Shaolin monks: who are they really?

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Who are Shaolin monks? It would seem that the answer is obvious - these are people who live in a monastery called "Shaolin". But when a person asks such a question, he wants to get a slightly different answer. He is more interested in the miracles that

monks show tourists. Shaolin is indeed one of the Tibetan monasteries located in central China. But of all the cloisters, only he became legendary. In many ways, if not in everything, the monastery owes its fame to its "residents". Legends are formed about them, Europeans retell stories about miracles, which the monks willingly show. Shaolin is not just a place on the map. This is a common word. But what is the secret of the famous brothers? After all, they themselves do not see anything strange in what they do. For them, this is not a miracle, it is foam on the waves of teaching. Yes, many come just for this beautiful foam. But such people, as a rule, just sweep the floors for a very long time. And yet, in order to slightly open the veil of secrecy over the secret of the monks, let's look at their daily routine.

Servant Monk's Daystarts at five in the morning with meditation. At this time, the most difficult, of course, for beginners. They not only have to deal with numbness of the body, but also with drowsiness. If someone suddenly dozes off during the morning meditation, the brethren wake him up very harshly - someone hits Sonya on the shoulders with a stick. The unfortunate must thank everyone for their care and bow. Next comes morning exercises and hygiene measures. And all this happens in the yard, whatever the weather. The monks believe that harsh conditions contribute to hardening. Then - spiritual saturation. The brethren go to the common hall, where the abbot gives a kind of lecture on Buddhism, talks about enlightenment. The monks also analyze different situations and interpret them from the standpoint of the teachings of the Buddha. Of course, these are not life situations, but myths and stories about the life of Sithartha.

Shaolin monk training goes like this: older brothers repeat the five learned styles, while beginners only learn them. What are these directions? First of all, the style of the Dragon. He imitates

smooth and fast movements of this mythical animal. In addition, the Dragon-style fighting technique allows you to attack in five different directions. Here, agility is much more important than brute strength, so little time is devoted to building muscle mass. Next comes the Tiger style. As the name implies, it imitates the movements of a strong and predatory beast. It also aims to strengthen bones. Therefore, here just a lot of attention is paid to the development of muscles. The Leopard style did not go beyond Shaolin, so it is known aboutcomparatively few. But this beast is smaller than a tiger even in the animal kingdom. Therefore, these exercises, as a rule, are aimed at strengthening the tendons and ligaments. Shaolin monks also practice the Snake style. As the name implies, it also imitates smooth dangerous movements with the help of ligaments that end with sharp attacking elements similar to a reptile bite. The fifth style is the style of the Eagle. It develops coordination and agility. It is also interesting that the Shaolin monks give everyone a photo to take. Tourists are surprised, because for them all the tricks are very similar to a miracle. But for monks, this is foam on the waves of teaching, even if someone comes to the monastery just for it.