well. It's old meaning used to be "military accomplishments", as seen in theprevious dissection of the characters. These military accomplishments were, for example, thenumber of heads cut off in battle. Of course, the meaning of Wugong in Shaolin context is worlds apart.

"W ! " ( ) in this case carries the meaning of "warrior" (Chin.: w ! shì ), which in Shaolinhas to do with the spirit (Chin.: j #ngshén ) rather than physical combat (Chin.: zhàndòu

). So together w ! g%ng ( ) means "warrior skills". The spirit of a warrior (i.e.determination, perseverance, overcoming hardship, etc..) is developed through the practice ofthese warrior skills in Shaolin.

Originally, the term Gongfu was Buddhist jargon meaning "meritorious deeds", referring to amonk's daily stint (Chin.: s$ng g%ngfu ). In Chan Buddhist temples each monk is givena daily chore or activity to complete. This is called his daily "gongfu". In the past, whenoutsiders saw Buddhist monks in Shaolin Monastery practicing martial arts as part of theirgongfu, they mistakenly called it such. As a result, today the term has been diluted, especiallyin the English language (kung-fu), to mean only martial arts. Originally it was not so. In fact,Shaolin Gongfu is made up of two parts:

1. Investigation of Chan (e.g. study & meditation) (Chin.: Chánji& )2. Warrior Skills (Chin.: W ! g%ng )

When we speak of Shaolin Wugong we are thus referring to all the martial arts of Shaolin andtheir balance, Chan Buddhism. Likewise, when speaking of Shaolin Gongfu we refer to thestudy and practice of the Chan sect as well as Wugong. The single term Shaolin Gongfu pointsto the fact that they are one and the same.

Master Shi Deyang (Chin.: Shì Déyáng ) succinctly describes the relationship betweenChan and Wu by illustrating the similarity to the production of vinegar through thefermentation process of alcohol. Whereas Chan is the alcohol, Wugong is then the produced

vinegar. As the Chan Mind (Chin.: Chánx #n ) is aroused one's practice of Wugong becomes amanifestation of that balanced state of equanimity and emptiness, wherein the practitionerdissolves into the practice and all returns to the original state from whence it never left.

There are 84,000 Dharma Doors (Chin.: b! wànsìqi! n f # mén ). This is, in anutshell, one path of Dharma in the Shaolin Chan tradition.



). The warrior monks are oftenmistaken as fully ordained Buddhist monks (Chin.: héshang ) from where stems theconfusion.

The confusion is often the source for accusations of Shaolin monks being false for notupholding the Buddhist monastic codes. However, as we are trying to make clear here, theterm "Shaolin monk" cannot be taken as reference to only the fully ordained. It is rather anumbrella term for all monastics within Shaolin tradition.

"Scholarly monks" is another name for the fully ordained Buddhist monks. In China, to become a fully ordained bhikshu, a monk (Chin.: b " qi& / héshang ) or bhikshuni, anun (Chin.: b " qi&ní / níg& ) one must take the full Pratimoksha Precepts (Chin.: biéji" tu% jiè ), consisting of at least 250 precepts for the monk and 348 for the nun. Inaddition, one must take the Bodhisattva Precepts (Chin.: púsàjiè ), consisting of 10major and 48 minor. One cannot become fully ordained in Chinese Buddhism without taking both sets of precepts. However, it is the Pratimoksha that officially ordains someone in allBuddhist traditions. The Bodhisattva Precepts are just a requirement for Chinesemonasticism.

This is where Shaolin tradition differs. There is a type of monastic who is not fully ordained.The warrior monks are unique to Shaolin and only take five lay precepts (no killing, nostealing, no sexual misconduct, no wrong speech, no intoxicants). However, there areexceptions. While on temple grounds they observe ten precepts, with the precept of no sexualmisconduct upgraded to full celibacy.

The warrior monks in Shaolin tradition are considered monastics because they often live andpractice in the temple. They differ from the secular disciples (Chin.: súji! dìz " ) wholive at home. Warrior monks are like secular disciples who have "left home" (Chin.: ch& ji! dìz "

). The level of their precepts makes them secular, but their position in the templemakes them monastic. This is unique to Shaolin, hence the common confusion. In other



traditions they are seen as secular Buddhist gongfu masters who are trained under theguidance of fully ordained monks.

This is often times unknown to many which creates controversy. The most commonaccusations are of the warrior monks breaking precepts such as of not eating meat. However,this precept is found in the Bodhisattva Precepts which is a choice for laity. Warrior monks do

not necessarily take them. Furthermore, the Pratimoksha Precepts are those which make onefully ordained, and when broken have more strict punishments depending on the degree.Meat eating, however, is not found within this set of precepts, and therefore would not resultin expulsion. Regardless, for one who has not taken such a precept of vegetarianism, there can be no punishment.

