Wanna become an idiot?
After reading and rereading this book, I cannot recommend it other than as a handy insect killer. If you want to hear that same old excuse about how Shaolin and Shaolin only created all the martial arts, then you will geek out on this book. Most of what he says (historically) is based on a legend that has been debunked so many times your grandma was a young girl when it first happened, if she was born in 1908.

I thought I was buying a book about a link between China and the Okinawan art. Instead I bought a book by a self absorbed Englishman who, in trying to destroy one art(or several), managed to show his ignorance of the concept of martial arts in totality.

I should give him credit though; Of all the books that proposed to to repurpose the Asian martial arts, his is the only one that does not mention Bruce Lee. Unless I missed it when my eyes began to cross.

Why?

Why mention a guy who was working on it 50 years ago when you, today, are trying to recreate a religious thingamajigger out of a monastery that seemed to be more interested in currying political favor from the imperial house and killing people despite the very plain Buddhist edict against killing? Power and greed gets people killed. He never explains why the Shaolin monks killed. He is to busy talking about himself.

An Improvment on his previous book, Insightful & Enjoyable
Here Nathan Johnson presents his treatis for the relationship between Buddhist philosophy (primarily zen) and martial arts practice. He considers authenticity in forms, and examines meaning and concepts related to shaolin. I don't fully agree with all of his premises, such as the idea that it is more likely a form is "authentic" when its practitioners credit a Buddhist or Taoist creator (many forms were assigned mysterious origin to make the school or founder credible), has a Buddhist name or title (like Ji-on in shotokan), is simple in its movements, etc. However, Johnson is one of the first who has had the time and energy to research his topics, and formulate theories based upon the how and why, as opposed to simply regurgitating and not questioning older information (the tiresome old "sensei said it, so it is true!" routine).

Johnson also examines karate in the greater context of cultural relativity, pondering such oddities as the esoteric meaning of Sanchin kata ("Sanchin is a mandala..."), and tries his hand (well) at debunking many myths and mistaken notions common in karate and kung fu today. Johnson offers advnanced concepts. You don't have to buy all of his theories, but reading this book will definately encourage you to consider your forms and martial arts in general in a new light.

This second volume is also a great improvement upon the first, as Johnson explains all of the things that I felt were lacking in that book. He relates experiences, correspondences, and includes footnotes and a bibliography of sources, crediting quotes sources. Johnson again demonstrates the fundamental forms of Sanchin and Naihanchin with their applications as in his first book "Zen Shaolin Karate", but the reader has the opportunity to consider his ideas in a wider context. Throughout the time I spent reading this work, I was convinced that this is a highly personal effort, sincere and honest to its heart. Not a grain of arrogance or pretentiousness did I encounter in my reading. Johnson is not trying to force feed us, on the contrary I felt he was encouraging the same spirit of research and discovery among those who consider his words. A worthwhile read for the martial artist who is weary of the mundane and repetitive.

Insiteful in the beginning, but wasn't what I expected
When I first looked at the title, I thought,"wow, someone has a great understanding of the movement from the Shoalin to other places of Asia, and eventually America." But that was not the case. I feel that the title is misleading, for it hardly describes that at all. The author i felt was way to bias to his style of martial arts, not only, the original forms created in the Shoalin temple. His agruments is basically that all martial artists should learn the traditional Shoalin forms for they hold "special meaning," or that they were created for a "better purpose." In other words, no one must forget them. This is a kind of contradiction to the buddhist thought which is change is inevitable. I have a question, if the purpose of forms a state of focus, a state of meditation, and phyical training, than does it matter what form we as martial artis do? I feel that he is trying too hard to promote his style he trains. Had some good concepts in the book, but the rest has nothing to do with the title, therefore, i feel you need to retitle it. My opinion, Also i found many other things that seemed contratictory to the taoist, buddhist and zen thought, but i will let everyone else figure that out themselves.

Zen, Shaolin Fighting System, Creating Lasting Meaning
I really enjoyed this book. The author, Nathan Johnson is an eloquent writer. The book is written in a narrative that provides detailed historical lineages of the most popular martial art disciplines (Kungfu and Okinawan systems) known throughout the world. Most of the book focuses on the principles of zen. Mr Johnson, demostrates numerous katas and shows how the posture translate into arm twists, throws, and strikes. The application was not design inflict permanent injury rather control. Control rather than injury seems to build his case for the actual intrepretation and purpose of the martial art system. He effectively defends his intrepretations of these kata with philosophical discussions about their historical origins, religious buddist intent, and zen application. It is clear that Mr Johnson believes that spiritual and moral development is the core belief of the Shaolin Martial Art system teachings. He convinces the reader of this fact by dedicating a chapter to discussing why the shaolin martial art system was not a system of combat. Mr. Johnson demostration of pushing hands conveys the message, the tao is the middle way, "not agressive and not passive." The hand transformations where used to understand how to blend with resistence or force, neutralize it, and return it to the sender. The book is about the desire of enlightenment, kindness, and hard work and how to achieve lasting meaning in the study of the martial art system.

Insightful, and illuminating
Nathan Johnson has done a wonderful job in preparing and presenting the material in this book. His ideas about and research into the truth behind the origins of Kung Fu and Karate kata is unique and insightful. He presents a carefully thought out and well supported argument; that the original kung-fu forms from Shaolin temple were not intended as a combat art. He argues (and I think proves) that forms developed from push hand techniques that were developed for Zen transmission. As a result the (sometimes ridiculous) applications for kata techniques that many of us were taught, are reexamined and more likely applications are presented. I highly recommend this book.