Shaolin is the birthplace of the famous martial arts in China and the shrine of Ch'an Buddhism. Shaolin monks are legendary warriors and faithful followers of the Buddha, surrounded by myths and stories of fabulous exploits, educating themselves and their novices.
The history of Shaolin monastery
The monastery on Mount Songshan has been standing since the beginning of the 5th century, built by the followers of Taoism. Since 450, the monastery has belonged to Buddhists, but a turning point for its history occurred in 530, when Bodhidharma, a Buddhist patriarch, stayed within the walls of the monastery, who taught the monks special techniques of meditation and healing the body, and also radically changed their Buddhist practices. Indian teachers came to Shaolin to impart the best of their knowledge, which led to the monastery flourishing as a cultural treasury of central China.
In 1928, there were no masters of unique art left in the temple, and after a devastating fire, novices and monks lived on the ruins. Fortunately, the Chinese authorities took care of preserving its heritage and managed to find the descendants and students of the Shaolin masters, and return the monastery to its former glory.
Martial arts
At the origins of the famous Shaolin martial arts school is the "Arhat's hand" complex, developed by Bodhidharma specifically for this monastery. The secluded location, the need to defend himself from animals and dashing people, forced him to create his own military equipment based on the movements of animals, birds and insects, and using a simple weapon - a chain, sword, stick.
Over time, the martial art of wushu was formed within the walls of Shaolin, and Shaolin kungfu began to be considered the best in China: Shaolin wushu merged with the philosophy of Ch'an Buddhism, using the improvement of the body as a method of improving the soul.
The life of a Shaolin monk
People turn to kung fu to pacify their human vices and achieve harmony: in the first place for a Shaolin monk is meditation. No matter how successful he is in the martial art, he is strictly forbidden to take the life of living beings and use his skills to please vanity, pride, and anger.
The monk's morning begins before dawn, with meditation and a run to the "Damo cave" - descent from the mountain, ascent back, and to the sound of the bell, morning practice begins. During the day, lectures on spiritual enlightenment, discussion of religious issues and the difficulties of life's path are interspersed with hard training, meditation, eating in the common room, sparring with peers.
The abbots of the monastery often send the best monks "into the world", welcome tourists and new novices: but this does not affect the internal regulations of the monastery, and the selection of students from the Shaolin masters is still very strict. A person without virtue and hard work, no Shaolin teacher will take to his disciple.
