The Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) is a postgraduate research degree.

An M.Phil. is in most cases thesis-only, and is generally regarded as a senior or second Master's degree, standing between a taught Master's and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). An M.Phil. may be awarded to graduate students, after completing several years of original research but before the defense of a dissertation, and can serve as a provisional enrollment for a Ph.D.

In the United States[link]

American universities award the M.Phil under certain circumstances. At those universities, the degree is awarded to Ph.D. candidates when they complete their required coursework and qualifying examinations, but before the defense of a doctoral dissertation. This status is also called All But Dissertation, or A.B.D. (colloquially, "All But Done"), and sometimes may include the defense of a thesis proposal.

Many Ph.D. candidates at these universities view the M.Phil. as a formality and elect not to receive it in order to avoid the paperwork and costs involved. However, some programs do not offer an en route M.A. or M.S., so the M.Phil. is the first opportunity to receive a degree between the Bachelor's and Ph.D. Some colleges and universities, such as the College of the Atlantic, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Utah, offer a standalone M.Phil. degree in various fields.

In the United Kingdom[link]

In most UK universities, completion of an M.Phil. typically requires two years of full-time study or four years or more of part-time study and the submission of a thesis comprising a body of original research undertaken by the candidate.

It is common for students admitted into a Ph.D. (or D.Phil.) program at a UK university to be initially registered for the degree of M.Phil., and then to transfer onto the Ph.D. upon successful completion of the first (or sometimes the second) year of study: this will often involve the submission of a short report or dissertation by the student, and possibly an oral examination or presentation. In addition, most universities allow examiners to recommend award of an M.Phil. if a Ph.D. candidate's thesis is deemed not to be of the requisite length or standard for a doctorate. However many students register for an M.Phil. with no intention of upgrading to a Ph.D., due to personal circumstances, due to their chosen research project having insufficient scope for a Ph.D or due to desiring to complete a slightly shorter qualification both in length and duration.

At a few UK universities, an M.Phil. research degree can be achieved after only one year of study and is viewed as being equivalent to a taught M.A. or M.Sc. degree.

However, in some institutions, such as University College London and the University of Aberdeen, a clear set of requirements must be met for the award of an M.Phil, under which candidates are required to submit and defend a thesis against external and internal examiners, a process which may in itself take up to a year, and, as such, the award may be regarded as a mini-PhD. [1] For example, the degree of Master of Philosophy of the University of Aberdeen requires the submission of a thesis of up to 70,000 words plus a viva examination; this is a considerably larger piece of work than is required for the same qualification at other institutions.[2]

Furthermore, at the University of Manchester, the candidate shall be required to attend an oral examination on the subject of the thesis and matters relevant thereto at the examiners’ discretion. The candidate may also be required by the examiners to undergo a written or other examination. The oral examination shall be attended by the candidate and the examiners and, if required, an independent chair. Each candidate shall be examined by two or more examiners of whom at least one shall be an external examiner ^[1].

Oxford & Cambridge Universities[link]

At Oxford University, the M.Phil. is a usually two-year Master's degree, although some programs are one-year.^[2] The M.Phil. requires both a lengthy thesis and more examinations than a one-year Masters degree (such as M.Sc., M.St.).

Cambridge University offers the M.Phil. as a one-year Master's degree program.^[3] This is to distinguish it from the Oxbridge M.A. degree, to which B.A. graduates usually proceed after a certain period of time without any further study (a procedure which has been followed at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin since the seventeenth century). The Cambridge M.Phil. can be either a taught degree or a research-based degree, depending on the course.

Ancient Scottish universities[link]

The ancient Scottish universities, who for historical reasons award the Scottish M.A. degree upon completion of four-year first degree programs in arts and humanities subjects, differ in their use of M.Phil. or M.Litt. for postgraduate research degrees, but are slowly standardizing to the M.Phil. as a research degree and the M.Litt. as a taught degree.

