British monk giving new fame to Shaolin kung fu
by (08/12/05 23:59)
By Han Manman
Matthew Ahmet was an ordinary teenager from north London four years ago. But after he graduated from high school, he chose a path less taken – he dcided to become a Shaolin monk.
Wanting to become a kung fu master like his idol Bruce Lee, Ahmet gave up the carefree life of a young man and entered a world of training, discipline and punishment.
After years of hard work, his dream to become a “master” has come true. He is one of the “kung fu stars” in a popular group of performing Shaolin monks, who are on a world tour that included a show in his hometowKung fu show in London
Although the UK leg of the tour ended last week, 20-year-old Ahmet still remembers the excitement. “All of my friends, my parents, even people I don’t know who saw me on TV came backstage to say I did well. Thesaid seeing a Westerner (doing kung fu) on stage made them feel inspired that their dreams can also come true,” he said. Ahmet denied he was chosen to perform because he is the only foreigner in the Shaolin temple, located in Henan Province. He said it was his skill that became his ticket into the group. “I am at a high level, like most masters on the team.ife in the Shaolin temple
Ahmet’s visit to London seemed o have taken him full circle. His transformation from an ordinary boy into a monk began nine years ago, when Shaolin monks staged a martial arts show in London.
“At that time, I liked Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li But nothing prepared me for what I saw! A monk did a handstand, supporting his weight with just two fingers.” The then 11-year-old Ahmet whispered to himself, “I want to be that strong.” And his dream was borHe began to train at a small local martial arts club. As his skill improved, he started working with a private teacher at 5 am every day, before going to school. At 16, Ahmet went to the famed Shaolin Temple with the help of his London teacher, who had links with the Shaolin monks.
“Every day we’d wake up at 5 am and train throughout the day until around 9 pm. We’d do stretching, fighting exercises and practikung fu forms,” he said.
“The first few weeks were incredibly painful and lonely for me. I wasn’t able to ring my mum and I lost over a stone (6.35 kilograms) in weight. But my pride kept me going. I didn’t want to admit defeat, and lso saw children aged four to five training alongside me, doing the same punishing exercises,” he said. “If they could do it, then so could I. Finally, after about a month, I learned to carry on through the pain, ando conquer it.”Ahmet has himself become a kung fu coach at the temple, teaching around 30 students. “Most of my students are Chinese, then there’s the odd westerner for a week or so throughout the year,” he saidDuring his UK tour, Ahmet also visited schools to talk about Buddhism and being a monk. “I want to teach kids that they can be cool without being violent,” he said. “As a Shaolin disciple, I’ve learkung fu ... but helping others and spreading happiness is an important goal in my life.” When asked if he has even once regretted the decision to give up a life in Britain to become a monk, Ahmet said: “I’ve never regretted the cision to go to Shaolin. It’s a dream come true!inding true love
It was also at the Shaolin temple that Ahmet met the love of his life. He is marrying Chang Chunyan, a 20-year-old student, on January 25 – his parets’ wedding anniversary. The temple has allowed him to get married because he is classified as asujiadizi, a person who has trained at the monastery, but who is not a Buddhist cleric.
“Chang is the love of my life and wehave been together for more than two years. She is also pregnant with our first baby and I can’t wait for the child to be born,” he saidAhmet will be traveling to Los Angeles next week for the US leg of their world tour. “Chang will come with me. Many of my mother’s relatives live in LA, so they can all meet my future wife,” he saidWhile Ahmet is excited to have a family with his fiancee, he also wants to continue being a ung fu” ambassador. In the process, he may even get a chance to work with his movie idols.“Hopefully, I could work with some of my matial arts idols like Jackie Chan. Since all my dreams have come true so far, I can’t see why these dreams can’t come true either,” he said.
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