The other main accusation is of breaking celibacy precepts. For the fully ordained, breakingthis precept is called "defeat". One is immediately excommunicated from the Sangha andcannot reordain in this lifetime. This requires no decision to be made by the elder monks. It isautomatic.

Again though, this isin the Pratimoksha Precepts, which the warrior monks do not receive. Although they areconsidered monastics in Shaolin tradition, the level of their precepts is still secular. Manyhave had families. Ven. Shi Suyun (Chin.: Shì Sùyún 1913-1999), during a period ofchaos in China, like many monastics had to return to regular home life. He had severalchildren during this time. His son later ordained in Shaolin Monastery as well.

All other confusions can be cleared up by taking a look at the precepts taken at each level.Now that the distinction between scholarly monks and warrior monks in Shaolin is clear,hopefully this will recover some of Shaolin's lost reputation due to the lack of available

knowledge concerning the issue of precept levels.There are both scholarly and warrior monks in Shaolin. The warrior monks train in traditionalShaolin Warrior Skills (martial-arts) or "Wugong" (Chin.: Shàolín W ! g%ng ), whilethe scholarly monks focus more on monastic study and practices. However, the scholarlymonks can, and some do, study wugong to various degrees, and the warrior monks do notonly study wugong. All in Shaolin must first study Buddhism. A warrior monk can studyBuddhism at the same time as training wugong , but Buddhist study and participation inmonastic rituals is an absolute must for any. After all, Shaolin is not a martial arts school, buta Buddhist monastery.

Shaolin monasticism and discipleship is a little more complicated than just this. There areseveral levels with differing precepts. The following is a basic overview of Shaolin

monasticism.Levels:



1. Fully Ordained Buddhist Monk (Sanskrit: bhikshu) (Chin.: héshang / wéns$ng )2. Warrior Monk (Chin.: w ! s$ng )3. Novice Monk (San.: sramanera) (Chin.: sh! mí )4. Young Novice Monk (Chin.: xi# osh! mí )5. Monk Student (Chin.: xués$ng )

6. Secular Disciple (San.: upasaka- male, upasika- female) (Chin.: súji! dìz " )Precepts:1. Fully Ordained Monks take the full Pratimoksha Precepts and Bodhisattva Precepts.2. Warrior Monks take the Five Lay Precepts and observe Ten while on temple grounds.3. Young Novice Monks and Novice Monks take the Ten Precepts.4. Monk Students take the 48 Vows.5. Secular Disciples take the Five Lay Precepts.

Discipleship:1. A Scholarly Monk being fully ordained can take all lower levels.2. A Warrior Monk can take Secular Disciples, Apprentices (Chin.: túdì ), and OrdinaryStudents. Due to their level of precept being secular, they cannot ordain any higher levels.

- Shaolin Chan City www.ShaolinChanCity.com

"The Teachings of Shi Deyang", by Shi Xingmi.The following is an insightful experiential account of the teachings of Master Shi Deyang (Chin.: Shì Déyáng

) written by his personal disciple- 32nd Generation Shaolin Disciple and co-founder of ShaolinWuseng Houbeidui - Italy , Walter Gjergja , Dharma-name Shi Xingmi (Chin.: Shì Xíngmí ).

-----------The Teachings of Shi De Yang

Walter Gjergja (Shi Xing Mi, Shaolin Disciple 32nd generation)Grand Master Shi De Yang, 31st generation Shaolin monk, is unanimously considered amongthe greatest traditional Shaolin Masters of recent generations, a real present-day exponent ofShaolin martial arts and Chan Buddhism.

Direct disciple of the late Shi Suxi, to whom he



profound insight in traditional Shaolin martial arts and Chan philosophy.

In the daily lessons he often interrupted the intense physical training to discuss not just thetechnique or the application, but the origin and motives of what the students were doing, andevery time Master De Yang was able to define a much broader meaning than a punch or a kickor a stance might suggest.

In this article I will outline some of the many thoughts and teachings that Master De Yangshared, avoiding descriptions of martial techniques to focus on the far more important broader concepts he repeatedly touched.

The following is a summary of insights in Shaolin philosophy: I hope they can be a source ofinspiration for your daily martial arts practice, but more importantly for your daily life.

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Shaolin martial arts begins with basics and ends with basics. At the start you will only do basics, because they are the foundations on which you will build all else, and at the end you will only do basics, because you will realize that all else is within them.

However your basics will no longer be basic, they will show skill of the highest level.

Endless practice is the path towards excellence, nothing more, nothing less. Nobody shouldfear thousands of techniques practiced a few days; everybody should fear the one techniquepracticed thousands of days. So don’t try to know everything superficially, try to know a fewthings completely.

Of primary importance are the stances: they must be practiced tirelessly, to strengthen thecore of the body, to understand balance and movement, do develop rooting and speed, tomake joints and muscles supple and resistant.

Then we will add kicks, punches, blocks, and many types of defensive and offensive

movements, combined firstly in sequences, the forms, and then also practiced and appliedfreely with a training partner.