In the Netherlands[link]

In the Netherlands the M.Phil. is a special research degree and only awarded by selected departments of a university (mostly in the fields of Arts, Social Sciences, Archaeology, Philosophy and Theology). Admission to these programmes is highly selective and primarily aimed at those students opting for an academic career. After finishing these programs, students normally enroll for a Ph.D. program. The Dutch Department of Education, Culture and Science has decided not to recognize the MPhil degree. Accordingly, some Dutch universities have decided to continue to grant the MPhil degree but also offer a legally recognized degree such as MA or MSc to those who receive the MPhil degree.^[4][5]

In Norway[link]

In Norway, the degree of MPhil is a 'standard' Master's degree (120 ECTS credits) at a level equivalent to an MA or MSc. Upon completion, the MPhil qualifies for acceptance to a PhD program, but is most often taken as a stand-alone qualification. The MPhil is not a common degree in Norway; most universities award MA (in humanities or social sciences) or MSc (in technical and scientific subjects) degrees.^[6]

In Finland[link]

In Finland, the regular (first) Master's degree filosofian maisteri translates to "Master of Philosophy". However, the term "philosophy" is to be understood to the maximum extent, because this is the name of the basic Master's degree in all natural sciences and humanities. It does not imply a specialization in theoretical philosophy or even other than introductory studies. In fact, most of the students majoring in philosophy get a degree with a different name (Master of Sociology or Politics). These degrees are regular Master's degrees, not special "higher" degrees (cf. Licentiate and Doctor of Philosophy).

In Malaysia[link]

MPhil is not very famous in Malaysia. However, this program is currently being offered by universities such as Universiti Malaya (Public University), Wawasan Open University (Private University) and others. If the desired field of research does not belong to any of the specialized faculties, it is normally categorized under the MPhil supervised by the Postgraduate Institute (it is true for Univesiti Malaya). However, if the candidates do not wish to take a Master's program with a coursework mode, then Wawasan Open University will help these people to further their studies by conducting 100% research in a selected field. Certain universities will confer the degree as MPhil (English Studies) for example with a specialized field in the bracket while others do not do so. In addition, MPhil is normally crafted for Arts and Humanities. It is very rare that this degree is for any technical subjects nor supplanting Master of Science etc.

See also[link]

• Licentiate
• PhD
• Master's degree

References[link]

This article may contain wording that merely promotes the subject without imparting verifiable information. Please remove or replace such wording, unless you can cite independent sources that support the characterization. (July 2011)

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Swāmī Rāma (1925–1996) was born Brij Kiśore Dhasmana or Brij Kiśore Kumar,^[1] to a northern Indian Brahmin family in a small village called Toli in the Garhwal Himalayas. From an early age he was raised in the Himalayas by his master Bengali Baba and, under the guidance of his master, traveled from temple to temple and studied with a variety of Himalayan saints and sages, including his grandmaster, who was living in a remote region of Tibet. From 1949 to 1952 he held the prestigious position of Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham (also Karveer Peeth or Karweer Peeth) in South India. After returning to his master in 1952 and practising further for many years in the Himalayan caves, Swami Rama was encouraged by his teacher to go to the West, where he spent a considerable portion of his life teaching, specifically in the United States and Europe.^[2]

He is especially notable as one of the first yogis to allow himself to be studied by Western scientists. In the 1960s he allowed himself to be examined by scientists at the Menninger Clinic who studied his ability to voluntarily control bodily processes (such as heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature, etc.) that are normally considered to be non-voluntary (autonomic).

First ashram[link]

After leaving the post of Shankaracharya and going back to the master, he afterwards travelled to Nepal in the Himalayas barefoot with nothing but a kamandalu and tiger mat. It was here he created his first ashram. It is at the outskirts of Kathmandu on the way to Dulikhel on the mountain of Janagal. He later granted it to Swami Vishuddha Dev. The ashram is known as Hansada Yoga Ashram. Now it is the headquarters of the Characterlogy movement. However, other programs are also conducted there.^[3]

Organization and achievements[link]

He was the founder of the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, which has its headquarters in Honesdale, PA, and branches in the USA, Europe, and India. Swami Rama also founded other teaching and service organizations, some of which are linked below. One of his significant achievements is the establishment of a large medical facility in the northeastern part of India (Dehradun) to serve millions of poor people in the nearby mountains. Until about 15 years ago the rural poor in this region did not have access to health care, water, sanitation, and education. Dedicated disciples of Swami Rama have contributed to make his dream of a region free of poverty come true. Stories of his leadership style and the way he achieved his goals are documented in several books about Swami Rama.^[4]

Swami Rama demonstrated the impact of holistic health approaches on the Dehradun campus. On that campus he also established a medical university with his most senior disciple Swami Veda Bharati (holding a Ph.D. from somewhere in The Netherlands)^[5] being the Chancellor, Vijay Dhasmana as the Vice-Chancellor, and one of his most development-oriented disciples—Ms. B. Maithili (Director of the Rural Development Institute)—as the Registrar.

