Who here has actually trained with a Shaolin Monk?

[kungfudork]

hello all. hi gene.
well let me start by giving my idea on the whole wushu vs. traditional forms from the monks of today. i am now training in texas with shi xing hao. he is about 27 years old and was at shaolin temple about 14 years. now before shi xinghao went to shaolin he had already practiced kungfu from about age 6....he became very proficient at contemporary wushu(they refer to as long fist). later at the age 14(i believe) he went to shaolin temple....his first year there he hated it. he was use to long fist, so his stances were open and his chest out...he refers to this as very beautiful and open. but the training he was recieving at shaolin had tighter stances and a concept of every part of the body coils up and then explodes then back to coiled up(this is hard to explain in words). my point in short is that there is big difference in contemp. wushu and traditional shaolin. Shi xing hao almost decided to leave shaolin, because it was so different from what he already new(contemporary long fist)and he found it very hard to adapt to in the beginning.
i have learned so much in such a short time here in houston. i was in shaolin temple for a month in '96 and i learned shao hong chuan, a staff form, and a sword form. the only form i kept was shao hong chuan but i can't say it was even close to being good. i thought i knew the form,but after a short time here shi xing hao fixed my form and basically changed the whole thing. well the form looks the same but how i do the moves is completely different and i am actually starting to be enlightened on the concept of developing the power and understanding the moves. so, my 2 cents is that yes there is wushu at shaolin, and yes there is true traditional shaolin at shaolin today. if anyone is gonna be in dallas at the jimmy wong tournament i would be happy to discuss this and give my take on my interpretation of what i've learned. i am not saying i know the true right way to do shaolin, i just wanna see and discuss what the diffence is from my view and anyone elses.
respect to all,
dieter wagner

[GeneChing]

Well there you go - 60 posts on this thread and we've digressed into all this shaolin controversy, but only 4 responses to the actual question - 1 student of Deru, 1 student who trained at the Southern Shaolin Temple, 1 student who took a weekend seminar with Yanzi, and Dieter above, who is sort of a ringer. An interesting situation, sort of indicative of how shaolin is experienced vs. how it is perceived.

Gene Ching
Asst. Publisher
Kungfu Qigong Magazine & www.KUNGFUmagazine.com

[shaolinboxer]

I spent a couple years training closely with Yan Ming, and met Li Peng in Holland (I took one class with him after he moved to NY)...also met some of the other monks as they would pass through NY. (Gene, I think we were introduced once in a car....hmm).

I suggest if you want to learn more about the monks, you train with them for a while. It is ridiculous to me how they are all grouped together as "shaolin monks". They are all individuals, and pretty **** good martial artists. You'll find your own truth regarding shaolin. You just have to spend some time training.

I am exhausted by the whole real vs fake argument. The reality of your training is created within yourself, and I believe this applies to the whole "real vs fake" controversy.

Here's a little snippet that I often tell people to explain my experience. Li Peng hosted a demo/tournament in Holland. One of the younger monks, I forget his name becuase it was very complicted to say, came by my hotel room after a demo to teach me some chin na. He spoke no english, but signaled with his hands for me to take notes, and that he would teach me 10 techniques. He did just that (it was very exciting), and then invited me outside. He gave me a lesson on chi kung breathing and instructed me to give it a try. As soon as I began breathing, hit lit up a cigarette and offered me one.

[mamisano]

I have trained with Shi Yanming on various occassions in NY. He holds seminars at our school from time to time. I learned an open hand and a staff form from him.

Regards,

Michael Amisano
Former Kung-Fu Student
Trying to get back on the right path.

[shaolin_knight]

I'm hoping to train a little next summer, if I can save enough money to go on the study tour with your sifu. will you be there? i'm not very good, do you think i should wait before going on something like that or do you think i should just train harder this year? i also have no experience with Sun style tai chi. i want to go because it sounds like fun anyway.

[shaolinboxer]

so, you sign your name as "former kung fu student".

Why do you feel like you've fallen off of the path? Your martial arts will change just like your life changes. There will be months when you can get to class, but you can still train...even if its for 20 min. You don't need a school to be on "the path", just the will to practice.

Martial arts is a long road. Think big. Instead of, the old "how many times did I practice this week", think about how many times you practiced this month...this year...this decade.

Good luck and look everywhere for martial arts, not just where you think you should look.

[GeneChing]

L: Can you give me a hint about being introduced in a car? Was it in NY w/Yanming last year on the way to a sold out live fight match? And how are Lipeng's classes doing?

M: Do you know the names of the forms you learned from Yanming? And tell me you're not a former KF-student becuase you took up tae bo or something...

S_K: I probably not go on Lam Sifu's next tour. We went to compete together in China - it our first trip to the northern mainland (Lam Sifu left China went he was only 8.) That trip changed my world view (but then most trips do...)