This progression should be gradual, not rushed; to practice combat without technique will become a useless brawl. To practice technique without a strong body will become a uselessflailing of limbs. First prepare the body, then the technique, then the application. And alwaysprepare the mind.

To enable yourself to improve, together with the technique practice we must also train our bodies, using the techniques themselves but also through a rigorous program of exercises that will work our flexibility, endurance, strength, power. Neglecting this aspect of Shaolintraining is neglecting to forge the weapon: we might learn how to use it, but it will be bluntand break easily.

Only through serious training you can achieve a high level, in martial arts and in everythingelse: there are no shortcuts, and if there seem to be they will inevitably lead to mediocrity or worse, to disaster.



So, even before you start training martial arts, teach yourself to be determined and hard working, in all you choose to do: this will already be an important lesson for your whole life,one that you should apply in everything you do, every day.

Traditional Shaolin WuShu must be practiced frequently, with patience and perseverance,

training our body and mind to protect itself and those around us, from the outside dangers as well as those from within, such as disease. It was initially created primarily for health andtotal control of body and mind, then from this came the ability to defend ourself in fighting.

Times have changed, we fortunately might never have to face bandits, invading armies,dangerous living conditions, but perhaps modern society needs traditional Shaolin Kung Fu WuShu more then ever, because it can offer something for everybody, from children to theelderly, to improve the health of body and mind.

Modern society fills our bodies and minds with many useless and sometimes negative things,and traditional Shaolin WuShu can help eliminate them. People might become interested inShaolin WuShu as a form of physical exercise, intensive and varied, or as a form of selfdefense, as even today we might need to protect ourself or those around us from aggression.

Today Shaolin WuShu is also shows, sporting competitions, entertainment ... all this is good, anatural part of the evolution that has always been and always will be, dictated by the timesand needs, however we must always remember where it all comes from. To make Shaolin WuShu suitable for our modern times is positive, but this should be done by adding newelements, not by replacing the old ones, which would mean the loss of Shaolin’s traditions andits culture.

Traditional Shaolin Kung Fu WuShu today is something for all to enjoy and for all to benefitfrom, in China and in the whole world, in many different ways, from martial art to fitness toshows, however everybody must know that the real value of traditional Shaolin is not martialarts but what they are a part of: Chan.

Traditional Shaolin WuShu is just a branch of the tree that is Chan.Chan is the first treasure of Shaolin, and traditional WuShu is a beautiful jewel in thistreasure, but alone it represents only a small part of the total value.

Chan is a philosophy, a path, towards learning about one’s body and more importantly one’smind and spirit, because only by knowing we can master, and only by mastering we can let goand be at peace, with ourself, with those around us, with life. A peace that today is perhapsmore difficult to find than before, because we have so many distractions around us, so manysuperficial things which absorb too much of our focus and energy.

Attachment brings suffering and today we attach ourself to so many unimportant things,making them very important in our mind, making our serenity dependent upon them.

We are often like a glass full of water that is being agitated: the sediments will floateverywhere, and thus the water will be murky. We must find a way to be still inside, to let the water that is our mind be calm, and only then all the sediments will slowly drop to the bottom,leaving the water clean.

This peace and harmony within ourself is what enables us to live a serene life, despite theinevitable problems, the ‘ups’ and ‘downs’, that life will present us with every day, becausethose problems will be understood simply as a natural part of life itself, to be confronted withcalm resolve and not with erratic fear.

Harmony within ourself comes from nothing more than harmony of our mind and our body.

If our mind is not maintained at its best, if it is often tired, or disrupted, or easily affected bymoods, depression, fears, we will not be in harmony.



If our body is not maintained at its best, if it is often tired, or weak, or unable to performactivities or to protect us from dangers, we will not be in harmony.

Shaolin Chan teaches us, on its most basic level,that to practice Chan is to work towards this harmony of mind and body. Traditional WuShu, breathing, meditation, philosophy ... all this is the path of Shaolin Chan.

The martial arts of Shaolin strengthen our body, enabling it to protect us and to perform whatever we ask of it, but they cannot be viewed alone: they are moving meditation, they are

breathing, they are mental exercise, they are a stimulation of Qi, they are an integral part ofChan and without understanding this they can become a limited and limiting pursuit.

Shaolin WuShu is an integral part of Chan, and becomes of particular value to all of us in ourpresent lives if we seek to follow the whole path, not just a small part of it. A little isundoubtedly better than nothing, but try always to search for more, for a deeperunderstanding, of what you do and ultimately of who you are.

We should seek Chan in everything we do, in every day, every action, every breath, for Chan is breathing and thinking and living, and nothing is simpler yet more complex.

Using the Shaolin disciplines you can strengthen your body inside and out, strengthen yourmind and spirit, then through this strength you will banish fears and simply feel calm and

peace and harmony, within yourself and thus with everyone around you. We should seek in ourself maximum strength with deepest peace, great effort with unboundserenity, constant energy with total balance. We should seek to be the best possible person wecan be, for us and for all others.