Swami Rama authored several books in which he describes the path he took to becoming a yogi and lays out the philosophy and benefits behind practices such as meditation. One of the common themes expressed in such books as Enlightenment Without God and Living with the Himalayan Masters is the ability of any person to achieve peace without the need for a structured religion. He was critical of the tendency for yogis to use supernatural feats to demonstrate their enlightenment, arguing that these only demonstrated the ability to perform a feat.

Selected bibliography[link]

Books by Swami Rama

• Enlightenment Without God (Mandukya Upanishad) (ISBN 0893890847)
• Living with the Himalayan Masters (ISBN 0893891568)
• The Science of Breath: A Practical Guide (ISBN 089389057X)
• Meditation and its Practice (ISBN 0893891533)
• Freedom from the Bondage of Karma (ISBN 0893890316)
• Spiritual Journey
• "Yoga & Psychotherapy " (ISBN 13:9780893890360)
• " Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita" (ISBN 0893890901)
• "Sukhamani Sahib:Fountain of Eternal Joy " (ISBN 089389110X )
• " Book of Wisdom :ISHOPANISHAD " (ISBN 0893890030)
• "Wisdom of the ancient sages : Mundaka Upanishad (ISBN 0893891207)
• " The art of Joyful Living " (ISBN 089389236X)
• " The Royal path :Practical lessons on Yoga "(ISBN 0893891525)
• " Path of Fire and Light volume 2 " (ISBN 0893891126)
• " A Practical Guide to Holistic Health " (ISBN 0893891746)
• " Japji : Meditation in Sikhism " (ISBN 089389107X)
• "Spirituality Transformation within & without " (ISBN 0893891509)
• "Life Here and Hereafter (Kathopanishad) " (ISBN 0893890022)
• "Choosing a Path " (ISBN 0893890774 )
• "Love and family Life "(ISBN 0893891339)
• " Valmiki Ramayana Retold in verse vols I and II "
• "Love Whispers " (ISBN 0893891789)
• "Celestial Song / GoBind Geet " (ISBN 0893891037)
• "Path of Fire and Light volume 1 " (ISBN 0893890979)
• "Sacred Journey " (ISBN 8176210900)
• "Sadhana :The Essence of Spiritual Life " (ISBN 8176210943)
• "OM :The Eternal witness " (ISBN 9788188157433)
• "Exercises for Joints & Glands " (ISBN 10:0893890839)
• "Conscious Living " (ISBN 8188157031)

Biographies

• At the Eleventh Hour: The Biography of Swami Rama, by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait (ISBN 0893892122)
• Walking with a Himalayan Master: An American's Odyssey, by Justin O'Brien (ISBN 0936663197)
• "At the feet of a Himalayan Master :Remembering Swami Rama vol 1 by Dr Prakash Keshaviah "(ISBN 9788188157624)
• "At the feet of a Himalayan Master :Remembering Swami Rama vol 2 by Dr Prakash "(ISBN 9788188157662)
• "A Multi Splendoured Sage :His holiness Dr Swami Rama of the Himalayas by K S Duggal "
• " Swami Rama of the Himalayas :His Life & Mission by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait (ISBN 0893891495)
• "Swami : by Doug Boyd "(ISBN 0893891428)

Other works

• Science Year: The World Book Science Annual—1974, describing scientific research done on Swami Rama
• Nature Science Annual, pages 103–110, Article of Gerald Jones, describing scientific research done on Swami Rama

—

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.rickross.com/reference/swami_rama/swami_rama2.html
2. ^ Tigunait, Rajmani (2004). At the Eleventh Hour: The biography of Swami Rama. Himalayan Institute Press; Honesdale PA.
3. ^ Rama,Swami: Living with the Himalayan masters and hansada yoga ashram.
4. ^ www.hihtindia.org
5. ^ www.bindu.org and www.swamiveda.org

External links[link]

