You do not have to live an ascetic life in the famed Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts - you can now buy the secrets of kung fu online, in a move that has caused controversy.

The Shaolin Temple in China's Henan Province has come under fire for selling "Shaolin Kung Fu and Medicine Secret", a series kung fu instruction manuals. Priced at 9,999 yuan (US$1,450), it is the most expensive item in the temple's online shop.

The series, allegedly complied by Shi Yongxin, the celebrity abbot of Shaolin, has been questioned as to its authenticity and originality, with some Chinese netizens saying parts of the new series could be found in other older books.

"Read a book and become a kung fu master? It is absurd," said Chai Huabing, a Chinese netizen.

"If it is true, then anyone who can afford the book can be a kung fu star," he added.

"The Secret series does not guarantee that its readers will become kung fu masters,"said Gu Liying, an official with the Shaolin Stage of Joy Co. Ltd. which runs the temple's online shop and a shop near the temple where customers can taste the monks' vegetarian food and buy souvenirs.