All these capacities are in us, in our mind and in our bodies, and we must utilize as best wecan these beautiful temporary gifts we are given, always: in our Shaolin training, in schoolstudies, at work, with our family and friends ... in our whole life.

Train hard and you will be better than you ever thought you could be, in martial arts and ineverything else in life. Better as a person, better for yourself and for others.

Be righteous to yourself and to all those you meet, don’t develop attachment for theunnecessary, don’t harbor negativity but only positivity, stay strong and healthy in mind and body, enjoy life serenely whatever path it will present to you.

Amituofo.

Ven. Shi Suxi (Chin.: Shì Sùx " )With the passing of the last great monk of the elder generations in 2006, Shaolin Monastery bade farewell toan era. The everlasting spirit of his heart and teachings, however, lights the path for his disciples and followers of the Dharma in his lineage today as they strive forward into this new age for Shaolin.



Shaolin Elder Shi Suxi (Chin.: Shì Sùx " Zh# ngl# o ) lived a long and storied life. As the last monk toenter the temple before the Liberation (Chin.: Ji" fàng - referring to the Communists' victory over theNationalists in 1949), he is a link to the teachings of the Qing Dynasty Shaolin masters. He experienced many tragedies and injustices, having lived through the tumultuous changes in Shaolin overthe past half century. However, his devotion to the temple always kept him in close proximity, arduouslyprotecting and defending its traditions- at times in secrecy.

The following is the story of Ven. Shi Suxi's life, his devotion and great contributions to the Shaolin Monastery,for which we are greatly indebted to him. May this article do justice to his legend and inspire those nowfollowing the Dharma in his lineage to dedicate themselves to his wish for Shaolin culture to be genuinelymaintained and spread- most importantly the philosophy and experience of what is termed "The Unification ofChan and Quan" (Chin.: Chán Quán Héy # ).

Namo Amituofo.

Early Childhood

Ven. Shi Suxi was born Geng Jinzhu (Chin.: G" ng J #nzhù ) onSeptember 27th, 1924 of the Chinese Lunar Calendar to a very poor peasantfamily in a small village outside of Dengfeng (Chin.: D$ngf $ng ) in China'scentral Henan Province (Chin.: Hénánsh" ng ), not far from ShaolinMonastery.

Half a year after his birth, his mother passed away. He was brought up by hisfather, a book seller who had a very good relationship with the monks ofShaolin and often received assistance from them when in need. However, oneterrible winter when Geng Jinzhu was 11 years old his father froze to death ina grass hut. Afterward Jinzhu joined his cousins as they went begging for food.



Often bullied and humiliated, they had no other choice.

At that time there was a monk master from Shaolin with the Dharma-nameShi Zhenxu (Chin.: Shì Zh$nxù ) who traveled through the village toteach the Buddha-Dharma (Chin.: fóf # ). Several villagers who werefamiliar with Geng Jinzhu's situation told his story to the master, whereuponhe requested paper and a brush. He then left the following note for the young boy;

"Despite your poor family, You aim as high as the sky

(ji! hán zhì língyún )

In a moment of sudden enlightenment, You will recover from your illness.

(dùnwù jí fù ch&n )

With myriads of beings in your heart, You will become a Buddha at Shaolin.

(xi%ng zhu! ng shíwàn sh$ng chéng fó zài shàolín )"

When he finished writing, Master Zhenxu took his leave in high spirits. YoungJinzhu burst out of his home to catch up with the master, but to his surprisethe master was moving so fast, as if flying. In the blink of an eye he was

already several hundred steps away. Facing the fading image of MasterZhenxu, Jinzhu sighed; "Shaolin Gongfu, really is amazing!" (Chin.: ShàolínG%ngfu, gu$ rán lìhai )

Jinzhu then hurried along to the Shaolin Monastery in search of the master.Upon arrival he found Master Zhenxu waiting in the guest hall. He thendiscovered hanging on the wall to the left was a poem that read;

"Rainstorms attacked on the 17th year,(Chin.: bàof $ngy ! xí shíq # nián )

Demons and ghosts wreaked havoc on the world,(Chin.: èmó gu " guài huò rénji! n )

The splendid halls were destroyed by the warlord's fire,(Chin.: bìdiàn hu " yú j&nfá hu$ )

All the monks were exasperated:The place for Dharma practice was lost.

(Chin.: zhòng s$ng hènnù f # wúyuán )"

The poem was about the 1928 (17th year of the Republic of China) burning of



the Shaolin Monastery by the warlord Shi Yousan (Chin.: Shí Y $ us! n ).Master Zhenxu saw Jinzhu notice it and tested him, allowing him to create afour line poem in response. Jinzhu immediately blurted out;

"The Pure Land was trampled and polluted by the demons,(Chin.: Jìngt! w &r# n mó zuòguài )

The retributions for kindness or evils will come sooner or later,(Chin.: shàn è bàoyìng chíz# o lái )

Wildfire cannot destroy true Chan,(Chin.: y " hu$ bù hu " zh$n Chánz%ng )

The temple halls will be even more brilliant next year.