• Swami rama articles
• Biographical work by alleged son
• Himalayan International Institute
• Himalayan Institute Hospital founded in India by Swami Rama
• Swami Rama Center at the Himalayan Institute Hospital in India
• Interview with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
• Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies International
• Swami Veda Bharati, disciple of Swami Rama
• Hansada Yoga Ashram
• Himalayan Yoga Tradition in Australia

Shì Yánmíng 釋延明
Shi Yan Ming at USA Shaolin Temple in Lower Manhattan, November 4, 2010.
Religion	Chan Buddhism
School	Shaolin Temple
Lineage	34th Generation Shaolin Warrior Monk
Dharma name(s)	Shì Yánmíng 釋延明
Personal
Nationality	Chinese American
Born	(1964-02-13) February 13, 1964 (age 48) Zhumadian Village, Henan Province, People's Republic of China (PRC)
Senior posting
Title	Chan Master, Founder and abbot of the USA Shaolin Temple
Religious career
Teacher	Shi Yong Qian (釋永乾)
Students	RZA, Wesley Snipes, Rosie Perez, Bokeem Woodbine, John Leguizamo[1]
Website	http://usashaolintemple.org

Shi Yan Ming (born Duan Gen Shan February 13, 1964) is a 34th^[2] generation Shaolin warrior monk,^[3] teacher and actor, best known as the founder of USA Shaolin Temple.^[4] Trained at the Shaolin Temple in the People's Republic of China (PRC) since the age of five, Shi Yan Ming defected to the United States in 1992, before opening the USA Shaolin Temple in Manhattan, where he has taught hundreds of students, including numerous celebrities. He has made various media appearances in television, film and print, including National Geographic, PBS, History, Time magazine, and the 1999 American samurai action film, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

Early life[link]

Shi Yan Ming was born Duan Gen Shan in Zhumadian Village in Henan Province, People's Republic of China (PRC) on Chinese New Year's, February 13, 1964, the year of the Dragon, the seventh of nine children. His father grew up in a family so poor that they were essentially homeless, and begged for food door-to-door. Duan's father, who never went to school, slept under a wood burning stove, or would dig a hole in a stack of wheat for warmth. Despite these hardships, he taught himself to be a very literate reader, writer and calligrapher. Duan's mother's family was slightly better off financially. As was typical, she was not educated either, had her feet bound, and was raised solely to be a mother and housewife. Duan's parents eventually acquired jobs for the Chinese government under Mao, and worked underground as telex operators.^[5]

Prior to his birth, two of Duan's older brothers and one older sister died of starvation in Mao Zedong's "Great Leap Forward" in the late 1950s. Duan himself almost died when he was approximately two or three years old, prompting his parents to spend all their money on numerous doctors, and his father to sell his special calligraphy pen. Doctors eventually gave up on him, and after thinking their seventh child had died, his parents wrapped him in blankets, intending to throw him away, before being stopped by an acupuncturist outside their village who saw them crying, and performed acupuncture on the infant Gen Shan, who promptly recovered. Yan Ming believes the man was a Boddhisattva sent by Buddha to save his life.^[5]

Martial arts career[link]

In China[link]

The Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, China.

In 1969, the five-year-old Duan's Buddhist parents, still worried about his health, took him to the 1,500 year-old^[4] Shaolin Temple, the only remains of which after repeated destruction by warring dynasties and the current government were the foundation and some walls. (The temple as it is known today was reconstructed around the turn of the 21st century.) As this was in the middle of the Cultural Revolution, the familiar red and yellow robes and shaved heads were also not present among the monks, and would not be until approximately 1980, after the Cultural Revolution ended. Since there had not been an abbot at the temple in about 300 years, Duan was taken to the head monk, Shi Xing Zheng (who would later be appointed abbot in 1986). Shi Xing Zheng, whom Duan addressed as "Shigong" ("Grandmaster") or "Shifu Shifu" ("master's master"), looked at the young Duan and accepted him into the temple, where his parents were happy to leave him. As soon as he was accepted in the temple, which was populated by about 16 or 17 monks, all of them older than Duan (most of them in their seventies), his name was changed to Shi Yan Ming. The name is derived from "Shi", as in Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, a family name that Buddhist monks of this tradition take in order to denote that they follow Buddha, "Yan", which denotes the "34th generation" at the Shaolin Temple, and "Ming", which means "perpetual", as in the infinite cycle of the Dharma wheel. Shi says that his "kung fu uncles" at the temple were very loving, and took care of him as his own parents would, though they did not live there all the time, for fear of marauding gangs of Mao's Red Guard, and therefore, Shi saw his parents often.^[4][5][6]

