Why did Caine leave the monastery? - Kung Fu (1972) Discussion

[–] tbirdman-1 11 years ago

To answer your question so far this is what I do remember about the
pilot episode. Caine left the monastery right after he'd snatched
the pebble out of the hand of Master Kan and not Master Po who
had been the blind shaolin monk and was "Grasshopper's mentor
and father figure. While Caine was taking a walk into the local
community, he'd ran into Master Po and then the caravan carrying
the royal prince came about and then the scuffle ensued
with the prince firing his revolver and killing Master Po. This
senseless killing of his favorite teacher so enraged Caine that
he grabbed and hurled one of the bodyguard's spears which killed
the prince. Therefore he chose to leave China for the west with
the knowledge that eventually there'd be a heavy bounty on his
head. As we remember every episode of this great show was full
of flashbacks to Caine's youth in the monastery. So in the
pilot we see him as a young boy not being able to snatch the
pebble from Master Kan's hand and then 20 years later when
he tried again he was able to snatch the pebble from the old
monk's palm. So in essence he left the monastery for good
after being able to snatch the pebble and he left China due
to having killed the emperor's nephew. Whom in my opinion
really deserved his fate of death! He'd killed an old, blind
man with a gun and therefore Caine's revenge killing of the
prince was highly justified! Of course in the old days, I
would guess that he wouldn't have been arrested due to his
royal status as the emperor's nephew.

Lawrence Sunny California

Call me a sailor or a swabby just don't call me a squid!

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[–] topgun4321 11 years ago

tbirdman-1, thank you for clearing this up for me. I previously had thought the writers may have made a blunder in regards to why he left the monastery, but now you have shown me there was no blunder in the story line. Also, you are right - it was Master Kan that told Caine to snatch the pebble from his hand. I wasn't thinking clearly when I typed the question, but now I remember.

Another question: Did you (or anyone else) get the sense that all the Shaolin monks were required to leave the monastery at some point? If so, was it after they finished their training and could go no further with their personal development there? OR, was is a special situation in which Caine was not allowed to spend his entire life there because he was not full--blooded Chinese? (Therefore, maybe he had a time limit there).

Kung Fu is my all-time favorite drama TV series, but it has been so long since I've seen it that I have forgotten a few of the details, as you can see. lol.

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[–] tbirdman-1 11 years ago

Hello Topgun and you're most welcome. My pleasure in being able to
answer your original post about why Caine had left the monastery.
And regarding your question about if the monks were required to
leave after a certain time being there, well I believe that young
Caine had learned everything in regards to the shaolin monk
lifestyle that they had to teach him. RE: martial arts, respect
for others and one's elders, self discipline, weapons training, etc.
I really didn't see any other reason for Caine to have stayed in
the monastery and I really don't think that his being half Chinese
was really such an issue. I do recall in the pilot when
Master Kan spoke with young Kwai Chang Caine and told him how
the monks normally did not accept anyone who wasn't full-blooded
Chinese into the monastery. Though something about Caine had
impressed the elder enough to accept him into their monastery.
And like you I also consider Kung Fu to be one of my all time
favorite classic television shows along with Adam-12 and
Miami Vice. I also liked the 90's reboot, Kung Fu-The Legend
Continues and thought to mention that my two nephews used to
study tae kwon do under Ernie Reyes Sr. and his son Ernie Jr.
who once appeared in this tv series playing a young Asian
prince from a nation that was similar to Tibet. Ernie Reyes Jr.
also appeared with Dwayne Johnson in "The Rundown." Nice
chatting with you.

Lawrence Sunny California

Call me a sailor or a swabby just don't call me a squid!

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[–] bulbatron_anotron 11 years ago

Another question: Did you (or anyone else) get the sense that all the Shaolin monks were required to leave the monastery at some point?

i know this answer is super late, but yes, your senses are correct, in a way...shaolin monks were often told to go out and experience the world to decide if they wanted to live outside the monastery or return to the life of a monk, kinda like the amish. there were also traveling monks who went around spreading the teachings of buddhism and lived off donations and charity. anyway not until a person went on his "spiritual journey" or deiced to not leave at all would they be considered full fledged monks and have their heads branded with the burned dots on their heads (6,9 or 12 depending on certain rituals) since being a monk meant separating oneself from the world

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[–] topgun4321 11 years ago

Thanks for the explanation. The shaolin monks are an interesting group. They are all serene, peaceful and religious one minute.... and ready to kick butt the next!

I sometimes wish I was a shaolin.

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[–] nutmustardxx 8 years ago

Yea Caine threw a spear and killed the imperial guard, so they were doing to kill him. For that act alone,Kaine would be kicked out of the monestary anyway.

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[–] weberm-15774 8 years ago

I don't recall seeing the pilot, but I thought the scene of him we see in the closing credits burning his arms with the hot coals and getting kicked out into the cold was him being exiled from the priesthood for killing.

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[–] pazuzu9 8 years ago

No, the scene "burning his arms with the hot coals" was part of the curriculum.

It marked him as a Shaolin monk.

And he wasn't kicked out into the cold. He went outside to cool his brands in the snow.

