You're the Head Abbot of Shaolin: do you make this trade?

[Ken Cheng]

Hypothetical time.

Imagine that you're the Head Abbot of Shaolin around the time of DGSD (not necessarily Yeun Chi, but just someone in the position of Shaolin's top official). The Head Abbot of Dali's Celestial Dragon Temple comes visiting one day with a stunning proposition: he is offering the 6 Mak Divine Swords (including the initial 1 Yeung Finger component, so there won't be problems a la Deun Yu) to Shaolin in exchange for *either* the top six of Shaolin's 72 martial arts or the Yik Gun Ging.

As Head Abbot of Shaolin, do you make this deal? If you do, which one do you offer in exchange...the best six of the 72 arts, or the Yik Gun Ging?

[Ren Wo Xing]

That depends...how enlightened an abbot am I supposed to be?

[Ken Cheng]

That depends...how enlightened an abbot am I supposed to be?

Reasonably enlightened, but still worldly enough to know that your decision will have significant ramifications for your sect and for wulin in general...stuff that can't be dismissed with a simple "Amitabtha."

[Son of Light]

Give him the YJJ in condition he will leave ShaoLin in peace for ever and never return.

[PJ]

Since no one at the time, in Shaolin or Dali, could hope to successfully master the Yijinjing or 6MSJ, So practically, it doesn't matter whether the trade goes through or not.

But if I had a choice, I would make a copy of Yijinjing, then trade it.

[Single Whip]

6 ultimate skills for 1YZ & 6MSJ seems cheap since (if I recalled correctly) JMZ offered the whole set of Shaolin's 72 ultimate art in exchange for 6MSJ.

So yeah, its a good deal and Shaolin should do the trade.

[PJ]

Jiumozhi only offered 3 supreme arts in exchange for 6MSJ. Cheap bastard. IMO, for an Super Elite martial artist, 6MSJ is better than the entire 72 arts.

[Ren Wo Xing]

Hypothetical time.

Imagine that you're the Head Abbot of Shaolin around the time of DGSD (not necessarily Yeun Chi, but just someone in the position of Shaolin's top official). The Head Abbot of Dali's Celestial Dragon Temple comes visiting one day with a stunning proposition: he is offering the 6 Mak Divine Swords (including the initial 1 Yeung Finger component, so there won't be problems a la Deun Yu) to Shaolin in exchange for *either* the top six of Shaolin's 72 martial arts or the Yik Gun Ging.

As Head Abbot of Shaolin, do you make this deal? If you do, which one do you offer in exchange...the best six of the 72 arts, or the Yik Gun Ging?

If I was reasonably enlightened (say, XAJH's Fangzheng level), I would decline, because the purpose of Shaolin monks to practice martial arts is for improvement of health and self-defense. Making such trades would only cause my monks to be obssessed with martial arts and close their eyes and heart to the Buddha. Which is the reason Fang Zheng refused to teach YJJ to his martial brother, Fang Sheng. This is one of the reasons, amongst many, why I feel Fang Zheng to be the most enlightened of all Shaolin abbots. See this excerpt from Lanny's translation on his feelings regarding martial arts and Shaolin.

"Even though the name of our school’s martial arts skills is widely known, it is, in fact, only a superficial study that is extremely insignificant. First Ancestor Bodhidharma only taught his apprentices ways to strength and invigorate their bodies. When the body is strengthened, the mind becomes clever, and when the mind becomes clever, the easier it is to comprehend. But many later disciples often became infatuated with martial arts, so as to attend to trifles and neglect the essentials, therefore, gave no consideration to the original purpose of First Ancestor’s martial arts teaching. Pity, what a pity!”

At that word, Fang-Zheng shook his head again and again with emotion.

“Junior apprentice brother,” Fang-Zheng said, “it is in your nature that you always persist in things. You have never been able to see through the ultimate principle in the three ways of vimukta: ‘Void, Markless, and Non-action,’ thus not able to overcome the barrier of understanding the true meaning of life and death. It’s not that I am not willing to teach you the Tendon Altering Sutra. I am only afraid that once you start training in this superior Kung Fu, you will become infatuated with it, hence neglect the proper duties of Buddhist meditation.”

