Nat Geo shifu Shi Yan Ming excerpt. 

he's a good teacher. i'm learning off of him.

How was it?

Thing is, he preaches Chan Buddhism, or "the Greater Vehicle" of Buddhism. Shaolin monks embrace the changes in each new era, living life fully preaching love and acceptance. Here's an excerpt from his book: ' "Not everyone who shaves his head is a monk," Sifu explains. "And not every monk shaves his head. Every monk does not live in a monastery, and not everyone living in a monastery is a monk. You might see 500 people with shaved heads in a monastery, and maybe none of them is a monk. You may see a man living on the street like a homeless person. He may be a monk. . . . The goal of Chan Buddhism is to be yourself and express yourself fully, not to follow arbitrary rules."

Umair, ( wonderful name!) I've been a buddhist for over 20 years. I started studying Ch'an, then Pure Land and for the last 16 have been a student of the Mahamudra teachings preserved within the Kagyu lineage. That being said, the view , meditation and conduct of the Mahayana lineages were laid out by the Buddha himself. Not all lamas of the Kagyu Lineage, nor mahasiddhas were monks at all, but enlightened masters. But , neither did they try to pass themselves as monks, but lived as Yogis. All three Vehicles transmitted by the historical Buddha: the Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajryana all observe the same Vinaya code. There are specific guidelines for monks based on generating specific Karma's to attain the two accumulations of merit and wisdom. Non monastics are not bound by the same rules and yogis are absolutely free. One of the main Vinaya vows of a monastic is celibacy. If one is not celibate, one is not a monk. Period. One can be a highly realized lay practitioner or yogi. But masters seeking enlightenment do not seek worldly fame or wealth unless it is for the express purpose of benefiting others. It is why Shaolin monks , in the buddhist world, don't have great reputations for being practitioners who have renounced samsara. They are seen as worldly. The goal of Ch'an buddhism is not to express yourself. The goal of Ch'an buddhism is to realize the empty nature of all phenomena including the projected concept of the a self, me or I in order to benefit others. In addition the goal of Ch'an and all Mahayana buddhism is to fulfill the goals of being a bodhisattva through realizing the non conceptualization of the three spheres of subject , object and action. All for the express purposes of benefiting all sentient beings. In this way , after taking refuge, being disillusioned with conditioned existence, finding a spiritual master and following their instructions one can then commit oneself to the boddhisatva path. A bodhisattva makes the promise to not become enlightened until all beings are enlightened. This is the goal of Cha'an and all Mahayana buddhists according to the lineages and the teachings of the buddhas. If you want to find out what a bodhisattva is , you may want to read " A Guide to the Bodhisattvas Way of Life " by the Mahasiddha Shantideva. This is the guide for all Mahayana Schools, including Cha'an. There is no self to express anything. "Until I attain full enlightenment, I take refuge in the Buddhas, their teachings and the Bodhisattvas. Following the example of the Buddha, I will develop the enlightened attitude , follow the Boddhisattva Path and attain the progressive stages of awakening until full enlightenment is reached for the good of all beings."

they are shaolin

@@kagyu1 really interesting stuff. having this knowledge, how is your life? is it treating you well? x

Damn. I just liked my own comment from a month ago.

I heard in recent years, the Communist been trying to interfere with Shoaling affair and a lot of Shoaling monks are not happy about it, including trying to appoint the temple Abbot as somebody that is pro Communist Party, a lot of Shoaling masters are not happy about it and are leaving the temple to found their own temples.