Monastery in the woods of Mount Shaoshi

As a kid I watched many Hong Kong martial arts movies, read many martial arts books and comics, watched replays and replays of David Carradine's "Kung Fu", and more then anything, I got inspired by Bruce Lee's philosophy. That was all when I was a kid. Pretty soon "serious" life kicked in, so I was not able to dream about mysterious and exotic places of "gung fu" and shaolin temples.

So when I was told that we would go to the known Buddhist monastery in the western world, famous for its association with Chinese martial arts and particularly with Shaolin Kung Fu, I got really ecstatic.

We flew from Shanghai to Zhengzhou, Capital of Henan province, and then drove to Song Shan - Mount Song.

Song Shan is one of the Taoist Five Sacred Mountains and it is located on the south bank of the Yellow River. The Shaolin Temple located on the mountain is the birthplace of Zen Buddhism, and even today the temple's collection of stupas is the largest in China. The Zhongyue Temple is also located here, one of the earliest Taoist temples in the country. The Songyang Academy nearby was one of the four great academies of ancient China. The mountain and its vicinity are populated with Taoist and especially Buddhist monasteries. I will talk more about the nearby Taoist temple in my future posts.

The Shao in "Shaolin" refers to "Mount Shaoshi", a mountain that was in front of me. The lin in "Shaolin" means "forest". Literally, the name means "Monastery in the woods of Mount Shaoshi".

Behind me is Mount Song

The Shaolin Monastery was built on the north side of Shaoshi, the western peak of Mount Song by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Jiaqing Chongxiu Yitongzhi (AD 1843) specifies that this monastery was built in the 20th year of the Tàihé era of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and for historians, it would mean that the monastery was built in AD 497.
I would frequently ask if this was possible, and I was wondering how all of this could exist in such ancient times.

There are couple of Kung Fu schools in nearby towns, and its pupils demonstrate their martial arts knowledge in the temple. I didn't want to miss it - so we went to see one the main shows. The show had a full house and what I saw in next 45 minutes really blew me away. I knew that some of these incredible things are somehow possible, but I've never seen it for real. And yes, these super humans can break metalic plates with their heads, they can pierce a thick glass with a needle, and they can break sticks that end with knives on their necks.

Breaking the wooden sticks with a bare neck

Well, I don't know if I described it well, as you might know, English is not my mother tongue - but, the video I am posting on Facebook might help you understand what I was talking about.

If you want to know more about the Shaolin Temple, you can continue reading below.

Kangxi, the second Qing emperor, was a supporter of the Shaolin temple in Henan and he wrote the calligraphic inscription that, to this day, hangs over the main temple gate:

"Shao Lin Temple" - meaning of the three characters above the main gate

Bodhidharma is said by the Shaolin monks to have introduced the sect of Chan (Zen) Buddhism to them at Shaolin Temple in Henan, China during the 6th century. Bodhidharma was also given the opportunity to teach what the monks called “18 Hands of the Lohan,” (non-combative healthful exercises).

Various styles of Chinese martial arts are said in some sources to have been practiced even before the Xia dynasty (founded in 2205 BC), styles such as Jiao Di, the precursor of Shuai Jiao. Not to mention Shou Bo kung fu practiced during the Shang dynasty (2,000 years before the Shaolin Temple's construction), and Xiang Bo (similar to Sanda) from the 600s BC, along with the hundreds of other systems of Chinese martial arts that have persisted from ancient times to the present day. There is a story that Huiguang and Sengchou were martial artists before the arrival of Bodhidharma, when they became two of the very first Shaolin monks.

The monastery has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. Perhaps the best-known story of the Temple's destruction is that it was destroyed in 1644 by the Qing government for supposed anti-Qing activities (giving birth to the famous slogan "Destroy the Qing, restore the Ming!"); this destruction is also supposed to have helped spread Shaolin martial arts through China by means of the 5 fugitive monks Ng Mui, Jee Shin Shim Shee, Fung Doe Duk, Miu Hin and Bak Mei. This story commonly appears in martial arts history, fiction, and cinema.

The god of the snowy mountains

We decided to go to Yunnan province, instead of Tibet - as it is still hard to obtain a Tibet Pass. It turned out that it was our best decision!

We took a flight from Beijing to provincial capital Kunming, slept there one night and the next day took a flight to Shangri-La, mystical city in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The city is a real thing though - it really exists - and it posses all the mystic qualities one would seek for.
There is too much to write about this part of the world, so I will only write about one magnificient peak, that I thought it only comes alive in dreams - and yet, it came for real.
I will disclose some information about Meili Snow Mountain, and its highest peak, Kabego.
What can I say about my feelings, once I saw it, once I was so close to it? Well, if a nature is a mother, it shows is in its the most beautiful light there - I felt so little and so small - just by seeing it, by watching it, and after we learned about the mountain itself, we perhaps learned what allones is.

Kagebo, which means white snow mountain in Tibetan, is considered the god of the snowy mountains and a sacred place of pilgrimage for Tibetan Buddhism. A local tale tells how Kagebo became the patron saint of Jiajuba, a branch of Ningma School. Originally Kagebo was an evil spirit with 9 heads and 18 bodies. After been converted by Budda Padmasambhava, Kagebo became shipped by Tibetan people, usually Kagebo rode a white horse with a sword in hand. His majestic appearance was similar to that of the peak. It is said that if you climb to the top of the Potala Palace, you will see the shadow of Kagebo through the colorful clouds. Every year during the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, thousands of Tibetan Buddhists walk to Kagebo. During the year of the sheep in the Tibetan calendar, the number of adherents will multiply and the spectacle is very grand.

Kagebo Peak has been described as the most beautiful peak in the world by Joseph F. Rocker, American explorer and botanist. In 1986, the Panchen Lama Jianzeng once held rituals there. As usual, Meili Snow Mountain was enveloped in layers of clouds and mist. But as soon as the Panchen Lama recited scriptures and sprinkled some holy water, the clouds parted and Kagebo emerged from the mist. This has become a widespread legend among local people.

Mingyong Glacier sits at the foot of Kagebo Peak and looks like a long piece of white silk. Running from 5,500 meters down to 2,700 meters, only 800 meters above Lancang River, Mingyong is one of the few low altitude glaciers in the world. There is a 40km ride between Deqin and Mingyong Village, and then you can walk or rent a horse to get to the glacier. As the weather was changing we couldn't do much exploring, so we didn't go there.

In the south of Kagebo Peak is a waterfall, named Yubenshenpu (holy collapsing rain), coming down from a 1,000m high cliff. It is said that to be drenched b the water here will bring you good luck.

Kagebo is still a virgin peak, unconquered by mountaineers. Since the first effort was made by a British climbing team in 1902, Americans, Japanese, and Chinese climbers have all tried to scale the mountain, but all attempts have ended in failure. A joint effort by Chinese and Japanese climbers to reach the summit in January 1991 ended in tragedy when all the team’s members died in an accident. Their remains were not found until July 1998. An old man told us with a warning tone as a god: "How can human beings step on a god??"