
The Shaolin Monastery
History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts
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Narrated by:
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Kevin Young
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By:
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Meir Shahar
About this listen
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 21st century have spread throughout the world. Meir Shahar is associate professor in the Dept of East Asian Studies Tel Aviv University.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-04-21
Cool
Good overview of Chinese martial arts related to the (northern) Shaolin temple, both empty hand and weapons (usually a staff). Ranges from early times to modern. More focused on general arts; don't expect specific styles (like praying mantis or eagle claw or whatever) to be covered in depth or at all. Author draws on historical documents, epigraphy (stuff carved on stelae, temple thresholds, etc.) and literature (e. g. The water margin). Narrator doesn't speak Chinese but he pronounces it well enough to be understood. Besides, most of the terms are translated by the author so it doesn't make much of a difference.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 09-28-18
Excellent.
Quite an enjoyable book. I wish there were more like it. There's a treasure trove of information in this volume.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Stephen Romney
- 07-22-19
A fascinating exploration of history and myth
This book separates history from mythology in regards to Chinese martial arts. A must read!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Joe
- 08-26-20
Headline is here
Don't force people to write reviews if they only want to leave a star rating.
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1 person found this helpful
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- jamil anthony
- 03-30-19
A in-indepth history
I loved the book and the amount of scholarship that went into it. This is worth buying!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jonathan
- 07-18-17
Dry and uninspired
It is performed like your least favorite teacher teeing an awful textbook. Retrieve this information elsewhere.
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4 people found this helpful