Ebook Free The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar
So, even you require obligation from the firm, you could not be puzzled more because publications The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar will constantly aid you. If this The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar is your finest partner today to cover your job or work, you could as soon as possible get this book. How? As we have informed recently, simply go to the link that we provide below. The verdict is not only the book The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar that you hunt for; it is exactly how you will get lots of books to support your skill and ability to have great performance.
The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar
Ebook Free The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar
The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar. Learning how to have reading practice is like discovering how to try for consuming something that you truly do not really want. It will certainly need even more times to aid. In addition, it will also little bit pressure to serve the food to your mouth and also ingest it. Well, as reviewing a book The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar, occasionally, if you should read something for your brand-new works, you will really feel so dizzy of it. Also it is a publication like The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar; it will certainly make you really feel so bad.
As known, many individuals say that books are the custom windows for the world. It does not indicate that purchasing book The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar will certainly mean that you can buy this globe. Merely for joke! Reviewing a book The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar will certainly opened someone to believe much better, to keep smile, to entertain themselves, and to encourage the understanding. Every publication also has their unique to affect the visitor. Have you known why you review this The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar for?
Well, still confused of how to get this e-book The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar here without going outside? Just attach your computer system or gizmo to the internet and begin downloading The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar Where? This page will show you the web link page to download The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar You never ever worry, your favourite e-book will be sooner your own now. It will be a lot easier to take pleasure in reviewing The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar by on-line or getting the soft file on your device. It will certainly despite who you are as well as what you are. This e-book The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar is created for public as well as you are among them who can enjoy reading of this book The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar
Spending the extra time by checking out The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar could provide such fantastic encounter also you are simply sitting on your chair in the workplace or in your bed. It will certainly not curse your time. This The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar will guide you to have more valuable time while taking rest. It is extremely delightful when at the midday, with a mug of coffee or tea and a book The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts, By Meir Shahar in your kitchen appliance or computer display. By taking pleasure in the sights around, below you could begin reviewing.
"The Shaolin Monastery" charts, for the first time in any language, the history of the Shaolin Temple and the evolution of its world-renowned martial arts. In this meticulously researched and eminently readable study, Meir Shahar considers the economic, political, and religious factors that led Shaolin monks to disregard the Buddhist prohibition against violence and instead create fighting techniques that by the twenty-first century have spread throughout the world. He reveals the intimate connection between monastic violence and the veneration of the violent divinities of Buddhism and analyzes the Shaolin association of martial discipline and the search for spiritual enlightenment.
- Sales Rank: #634809 in Books
- Published on: 2008-01-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.10" h x .70" w x 6.10" l, 1.10 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 296 pages
Review
"A long-awaited, in-depth look into the complex political, military, and hygienic factors surrounding the monastery's involvement in martial arts. . . . This is clearly a pioneering book, and Shahar, a qualified scholar, has documented his material in a manner that will allow others to pursue the provocative questions he raises."
"A real gift to martial arts enthusiasts and historians alike. Combining scholarly caution and respectful appreciation, Shahar shows how much and how little can be learned about the origins of the monastery in the fifth century, its close relationship with the Tang emperors (618-907), its flowering as a religious and military institution in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and the suspicion with which it was regarded by the Qing state (1644-1911). . . . This refreshingly original study is indispensable for understanding both the history and the hype."
