The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts by Meir Shahar (review)

Abstract

Book Reviews 187 The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts MEIR SHAHAR. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2008. xi, 281 pages. ISBN 978-0-8248-3110-3. US$54.00 hardcover. Meir Shahar’s study of the Shaolin Monastery (Shaolin si 少林寺) is one of the rare academic books on the history of Chinese martial arts and its philosophical and religious implications. It begins with an introduction that provides a catalogue of questions on the origins of the Shaolin martial arts, the reasons for the contradiction between the Buddhist rule of nonviolent behavior and the practice of martial arts in a Buddhist monastery, the role of Buddhist faith in military activities, and the time when the Shaolin martial arts emerged. The following three main sections divide the history of the Shaolin Monastery from its beginning in 495 until the end of the 19th century. Each section contains several chapters illustrating important aspects of the historical development and the practice of martial arts. Shahar begins with a survey of the political, cultural, and economic environment of the Shaolin Monastery. He argues that the strategic position of the monastery near the mountain pass to Luoyang 洛陽 and its control of the Baigu 柏谷 fortress led to the Shaolin monks becoming involved in military activities. Chinese emperors supported Shaolin from the beginning by granting gifts in the form of land, mills, etc. This is an important aspect that characterized Shaolin as a monastery under imperial patronage, and the main reason for the wealth of Shaolin’s Buddhist community. This solid economic basis probably enabled the growth of other activities such as martial arts practice. There is no doubt that Shaolin monks practiced it before they established connections to the Tang house, but to my knowledge there is no evidence for an active participation of Shaolin monks in warfare before the Tang, as Shahar claims. With respect to the military activities of the Shaolin monks a strict distinction should be made between the military sphere of martial arts (i.e. the participation in warfare as part of the imperial army) and the civil sphere of martial arts (for example, the defense of the monastery). A tricky issue is the question of meat consumption by Shaolin monks. This may demonstrate either the far-reaching tolerance of Mahayana Buddhism in China, or alternatively the weakening of the original vinaya rules in the Buddhist community. However, Shahar’s discussion of this topic is based on a shaky empirical foundation. With the exception of only one source from the 16th century there is no other evidence for meat consumption in Shaolin. I do not think that fiction and movies are reliable sources to supplement the insufficient historical data. Shahar’s second main section of Shaolin’s history includes the time from 900 to 1600, but the examination starts with the Ming 明 Dynasty (1368-1644). This causes one to wonder what was going on from 900 to 1300? Why there is no information on the abbot Fuyu 福裕, who founded new Shaolin Monasteries in Helin 和林, Yanji 燕薊, Chang’an 長安, Taiyuan 太 原, and Luoyang 洛陽 during the Yuan 元 period? The following Ming period is famous for 188 Journal of Chinese Religions the participation of Shaolin monks in warfare to defend the empire against raiders, bandits, and pirates. At the same time, Shaolin martial arts spread out and became famous. Shahar cites Cheng Zongyou 程宗猷, a famous martial artist during the Ming period, who explained that Shaolin monks used martial arts as a tool for religious self-cultivation. According to the Chan masters, enlightenment is possible in all situations of daily life. The practice of martial arts seemed to create a new opportunity to achieve the Buddhist goal. Another interesting aspect of this section deals with the origins and development of Shaolin staff fighting. The staff techniques established the good reputation of Shaolin’s martial arts. Shahar quotes Tang Hao 唐豪 who assumed that there were two traditions of Shaolin staff techniques. In his fine and detailed analysis of “staff legends,” the author demonstrates how Shaolin monks attributed their staff fighting to Vajrapani, a Buddhist guardian deity. On the one hand, as he argues, their attribution to the god enhanced the prestige of Shaolin martial arts...