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Shi Yan Ming
Shi Yan Ming
00:59

Shi Yan Ming

USA Shaolin Temple

New York, NY USA

"People take medicine. But the best medicine is happiness. You must know how to doctor yourself. If you're happy, you can kick terrible things out of life. You must master yourself. Find yourself. If you can find yourself, you can find happiness everywhere."

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Shi Yan's work combines: Philosophy & Religion, Sports, and Being Physically Active

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Day In The Life

Shaolin Warrior

I teach Shaolin martial arts and Chan Buddhist philosophies to help my students.

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    When he was three years old, he nearly died of sickness; his penniless parents had to sell vital possessions just to pay for a doctor.

  • 2.

    After numerous unsuccessful medical treatments, he was brought to the nearby Shaolin temple, where he made a miraculous recovery.

  • 3.

    He credits Buddhism with saving his life, and believes happiness and balance are more powerful than medicine.

  • 4.

    At his self-run Shaolin temple, he teaches students to slow down, take a breath, and find themselves.

  • 5.

    His tactics for stress reduction have struck a chord with our fast-paced population-especially near his temple, located smack-dab in the middle of New York City.

  • 6.

    As a kung-fu master, he can deflect knives, sleep upside down whilst hanging from a tree branch, and lick red-hot iron shovels.

  • 7.

    But he insists that the most important quality of being a warrior monk isn't the physical stuff-it's about knowing how to cherish life.

  • 8.

    Says that we must know how to first "doctor ourselves" and practice self-care, and then we can find outside happiness.