(Chin.: míngnián qún diàn gèng gu! ngc# i )"Master Zhenxu was astonished at the words of the young boy and acceptedhim into the temple.

Ordination

By the time Geng Jinzhu was 11 years old he had already lost both parents and become a beggar. Yet because of his parents' Buddhist devotion and close

relationship with the mon ks ofShaolin who kindly assisted their family, he had an early faith in the Buddha.Naturally, Shaolin Monastery is where he ended up.



Between 1960 and1962, Ven. Suxi was the number one Buddhist student in China and wasselected to be sent to Beijing for formal education at the Beijing BuddhistCollege (Chin.: B" ij #ng Fóxuéyuàn ). After graduation he returnedto Shaolin Monastery where he became the wugong drill master (Chin.: w ! g%ng jiàotóu ). All the while he thirsted for knowledge to developShaolin Wugong further. He invited many Chinese Boxing masters (Chin.:quánsh # ) of various styles to share and compare their skills in order todevelop and spread Shaolin Culture (Chin.: Shàolín Wénhuà ).

No obstacle ever got in the way of his practice. In regards to the traditionaltraining he said;

"Practice without pause,(Chin.: quán bù lí sh$ u )

(Literally.: boxing does not leave the hand)

With the stick always at your side,(Chin.: gùn bù lí sh$n )

(Lit.: stick does not leave the body)

The practice of warrior ethics comes first,(Chin.: xí w ! dé wéi xi! n )

Do not fear being attacked,(Chin.: bù pà xi! n áid# )

Welcome an attacker with a smiling face,(Chin.: xiàoli# n yíng rén q # )

A good master introduces warrior ethics,



(Chin.: liáng sh # jiè w ! dé )

Hardship always produces an expert.(Chin.: k ! héng ch& g! osh$ u )"

Resisting the Japanese

In December, 1944, Japanese armies stationed themselves in Dengfeng and blocked off all entrance roads to the city. The Shaolin Monastery was alsocaught up in the terror. The Japanese Captain lead 30 soldiers into the templenumerous times to harass the monks, steal cultural relics, and destroy theBuddhist statues.

At that time the anti-Japanese soldiers ofGeneral Pi Dingjun (Chin.: Pí Dìngj&n Ji! ngj&n ) were nearby.General Pi Dingjun sent the party member Wei Nianming (Chin.: WéiNiànmíng ), disguised as a teacher opening a school, to be stationed inShaolin.

In February of the following year, on an early morning while the monks ofShaolin were in the Thousand Buddha Hall (Chin. Qiánfódiàn )attending their morning rituals, the Japanese army of 60 or more men set offfrom the city to encircle and destroy the temple.

Communist party member Wei Nianming was in the temple recovering froman illness. Ven.



Suxi carried himon his back to escape with the other monks to a mountain peak to hide him,only to realize the enemy soldiers had already completely surrounded them.

Wei Nianming gave his handgun to Ven. Suxi and ordered him to resist. Suxitook the pistol, standing on top of the peak and fired three shots down into theravine. Immediately the other monks began throwing stones down themountain, causing the Japanese to retreat.

Preserving Shaolin Culture

Between the years 1959 and 1961, Dengfeng experienced a three-year drought. Without anything to eat, many monks returned to secular life. Only Ven. Suxiand 16 other monks remained to watch over the temple. As the situation of thedrought worsened the monks began to leave one by one. If Ven. Suxi and a fewothers had left as well, Shaolin quite possibly would have ended then.

During the period of the Cultural Revolution (Chin.: Wénhuà Dàgémìng- 1966-1976) many Red Guards (Chin.: Hóngwèib #ng )

came to destroy the temple's Buddhist statues and burn the Sutras. Ven. Suxi was seen as a large landowner (Chin.: dàdìzh! ), and was thus pulled

out almost each day to suffer public criticism and humiliation (Chin.: p #dòu ) at the hands of the Red Guards for his "crimes".



There are many well-known stories of those times told around Shaolin these days. Peoplespeak of how the area was in chaos and anyone could tamper inside thetemple.

Once there were even some young schoolgirls who pulled Ven. Suxi out forpublic denunciation, proving his "crimes". They beat him until he had cutsand bruises, but the "Shaolin Boxing King" never used his skills to defendagainst their attacks and fight them off. Rather, he calmly endured histreatment until he could hide in the restroom long enough for them to give up

and leave as the Red Guards moved on.During this time there were many young children who would come into thetemple and play around, damaging the murals and statues with rocks andsticks. Ven. Suxi covered the walls and statues with his body to shelter themfrom the attacks. Of course, he was hit with the flying stones and struck withthe sticks, but he protected the Buddha's image, as was his only duty.