We co-led a tour to Shaolin in '98 and it was a disaster that ended in a car crash. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt, but after that I decided not to lead such a tour again. I was in the middle of nowhere, the only one with medical training, with a van full of bleeding friends (including a 4 yr. old) who had followed me there, in the rain. It was a bad trip, a really bad trip.

I met up with his tour in Shaolin in '99, but for some incomprehensible reason they left just before the festival and I stayed. Actually, once you've gone to China, it's much more affordable to go without going on a tour (unless that tour guide has some unusually good connections.) But if you've never gone, especially if you plan to train, a guide can be very helpful. Consider your guides very carefully.

I definately encourage you to go, no matter what your skill level is. You learn so much travelling, no matter if it is for kungfu or just personal fulfillment.

And absolutely you should train harder this year whether you are going or not. Just train harder. Don't even think about the reason why.

Gene Ching
Asst. Publisher
Kungfu Qigong Magazine & www.KUNGFUmagazine.com

[shaolinboxer]

Yes, we met after trying to get into that fight at the tropicana.

I dunno how Li Peng's classes are doing. He's was bouncing around at different locations in the city, and mentioned he was surprised to find out how difficult it was to become successful in NY (as compared to his ventures in Europe).

As I said, I only saw him once after he came to NY. He could be anywhere.

[GeneChing]

Hey Lyle,
That's cool about getting into that fight. I remember that night, but forgive me if your face is a blur to me. If we ever meet face-to-face again, you'll have to remind me.

I know where Lipeng is - Brooklyn! If you're interested, contact me privately. After having incredible success in Europe with 4 schools, and a few shaolin-only tournaments, he is starting over very modestly. I think his take on having a big school is "been there, done that." Now I'm not sure where he will go - he may retire completely (but what a waste that would be.) More on him to come...

Gene Ching
Asst. Publisher
Kungfu Qigong Magazine & www.KUNGFUmagazine.com

[wisdom mind]

thanks...

[chiman]

I am a student of Shi Yan Ming since 1996. Since then I've learned from Shi De Yang, Shi Xing Xi, and another fantastic monk from Wushu Guan. I don't remember his name.

I'm happy my Shifu afforded me the opportunities to train with them, it has been a wonderful journey.

There you go Gene, another post responding to the topic!

What's up Lyle!

"Watch the Eight
Diagram smash the
diaphragm"

[shaolinboxer]

Glad to see you are here to reprezent!

[GeneChing]

Looks like we have reps from Yanming & Xinghao. Cool. Let's keep the family together here. Anyone from any of the other US monks?

centerline vortex: I've never actually taken a lesson from Lipeng so maybe you should ask Lyle. I know he is strong in qigong & ditang, and even the other monks regards his overall skill as top notch, which they certainly don't say about every other monk.

Gene Ching
Asst. Publisher
Kungfu Qigong Magazine & www.KUNGFUmagazine.com

[shaolinboxer]

As with all of the monks, he teaches his own style.

I can say that he believes in learning applications of forms, and that he seems to lean toward a more traditional interpretation of shaolin.

[Stumblefist]

Gene:
Please explain exactly what you mean by "trained at the Shaolin Temple". As we know the Shaolin temple is a Museum now. But of course they run training centres. So can you delinate the whole structure for us? i.e. how many training halls/schools/ locations , different ones for chinese,? for foreigners? for the foreign-monk-show teams/ for the internal-monk-show-teams / command and onwership struture? government involvement owership? i.e. a management organization structure chart.
How many actual real monks now? In 89 i heard there were 11, and something like 5000 kids in the run-for-profit school.
Are they really selling/giving certificates to people in all kinds of countries? Semms to be the case.
What is the Shaolin involvement with the National Wushu Organization in Beijing (that org is responsible for disseminating official "government kung-fu" and arranging all tournaments domestic and foreign and the programs at the sports universities.) Seems there must be some close connection. Any organization not government sponsored is technically illegal. All DanWei's (work units) inclding schools (and would think must be shaolin) have a political officer.
Now don't snow me now like ignoring some other legitimate orgs or pretending there is only one big boss or whatever. I'll be passing by Shaolin again this summer (not too far from here)and get more at it. Last time my foot was broken and hindered my research efforts.
Well this is China and organizations are anything but simple and open to inspection. Everything in China is fake, including the government, everyone lies, there is level after level after level, and there is always a myth or illusion or face maintained. You almost have to be chinese to realize everything is an illusion except for the bullets that get fired in the back of some people's heads.
Your Wudang article showed quite a great naiviety about China, so i have my doubts about the quality of information you can provide. But shoot me down please if it's not so, and gen me up.
thanxs