Shigong Shi Yan Ming

Shi Yan Ming is a 34th Generation Shaolin Warrior Monk and Founder & Abbot of USA Shaolin Temple. Shifu’s 1-inch punch is more powerful than a car at 35mph. His disciples and students include international celebrities. As one of the most respected martial art legends of all time, he has been featured in numerous publications & interviews across the world. 

 

He was born with the name “Duan Gen Shan” in Zhumadian Village in Henan Province in the center of China on Chinese New Year’s in 1964, the year of the Dragon. He grew up as the seventh child of nine, son of a self-taught extremely literate writer and excellent calligrapher and a mother who was not educated. 

 

At age two or three, Yan Ming was very sick and almost died. Afraid of losing their fourth child (three have died of starvation during Mao’s “Great Leap Forward”) his parents spent all their money to save his life, but Yan Ming’s eyes were closed and his body eventually cold. On their way out of the village his parents were stopped by a man who asked them why they were so unhappy and crying. The man said that he wanted to try and save him. He performed acupuncture on him there in the street and brought him right back to life. Shi Yan Ming believes the man was a Boddhisattva sent by Buddha to save his life.

 

At the age of five, Shi Yan Ming was taken to the Shaolin Temple by his parents who were concerned about his health. Shi Xing Zheng was Shi Yan Ming’s Shigong (his Grandmaster) who accepted him without any demonstration of Kung Fu. At a very high spiritual level you can read people’s faces and know them immediately. The Chinese say “yuan fen“ (destiny). Yan Ming’s parents were very happy to leave him in the hands of Buddha. His Shigong was appointed the first abbot after 300 years in 1986. 

After he entered the temple, Duan Gen Shan received his dharma name, Shi Yan Ming. All Buddhist monks take the family name “Shi” as in Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, because we follow Buddha. “Yan” means “34th generation” at Shaolin Temple. “Ming” means “perpetual” like the cycle of the sun or moon, or infinite, like the Dharma wheel, which never stops. He was by far the youngest of the only 16-17 monks at the Temple, most of them being in their seventies.. 

 

Shi Yan Ming lived at the Temple but not all his masters did. Other masters outside the Temple taught him how to read faces and palms. Inside the Temple he began learning forms, fighting, and Chan Buddhism. They all practiced together, so he learnt naturally. He started to understand a lot and all his masters recognized that he was very smart but liked to play tricks on people. Shi Yan Ming often said to his brothers talking during class ”We’re practicing, why are you talking?”. Even as a child he was very competitive.

 

When Shi Yan Ming was 16, both his parents died of lung cancer within 6 months of each other. He thinks they are still with him all the time. After they passed away, he took care of his younger brother, and his older brothers took care of the younger siblings. “People have to appreciate and understand NOW. A hundred years ago you had to take a boat from America to China, now you can take a plane. You have to understand yourself and love and appreciate everything we have right now; you have to bring yourself to a higher level”.

 

Shifu Shi Yan Ming came to the US in 1992 while on the first-ever Shaolin Temple Monks tour of the United States. It was after that first week that Shifu decided to come to New York City, “the capital of the world”, where he founded the USA Shaolin Temple in December 1994. Today it has six satellite international branches in Austria, South Africa, Trinidad, Chile, Argentina, and Mexico. 

 

Shi Yan Ming hopes his story helps inspire people and continues to dedicate his precious lifetime to spread his knowledge to teach Shaolin Martial Arts/Ch’an Buddhism to help the world. Shaolin Temple Martial Arts and Ch’an Buddhism have helped him through hard times and can help anybody. “Open your mind and your heart. Believe in yourself, trust yourself and you will find all the answers to all your questions.”

 

Amituofo (Buddha Bless You)