How We Work » The 10 Shaolin Laws
The Ten Shaolin Laws are non-religious, and transcend all cultures and races, i.e. people of any culture and race would agree that they promote values that are worthy and desirable. Laws, in the Shaolin tradition, are not meant to be punitive or restrictive, but as practical means to help followers achieve set aims and objectives; in this case to help them attain the best possible results in practising Shaolin Kungfu for combat efficiency, joyful living, mind expansion, and spiritual fulfilment.
There is no legal biding on the Ten Shaolin Laws; one cannot be prosecuted in a law court if he breaks these laws. The binding is moral. But they are not forced upon the follower; the follower accepts them because he chooses to, because he believes they are helpful to him in his physical, emotional, mental and spiritual cultivation. If he breaks the laws, despite sufficient warnings, he may be asked to leave the Shaolin training, not as a punishment, but because the training is not suitable for him.
For The Students Benefit
It may be tempting to dismiss the ten Shaolin laws as old fashioned, but actually it is for the students benefit. Indeed my Sifu Grandmaster Wong wrote the following in his February 2007 Q & A: (link to full QA)
The Shaolin Laws are meant for the student's interest - a fact not many people may appreciate. Following the Ten Shaolin Laws is an excellent and practical way to help him in his cultivation - irrespective of whether the cultivation is for health, combat efficiency, daily performance as well as spiritual development.
Take, for example, the first Shaolin Law, which many kungfu practitioners regard as the most important, and which is respecting the master and the moral way.
Some students practice an exercise not according to what the master has instructed but according to what they themselves think is right. This is being disrespectful to the master, tacitly implying that he is not as smart as they themselves. Not only they may not get any benefits from the exercise, they may get harmful side-effects.
"The moral way" here is "wu de", or high moral virtues traditionally accepted by great warriors. If a student goes against the moral way, like cheating and being brutal to others, he will inevitably bring harm to himself. This is not superstitious belief but a great cosmic truth.
Basically, any actions that go against the moral way, start with evil thoughts. In other words, he has sown the seeds of bad karma. Our phenomenal world is a function of thought.
The evil thoughts of that student, irrespective of whether he is consciously aware of them or not, and irrespective of the length of time involved, will generate events that will be evil to him - just as a film that has been imprinted with ugly images will result in pictures that are ugly when the film is developed. On the other hand, noble thoughts will always generate noble events.
The Ten Shaolin Laws
1. Required to respect the master, honour the Moral Way and love fellow disciples as brothers and sisters.
2. Required to train the Shaolin arts diligently, and as a pre-requisite, to be physically and mentally healthy.
3. Required to be filial to parents, be respectful to the elderly, and protective of the young.
4. Required to uphold righteousness, and to be both wise and courageous.
5. Forbidden to be ungrateful and unscrupulous, ignoring the Laws of man and heaven.
6. Forbidden to rape, molest, do evil, steal, rob, abduct or cheat.
7. Forbidden to associate with wicked people; forbidden to do any sorts of wickedness.
8. Forbidden to abuse power, be it official or physical; forbidden to oppress the good and bully the kind.
9. Obliged to be humane, compassionate and spread love, and to realize everlasting peace and happiness for all people.
10. Obliged to be chivalrous and generous, to nurture talents and pass on the Shaolin arts to deserving disciples.
The Shaolin Wahnam Institute