Shaolin is perhaps the most famous Chinese monastery in the world. It is located on the slope of Mount Sunhan in a picturesque area surrounded by thick forests. The monastery appeared here at the beginning of the 5th century. True, he belonged to another religious current – Taoism. Buddhists settled in this place only in 495, immediately after the previous owners of the monastery were persecuted.
The founder of the traditions of Shaolin is considered the monk of Bodhidharma. He somewhat changed the usual understanding of Buddhism for that time, uniting prayers, meditation and physical exercises. Thanks to this unity, the monastery has become not only a place of spiritual development and self -improvement, but also a real center of martial arts.
How the monks of Shaolin live
According to some reports, today only 100 real monks live in the Shaolin monastery, who rarely go out to chat with tourists. Almost all of their free time they meditate, train and pray. To see how they do it is not so simple-a special resolution is required. It is noteworthy that there are still no monks from Russia in Shaolin.
All work to ensure the life of the monastery is performed by novices: they lands on the courtyards and engage in other types of economic activity, and are present in services. They are also not forbidden to communicate with numerous tourists. Some of them in the evenings, taking off monastic clothes, go to the city to have fun.
Every day, Shaolin monks are waiting for exhausting physical training that temper their spirit and strengthen the willpower. The whole life of the inhabitants of the monastery is closely related to the constant improvement of the body, the mastery of martial arts and prayers – these traditions have remained unchanged for several hundred years.
Shaolin monks wake up at 5 a.m. and regardless of age and weather gather on the site near the temple in order to indulge in a two -hour collective meditation. From the elders, 10 caretakers are always chosen, who closely monitor that the beginners do not accidentally fall asleep. Otherwise, the violator is “awarded” with a stick with a stick, while he must necessarily thank the caretaker for the assistance provided.
After spiritual saturation, gymnastics for the development of flexibility occurs. Stretching in a shain is a rather complicated and heavy set of exercises, which for an unprepared person can be overwhelmed.
At the end of their unusual charging, all monks come to the temple, there they listen to preaching about the life path and destination, and then again move on to training: they perform gymnastic exercises that contribute to the development of muscles and an increase in strength.
Next, classes in mastering martial arts begin. Beginners study 5 main styles: dragon, tiger, snake, leopard and mantis. Each of them is necessary to improve certain qualities. Learning these styles lasts 3 years, after which the student is assigned a warrior rank and a certain belt – a kind of analogue of belts in karate or judo. Having become a warrior monk, the adept begins complicated and very tough training, mastering the whole complex consisting of 170 special techniques.
All physical classes end at 14 o’clock in the afternoon. Only then can the monk begin to eat food, and then he is given 1 hour for personal needs. After this small break, classes begin again, but already in the halls, where training “in full force” with the elders of the monastery is held. In addition to martial arts, monks study medicine and methods of influence on pain points.
Dinner in the monastery begins at 7 o’clock in the evening, after it monks and novices can do their own personal affairs. Someone devotes this time to science or languages, someone additional training, and someone is quite familiar to us entertainment. The inhabitants of Shaolin are not at all isolated from the outside world. There is a TV 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. There is also a reading room in the monastery where there are always fresh newspapers and books.
How to get to the Shaolin monastery
If you become a novice of the Shaolin monastery are not so easy, then visiting it as a tourist will not be difficult. To do this, you need to go to China by ordering tickets and a hotel on your own or boiling an appropriate tour.
If you decide to travel yourself, then the best option for accommodation will be the small city of Danfen (on the map). It is located only 30 kilometers from the monk monk. There is no direct flight from Moscow to Danfan, so it is worth taking tickets to Beijing and from there to fly to the destination. A bus goes from Danfen to the monastery. The fare is 15 yuan (140 rubles). You can get to the monastery complex by buying a ticket at a price of 110 yuan (about 1000 rubles).
If you want to not just visit the monastery, but take an active part in his life for a short time, you can use the services of specialized centers that cooperate with Shaolin and organize group trips. To each of the groups “attached” the accompanying person. During the tour, it will be possible not only to inspect the monastery, but also to participate in prayers and meditations and even practice with the monks. Among such centers, you can distinguish, for example, the Center for the study of martial arts “Damo”.
Each tourist, falling on the territory of the monastery, must comply with a number of mandatory rules. Almost all halls and premises are open to visit, but it must be remembered that this is a sacred place and here is unnecessary of the excessive fun and fableness, and you can carry out photos or video sections only with the resolution of the monk that will accompany you.
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