From the Publisher
"Written in clear and lucid style and ambitious both in scope and methodology, this book offers a fascinating window into Chinese culture, religion, and history. Ranging from historical and ethnographic documents to a wide variety of literary sources, it weaves them all into a compelling narrative. In this fashion, Shahar is uniquely able to bring together social, historical, and mythological elements, providing a demythologized account of martial Chinese traditions such as Shaolin Boxing. This is sinology at its best."--Bernard Faure, Columbia University
"The book clearly belongs in a new group of books challenging conventional understandings of Buddhism and violence. Meir Shahar documents with meticulous accuracy and mellifluous prose the fighting monks of Shaolin monastery in China, who appear first in the Tang dynasty (618-907) and continue to the present. Scholars of Buddhism and Chinese history will learn much from the author's scrupulous analysis of the historical record--particularly the texts on stone steles at the monastery--that documents the monastery's traditions of fighting. Anyone interested in martial arts or Bruce Lee films will find it fascinating to learn about the actual history of the monastery's fighting techniques. I found the book a powerful and compelling read." --Valerie Hansen, Yale University
"Meir Shahar's book will assure that the martial arts of Shaolin take a prominent place in the history of Chinese Buddhism. Shahar has mastered a prodigious amount of secondary scholarship, pored over a wealth of primary documents, and brought a critical rigor to the study of these materials that is unprecedented in any language. Throughout, his analysis is cogent and clear. The result is a delightful tour of one of the most enigmatic and compelling stories of Chinese religion: the emergence and development of martial arts at Shaolin Si. Entertaining as the book is, it delivers as well a meditation on the sources of Chinese religion, and how fiction and scripture, myth and history combine to produce novel traditions. The Shaolin Monastery will appeal not only to scholars of Chinese religion, but to those interested in military history, self-cultivation, martial arts, and popular culture."--John Kieschnick, University of Bristol
The Shaolin Monastery charts, for the first time in any language, the history of the Shaolin Temple and the evolution of its world-renowned martial arts. In this meticulously researched and eminently readable study, Meir Shahar considers the economic, political, and religious factors that led Shaolin monks to disregard the Buddhist prohibition against violence and instead create fighting techniques that by the twenty-first century have spread throughout the world. He examines the monks' relations with successive Chinese regimes, beginning with the assistance they lent to the seventh-century Emperor Li Shimin and culminating more than a millennium later with their complex relations with Qing rulers, who suspected them of rebellion. He reveals the intimate connection between monastic violence and the veneration of the violent divinities of Buddhism and analyzes the Shaolin association of martial discipline and the search for spiritual enlightenment.
Shahar's exploration of the evolution of Shaolin fighting techniques serves as a prism through which to consider martial-art history in general. He correlates the emergence of the famous bare-handed techniques of Taiji Quan, Xingyi Quan, and Shaolin Quan in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to the social, political, and religious trends of that age. He then goes on to argue that these techniques were created not only for fighting, but also for religious and therapeutic purposes. Thus his work fills an important gap in the understanding of Chinese religion and medicine as well as the martial arts.
The Shaolin Monastery is the most exhaustive study to date on the topic and the most systematic introduction to the history and the religious context of the Chinese martial arts tradition. It will engage those interested in Chinese religion and history and martial arts, illuminating for specialists, martial artists, and general readers alike the history and nature of a martial tradition that continues to grow in popularity in its native land and abroad.
About the Author
Meir Shahar is associate professor in the Department of East Asian Studies, Tel Aviv University.
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Among the best books on martial arts history
By Paul Seaman
Just wanted to add another five-star review, in agreement with what others have already written. "The Shaolin Monastery" is unexpectedly engaging and FUN to read for such an impressively scholarly work. Shahar's historical/anthropological examination of HOW mythologies (often assumed to be facts) develop is a unique contribution among many of this valuable book. Regretably, I don't have time to review the many good books I've read, purchased on Amazon, but this one really deserves highlighting.
Readers should note that The Shaolin Grandmasters' Text: History, Philosophy, and Gung Fu of Shaolin Ch'an, which Amazon has tagged along with this book, is not at all in the same league. It has anonymous authorship (always a bad sign) and is self-published by the somewhat suspect "Order of Shaolin Ch'an" (another bad sign). While "Grandmasters" discusses some interesting topics and seems to be somewhat knowledgeable, offering descriptions of various forms and styles, it should be viewed as a completists' (i.e., for a thorough collection) and not the most advisable introduction. American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in theNew Chinais marvelously entertaining firsthand account of a young American training at today's Shaolin Temple. But for history, "Shaolin Monastery" if by far the best source.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
Academically rigourous and thoroughly readable
By Eli Moshe
I came to this work as both an academic and a practitioner of a Shaolin style of pushing hands. The evolution of the Shaolin arts from staff fighting to unarmed styles is explored in great detail from a variety of sources (many of which are primary and have been translated here for the first time).
This is one of the first books I've read that makes a scholarly attempt at explaining how the Buddhist monks of Shaolin successfully negotiated the cognitive dissonance caused by commitment to Buddhist principles of non-violence on one hand and mastery of martial arts on the other.
