My motivation for reading American Shaolin, by Matthew Polly, was my husband's passion for martial arts. He as won martial art tournaments and does several types of martial arts. (I know about Shotokan Karate, Taekwando, Budoshin Jujitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Hapkido, and Capoeira.) I enjoyed reading about the Shaolin monks and Chinese culture. That said, the book is riddled with swearwords, namely the f-word, so I couldn't in good conscience recommend it without a warning. Also, there are one or two inappropriate parts to watch out for. Other then those glitches, it was a phenomenal read.
The text was peppered with Chinese proverbs, one of which Matt taught me "I do not fear the 10,000 kicks you have practiced once; I fear the one kick you have practiced 10,000 times" (7). Another by Lao-tzu, I heard before but have forgotten where, "The knowers do not say; the sayers do not know" (139 & 242).
The way Polly wrote sometimes sounded like a Chinese proverb.
"[Coach Yan] was the most in touch with his inner monster...his mean streak wasn't wide, but it was deep" (8).
"Life started to imitate art" (57).
"Kungfu had started as physical exercises meant to help the monks focus on their sitting meditation. Now sitting meditation was used to help the monks focus on their kungfu. The evolution was complete" (138).
And some words of wisdom came from his acquaintances.
"Who knows? It is hard to separate life from fiction"-Cheng Hao (85).
"No, you didn't," [Doc] said with a stern look. "No one does, because he doesn't go around showing off all of his skills..." (108).
"This is China. The leaders' children are like the descendants of Heaven. This is their world not ours"-Cheng Hao (131).
"But muscles that are too big reduce the quickness of your technique," Deqing said. "Power is generated by speed, not size. You saw what a tiny bullet can do" (167).
"It doesn't take much courage to fight when you still believe you can win. What takes real courage is to keep fighting when all hope is gone" (168). Deqing
At the time Polly was living with the Shaolin Monks, he was in the middle of getting a degree from Princeton University in Religion with a focus in mysticism. He writes,"What I discovered from studying the Zen monks, the Sufi mystics, and the Catholic saints was a similarity in the descriptions of their experiences. They used different images, metaphors, and theological concepts, but they seemed to me to be pointing in the same direction. It brought to mind a saying form the Upanishads I'd always liked: "God is one, but the scholars call him by many different names"...My working hypothesis was that the cosmos was made up of spirt and matter, heaven and earth, and that humans consisted of both elements, a body and a soul, dust and divinity. The mystical experience was what happened when the divine or God or Allah or whatever name you prefer breaks through the mundane in a particular soul and exposes it to the universal spirit" (139).
The book is filled with culture references that I found fascinating. I love learning about different cultures. Also, it was inspiring to me to learn how dedicated people can be. The monks practice Kung Fu for seven hours a day six days a week. It was a good reminder that sometimes we have "eat bitter" to get to where we want to be. It was also a good reminder that "Life is a one shot deal" (340). We need to make the most we can, with the time we have. But, from the wise words of LeVar Burton, "Of course, you don't have to take my word for it."
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