Afterward some people asked him why he didn't use his wugong ability toresist or threaten the Red Guards and children. He said; "One- they arechildren and are not sensible. Two- our wugong is used to strengthen the bodyand keep healthy, to develop virtue and discipline evil. Three- a Buddhistshould treat people with tolerance."

In order to protect the cultural relics from future damage and loss, Ven. Suxiassisted the then honorary abbot of Shaolin Monastery, Ven. Shi Dechan(Chin.: Shì Déchán ), in distributing a portion of the Sutras andinscribed tablets to each of the monks, ordering them to memorize themcompletely- even so far as the calligraphic style used to write them and theirdates. It all had to be memorized accurately. That way after all had passedthey could be recovered. After reciting and memorizing, the monks then buried the texts and statues underground.

All the injustices Ven. Suxi lived through taught him something very sweet- a



line he often repeated; "Toleration is like jackfruit" (Chin.: r" n r! b%luómì). If you exercise forbearance, after the event you will discover it is

like eating the sweetest fruit in the world- jackfruit.

Serving as Abbot

During his life in the Shaolin Monastery, before the Liberation and after, Ven.Suxi came out to act as abbot of the temple for a total of five times. Acting as

abbot in such periods of turmoil wasdifficult, especially as he aged and became increasingly weak. He couldn't baresuch heavy responsibilities. As the leader of the temple he had to suffer manypublic humiliations during the Cultural Revolution. However, he nevercomplained. He always stood straight and did only as he knew to be his duty.

In the time of the great drought he was duty-bound not to turn back as manyothers returned to secular life. With nothing to eat he lead the remainingmonks to farm the land between the temple and the Pagoda Forest (Chin.:T# lín ), so as to remain in Shaolin, to protect the temple and rely onthemselves. He taught them where to find edible herbs and tree bark. At timeshe nearly starved to death, because he gave his food (tree bark) to others.

However, his Chan meditative skills sustained his life through the hardshipsas he led the other monks.

The fourth time Ven. Suxi came out to act as abbot was when Shaolin had just begun to recover. The government had begun to help restoration in 1974, butthe process was moving slowly. Ven. Shi Xingzheng (Chin.: Shì Xíngzhèng

), the 29th official abbot of Shaolin Monastery had gone to Beijing. Thefirst day leading the temple this time, Ven. Suxi lead the monks straight to work, laboring to rebuild the temple.



In 1990, he took lead as

acting abbot for a fifth time. By then the temple life and study had begun toreturn to normal, but the reconstruction of the temple was in a mess. He firstgot to work on the Dharma Hall (Chin.: F# táng ), Bell and Drum Towers(Chin.: Zh%ng G! lóu ), hardening of the pavement in the temple, andrestoring the rest of the buildings of the temple compound.

Illness

What makes Ven. Suxi's story so much more inspiring is that through all thechaos he experienced, there was also physical illness to deal with. At the very young age of 30 he suffered a stroke. It was later diagnosed as Parkinson'sDisease. In 1983 nearing the age of 60 he began to fall ill, losing somemovement and coordination in his legs and feet, but he still persisted in hispractice of Shaolin Boxing, and even got together with Ven. Dechan andothers to form the "Group for the Excavation & Systematization of ShaolinMartial-Arts" (Chin.: Shàolín W ! shù W ! jué Zh" ngl " Xi# oz!

). As head of the group he dug up, collected, andarranged previously lost Traditional Shaolin Wugong skills including boxingmethods (Chin.: quánf # ) and sets (Chin.: tàolù ). He then compiledthem into published texts such as the "Secret Transmissions of ShaolinBoxing" (Chin.: Shàolín Quánshù Mìchuán ).



In 1987, Shaolin Abbot Shi Xingzheng passed away. Six years later, in 1993,the honorary abbot Shi Dechan passed away. At that time Shaolin Monasteryhad established a Regulatory Commission (Chin.: Gu# nl " W " iyuán Huì

) which Ven. Suxi was to lead. However, in the 90's his medicalcondition began to worsen and he had to step down.

His Parkinson's Disease was advancing. He lost most control of his right armand had trouble with speech. However, as if no external factors could affecthis spirit, he continued to live on in "plain happiness", like his Dharma-name, welcoming this attacking disease with a smiling face and treating the world with tolerance, kindness, and compassion.

Legacy

Over the years Ven. Suxi accepted many people as secular disciples of Shaolintradition. It is said his disciples may be over 30,000 in total, coming fromevery province in China, and everywhere around the world. His closest monkdisciples include Master Shi Deyang (Chin.: Shì Déyáng ) who was firstamong them. The great and accomplished masters Shi Deqian (Chin.: ShìDéqián ), Shi Dejian (Chin.: Shì Déjiàn ), and Shi Deru (Chin.:Shì Dérú ) are also elders in the family.