The book also succeeds in recognising and clarifying the role of Daoist thought and cultivation practices (namely the Dao Yin) in the development of Shaolin Gung Fu.
Some of the conclusions (especially in relation to the unarmed styles) lend some support to Nathan Johnson's (2000) thesis 'Barefoot Zen'. After long and careful study of the forms of Shaolin Gung Fu and Karate Kata, Johnson contended that these arts were never intended for fighting (whereas Shahar would likely contend that fighting was not their sole purpose, p.180 and p.200).
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
An excellent historical resource
By Jeffrey K. Mann
Unfortunately, quality academic work on subjects related to martial arts is in very short supply. With the appearance of Shahar's book, however, we have a first-rate addition to current scholarship. It is most welcome.
Having earned his doctorate at Harvard, Shahar currently teaches at Tel Aviv University in Israel. The Shaolin Monastery is his third book related to the intersection of Chinese history and religion, following Crazy Ji: Chinese Religion and Popular Culture (1998) and his work as co-editor of Unruly Gods: Divinity and Society in China (1996). In this most recent work, Shahar traces the history of the famous Shaolin Temple from the 6th century to the present day. With a remarkable grasp of the historical materials, he presents the early development and mythology surrounding the monastery's military exploits during the Tang Dynasty, its evolution during the Ming, disintegration through the Qing, and recent revival in the last fifty years. Along the way, historical misperceptions and legends are dealt with critically. In doing so, however, Shahar avoids the tendency of too many historians to giddily deconstruct popular beliefs with an iconoclasm that betrays a snooty elitism on the part of the researcher. Shahar prefers to uncover, explain, and clarify, not gleefully tear down.
This book should put an end to those arguing that Bodhidharma did indeed introduce physical exercise of any sort to Shaolin. As Shahar points out, the Shaolin monks did not even sell that story until the mid-Qing dynasty (c. 18th century). Likewise, he demonstrates that empty-handed fightings styles, both historical and contemporary, that claim to have originated at Shaolin are equally dubious. Anyone today claiming to practice martial arts with their roots in Shaolin - aside from modern wushu - will be hard pressed to do so after reading this book.
Shahar's historical research is, as mentioned above, first rate. However, readers who are looking for information on the nuts and bolts of Chinese martial arts will be sorely disappointed. There is almost no discussion of technique or principles of combat, leaving the reader wondering at times if Shahar has ever spent time training in martial arts himself. When Shahar quotes Cao Huandou, who criticizes those who "strain their muscles and expose their bones, waste their energy and use force," Shahar concludes, "Evidently, some artists considered the martial aspect of their technique secondary to the spiritual one." (171) Here, Shahar seems to equate straining with an emphasis on martial practice, as distinct from a more relaxed spiritual pursuit. This glaring ignorance of Chinese martial arts demonstrates Shahar's lack of understanding of the practice of these arts.
Additionally, while Shahar addresses issues that relate to the religious tension that exists when Buddhist monks train for and engage in violence, he provides no new insights or penetrating analysis. He has a clear grasp of the fundamentals of Buddhism and Taoism, but this is not the work of a scholar of religion. His surprise at a story of Buddhist monks being physically aggressive with each other was actually a surprise to me. He writes, "The violence and abuse [taking place between monks] recorded by Zhang Zhuo seem hardly fit for a Buddhist temple." (37) It would appear that Shahar has spent very little time reading of Chinese and Japanese Buddhists in the Ch'an/Zen tradition, for whom physical acts of striking, slapping, kicking, and other physical abuse is hardly out of the ordinary.
The comments above, however, should not be read as criticism. Shahar is an historian writing a history of the Shaolin Temple. In that task he has done an exemplary job. A book cannot be all things to all people, so potential readers should know what a book is, and what it is not. In the task he set out to accomplish, Shahar should be commended.
See all 24 customer reviews...
The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar PDF
The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar EPub
The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar Doc
The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar iBooks
The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar rtf
The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar Mobipocket
The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar Kindle
@ Ebook Free The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar Doc
@ Ebook Free The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar Doc
@ Ebook Free The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar Doc
@ Ebook Free The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Meir Shahar Doc
