This book, "The Shaolin Grandmasters' Text: History, Philosophy, and Gung Fu of Shaolin Ch'an" is extremely well written and covers all the basic of Shaolin Chan. (Chinese Zen Buddhism as Practiced in the Shaolin Monasteries.) The book covers, as it's title implies, the history and philosophy of both the Buddhist practices and the Gung-fu practices as well as how they are interrelated. The dharma lessons are intriguing as there are a number of lessons from texts dating back to Tamo (Bodhidharma) and his direct disciples. The information on the Gung-fu is very fundamental and explains the history, traditions and philosophy of the arts. This is NOT a how to manual.
If you are a practitioner or fan of the martial arts, this is a must have item. Many common misconceptions about Shaolin are corrected in this book. Some of the basic training methods of the original Shaolin temples are explained, as are the basic concepts of some of the styles that were taught at Shaolin along with detailed history of the temples and their styles and why Monks who love peace and admonish violence study and master martial arts. If you are a Buddhist or interested in Buddhist teachings, particularly a Chan or Zen Buddhism, then this book covers a great deal on the philosophy and teachings of Bodhidharma, the founder of Chan/Zen Buddhism as well as the early history of Chan/Zen Buddhism. If you are looking for a "How to be a Shaolin Master is three easy lessons" book, this book is NOT for you. Sorry!
To the comment about negative aspects of shaolin, yeah, they're not perfect. The Shaolin wanted to write a book about what they thought was the true in a pure attempt to dismiss falsifications about their order. They are a group of guys in Oregon the ARE the real shaolin. If you'd like a book by the REAL Shaolin in China, perhaps you'd also like to buy an authentic bottle of Shaolin Coca-Cola the Chinese government has right outside the REAL temple. I realize it's hard for people to imagine that The Order has relocated to Oregon, but that's just the way it is. It's not quite as romantic to us as if it were in the back country of China, but that's just the way it worked out.
The Wheel of Life IS a demonstration, but it's performed by government employees (not the Order). They make specific note of this in the book and the fact that it doesn't really matter what anyone calls themselves as long as they are doing something good.
Remember, the Order was specifically trying to dismiss falsifications about their Order. It probably wasn't a very easy task, but I think they did very well without stepping on anyone's toes (if you don't think they did, read more carefully! They are constantly apologizing for their own ignorance!)
In short, this book is fantastic. Anyone studying a shaolin based style (or probably any martial art) should be able to gain a lot from this book. It is one of my favorites.
