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YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
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The amazing physicality of the Shaolin monks from China left audiences here gasping. But, reports ANAND SANKAR, their seeming ease comes with years of grit and uncompromising practice
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Photo: Murali Kumar K.
Kung fu is like rowing against the current in a river. If you stop you only move backwards.
LEAPS, TUMBLES, somersaults, flying kicks, slashes of the sword and thrusts of the sabre were all a blur when Shaolin monks performed their kung fu routine at the Taj Residency. Part of the Taj Business Celebrations, it was a performance never seen before in the city though as a modern martial art form, kung fu owes a part of its origin to India.
The team of nine monks who performed were from the famed Shaolin Temple in China's Henan Province. Their discipline, strength and courage were obvious to all, each move greeted by very audible gasps from the audience.
The routine began with a meditation ritual by the monks who then went on to showcase their individual talents. Each stepped on stage to show impressive skills with weapons ranging from mere bamboo sticks to gleaming Shaolin swords. These men, for whom practice is a way of life, demonstrated how lethal a properly trained and motivated kung fu warrior could be.
Lightning speed
The air resounded with the crack of whips and the swords drew deadly arcs. The photographers at the venue were left dumbfounded when their cameras were unable to cope with the lightning speed of the monks. A flying leap or a double somersault took the monks right the way across the stage leaving nothing but thin air for the photographers to focus on!
The group routine featured some sublime acts of co-ordination as the monks demonstrated how to handle lethal weapons at close proximity with pinpoint precision. They leapt over or dodged, spears and swords thrust at them at blinding speed. And then, for the grand finale, there were the acts of daredevilry such as breaking bricks and metal rods on the head, with the flying pieces of debris landing inches away from the audience.
It was nothing but an hour's worth of sheer physical and mental exertion that would have left couch potatoes like us blue-faced and breathless. Not to mention green with envy. As for the monks, they were smiling as broadly at the end of the show as at the beginning.
The temple in which these spiritual warriors were trained in China was built in 495 A.D. following a violent episode. It is said that the emperor of the province back then felt threatened by the power of the monks and ordered their slaughter. Five children, now celebrated as the Five Ancestors, survived the massacre and worked to spread Zen Buddhism and the art of Shaolin kung fu or gong fu as it was known back then, throughout the land by building the temple.
However, kung fu was perfected by Buddhabhadra (Ba Yuo in Chinese) who left his native India in 497 A.D and travelled to the Songshan Mountains in Henan Province. He became interested in Chinese wushu (kung fu), and proceeded to train the monks to perfect their art by using his knowledge of Indian martial arts such as vajramushti and kalaripayattu. His disciples, Seng Chou and Hui Guang, however, mastered their skills. Historical records speak of Seng Chou being able to walk on a wall and leaping on to a rooftop with one leg bound to demonstrate the formidable strength of his legs!
As for Hui Guang, it was said he could keep a shuttlecock in the air by kicking it 500 times without stopping even as he balanced on the railing of a well.
The monks' team, which came to the city, was led by Shifu Shi Yanzi, a 34th generation Shaolin master, and also included 10-year-old Hen Kong, one of the most promising talents to emerge from the Shaolin Temple.
"The temple is over 1,500 years old now. It has a tremendous history. Now there are so many forms, styles, and techniques to learn. On the other hand, you can feel the spiritual side of the Shaolin Temple. The monks just exude self-confidence and calm. Their energy and knowledge are very powerful," says Shi. "They don't learn kung fu just to fight but to also become a better and more understanding person."
Informal training begins as early as the child can walk at home. Shi started his formal training when he was 14. The form tests the mental toughness of the trainee more than the physical. Physical toughness comes naturally as training progresses.
"Gaining the kung fu is all about perseverance. If you don't have the will power you will never get it. The training helps build your internal energy, or chi, and distributing it evenly across all parts of the body. Then your body becomes as strong as steel."
And young Hen Kong is the perfect example of how this energy can be harnessed. He was able to effortlessly keep pace with monks almost thrice his age.
No stopping
"He doesn't stop training at all. In the future he will be one of the great ones. But it all depends on him maintaining his will power. Kung fu is like rowing against the current in a river. If you stop you only move backwards," says Shi. He also says that kung fu is the best way increase your self-confidence and find your real character.
And, as Shi says, the routine is a result of years of practice. The moves are rehearsed over and over till they are perfect to the last millimetre. Even a small glitch like a loose plank on the stage or a flash bulb could upset the routine to cause injury.
"You need to be careful like doing anything else. Improper stage arrangements or camera flashes can be a problem; but years of practice ensures that we can handle any environment."
* * *
Thus spake the master
Look around,learn, and you'll get there...
Be as graceful as a cat
Be as aggressive as a tiger
Step like a dragon
Act like lightning
Shout like thunder
Move like a gust of wind
Stay like a nail
Be as heavy as a mountain
Be as light as goose down
Be soft as cotton wool
Be as hard as iron
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