Rating: 
Summary: Hmmm..
Review: Although not the best book on Zen, it certainly has some good information for those who dont know about the Zen aspect of the Chinese martial arts. As for the "supernatural" abilities that he says, they are not supernatural, they are simply the highest ability of a human being. Research and you will see how it all fits together, research how the meridians and accupressure points of the point all generate bioelectricity, research how an experiment was done on testing the electrical field of the huuman body pinpointing the EXACT points that the chinese have documented for over 4,000 years, research how through being able to train and harness this chi can have both healing and detrimental effects, research how 'spritual healers' or martial art masters with the skill (very rare nowdays) have been studied and have generated incredible measures of heat from their palms and main accupuncture meridians, or "chakras" as others might describe. This training can be done both in martial arts and sitting meditation, although it is not as easy to "attain" as it requires letting go of all the nonsense that we deal with in every day life. I realized that these "spiritual healers" (who some have actually healed and generated results in front of documented scientific experiments, of course the true scientific explanation is still a mystery) through gently massaging or (if have a good ability of using this "chi") sometimes just placing the palms over organs and these meridians. It is more of a "feel" than concious thinking though. Also a martial artist, with force, or a fierce exertion of chi (that can be done without even touching) can potentially disable or kill a person, you ever been dead legged? thats because a certain vital spot of your leg has been struck at the right angle and becomes temporarily unusable. The "harder" styles of martial arts develop finger chi so that their hands may dig into these points with striking or grabbing (chin na). Unfortunately most Americans (I am one) are ignorant of this knowledge, even though it has been around for thousands of years. Hope you all read this review, peace
p.s. it is also known in some martial art circles that the chi goes through cycles in 2 hour periods over 24 hours for each specific organ area, these cavities of the body (specific ones) correspond to specific organs and when struck at the 2 hours of cycling can cause death, or temporary disability, of course even if one acquired the specific knowledge of this , you would not be able to use it without proper training, in fact most teachers with the ability to do so will rarely ever disclose this knowledge. I dont even know why I just said all of this, but at least now, some of you true martial artists, know that the true "secrets" can be found through proper research.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful book!
Review: I found Master Kit's book one of the best books dealing with Zen or even Buddhism in general. He clears up a lot of misperceptions about Zen and gives a good historical account of its origins and the different schools that have evolved within the religion. Contains some good exercises for preparing for your meditation practise. Very readable and thorough.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely thorough Zen reference
Review: I found this book to be an extremely indepth reference of Zen Buddhism. In comparison to others that I have read I found this to be very easy to understand, and with such a subject as Zen that is not an easy task. As simple as it is, with its all of its vast information and insight, one could read this book 100 times and get something new from it each time. I would definately recommend this book to anyone, from someone with a new curiosity about Zen, to a master seeking new insight and enlightenment.
Rating:
Summary: Complete and Comprehendable
Review: I have read numerous books on Zen, and this is definately the best. In this book, Shaolin Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit gives insight into every aspect of Zen history, philosophy and practice, as well as a clear explaination of Buddhism itself. I had been considering Zen Buddhism as my own religion for awhile, and after gaining a thourough understanding from this book, I have decided that, yes, I am a Zen Buddhist!
Rating:
Summary: Simply Excellent
Review: I've read the Hebrew translation, and it was absolutley splendid. After several vague books of Zen and Budhism, it was throughly eye-opening to follow Master WWK, as he leads readers through the basics of both, carefully detailing Zen from basic principles to more elaborate questions, and never leaving your hand. You know those rare thrills you get out of learning something that really means something? This is it. If you want to understand Zen, that's the one book you should begin with.
Rating:
Summary: etic vs emic
Review: If you are looking for a scholarly exposition about zen, this is not it. Sifu Wong Kiew Kit is an sifu (master) of chi kung and Southern Shaolin with students all over the world. In my feeling, if you want the view of a scholar trying to trace various philosophical arguments through the history of zen you might try a book by Paul Williams. This book is good if you want the perspective of someone who is keen on the "practical nature" of zen. Being a martial arts master, his descriptions and illustrations are couched in that tradition. You might seek out a book by Thich Nhat Hanh first though.
Rating: 
Summary: Magical thinking
Review: The authors main purpose in tracing the history of Zen seems to be to justify the Shaolin temple. There is also a fair amount of what I would characterize as magical thinking, especially the belief that through kung fu exercises and zen meditation one can acquire supernatural powers and cure disease. For example, on page 23 he says "With Zen cultivation, psychic powers like telepathy, clairvoyance and astral travel may be developed." But apparently the techniques don't help much with skepticism, rational thought, or the development of objective and reproducible testing conditions to measure the validity of such a claim. On page 25: "I myself have successfully employed these principles, together with the relevant exercises, to help cure many patients of their so-called incurable diseases, including cancer." Western medicine certainly falls down when attempting to classify and manage certain types of disease that don't fit the allopathic model well. But the idea that disease occurs, as WKK suggests, from a failure to reach one's spiritual potential puts an element of blame on the patient that is inappropriate. Also inappropriate is the false hope given to (and in some cases the money taken from) patients faced with terminal illness looking for a way to hang on to life. It's not all bad. The second half of the book offers a lot of practical instruction. And to his credit, WKK stresses the purpose of all of this is to improve our experience of reality rather than wait for an afterlife.
Rating: 
Summary: bad...just plain bad
Review: this book is awful. He says the same stuff over and over. The author, supposedly a shaolin grandmaster (I doubt it), wastes your time by slamming every other authority on Zen. He clearly has an ego problem. Not sure how a "shao lin grandmaster" and Zen expert could think this way. And, after slamming everyone else's opinion, he rarely offers his own view in a clear concise manner. He tries to hide his lack of knowledge by reciting "encyclopaedia style" history for over the first 1/2 of the book. Then, to torture you further, he keeps repeating the same history over and over, every chance he gets, for the 2nd half of the book. So frustrating. I learned nothing after reading the book twice. I could go on and on about all the flaws of this book but I can simply tell you that you won't feel good after you read it. It is the worst book on Zen I have ever read and I have read dozens.
Rating:
Summary: bad...just plain bad
Review: This book is one of the most indepth books in the philosophies and religion of Zen Buddhism. Anyone interested in studying Zen, this is the best place to start out.
Rating:
Summary: Just....WOW!
Review: This book is one of the most indepth books in the philosophies and religion of Zen Buddhism. Anyone interested in studying Zen, this is the best place to start out.
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