Scott Shaw

Scott Shaw, Ph.D. (born September 23, 1958) is a prolific author, actor, filmmaker, and martial artist. Scott Shaw is perhaps most well known for being one of the leading proponents of the Korean martial arts of Hapkido and Taekwondo.

Born in Los Angeles, California Scott Shaw spent his early years growing up in the racially charged South-central region of the city during the turbulent 1960s. In 1968 Shaw relocated to Hollywood, California where he remained until he graduated from Hollywood High School in 1976.

Shaw began his study of the martial arts at the age of six. This passion has remained with him throughout his life until in 1996 he was the first non-Korean ever to be promoted to the advanced rank of 7th Degree Black Belt by The Korea Hapkido Federation. Over three hundred of his articles on the martial arts have been published and he is the author of a number of books on the subject.

During his youth Shaw also became deeply involved in eastern meditative thought. He studied Yogic, Sufi, and Buddhist meditation with such renown teachers as Swami Satchidananda, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, and Thich Thien-An . By the age of eighteen he was a certified instructor of both yoga and meditation. His expanding spirituality then guided him to Asia where he began spending extended periods of time in various geographic locations. He was initiated into Hindu, Sufi, and Buddhist sects, eventually being ordained a Sanyassin and given the name Swami Mokshananda. He has authored a untold number of articles and several books on Zen Buddhism, Yoga, and Asian Studies.

Aside for the eastern arts, Scott Shaw is a prolific actor and filmmaker. He developed a new style of filmmaking, which he titled Zen Filmmaking. In Zen Filmmaking no scripts are used. There are no rules and no definitions. The spontaneous creative energy of the filmmaker is the only defining factor. This allows for a spiritually pure source of immediate inspiration to be the only guide in the filmmaking process.

Based on his unique style of filmmaking, famed Director Robert Altman invited Shaw to perform a Cameo Appearance in his critically acclaimed film The Player.

Shaw continues to act and create what he calls, "Zen Films." The final credit in many of his films is, "In Memory of Dinosaur Filmmaking."

Books by Scott Shaw include:

About Peace (ISBN 1590030036)

Advanced Taekwondo (ISBN 080483640X)

Cambodian Refugees in Long Beach, California: The Definitive Study (ISBN 1877792020)

Chi Kung for Beginners: Master the Flow of Chi for Good Health, Stress Reductions & Increased Energy (ISBN 0738704199)

Hapkido: Korean Art of Self-Defense (ISBN 0804820740)

Los Angeles Koreatown: An Urban Geographical View of the Factors That Lead to It's Inception & It's Current Urbanization (ISBN 1877792098)

Nirvana in a Nutshell: 157 Zen Meditations (ISBN 1590030176)

Samurai Zen (ISBN 1578631041)

Sanskrit, the Language: Inception and Modern Day Ramifications (ISBN 1877792101)

Simple Bliss: Nirvana Made Easy (ISBN 1862048509)

Taekwondo Basics (ISBN 0804834849)

The Ki Process: Korean Secrets for Cultivating Dynamic Energy (ISBN 0877288798)

The Little Book of Yoga Breathing: Pranayama Made Easy ISBN: 157863301X The Tao of Self-Defense (ISBN 1578631904)

The Warrior Is Silent: Martial Art and the Spiritual Path (ISBN 0892816686)

Yoga the Inner Journey (ISBN 0595165494)

Zen O'Clock: Time to Be (ISBN 1578631246)

Scott Shaw Filmography - Overview:

Interview (2005) (Producer/Director)

Legend of the Dead Boyz (2004) (Producer/Director)

Super Hero Central (2004) (also Producer/Director)

Vampire Blvd. (2004) (also Producer/Director)

Rock n' Roll Cops 2: The Adventure Begins (2003) (also Producer/Director)

Hitman City (2003) (also Producer/Director)

Max Hell Comes to Frogtown (2002) (also Producer/Director)

Max Hell Frog Warrior (2002) (also Producer/Director)

Rock n' Roll Cops (2002) (also Producer/Director)

Sedona (2001) (also Producer/Director)

Undercover X (2001) (also Producer/Director)

Slip Into Oblivion (2001) (also Producer/Director)

No Boundaries (2001) (also Producer/Director)

Liquid Tokyo (2001) (also Producer/Director)

Poppugurûpu Koroshiya (2000)

Pop Beat Killers (2000)

Quest of the Invisible Ninja (2000) (also Producer/Director)

Ghost Taxi (1999) (also Producer)

Ride with the Devil (1999) (also Producer)

Armageddon Boulevard (1998) (also Producer)

Guns of El Chupacabra (1997) (also Producer)

Hollywood Cops (1997) (also Producer/Director)

Shotgun Boulevard (1996) (also Producer)

Toad Warrior (1996) (also Producer/Director)

Cambodia: Living in the Killing Field (1996) (Documentary) (Director)

Hell Comes to Frogtown III (1995) (also Producer/Director)

Exploding Angel (1995)

Samurai Ballet (1994) (also Producer/Director)

Atomic Samurai (1993) (also Producer/Director)

Samurai Johnny Frankenstein (1993) (also Producer/Director)

Return of the Roller Blade Seven (1993) (also Producer)

Jing ling bian (1992)

The Legend of the Rollerblade 7 (1992) (also Producer)

The Naked Truth (1992)

The Player (1992) (Cameo)

Nu hei xia huang ying (1992)

Samurai Vampire Bikers From Hell (1992) (also Producer/Director)

Palomino (1991)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Capital Punishment (1991)

The Divine Enforcer (1991)

Long mao shao xu (1991)

The Roller Blade Seven (1991) (also Producer)

Wu fu xing chuang gui (1991)

Zhi zai chu wei (1991)

Just a Moment That Passes in Time (1990) (also Producer/Director)

Sunset Beat (1990)

Long Feng cha lou (1990)

Guongdong Province, China: Poverty and Promise (1990) (Documentary) (Director)

Blade in Hong Kong (1985)

External links

• Scott Shaw: The Official Website
• Scott Shaw at The Internet Movie Database
• Scott Shaw at The Complete Martial Art Hall of Fame