Shi immediately started learning kung fu, Chan Buddhism and acupuncture from his masters, Liu Xin Yi and Shen Ping An, who were Shaolin disciples living outside the temple, rather than monks. Because of the open nature of the temple, where people could come and go easily, he says he learned to read people. Despite his training, Shi also amused himself by playing pranks on his masters, who would punish him either with beatings, or by making him do the horse stance until his legs were numb and swollen, or making do headstands until the blood draining into his head caused pain. Shi's daily routine consisted of awakening at 4:30 am to practice for two hours, followed by a breakfast of steamed tofu and vegetables, prayer, meditation or relaxation for an hour, and then another three and a half hours of practice. This would be followed by more prayer, Buddhism studies, and cleaning or other Temple work. Although Shaolin monks do not necessarily follow the practice of other monks who do not eat past noon, those at the temple would eat a lunch of noodles, rice or mantau at 11:30 am, out of respect to monks visiting from other temples. After an hour of relaxation, Shi would practice and pray again from 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm, followed by dinner, more relaxation, and more practice until 10:00 pm. From then until 4:00 am the monks would work in shifts to check the temple's incense. The monks slept on a piece of wood with a blanket on it, sometimes using their clothes for pillows, which Shi says is good for the back, compared to American beds, which he says are too comfortable. Although Shi met his Buddhism Shifu, Shi Yong Qian, almost immediately after entering the temple, he did not begin seriously studying with him until he was about 14 or 15. Because the temple did not have running water, the monks had to transport it from mountain rivers just outside the temple, draw it from a well, and collect rainwater. When the temple acquired running water in 1986, the monks were dissatisfied, because under the system of feng shui, digging up the ground and laying in pipes was, as Shi puts it, akin to "cutting your veins out". During the cold winter months, bathing was restricted to washing selected body parts, rather than immersion in or under water. Even today the temple only has cold water.^[5][7]

Unlike other Buddhist monks, Shaolin can eat meat and drink alcohol, a privilege that originated with a decree from Emperor Li Shi Min during the Tang Dynasty, because the Shaolin had aided him. Before the temple opened up in the early 1980, the monks could eat meat inside, though they ceased this practice after other monks began visiting following its reconstruction.^{[5][8][9][10][11][12]}

In 1980, a young Jet Li arrived at the temple to shoot his feature film debut, Shaolin Temple. Though Shi barely noticed him at the time,^[4] the film's 1982 release was a major turning point for the temple, which experienced a significant increase in tourism. This in turn resulted in more positive attention to the temple by the Chinese government, which rebuilt the building, and in a change to the monks' daily routine, so that they could accommodate the tourists. Around this time, when Shi was 16, his parents, who held stressful jobs and were heavy smokers, died of lung cancer within six month of each other. Shi would then take care of his younger brother, while his older brothers would take care of the younger siblings, with whom Shi is still in contact today.^[5]

In 1985, Shi won the 65 kg (147 lb.) championship in the Xian National Sparring Competition. He also won the championship in the annual Shaolin Disciples Competition three years in a row (1988–1990), and was vice-coach of the Shaolin Temple Fighting Monks at Henan.^[6]

In 1992, Shi, who had won many national martial arts competitions, was chosen to be among a group of select Shaolin monks invited by the American Kung Fu Association to tour the United States, the first such tour for the Shaolin, to spread the knowledge of Shaolin Kung Fu.^[3][4][13]

In the United States[link]

Shi Yan Ming in front of the Buddhist shrine at USA Shaolin Temple, housed in a second story Lower Manhattan loft.

