Copied from the Discussion Archive. Please see Discussion Archive/Shaolin Topics/Topic Five for complete discussion.
I actually get quite a few emails like the one that follows, but since this is one of the better written ones, I've decided to use this. I think that it's a topic that really needs some extensive discussion, as it pulls together a lot of the reality and the perception that makes up the Shaolin temple, and life, there at.
My name is xxxxx, I'm living in Beijing, China. Martial arts have always been my passion, and lately I've been kind of confused. Well I arrived to Beijing just a couple of weeks ago. If you don't mind I would just like to ask you a couple of questions, well are there any Chinese styles, that could stand a chance in a No Holds Barred event?? Is there a Chinese style that resembles Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The closest to it that I know about is Shuai Jiao, but it does not have any ground fighting background.
Well, this next question might be really annoying for you, so I apologize in advance. Yes, like many other people I also fantasize about one day being able to live and train in the Shaolin Temple, but is this really possible? Would the Shaolin Temple monks accept a foreigner to be part of them. And do the Shaolin monks also train in ground fighting skills (like Jiu Jitsu, submission fighting).
Well, what I'm about to tell you is kind of personal, so I would really appreciate if you could give me some personal advice. .........My passion has always been martial arts, not only as physical training but as a way of living, that is the main reason why I'm here in China. My father wouldn't give me his full support when I told him that Martial Arts is what I really wanted to do, so he told me that taking martial arts as a way of living was not going to give me an economically stable life, that is why I'm going to study Psychology after I learn Chinese. I told my father that the reason why I wanted to come to China is because, the type of Psychology I wanted to study is only taught here in China. I will study psychology don't get me wrong, but that is not really why I wanted to come here. I wanted to come here because I thought that I could train in martial arts probably every afternoon, after class. But i get extremely anxious whenever I hear, see or get in touch with anything that has to do with martial arts, for example the Shaolin temple, Martial Art schools here in China where little kids live and train almost all day (It's the kind of life I wish I had). This stresses me a lot, Is like having 2 paths, one is to do what I'm expected to do, choose a career at university, graduate get a job and live a life, but it does not make me happy, my dream has always been not to train martial arts but to live them. the other path would be to go for my passion and dedicate all my time and heart to martial arts, but the possibility of failure (as of my passion) and economical failure as well, scares me a lot. I don't really have anyone who could understand about this kind of thing. And well my family also fears about my future economical well being that is why I get no support from them when it comes to my dream, Martial Arts.
Well, thanks for taking the time to read this, and sorry for the bother.
A very common question, one that I get in one form or another on almost a daily basis. And a most important one.
I actually get quite a few emails like the one that follows, but since this is one of the better written ones, I've decided to use this. I think that it's a topic that really needs some extensive discussion, as it pulls together a lot of the reality and the perception that makes up the Shaolin temple, and life, there at.
My name is xxxxx, I'm living in Beijing, China. Martial arts have always been my passion, and lately I've been kind of confused. Well I arrived to Beijing just a couple of weeks ago. If you don't mind I would just like to ask you a couple of questions, well are there any Chinese styles, that could stand a chance in a No Holds Barred event?? Is there a Chinese style that resembles Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The closest to it that I know about is Shuai Jiao, but it does not have any ground fighting background.
Well, this next question might be really annoying for you, so I apologize in advance. Yes, like many other people I also fantasize about one day being able to live and train in the Shaolin Temple, but is this really possible? Would the Shaolin Temple monks accept a foreigner to be part of them. And do the Shaolin monks also train in ground fighting skills (like Jiu Jitsu, submission fighting).
Well, what I'm about to tell you is kind of personal, so I would really appreciate if you could give me some personal advice. .........My passion has always been martial arts, not only as physical training but as a way of living, that is the main reason why I'm here in China. My father wouldn't give me his full support when I told him that Martial Arts is what I really wanted to do, so he told me that taking martial arts as a way of living was not going to give me an economically stable life, that is why I'm going to study Psychology after I learn Chinese. I told my father that the reason why I wanted to come to China is because, the type of Psychology I wanted to study is only taught here in China. I will study psychology don't get me wrong, but that is not really why I wanted to come here. I wanted to come here because I thought that I could train in martial arts probably every afternoon, after class. But i get extremely anxious whenever I hear, see or get in touch with anything that has to do with martial arts, for example the Shaolin temple, Martial Art schools here in China where little kids live and train almost all day (It's the kind of life I wish I had). This stresses me a lot, Is like having 2 paths, one is to do what I'm expected to do, choose a career at university, graduate get a job and live a life, but it does not make me happy, my dream has always been not to train martial arts but to live them. the other path would be to go for my passion and dedicate all my time and heart to martial arts, but the possibility of failure (as of my passion) and economical failure as well, scares me a lot. I don't really have anyone who could understand about this kind of thing. And well my family also fears about my future economical well being that is why I get no support from them when it comes to my dream, Martial Arts.
Well, thanks for taking the time to read this, and sorry for the bother.
A very common question, one that I get in one form or another on almost a daily basis. And a most important one.
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