Shaolin is perhaps the most famous Chinese monastery in the world. It is located on the slope of Songshan Mountain in a picturesque area surrounded by dense forests. The monastery appeared here at the beginning of the 5th century. True, he belonged to another religious movement – Taoism. Buddhists settled on this site only in 495, immediately after the previous owners of the monastery were persecuted.
The founder of the Shaolin traditions is considered to be the monk Bodhidharma. He somewhat changed the usual understanding of Buddhism at that time, combining prayer, meditation and physical exercise. Thanks to this unity, the monastery became not just a place of spiritual development and self-improvement, but also a real center of martial arts.
How Shaolin monks live
According to some reports, today only 100 real monks live in the Shaolin Monastery, who quite rarely come out to talk with tourists. They spend almost all their free time meditating, training and praying. Seeing how they do this is not so easy – special permission is required. It is noteworthy that there are no monks from Russia in Shaolin yet.
All work to ensure the life of the monastery is carried out by novices: they landscape the courtyards and engage in other types of economic activities, and attend services. They are also not prohibited from communicating with numerous tourists. Some of them in the evenings, taking off their monastic robes, go to the city to have fun.
Every day, Shaolin monks undergo grueling physical training that tempers their spirit and strengthens their willpower. The entire life of the inhabitants of the monastery is closely connected with the constant improvement of the body, mastery of martial arts and prayers – these traditions have remained unchanged for several hundred years.
Shaolin monks wake up at 5 o’clock in the morning and, regardless of age and weather, gather on the site near the temple to indulge in two hours of collective meditation. 10 caretakers are always selected from the elders, who closely monitor so that the newcomers do not accidentally fall asleep. Otherwise, the offender is “rewarded” with blows with a stick, and he must thank the caretaker for the help provided.
After spiritual saturation, the time comes for gymnastics to develop flexibility. Shaolin stretching is a rather complex and difficult set of exercises, which can be overwhelming for an unprepared person.
At the end of their unusual exercises, all the monks come to the temple, where they listen to sermons about life’s path and destiny, and then again move on to training: they perform gymnastic exercises that help develop muscles and increase strength.
Next, martial arts training begins. Beginners learn 5 basic styles: Dragon, Tiger, Snake, Leopard and Mantis. Each of them is necessary to improve certain qualities. Training in these styles lasts 3 years, after which the student is assigned the rank of warrior and a certain belt – a kind of analogue of belts in karate or judo. Having become a warrior monk, the adept begins complex and very tough training, mastering the entire complex consisting of 170 special techniques.
All physical activities end by 2 p.m. Only then can the monk start eating, and then he is given 1 hour for personal needs. After this short break, classes begin again, but in the halls, where training is carried out “in full force” with the elders of the monastery. In addition to martial arts, monks study medicine and methods of influencing pain points.
Dinner at the monastery begins at 7 pm, after which monks and novices can go about their personal affairs. Some devote this time to sciences or languages, some to additional training, and some to entertainment that is quite familiar to us. The inhabitants of Shaolin are not at all isolated from the outside world. There is a television in the monastery, and the inhabitants of the monastery regularly watch the news. Time is specially allocated for this – 2-3 times a week for one hour. The monastery also has a reading room, where there are always fresh newspapers and books.
How to get to the Shaolin Monastery
If becoming a novice of the Shaolin Monastery is not so easy, then visiting it as a tourist will not be difficult. To do this, you need to go to China by booking your own tickets and hotel or booking the appropriate tour.
If you decide to travel on your own, then the best option for accommodation would be the small city of Dengfeng (on the map). It is located just 30 kilometers from the monastery. There is no direct flight from Moscow to Dengfeng, so you should take tickets to Beijing and fly from there to your destination. There is a bus from Dengfeng to the monastery. The fare is 15 yuan (140 rubles). You can get into the monastery complex by purchasing a ticket for 110 yuan (about 1000 rubles).
If you want not just to visit the monastery, but to take an active part in its life for a short time, you can use the services of specialized centers that cooperate with Shaolin and organize group trips. An accompanying person is “attached” to each group. During the excursion, you will not only be able to explore the monastery, but also take part in prayers and meditations, and even train with the monks. Among such centers one can highlight, for example, the Damo Center for the Study of Martial Arts.
Every tourist entering the territory of the monastery must follow a number of mandatory rules. Almost all halls and premises are open to the public, but you must remember that this is a sacred place and excessive fun and frivolity are not allowed here, and photography or video shooting can only be done with the permission of the monk who will accompany you.
To make a hotel reservation online, use the OneTwoTrip service.