After the tour's last show concluded in San Francisco, Shi secretly left his hotel in the middle of the night and escaped in order to defect from China to the United States. Speaking no English, Shi directed a cab driver with hand signals to an unknown destination, but the frustrated driver dropped him off in the middle of nowhere and called the police. Shi showed the police his passport and some newspaper clippings featuring him, so the police requested the driver take him to a Chinese restaurant in order to find someone who could communicate with him. However, since the staff at the restaurant spoke only Cantonese, and not Shi's Mandarin, the monk wrote down his communications, since both dialects employ the same characters. The restaurant staff helped Shi phone a friend in New York City, who had someone pick up Shi, who hid in a basement for a week, eating only bread and cereal, while the news media were reporting his escape. After a week, he traveled to New York.^[3]

Shi's defection was motivated in part because he disagreed with the monastery's strictures, saying, "In the temple, monks have 250 rules. Two hundred fifty! Just think of that! You cannot drink. You cannot eat spices. You cannot drink bottled water. You cannot look at a woman. That's just crazy. It's the 21st century, you know?"^[1]

Choosing New York to be his new base of operations in order to spread the message of Buddhism and Shaolin kung fu^{[7][13][14][15]} because he saw it as the "capital of the world", Shi opened the first USA Shaolin Temple at 96 Bowery Street in Chinatown in December 1994.^[3] Because there was no heat, electricity or hot water,^[14] Shi would tape flashlights to the walls for light, teaching up to 18 hours a day in order to attract students. At night he would wear several pairs of socks on his feet to stay warm, and accumulated hundreds of pairs of unwashed socks due to his initial inability to wash clothes without water. He would also perform in Chinese restaurants to raise money for children and the elderly, gave free lessons, and spoke of philosophy in Open Centre on Spring Street.^[7] In 1996 he moved the USA Shaolin Temple to a third floor loft at 678 Broadway in the East Village. In late 2006, after its lease expired, the temple was relocated to its current location in a second floor, high-ceilinged loft at 446 Broadway, in Chinatown,^[1][4][16] where he teaches authentic Shaolin martial arts and Chan Buddhism in two-hour classes^[15] from 5am to 9pm, every day, to nearly 500 students, who have included notables such as Wesley Snipes, Rosie Perez, Bokeem Woodbine, RZA, Jim Jarmusch, Bjork and Tricky.^[1][3][4]

In June 1995, Shi traveled to Toronto, Canada to perform with a delegation of his brother Shaolin monks, headed by Great Master Shi Yongxin, who were sent on tour to Canada.^[6] In 1999 he returned to China with his students to help build relations between China and the United States. In late 2001 he returned to the Henan Province with 40 of his students for a martial arts festival.^[4]

The USA Shaolin Temple has six international satellite branches in Austria, South Africa, Trinidad, Chile, Argentina, and Mexico.^[3][7] In 2010 Shi and the USA Shaolin Temple purchased over 80 acres (320,000 m²) of land in Middletown, Delaware County, New York, where he intends to build a new Shaolin Temple.^[17]

Abilities[link]

Shi's punches can exert up to 772 lbf (3,430 N) of force.

According to The New York Times, as a young monk, Shi Yan Ming learned to break rocks with his skull, deflect blades with his skin, and sleep while hanging upside down from a tree branch.^[1] By the age of 17, according to Time magazine and The New Yorker, he could deflect the tip of a spear with his neck, sleep standing on one leg, and dangle a 50-pound (23 kg) weight from his scrotum, a practice that helped train him to withstand a full-force blow to the groin.^[4][14] He can also lick red-hot iron shovels.^[14] According to Shi, since being taken by his parents to the Shaolin Temple, he has never experienced any health problems as he did as an infant, and has never been sick.^[18]

Shi's punching power has been measured at 772 lbf (3,430 N) of force, while his one-inch punch was measured to have 1.78 vC, more injurious than a 30 mph (48 km/h) car crash.^[19] Among his martial arts specialties are Luohan Quan, Magic Staff and other Shaolin weapons, and hard chi kung.^[6]

Media appearances[link]

Shi Yan Ming had a small role in the 1999 movie Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, which was directed by one of his students, Jim Jarmusch. He has been profiled on PBS,^[13] and on the History series Stan Lee's Superhumans.^[19] In 2005, National Geographic filmed a documentary on him titled "Kung Fu Monk".^[20] He has also worked as a model, and the tourist bureau of his native village, Henan Province, put him on a billboard advertising their most famous native son.^[4] He is also depicted performing various styles of kung fu in four giant posters that show him that hang over the entrance to the modern Anhui Guoyang Chudian Branch of the Shaolin Wushu Center, near the Shaolin Temple.^[6]

