The famous fighting monks of China’s ancient Shaolin Temple have seen a resurgence in recent years – aided in part by popular movies and music – that has taken them throughout the world. The documentary Shaolin Ulysses follows the odyssey of a group of five Shaolin kungfu monks who came as immigrants to America during the 1990s. Their stories are as individual and varied as they are. All were Buddhist monks and kungfu stars at the famous Shaolin Monastery – the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and kungfu – but each has made a pilgrimage to America in search of something different. From Vegas shows to Olympic dreams to temples in Flushing, Queens, the film explores the cultural interface of Shaolin kungfu, Zen Buddhism, and America. Obliquely it poses the question, will Shaolin change America, or will America change Shaolin?