In the early yearsof the 21st Century, Ven. Suxi along with his top disciple, Master Deyang andsome 20 warrior monks (Chin.: w ! s$ng ) traveled to Fujian Province(Chin.: Fújiànsh" ng ) to reinstate the Southern Shaolin Monastery inPutian (Chin.: Pútián Nánshàolínsì ). This temple became asecond home to Ven. Suxi and nowadays, owing to his great contributions, thePutian Southern Shaolin Monastery is fully functioning with monks carryingon the Shaolin cultural traditions.

In 2002, the Shaolin Monastery, lead by his disciples constructed a pagoda forhim in the Shaolin Pagoda Forest. It is an immense honor for a monk to havea pagoda built for them while they are still living. This was also the first time ithad been done in over 200 years. The pagoda depicts the many eras in worldhistory that he lived through, including pictures of the train, plane, boat, car,camcorder, and computer. There is also a stone tablet with the names of hisclosest disciples and some of their disciples' names as well, showing thespread of the Dharma through his lineage today. The Pagoda Forest is today aCultural Heritage site which is being preserved. Ven. Suxi's pagoda will be thelast one to enter.

In 2004, there was a huge celebration at the Shaolin Monastery for Ven. Suxi's80th Birthday. The area was teeming with monks, disciples, and laymen and women from all over the world there to celebrate this one man's life. Althoughto him, he is only an ordinary Buddhist monk and all he ever did was his dutyas such. At the celebration people were given rare monk bags dedicated to his80th birthday, a dvd of his life and legacy, as well as a miniature replica of hispagoda.

He spent over 70 years dedicated to the protection and propagation of theTraditional Shaolin Culture, during which time he reestablished ShaolinMonastery with its cultural traditions which include Shaolin's "ThreeTreasures" (Chin.: Shàolín S! nb# o ) (i.e.: Chan Buddhism, Wugong,



and Traditional Medicine (Chin.: Chán, W ! , Y # )). His disciples arespread far and wide and he has entrusted the Shaolin Tradition to be inheritedand passed on down to the next generations through close disciples such asMaster Deyang.

In the last closing chapter of his life and legacy, Shaolin began enjoying a wonderful flourishing period once again. If he had given up like many others when it counted most, when it was most difficult, Shaolin would surely not behere today.

On February 9th, 2006 of the Chinese Lunar Calendar, Ven. Suxi passed away(Chin.: yuánjì ) after 82 years- 70 in service to Shaolin. Words cannotexpress the magnitude of his contributions to Shaolin and to the world, but hislegacy lives on in those who earnestly practice upholding his teachings"without pause".

Before his passing he was visited by the current abbot of Shaolin, Ven. Shi Yongxin (Chin.: Shì Y $ ngxìn ). As he held Yongxin's hand, he repeatedthe words which are also his final admonition to us all;

"Shaolin is Chan, not Quan"(Chin.: Shàolín shì Chán, bùshì Quán )



Greg

April 1, 2009 at 10:08 AM

SCC said...Hi,

Simply, Quán ( ) here means "boxing" and refers to the W ! g%ng ( ) tradition of

Shaolin.

Chán ( ) refers to the spiritual teachings of the Chinese school of Chan Buddhism(Chin.: Chánz%ng Fójiào ) which point directly to the Original Nature (Chin.:

B" nxìng ).

Compassion (Chin.: Cíb$ i ) is inherent in Transcendental Wisdom (Chin.: B%r"

). They are non-dual essence (wisdom) and function (compassion).

In short, Chan is the practice of transcendental wisdom (Sanskrit: prajñ! ) in which all

other awakened qualities are inherent.

What Ven. Suxi was reminding everyone of, in my understanding, is the fact thatShaolin practice is Chan, not Quan- i.e. not merely punching and kicking.

After all, once we grow old we will be unable to practice Wugong. It is only a tool. Weshould know not to rely on things subject to production and extinction, much less

neglect cultivation of Chan in favor of empty martial arts practice.

I believe this is the main point. Hopefully this interpretation is not too far off Ven.Suxi's meaning.

Shaolin Warrior Ethics (Chin.: Shàolín W ! dé ) Legend has long attributed the creation of Shaolin Wugong (Warrior Skills) to the founding patriarch of theChan meditation tradition in China- the Indian monk Bodhidharma . While this is well known to be merelegend, he may have in fact had a greater influence on the development of Shaolin Wugong than one at first glance might think. Perhaps the influence he provided came not through technical but ethicalguidance.



