Touchdown Shi De Cheng Wushu Guan!

[Josh x]

Just to give you all some resolution about what unfolded after the last post, Kuan Kuan was taken to the doctor/hospital the next day, by which time it was understood that the injury was not something he could just walk off. When he came back he had a bag of medication in one hand and and an mp3 player in the other. He has since been limping and spending most of his time in his room, I imagine listening to music. I can only guess the present and its purpose reflects the severity of the injury; it's a real bitch climbing four flights of stairs on one leg.

[master splinter]

never said the chinese knew much about stretching science or being able to either identify or treat sports injuries. they just want everyone to be able to do the splits. so... they make them.

Well then that really makes me wonder why im so interested in kung fu, considering that all it has to offer me is the ability to do the splits under forced conditions...

[LFJ]

remember what huineng replied when hongren first met him and laughed at him for being a southern barbarian trying to learn dharma?

[liutangsanzang]

Well, can u get in a text or can u think and understand budadama? I dont know really but it seems that at the time of king Trison Detsen, the tibetans had the same question. So indian shcolars faced chan monks such as Mohe Yan. Mohe Yan was said to advocate not thinking during meditation while indian shcolars were eager to read texts. The tibetans chose the indian.

In the platform sutra i think Huineng, the 6th patriarch, says that to reach not thinking, wunian, u should not try not to think. If it comes, it comes. I always wonder how good it is of not thinking about the misery in the world, the children dying without medicine, what i feel like the hidden massive violence of capitalism.

U say there is no difference between my mind and the chinese mind. I guess it is the old question of non duality. I think it is a bit of scizophreniac question. Well, personally i feel there is a big difference between my mind and a chinese mind, but i guess it depends on ur definition of mind. Two different things can be linked but different. That is also going back to the question of difference and essence, of KONG and LI.

I dont know, just some ideas.


Finally Josh, to get back to the bagavad gita, maybe a few words if u dont know the text. This text is part of the Mahabarata, an indian novel. So, though it is revered, it is not a prophet who wrote it but a novelist. Many indian texts have such a status that it is not higher beings who revealed them.

The question of the bagavad gita is how can non violence and war go together. Prince arjuna, before entering the battle field, is wondering how, while he devoted his life to non violence, he could go to war and kill his friend. Then appeards god Krisna who gives him a teaching.

Peace and love

[LFJ]

Here u can find the bagavad gita, the famous text about war and yoga. Damo, bodidhamma, probably studied this text as it is most praised in India, so it might help u get into his mind and the hindu vision of non violence, which is quite unique and beautiful.

i have a suspicion that studying any text actually will not help you get into bodhidharma's mind, not to mention a non-buddhist text such as the bhagavad gita.

I think if i want to understand the real Shaolin, i have to understand the indian mind. Isnt Damo said to be born in brhamin family?

if you want to understand real shaolin, you have to know that there are no such differences as indian mind, chinese mind, and your mind.

[liutangsanzang]

Here u can find the bagavad gita, the famous text about war and yoga. Damo, bodidhamma, probably studied this text as it is most praised in India, so it might help u get into his mind and the hindu vision of non violence, which is quite unique and beautiful. If u havent read it u will discover a new world of practice and ideas. I think if i want to understand the real Shaolin, i have to understand the indian mind. Isnt Damo said to be born in brhamin family?

Gandhi was quite inspired by this text and a book about his commentary of the gita should be soon released in USA. Check it out if u want to discover a non violent approach to martial art.

Peace and love

Bagavad Gita

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbg/index.htm

Gandhi commentary on gita

http://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-According-Gandhi/dp/1556438001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240979513&sr=1-1

[LFJ]

never said the chinese knew much about stretching science or being able to either identify or treat sports injuries. they just want everyone to be able to do the splits. so... they make them.

[doc]

Don't. That's life in China. I told you you would learn a lot there, and not necessarily gong fu....

If only more women were saying this to me...

You're not throwing enough dollar bills around!

[Josh x]

Yesterday I got my firsthand experience of the extremes of kung fu training here. Every two hour session is split into two halves, in the first half there is about 10-15 minutes spent solely on stretching. When they pulled out a gymnastics mat, which, in my time here I've not seen used, I was curious and stopped to watch.
What followed was an assembly line in order from smallest to tallest of each Chinese student pinned to the mat and had legs stretched at obscene angles. By the third student, amongst the tears of the first two, Kuan Kuan who is maybe 9 or 10 most definitely strained his muscles. He limped and is still limping since it happened and upon my questioning of the older students injuries of this sort are common and are treated as such; without much concern, given a pat on the back and told to get back in line. Though they begrudgingly let him skip the kung fu class that morning.
He wasn't taken to the doctor, it was expected he would make a miraculous recovery and I watched the coaches prod him to find out where it hurt, though their obvious medical inexperience didn't do much for either the pain or the injury.
Watching this all happen, I didn't feel compelled to step in or question the practices here; I'm sure it will and does happen whether I'm here or not and of course, this is China. Though that didn't stop me bringing him up to my room to implement my limited first aid skills.
Unfortunately I didn't ice the area, ice is hard to find anyway, but I used an external pain relief cream called voltaren. For future reference Doc, how should I treat injuries of this sort? I have a mixed bag of first aid medication and external bandages,etc, I am hesitant to give any medication, even paracetamol just in case there is a reaction. I could just see the disaster of me trying to explain that situation to Chinese paramedics.

Always an adventure in Shaolin

I need u Josh! Please show me the way...

If only more women were saying this to me...

[liutangsanzang]

Dont loose time please, find absolute non violence for every beings such as animals, ghosts, humans, hell beings...

I need u Josh! Please show me the way...

[jt1]

Josh. Thanks for all the updates on your journey. I hope one day to make a trip there too or possibly to Thailand. Have a great time man.

[doc]

You really should take a taxi to Da Fa Wen Si. It's towards the Shaolin area from Dechengs, up in the Songshan range. And you MUST see it.

I did the village past the rope bridge and back in something over three hours, many years ago. It's an awesome hike, but prepare for pain. It's not the easiest thing in the world. Did it many, many times, in many different seasons.

[Maestro]

i really like how u keep us updated about your trip, i think your the first to do this like this i could be wrong though..

i mean other then doc anyhow. sounds like your having a good time, wish i was there!

[onesp1ng]

the Damo green tea shake.

:-) ............

[Josh x]

Just did Taishi Shan this morning, from Dengfeng to the other side of the mountain was a six hour walk, the scenary is becoming greener as we get further and further into Summer. You hiked up Song Shan in three hours? I don't know how far up the rope bridge is, but the cable car alone is a twelve minute ride, I'll have to try my hand at your record. My lonely planet pegs it at 15km each way.
I think I know Da Fa Wen Si, is it on the road to the Shaolin Temple just near the military compound? I will add that to the list, these mountains are really something, we only have large hills where I live in Australia, so it's a real treat to explore Song Shan.
As I walked today there was only a brief period where I was alone and the traffic from the city couldn't be heard, despite the large undertaking of the climb it doesn't deter the Chinese tourists, though the further up you go the less you see. I think I'll go back to Shaolin next week, though it's expensive I can do the hike, that and I'm craving the Damo green tea shake.