[pannonian]

Fangzheng would have loved Xie Xun, a strong martial artist who gave up martial arts to study Buddhism instead.

[Ian Liew]

Jiumozhi only offered 3 supreme arts in exchange for 6MSJ. Cheap bastard. IMO, for an Super Elite martial artist, 6MSJ is better than the entire 72 arts.

On top of that, the three arts were all finger arts, so it's a good guess that at most only one of them (probably Wushangjiezhi) would be a top-class surpreme art - the 72 surpreme arts might not be equal to one another, so it's unlikely that so many finger techniques were developed at the highest level.

[CC]

I would do the swap. Then give him 6 Sutras to help enlighten him.

I would also not be lying because with the enlightenment bought upon thru the 6 Sutras, he has the potential to become all powerful like the Sweeper Monk. Thus, I am really giving him the top 6.

Or wait, he brought the scrolls and manual to Shaolin? Assemble the Great Luo Han formation! These heretics have deviated from the true path of Buddhism by chasing after martial arts and ignoring the pursuit of awareness! It is our duties as servants of Buddha to correct their ways! We'll start by relieving them of the scrolls and manual!

[K2Grey]

Give him Yijinjing. He won't be able to learn it anyway.

[yittz]

I will expect the Shaolin head to respond in a similar fasion to Kurong. Shaolin have no need for 6MSJ, and Shaolin martial arts is not for trade.

YJJ was offered to LHC in exchange for 'peace' however.

[Bangs]

If I was head abbot I wouldn't trade our skills for anything.

[Dennis Chen]

No. Within Shaolin exists some of the most powerful kung fu manuals in the world; the monks of Shaolin need only apply themselves towards enlightenment to master them and once mastered could surpass 6MSJ. If the monks of Shaolin cannot even master their own kung fu, why should they even begin learning 6MSJ? Trading for it could only be described then as greed. And, what if the kung fu that was traded for 6MSJ fell into the wrong hands and was used to create suffering amongst the people? Shaolin monks cannot, for greed, even chance such a thing happening.

Amitabha Buddha.

[tape]

If I was reasonably enlightened (say, XAJH's Fangzheng level), I would decline, because the purpose of Shaolin monks to practice martial arts is for improvement of health and self-defense. Making such trades would only cause my monks to be obssessed with martial arts and close their eyes and heart to the Buddha. Which is the reason Fang Zheng refused to teach YJJ to his martial brother, Fang Sheng. This is one of the reasons, amongst many, why I feel Fang Zheng to be the most enlightened of all Shaolin abbots. See this excerpt from Lanny's translation on his feelings regarding martial arts and Shaolin.

He did admit that he thought he wouldn't be able to help but look at the Sunflower Manual if he ever got a hold of it. Or he wished he could see it. Or something to that extent. I remember him getting chided by the Wudang guy when he made the comment though I don't remember exactly what it was.

[Ren Wo Xing]

Yep, and he immediately agreed to Chongxu's comment. If that's the only flaw (and it's been the only one I could find), he's still better than virtually any other Shaolin abbot in nearly any novel.

[Dennis Chen]

He did admit that he thought he wouldn't be able to help but look at the Sunflower Manual if he ever got a hold of it. Or he wished he could see it. Or something to that extent. I remember him getting chided by the Wudang guy when he made the comment though I don't remember exactly what it was.

Even Wang Zhen Ren (Arhat) couldn't resist reading 9 Ying Zhen Jing.

[Exodus]

all sects should share their secret martial arts with everybody. the reason why great martial arts got lost it's because they kept it a secret.

[kwekmh]

all sects should share their secret martial arts with everybody. the reason why great martial arts got lost it's because they kept it a secret.

That raised a new thought in my mind.

The Abbot thinks he is enlightened and hence does not share his martial arts manual with anybody. In actual fact, they're being selfish by not sharing and that's not called enlightenment.

Don't debate with me over this. I'm just making a passing comment.