Valerie Hansen, Yale UniversityMeir Shahar's book will assure that the martial arts of Shaolin take a prominent place in the history of Chinese Buddhism. I found the book a powerful and compelling read. Anyone interested in martial arts or Bruce Lee films will find it fascinating to learn about the actual history of the monastery's fighting techniques. Scholars of Buddhism and Chinese history will learn much from the author's scrupulous analysis of the historical record-particularly the texts on stone steles at the monastery-that documents the monastery's traditions of fighting. Meir Shahar documents with meticulous accuracy and mellifluous prose the fighting monks of Shaolin monastery in China, who appear first in the Tang dynasty (618-907) and continue to the present. This is sinology at its best.-Bernard Faure, Columbia UniversityThe book clearly belongs in a new group of books challenging conventional understandings of Buddhism and violence. In this fashion, Shahar is uniquely able to bring together social, historical, and mythological elements, providing a demythologized account of martial Chinese traditions such as Shaolin Boxing. Ranging from historical and ethnographic documents to a wide variety of literary sources, it weaves them all into a compelling narrative. Description or summary of the book: Written in clear and lucid style and ambitious both in scope and methodology, this book offers a fascinating window into Chinese culture, religion, and history.Book name: The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts.
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