Bodhidharma's Guide to Practice

In his "Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices" (Chin.: Èrrùsìxínglùn )

Bodhidharma teaches a comprehensive approach to Chan practice. First, to enter the path bymeans of proper instruction — to enter by reason, the guiding principle. Second, by means of

correct practice. Correct practice is of four types:

1. The Practice of Repaying Debts - Enduring Hardship(Chin.: bàoyuàn xíng )

2. The Practice of Adapting to Conditions - Following Karma(Chin.: suíyuán xíng )

3. The Practice of Seeking Nothing - Cutting Greed



(Chin.: wúsu$ qiú xíng )

4. The Practice of Harmonizing with Reality - Practicing Wisdom(Chin.: chènf # xíng )

Great importance and value has been placed upon these teachings of "tolerance" bypractitioners and teachers of Shaolin Wugong. The ability of a skilled practitioner bears

tremendous responsibility. For this reason, traditional Shaolin masters ensured the higheststandards of Warrior Ethics (Chin.: W ! dé ) be developed in their students prior to

imparting any martial knowledge. A Shaolin practitioner must be capable of enduringhardship without letting ego interfere with any sort of encounter where their skills may be

misused.

Regarding the study of Shaolin Wugong and the importance of Wude, Shaolin MonasteryElder Ven. Shi Suxi (1924-2006) stated matter-of-factly toward students and teachers;

"The practice of warrior ethics comes first."(Chin.: xí w ! dé wéi xi! n )

"A good master introduces warrior ethics."(Chin.: liáng sh # jiè w ! dé )

Ten Wholesome Deeds

All traditional martial arts cultures have within them basic student pledges of virtuousconduct and character building. The practice of Shaolin Wude within the Shaolin monastictradition has always been rooted in basic Buddhist principles of morality. These are not

merely precepts that individuals takeif they choose to ordain or follow a spiritual path. Theyare the very foundation of honorable living.

Foundationally, there are the Ten Virtues (Chin.: shí shàn ) coupled with the EightCorrect actions (Chin.: b! zhèng ), also known as the aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path

(Chin.: b! zhèngdào ). Together they represent one of the symbolizations of the 108 (10+ 8) bead malas (Chin.: shùzh&r ) used in daily practice.

Opposing the Ten Virtues and the Eight Correct actions are the Ten Vices (Chin.: shí è )and Eight Errors (Chin.: b! d# o ).

The Ten Virtues are as follow:

Virtue of Body



1. No Killing (Chin.: bù sh! sh$ng )

2. No Stealing (Chin.: bù t%udào )

3. No Sexual Misconduct (Chin.: bù xiéyín )

Virtue of Speech

4. No Lying (Chin.: bù wàngy ! )

5. No Gossiping (Chin.: bù li# ng shé )

6. No Foul Mouthing (Chin.: bù èk $ u )

7. No Flirtatious Speech (Chin.: bù q " y ! )

Virtue of Mind

8. No Greed (Chin.: bù t! n )

9. No Hatred (Chin.: bù ch$n )

10. No Delusion (Chin.: bù ch # )

The Ten Vices are the opposite of the above. Note that offenses committed by the mouthaccount for almost half the ten.

The Eight Errors represent the opposite of the Noble Eightfold Path - e.g. wrong view, wrongintention, wrong speech, etc..

Not only do these principles of virtuous conduct have prohibitory standards, they also carryexpectations of initiative on the part of the practitioner. In the case of Virtue of Body one actsto protect others, offer support, and encourage healthy relationships. In Virtue of Speech onespeaks to benefit others, only when speaking improves upon silence. With Virtue of Mind apractitioner strives to develop wisdom, peace, and clarity of mind.

Ten Shaolin Warrior Ethics

Shaolin Wude, Warrior Ethics, are aspects of a righteous character- aspects that any truemartial art should produce in a follower. They are of two kinds- technical and spiritualtraining.

Spiritual training, the development of mind forms the foundation for the true student. Theyare:

Virtue of Character

1. Respect (Chin.: s$ ng )- respect toward oneself, one's master, and all beings. Respect is the foundation of Shaolin

Wude.

2. Humility (Chin.: qi! nb$i )- literally "modest" and "inferior".

3. Righteousness (Chin.: yì )

- of virtuous character in harmony with moral principles.4. Trust (Chin.: fú )



- to have full confidence in one's master and one's own capacity.

5. Loyalty (Chin.: zh%ng )- devotion to one's master and self-dedication.

Solid technical or physical training is founded upon the virtues of character. The highest levels

of Shaolin Wugong can only be reached through development of this warrior spirit.

Virtue of Spirit

1. Willpower (Chin.: yìzhì )- the intention and ambition to take action.

2. Endurance (Chin.: nàilì )- the power to bear hardship.

3. Perseverance (Chin.: héngxìng )- steady persistence in a course of action.

4. Patience (Chin.: nàix #n )- self-control, the ability and willingness to calmly withstand.

5. Courage (Chin.: y $ ng )- bravery, the confidence of a resolute mind able to face fear or danger.

-----------

With the fulfillment of Shaolin Warrior Ethics one's journey through the Shaolin Culture as a

true follower, a leader, an authentic Shaolin Warrior, begins. Shaolin Wude means knowingthe correct path and following it with all your might.

shaolin spiritual teaching

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