The pictures of training when he was a child are still vivid for Shi, just as if it happened yesterday.
Shi said that in training, three layers of sweat needed to be shed. The first layer was called sweat of confusion, the second was sticky sweat, and the third was cool sweat. Sweat of confusion came out earlier during the training that was of no use. The second layer came out when the training was improved and the third layer was between sweat and oil could only be shed by people who had achieved a high enough level of kung fu and was entitled the right to sleep.
Then monks usually slept in a shared bed, and the temple protection monks slept on benches that were a little bit wider than the current benches. It was about 40 centimeters wide, fit for one body and one turn would result in falling to the ground.
Things were better in summer. In winter, the Shaolin Temple was extremely cold. According to him, he shared a thin quilt with three little monks, and they slept on the benches with mats on it. It was too cold for the little monks to fall asleep and they went to the depositary of Buddhist texts to train, and the sounds sometimes woke the master, who would come and give instructions.
Shi said at that time, the method and postures adopted in training were primitive and dangerous. Because of this, quite a few temple protection monks quit.
Regulations and commandments
When going out, monks must wear a long gown and a hat
The temple is very strict with warrior monks. For instance, when going out for a fair, all the monks are required to wear a long gown and hat, and monks’ clothing is forbidden. This regulation is not only to prevent the outside world’s interference with the monks, but also to stop outsiders from coming to the Shaolin Temple in case a monk stirs up trouble.
At the age of 16, Shi missed his family very much, so he begged his master to let him visit his relatives who left for Shaanxi province. Only after giving him several strict rules to observe during his journey did his Master allow Shi to go.
Shi said that he still clearly remembers his master's instructions. First, stay at an inn for the night after dark, and set out late in the morning. Second, do not disturb others and stay out of trouble. Third, never mention that he is from the Shaolin Temple or who his master is. Fourth, never show off his martial arts and fifth, be cautious and alert.
While recalling the story, Shi said he arrived in Lingbao Country by noon on the third day of his travels. When he was about to eat lunch at a restaurant, he suddenly heard a lot of people crying behind him, "Watch out! That horse is startled. Get away!"
Looking over his shoulders, Shi saw a big black horse running frantically while dragging a plough behind. In a blink, the horse dashed towards Shi and with no time for thinking, Shi turned around and jumped to the sky. Grabbing the horse's neck, he leaped on its back, and held the startled horse down tightly to the ground with his martial arts. Instantly, the plough flew over his head.
The startled horse was finally subdued, yet the crowd had not yet recovered from astonishment. Shi stood up, dusted his clothes, and strode away, leaving the amazed audience behind, which were saying, "He must be from the Shaolin Temple."
Practice Kung fu even on the Chinese New Year Day
The sun was already well up in the sky after the monks finished practicing Kung fu. They began to eat their breakfast of steamed millet and sweet potatoes. The lunch is relatively richer. Six monks sat around a table occupied by three dishes and one bowl of soup, namely radish, Chinese cabbage, bean curd, and a bowl of millet soup. Every monk had corn cake as their staple food and they ate noodles for supper.
A monk named Yong Han said that the temple provides relatively better food on the first and fifteenth days of every month, allowing monks a meal of bean curd, vermicelli and flour slices. In addition, on August 15, the temple provides cakes made from Chinese dates taking the place of moon cakes.
On New Year’s Eve, monks will read Buddhist scriptures from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. On the first day of the Chinese New Year, monks will first set off firecrackers and then read Buddhist scripture. At 7:00 am, they eat dumplings filled with bean curd, vermicelli and radish. After breakfast, they begin to read Buddhist scriptures and they present tributes to every sacred statue and do not stop reading Buddhist scriptures until noon. In the afternoon, they will be free and some young monks will go play in the mountains. However, they must still practice Kung fu in the evening. All monks will go to bed at 10:00 pm.
Those who doze off during schooling were slapped on the hand
Apart from martial arts, Shi said that little monks who just entered the Shaolin Temple also received regular schooling, mainly learning four courses, Chinese, common knowledge, math and history. At that time, the little monks always had classes in the Temple together with the neighborhood children.
Because Shi had to get up in the early morning to practice martial arts, he always dozed off during afternoon classes. As a result, Shi was always punished physically by the teacher. After the punishment, the teacher would asked him what he would do in the future, and of course he answered that he would correct himself next time. Then he followed the teacher and read aloud, "Watch new books that include both text and pictures."
New Year's wish
Spend his 80th birthday with his fellow monks
In 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded. At that time, the government required that all monks who were sold to the Shaolin Temple before the PRC was founded to be allowed to resume secular life and go home. Consequently, Shi left the Shaolin Temple, and returned home to farm. He named himself Mao Yonghan, and was given a job as a cook in a state-owned forest farm within Dengfeng. He spent his spare time teaching others martial arts. In the 1980s, the film "Shaolin Temple" was widely broadcasted, and Shaolin Kung fu became famous both at home and abroad. Shi was always invited to attend competitions and give performances and won many awards at home and abroad, thus becoming one of the 18 renowned Shaolin boxing masters. After Shi retired, he opened the first martial arts school in Dengfeng, the Shaolin Martial Arts School.
In 1987, Henan TV broadcasted the feature "Shaolin Monk – Mao Yonghan" during primetime. The feature was the first to deal with Shaolin martial arts since the reform and opening-up policy was launched, which played an important role in passing down and promoting the Shaolin martial arts.
With time elapsing, 60 years have passed. The place where the monks lived has been changed into a vegetarian restaurant, the guest room into the abbot’s room, the place where the abbot lived into the place where Buddhism is practiced, and the classroom into storage for books and pictures.
Shi recalled that at that time, half of the monks who protected the temple were locals, and half were people from other places. Senior and junior fellow apprentices included Chang Qing, Su Lai, Xing Dao, Ying Fang, and Ying Chang. Chang Qing and Su Lai joined the army and went to Beijing after PRC was founded in 1949. Now 60 years have passed, and monks who protected the temple at that time are already in their eighties or nineties. Maybe only a few are still alive.
Shi said that elderly people always want to recall things that happened in the past, and he now misses his senior and junior fellow apprentices very much. "Dozens of years have passed, and I do not know how they are. I am eager to see them again." Shi's 80th birthday is coming, and seeing his senior and junior fellow apprentices is the gift that will make him the happiest.
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