Dharma Documentaries

Dharma. Culture. Ecology.

Menu
  • Dharma
  • Culture
  • Ecology
  • Archives
  • About
Menu

Shaolin Zen Meditation, Martial Arts and Medicine

Posted on March 14, 2014March 14, 2014 by Dharma Documentaries
A documentary about meditation martial arts and medicine at Shaolin Temple in China (Mandarin with English Subtitles)

Shaolin: Zen Meditation, Martial Arts and Medicine

The Shaolin Temple in China is the center for traditional martial arts in China, and in recent years has become the focus of quite a cult, with very high prices even to visit the Temple.

What is little known is that it actually has three schools within its tradition, and this documentary focuses on the least known, but most holistic, which incorporates both meditation (chan), the martial arts (wu) and medicine (yi).

The film basically centers around the life and traditions of the legendary master Shi Dejian and his principal student Wu Nanfang, who demonstrate the practice throughout the documentary.

Shi Dejian has become something of a cult figure himself, and there are many videos of him balanced precariously on precipices weaving back and forth in the Songshan mountains, and from which he never seems to fall.

The documentary shows how Chan or meditation forms the basis of the other two arts, and how they work together to provide a holistic solution, balancing mind and body in a healthy way.

One of the more interesting things it that it shows how a lot of the movements in Wu have actually come from stylised forms of work, like sweeping, hoeing and so on.

The monks in this tradition are living quite remotely, without all the glamour of the more famous Wu monks, living out the traditions they have inherited, rather than exploiting them.

 

if this video is no longer available please leave a comment so I can update the page
(the comment is not published)

 

to see an album of stills click here

 

TAGS:
Culture, China, Mahayana, Martial Arts, Medicine, Meditation, Monastics

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Subscriptions

Follow our Facebook Page Follow our Tweets Subscribe by Email Subscribe to our Feed

Shortlink and QR

https://dharma-documentaries.net/b/2nd

Donations

This site has taken 10 years to build, and has 700+ documentaries on it. If you would like to support the expenses involved, you can do so here. Even small amounts help.

choose amount:  

Copyright

If anyone has any copyright claims please contact me at dharmadocus@gmail.com and the posts and films will be immediately removed.

Top Ten Tags

Theravada
Mahayana
Vajrayana

India
Silk Road
China
Tibet

Arts
Lectures
Rights

Popular Posts

  • The Freedom of being a Buddhist Nun
  • Bright and Shining Mind in a Disabled Body
  • The Leshan Giant Buddha Statue
  • The Silk Road Series 7/16: Khotan-Oasis of Silk and Jade
  • David Eckel: Buddhism 3-4 of 24
  • The Tibetan Oracles
  • Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: The Untold Truth
  • The Mountain Yogi, Lama Govinda
  • Indian Roots of Tibetan Buddhism
  • The Journey of Xuanzang: An Introduction

Recent Posts

  • Our Only Home, a Climate Change Film
  • The Kingdom of Nature (in Cambodia)
  • Fire in the Blood
  • Sowers of Joy (Nuns Travel across India)
  • Life Beyond 2, The Museum of Alien Life
  • Life Beyond 1, Alien Life
  • Bhutan, Change Comes to the Happy Kingdom
  • The 108 Lokesvaras in Nepal
  • Survive (the Khmer Rouge)
  • Indiana Jones 16, Foreign Devils Begone

Related Posts

  • A Bright Moon, the Life of Hong-yi
  • Xuan Zang, Eminent Monk
  • Chinese Buddhism
  • Fa Xian's Spiritual Journey, 3 & 4
  • Fa Xian's Spiritual Journey, 1 & 2
  • The Great Pilgrim Xuanzang
  • Seven Wonders of the Buddhist World
  • The Journey of Xuanzang 11 & 12
  • The Journey of Xuanzang 7 & 8
  • The Journey of Xuanzang 5 & 6
© 2021 Dharma Documentaries | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme