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A History of Shaolin
Shaolin Monastery at Mount Song is considered the epicentre of the Chan school of Buddhism. It is also well known for its martial arts tradition and has long been regarded as a special cultural heritage site and an important symbol of the Chinese nation. This book is the first scholarly work in English to comprehensively examine the full history of Shaolin Monastery from 496 to 2016. More importantly, it offers a clear grasp of the origins and development of Chan Buddhism through an examination of Shaolin, and highlights the role of Shaolin and Shaolin kung fu in the construction of a national identity among the Chinese people in the past two centuries.
304 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 18, 2022
This was an interesting book and definitely shed some light on the history of Shaolin temple, Shaolin kung Fu, and Chan Buddhism, as well as how all of these things have had a impact on China and the world. While I enjoyed this book and I got a lot out of it as a kung fu enthusiast, it does read much more like an academic text rather than a general history or popular history book, so keep that in mind if you decide to tackle it.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of Shaolin Temple and kung fu!
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of Shaolin Temple and kung fu!
September 6, 2021
As a kung fu enthusiast, I had to read this book. I've searched for history books on kung fu and Shaolin Temple before, but this one caught my attention as it seemed well-researched (by a university lecturer, no less) and grounded in as much fact as possible, rather than teeming with overt bias or leaning on folklore and legends to carry the book.
It is very well-researched, as the notes and bibliography clearly prove. The book discusses the birth and life of the Shaolin Temple in the context of the development of Buddhism in China. Each chapter begins by recounting segments of Chinese history and Buddhism's role in it, then delves into the micro-history of Shaolin during that specific time. Each chapter finishes with a conclusion, which is essentially a brief summary of the chapter. (I found this unnecessary, as the conclusions didn't add new ideas or anything else of worth. If someone wanted, they could read the conclusions and still get the gist of the entire book.) Another detraction is the writing style: at times, I felt like I was reading a list of facts one after the other, in paragraph form. I understand the author wanted to provide plenty of specific examples to help validate his points, but it definitely hindered the flow of the book at various points.
My other point of contention is the book's final conclusion. The title is A History of Shaolin: Buddhism, Kung Fu and Identity. However, Shaolin's influence on the Chinese identity was only briefly discussed in the last six pages, wherein the author quoted multiple definitions of "identity" and proceeded to make (force?) Shaolin's history line up with each of them. I don't deny kung fu played a significant role in shaping China's -- and the global community's -- perception of the Chinese identity (and still features prominently in it even today), I just didn't appreciate the author stretching Shaolin's history to meet such a broad set of criteria. And again, the final conclusion included no original ideas from the author. Perhaps this was intentional to avoid as much personal bias as possible, but with so many other people's thoughts and opinions crowded in, I felt the authors' own should have at least made an appearance to prevent sounding a bit like a freshman essay.
I don't mean to sound harsh. Despite its flaws, I actually really enjoyed this book. It does a great job of providing an overview of the development of Shaolin and kung fu that isn't too broad as to be generalizing; while deftly navigating the vast quantity of Chinese history, the author manages to tie this niche aspect back to the macro-historical level, which I found very impressive.
It was incredibly interesting to read about the ups and downs of Shaolin in respect to China's dynastic cycle, political vicissitudes, and changing religious policies (lots of "golden moments" followed by painful falls and destruction). I also found it fascinating how Shaolin evolved from an established center of Buddhist teaching to one of martial arts. Despite centuries passing, as well as being ransacked and destroyed three times, Shaolin Temple still exists and is even thriving (due in large part to commercialization, but that's another story). So, although this book has its flaws, I still definitely recommend it for the wealth of information it provides.
It is very well-researched, as the notes and bibliography clearly prove. The book discusses the birth and life of the Shaolin Temple in the context of the development of Buddhism in China. Each chapter begins by recounting segments of Chinese history and Buddhism's role in it, then delves into the micro-history of Shaolin during that specific time. Each chapter finishes with a conclusion, which is essentially a brief summary of the chapter. (I found this unnecessary, as the conclusions didn't add new ideas or anything else of worth. If someone wanted, they could read the conclusions and still get the gist of the entire book.) Another detraction is the writing style: at times, I felt like I was reading a list of facts one after the other, in paragraph form. I understand the author wanted to provide plenty of specific examples to help validate his points, but it definitely hindered the flow of the book at various points.
My other point of contention is the book's final conclusion. The title is A History of Shaolin: Buddhism, Kung Fu and Identity. However, Shaolin's influence on the Chinese identity was only briefly discussed in the last six pages, wherein the author quoted multiple definitions of "identity" and proceeded to make (force?) Shaolin's history line up with each of them. I don't deny kung fu played a significant role in shaping China's -- and the global community's -- perception of the Chinese identity (and still features prominently in it even today), I just didn't appreciate the author stretching Shaolin's history to meet such a broad set of criteria. And again, the final conclusion included no original ideas from the author. Perhaps this was intentional to avoid as much personal bias as possible, but with so many other people's thoughts and opinions crowded in, I felt the authors' own should have at least made an appearance to prevent sounding a bit like a freshman essay.
I don't mean to sound harsh. Despite its flaws, I actually really enjoyed this book. It does a great job of providing an overview of the development of Shaolin and kung fu that isn't too broad as to be generalizing; while deftly navigating the vast quantity of Chinese history, the author manages to tie this niche aspect back to the macro-historical level, which I found very impressive.
It was incredibly interesting to read about the ups and downs of Shaolin in respect to China's dynastic cycle, political vicissitudes, and changing religious policies (lots of "golden moments" followed by painful falls and destruction). I also found it fascinating how Shaolin evolved from an established center of Buddhist teaching to one of martial arts. Despite centuries passing, as well as being ransacked and destroyed three times, Shaolin Temple still exists and is even thriving (due in large part to commercialization, but that's another story). So, although this book has its flaws, I still definitely recommend it for the wealth of information it provides.
September 17, 2021
A History of Shaolin: Buddhism, Kung Fu and Identity is a case study of a series of significant historical events about Shaolin Temple from ancient times to the present. This book is full of historical materials and has a unique perspective, trying to restore the real historical scenes to the maximum extent, so as to reflect the clear context and substantial position of Shaolin Temple in Chinese history and civilization with full and accurate historical materials.
September 10, 2021
This is one of the most comprehensive works on the history of Shaolin - the cradle of Chan Buddhism ... "The brave man stood in the snow. He cut off his arm to seek peace of mind. Shaolin ranks number one, For its Chan tradition, not kung fu."
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews