Shaolin: Temple of Zen

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 144 pages
• Published by: Aperture Foundation
• Edition: 1st Edition October 1, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1597110809
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1597110808
• Book Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.5 x 0.7 inches
• Weighs: 2 pounds

Product Description
For the first time in history, the notoriously guarded warrior monks of the 1500-year-old Shaolin Temple--a Chinese Buddhist sect dedicated to preserving a form of kung fu known as the "vehicle of Zen"--have allowed their secretive society to be documented. With the blessing of the main abbot, Justin Guariglia earned the trust and full collaboration of the Shaolin monks to create an astonishing, empathic record of the Shaolin art forms and the individuals who consider themselves the keepers of these traditions. Over the past eight years, Guariglia has deftly captured the changing context of this ancient sect as it encounters the increasingly hyper-modern world of contemporary China. This amazing work provides viewers with a rare opportunity to examine the energy and spirit of the Shaolins' unique Zen practice, which has until now primarily been seen via pop-cultural interpretation in such films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It features serial imagery of fighting poses; cinematic grid images and cool design.

Publisher Description
In these images, Justin Guariglia has captured one of the last oases of pure, unaffected Chinese culture. This sumptuous book is a must for anyone whose imagination is captivated by the search for the edge of human boundaries in a distant land. Justin Guariglia's photographs reveal an extraordinary culture dedicated to the pursuit of discipline and excellence--where mind and body are stretched to the extreme.
-Edward Burtynsky

Justin Guariglia provides a first--a perceptive look at the real monks of Shaolin Temple, their most inner sanctums, their devotional practice, and their traditional disciplines. He captures portraits of these venerated, compassionate warriors, who have survived the Cultural Revolution and ravenous tourists of modern China, and who stand guard at the very birthplace of the martial arts and Zen.
--Gene Ching, Kung Fu Magazine

Reader Reviews
This book has gorgeous photos of the Shaolin monks practicing Kung Fu and Zen meditation. I have seen other photo books on Shaolin, which mostly display superhuman feats in which the monks are more performers than martial artists. This book shows the inner sanctum of the Shaolin Temple with an artistic sensibility. Beautiful work. Comment | | (Report this)