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please - Mark Twain

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[–] weberm-15774 8 years ago

Funny you should mention that! I just saw the ep with Don Johnson on Decades and they showed a flashback with Master Po saying just that. I must have forgotten about that scene and only remembered the context of the scene in the closing credits.

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[–] kenburke0627 11 years ago

I believe after he "snatched the pebble" and branded himself he was an official Shaolin priest and ready to do to whatever Shaolin priests did. I do not believe he left the temple as in going away and never coming back, rather he would go wherever Shaolin temple graduates went.

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[–] kerryedavis 11 years ago

If all of the priests/monks left the monastery after passing the pebble test, and never returned, there wouldn't have been any teachers at the monastery. All of whom were older than Caine was even at the time he left. Let alone the Masters.

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[–] JohnQ1127 11 years ago

"Snatching the Pebble" is a bit like a graduation ritual. If your able to snatch the pebble it signifies that you have become a full shaolin priest.

I don't think they ever make it fully clear in the series but I believe once the priest snatches the pebble, he's supposed to leave the temple and go a spiritual journey. I think the implication is that they are always welcomed back to the temple.

Shortly after "snatching the pebble," Caine is seen outside walking with Master Po. Master Po is accosted by the Emperor's nephew and eventually is killed senselessly. This so enrages Caine that he kills the nephew without thinking. Obviously, Caine becomes a wanted man.

Caine hides out and eventually flees to the U.S. One of his motivations for wandering around the U.S. other than being wanted is to search for his brother "Danny."

In the episode "The Chalice" from season 2, there are flashbacks of Caine after the nephew's murder when he is in hiding from the imperial police. He is given sanctuary by a catholic priest and hides in his church. Caine visits Master Kan who instructs him that he must flee China because he will never be safe. The Priest then arranges for Caine to be smuggled aboard a ship for the U.S.

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[–] JohnQ1127 11 years ago

There's also the final test where Caine must carry that 200 pound iron container full of red hot coals. This is sort of the "ultimate" test for the monks and this is how Caine gets his Dragon and Tiger marks on his arms. Master Po makes it seem like this is the final test whereas Master Kan speaks about the pebble as the final test.

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[–] ben-thayer 11 years ago

Hey folks,

May I add something? It's related to Master Po, Caine, and the Emperor's Nephew.

During his teen years at the monastery, Caine and Master Po are discussing what it means to be a Shaolin Priest. Master Po tells Caine that a priest seeks no ambition, only a simple existence in harmony with nature. Caine asks Master Po if he has any ambition, and Po answers:

"Only one. Five years hence, it is my wish to make a pilgrimage to the Forbidden City. It is a place where even priests receive no special status. There in the Temple of Heaven, will be a festival, the full moon of May. It will be the thirteenth day of the fifth month in the Year of the Dog."

Caine answers "That is not such a great ambition."

To which Po answers "But it is ambition, nonetheless. Who among us is without flaw?"

At some point after Caine leaves the monastery, Master Po is shown walking among many people...he is making the pilgrimage to the Forbidden City. He hears something and stops, listening carefully as he recognizes a set of footfalls behind him. He turns to find Caine following him...Caine had remembered his Master's ambition and had come to honor it.

It is during this reunion that the Emperor's nephew is shown approaching in the crowd, although he is not walking but is being carried in a litter by servants. A group of soldiers are shoving pilgrims aside brutally. As the soldiers accost Master Po he defends himself out of instinct. From inside the litter, the nephew shoots Po in the back. As the nephew is reloading his pistol, Caine dispatches several soldiers and throws a javelin through the litter, killing the nephew.

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[–] [email protected] 11 years ago

Thanks ben for saving me the trouble explaining Master Po's ambition. I couldn't believe the first wrong answer above as well as repeats by others.

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[–] jlgas 9 years ago

Another test was to walk the rice-paper without disturbing it, said to be the equivalent of passing through walls.
The pebble-snatch was just their way of showing that everyone is quicker than everybody else.

Mr Frampton, vis-a-vis your rump

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[–] buny101 10 years ago

I know it's a long time coming, but I just saw the question. There seems to be two questions here: why did he leave the monastery and why did he leave china? It was my belief and understanding that he left the temple when he matured as a full fledged shaolin monk. It was a school, not a place to hide from the world. He went there when he had no family left. He stood in the rain, and ignored the games, and showed good manners to make sure he got in. Once he finished his training, there was no reason for him to remain. I imagine he spent the next few years wandering China, just as he did the Old West. He made his way to the forbidden city to see his old master.

I can't prove that, of course. The implication was clear, though. Until they did graduate, they didn't leave the temple. In china, though, you can see other shaolin monks in places other than temples. There are, I think, three different temples. I imagine they expect their students, easily marked by they branded scars and quiet wisdom, would go forth and spread the message of their lifestyle.

He left china because he killed the royal nephew....but that had nothing to do with his leaving school.

I think he could have gone back and been an instructor, but that was something he'd have to discuss with the masters at the school.

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[–] nutmustardxx 8 years ago

Master po went on the star of master of the flying guillotine.

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[–] stevenernest 8 years ago

He left the Shaolin temple because his snatching the pebble was a sign that he had "graduated." As someone says here, he could have either stayed in the monastery, or gone out into the world. However, he was forced to flee China and go to America after killing the Emperor's nephew.

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