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Title: Spirit of Shaolin by David Carradine ISBN: 0-8048-1828-2 Publisher: Charles E Tuttle Co Pub. Date: January, 1993 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (11 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: David Carradine's views on "Kung Fu" and martial arts
Comment: I think this book is great if you're a fan of the show and David Carradine, but not if you're looking for martial arts info. Alot of his views in the end of the book about other styles of martial arts are totally inaccurate. He should have done more research if he wanted to mention them instead of just mentioning what he heard.
Rating: 5
Summary: David Carradine's thoughts on the martial arts.
Comment: An extremely readable explanation of David Carradine's ideas on the martial arts and the philosophy behind them, interspersed with his experiences on the KUNG FU tv series of the 1970's and his later martial arts movies. Reading SPIRIT OF SHAOLIN inspired me to take a new interest in this extraordinarily diverse actor, and to return to my long-dormant study of the martial arts.
Rating: 3
Summary: Too shallow Grasshopper
Comment: I found this book slightly misleading from the title but should have known considering books like this are a dime a dozen. This book starts off basically giving a low-down of Carradine's start with the Kung-Fu movies and TV series and then discusses some of his other films involving martial arts. From there it proceeds to give general lessons and personal musings on what kung fu is and encompasses. There are some historical mentionings like Bodidharma spreading the art to China from India, the significance of the Tao Te Ching, and a general history of Kung Fu. This book is by no means comprehensive and lacks that extra depth that is appealing for novices wanting to learn more about the art. I found the book to contain profound truth on many subjects but never really felt the message as most of it seemed like recycled cliches and stories you've heard a million times if you are familiar with the Eastern arts. One particular gripe I had about the book involves lack of accuracy. On page 92 Carradine writes, "The limitation of karate stems, at least in part, from its association with Japanese-style Buddhism, which ignores or forgets the Chinese Taoist principles and replaces them with specific, and generally radical, ideas peculiar to the Japanese culture, i.e. Zen. Much could be said about the subject of Zen, but we are interested here in kung fu, so best look elsewhere for that." This is simply not true. There is a large body of work out there related to and examining Zen Buddhism. In this work you'll find that it's common knowledge that Zen is a combination of Chinese Buddhism and Taoist principles. Thus the word in Chinese for the Japanese Zen is Chan. Furthermore, Japanese karate is not necessarily limiting. It's just an evolved development of the spread of martial arts from the mainland to an island. The same philosophical lessons and achievements to be gained in kung fu can also be gained in Japanese karate with the proper attitude and focus. Anyway, this book reads pretty quick and if you are interested in some light-philosophical reading that you shouldn't take too seriously you might enjoy this book. Otherwise, delve into the fascinating martial arts by reading other material.
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Title: The Kung Fu Book of Caine: The Complete Guide to Tv's First Mystical Eastern Western by Herbie J. Pilato, David Carradine ISBN: 0804818266 Publisher: Charles E Tuttle Co Pub. Date: September, 1993 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title:Kung Fu - The Complete First Season ASIN: B00013F38K Publisher: Warner Home Video Pub. Date: 16 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $39.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $27.99 |
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Title: Endless Highway by David Carradine ISBN: 1885203209 Publisher: Charles Tuttle Co. Pub. Date: November, 1995 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: David Carradine's Introduction to Chi Kung: The Beginner's Program for Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Well-Being by David Carradine, David Nakahara ISBN: 0805051007 Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc. Pub. Date: October, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title:Kung Fu: The Movie ASIN: 6302658373 Publisher: Warner Studios Pub. Date: 06 January, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.95 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $14.95 |
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