Says Jarmusch, "I love his contradictions. He's so playful and yet he has the potential for incredible physical ferocity." The RZA, producer of and Shi's co-star in the urban kung fu film Z Chronicles, says of Shi, "When I looked at the dailies, he just exploded on the camera. "I'd say, 'Damn Shifu, you're a real live movie star.'"^[4]

Shi was among the monks profiled in the 1995 book The Real Shaolin Gongfu of China.^[6][21] In 2006 Rodale Books published Shi's own book, The Shaolin Workout: 28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warrior's Way.^[22]

Personal life[link]

Shi has two children with his partner, Sophia Chang, a Korean-Canadian music promoter for Ol' Dirty Bastard, and the temple's then-manager, whom he met in 1995. Shi never took the Shaolin celibacy vows, as he entered the Shaolin Temple at the age of five.^[23] Explaining his eschewing of celibacy, Shi remarks, "I'm too handsome for that."^[1][14]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shi Yan Ming

• Official website of USA Shaolin Temple
• Shi Yan Ming at the Internet Movie Database

Rick Roderick (1949–2002) was an American professor of philosophy, best known for his lectures for The Teaching Company.

Life[link]

Roderick was born in Abilene, Texas, son of (by his own description^[1]) a "con-man" and a "beautician". He was a teacher of philosophy at several universities, where he was much revered by many students for a socratic style of teaching combined with a brash and often humorous approach. His breakthrough into wider circles came with his engagement with The Teaching Company where he recorded several memorable lecture series. Rick Roderick died in 2002 from a congestive heart condition.

Academic career[link]

Roderick first studied communication (self-admittedly in order to focus on anti-establishment student and anti-war activities^[2]), but moved after a few years towards philosophy. He received his B.A. at the University of Texas at Austin, did post-graduate work at Baylor University and finally earned his Ph.D. at the University of Texas.

Since 1977, Professor Roderick taught at Baylor University, the University of Texas, Duke University and National University in Los Angeles. He was the recipient of the Oldright Fellowship at the University of Texas and served as associate editor to The Pawn Review and Current Perspectives in Social Theory. Dr. Roderick was the editor of the Baylor Philosophy Journal and a member of the Phi Sigma Tau National Honor Society of Philosophy. He presented more than 25 papers, and published 13 reviews and literary criticisms, as well as numerous articles in professional journals.

Roderick was the author of the book Habermas and the Foundations of Critical Theory (1986), which has been translated to German as: Habermas und das Problem der Rationalität. Eine Werkmonographie (1989).

Selected publications[link]

• 1986, Habermas and the foundations of critical theory, Macmillan, 194 pages. ISBN 0-333-39655-3
• 1986, Rick Roderick - Reading Derrida Politically (Contra Rorty), PRAXIS International, issue: 4 / 1986

The Teaching Company series[link]

• "Philosophy and Human Values", 1990
• "Nietzsche and the Post-Modern Condition", 1991
• "Self Under Siege - Philosophy in the 20th Century", 1993
• "Mill on Liberty", guest lecture from "The Great Minds of Western Intellectual Tradition" (1st ed), Part IV, Philosophy in the Epoch of Ideology, 2000

See also[link]

• American philosophy
• List of American philosophers

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://rickroderick.org - Video clips and transcripts
• Download Rick Roderick lecture series in video and audio format
• What happened to Rick Roderick?: The Bill Hicks of Philosophy – lectures and other material can be found here
• Rick Roderick's page at The Teaching Company

Paul Léo Maurice Johnson (born 17 January 1929) was a Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was a lawyer by career.

Maurice Johnson was first elected at the Chambly—Rouville riding in the 1958 general election and was a government member in John Diefenbaker's administration. He was defeated after one term of office by Bernard Pilon of the Liberal party in the 1962 election.

Johnson voted against his government on a measure which limited capital punishment to cases of intentional or premeditated murder. Previously, the death penalty could apply to all forms of murder convictions. These revisions to the Criminal Code of Canada concerned Johnson who felt that this decision would lead to elimination of the death penalty.^[1]

He is a brother of former Quebec premier Daniel Johnson, Sr..^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Maurice Johnson - Parliament of Canada biography

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