Rebuilding the North Shaolin Temple - Part 19: Spring 2024 Continued

For Rebuilding the North Shaolin Temple Part 18, click here.

Reconstruction on hold while Kung Fu training moves forward

To recap Rebuilding North Shaolin Temple - Part 18, instruction in the fine arts and sciences of Shaolin Kung Fu are going strong with the leadership of Shi Yan Kong and his brilliant side-kick Yan Jin. However, reconstruction of the North Shaolin has been “on hold” due to “fiscal issues” (read: no money) since COVID-19 reared its ugly head around the world three years ago. Oops! Is that inelegant? Well, it is what it is.

And, to pick up where we left off:

“And thus, a warm welcome from North Shaolin Monastery to Juli from Germany!”

I met Juli on her second day training at North Shaolin. Being a gentleman, I didn’t ask her age, but I found out she’s from a small town in Germany and works in the health care profession.

She came to China to visit my old friend Miao Hui who in past years often translated for me at North Shaolin Temple and other Wushu Kung Fu related events. Upon hearing about North Shaolin Temple, and the opportunity to train there, she enthusiastically pursued the idea and soon enough, there she was in person!

With her lively personality and at least some basic Chinese vocabulary she really made terrific progress in her five days at the mostly reconstructed monastery.

Her schedule was as follows:

May 6, 2024

6:00 AM 晨钟 Chénzhōng (Morning Bell and Drum and seated meditation)

6:30 晨练八段锦 Chénliàn bāduànjǐn (Morning Exercise - Eight-Section brocade, a traditional eight-part sequence of Qigong exercises.)

7:20 早饭 Zǎofàn (Breakfast - at her guesthouse; a 15-minute walk from the Temple)

9:00 少林功夫学习 Shàolín gōngfu xuéxí (Shaolin Kung Fu Learning)

10:30 静坐 Jìngzuò (Meditation)

12:00 午斋 Wǔ zhāi (Lunch at her guest house)

13:00 午休 Wǔxiū (After lunch rest)

14:30 少林功夫学习 Shàolín gōngfu xuéxí (Shaolin Kung Fu Learning)

16:00 清洁大殿，洁净心灵 qīngjié dàdiàn ， jiéjìng xīnlíng (Clean the hall, cleanse the heart)

18:00 晚饭 Wǎnfàn (Dinner at her guesthouse)

19:30 暮鼓 Mùgǔ (Twilight Drum - Seated meditation)

The ceremony called Chén zhōng mù gǔ (“dawn bell, dusk drum” 晨钟暮鼓) is something most people don’t know much about, however is an ancient and fascinating tradition.

This ceremony was held in the Main Hall (Dàxióngbǎodiàn) where the Bell and Drum ceremony is being performed now, until the Bell and Drum Tower at North Shaolin is built.

Because of the “Morning Bell and Dusk Drum” idiom “Chen Zhong Mugu,” many people think monks ring the bell in the morning and drum is struck in the evening. In practice, in China they ring the bell and strike the drum very early in the morning and in the evening. The difference is that in the morning the bell is struck first and then the drum, whereas in the evening the drum is struck first and then the bell.

The use of bell and drum for many kinds of occasions is very ancient in Chinese culture; from the celebration of weddings to signaling in war; symbolizing transformation, and remembrance, in life, and the microcosm of theater.

Drums and bells historically were used to measure time, celebrate the most wonderful of times, lament the most terrible, direct troops in battle, and many other things.

Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine readers who followed my Silk Road Kung Fu Friendship Tour from the beginning know the “official” start to my journey (after my Kung Fu adventures in Kabul, Afghanistan) was at the Bell Tower in Xi’an (西安市), though in ancient times Xi’an was called “Chang’an.” That bell was used to signal the opening of the market at sunrise.

The Xi’an Bell Tower dates back to the 17th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1384) and was the official beginning point of the eastern terminal of the Silk Road in China. Nowadays the bell tower is in the center of a busy intersection, but within the large tower it is easy to imagine how it was nearly 700 years ago when it was built, and its predecessor Bell Tower at Yingxiang Temple (迎祥观) also in what was then Chang’an.

In ancient China, drums and bells quickened the spirit in Chinese villages, towns, cities and temples, palaces and wherever else needed.

To briefly describe the evening Bell and Drum ceremony at North Shaolin - the drum is first, and starts with a slow rhythm, speeds up with a distinctly martial beat, and then slows and becomes softer near the end. There may be several “waves” of slowness and speed in that five-to-10-minute drum ceremony. You can listen to Shi Xuan Wu’s evening drum here.

In the evening, the Bell Ceremony follows the drum. The Bell Ceremony is the longer of the two lasting about twenty minutes. The monk performing this ceremony, Shi Heng Cheng recited a Sutra, usually four or five times. Using the suspended wooden “hammer” as it’s called, he strikes the bell, once, twice or more depending on the instructional notes on the written Sutra in front of him several times during the recitation. The sutra when I visited starts something like the following:

Twilight Bell Knocking Poem

May the sound of this bell transcend the iron circle of the Dharma realm and be heard in the darkness,

Wen Chen Qing Jing Zheng circulates through all sentient beings and generates positive consciousness. To hear - the earthly realm purified of defiling illusions, demonstrating flexibility, everything - all living things, finish - upright and proper - to awaken.

(Ring bell three times)

And so on. An audio recording of the first Sutra reading is here. The tone of his reading, and content of the sutra is that of a lament.

Whereas the rhythm of the drum is strident and martial, the sutra read during the bell ringing is somber.

It appears the tradition of using the bell to specifically mark time for large (civilian and military) groups may go back to the Emperor Wu of Qi (440–493) so those in the palace can know the time and as a means to call the police.

Drums and bells were used in weddings and wars more than a thousand earlier as is recorded in “The Book of Songs,” also called the Shi Jing. The Shi Jing is the earliest collection of poems (more than 300) from China that were written over a 500-year period starting in the early years of the Western Zhou dynasty (11th century BCE - 771 BCE) including those poems written in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

During the Chen Zhong Mugu ceremonies Julie “just sat,” in meditation, with the use of the characters jìngzuò (静坐) for meditation, as compared to what I expected, zuòchán (坐禅), perhaps to avoid religious implications.

I joined in the sitting meditation on a few of the mornings I was there. The bright Springtime early morning sunshine warmly beaming in through the open temple doors combined with the rather loud “gongs” of the bell was a transcendent experience, and “awakening” in a unique kind of way. Meditation is a useful, and scientifically proven method of enhancing health and promoting awareness even without any religious connotations whatsoever.

Juli’s training progressed with remarkable speed and she appeared to have a natural talent for Shaolin Kung Fu. Too quickly the days passed, as I was busy taking videos, photos, and typing, and on a few occasions, I like to “dance” with the awesome old and dense heavy bag at North Shaolin, just to keep those “practical application” skills somewhat sharp. Actually, what I try to do is get the bag dancing though I always change angles of attack and combination sequences, to stay “fresh,” and light on the feet, while remaining “rooted” in proper traditional Kung Fu practice.

For the record, Shaolin Kung Fu taught at North Shaolin focuses mainly on Qigong and Taolu, not sport fighting training.

The Taolu, or routine that Juli learned is referred to as “The Five Forms of Shaolin,” (少Shàolín wǔxíngquán 林五形拳). These “Five Forms,” “fists” or styles refer to the Shaolin dragon, tiger, leopard, snake, and crane believed to have derived from the Huatuo Five Animals Play. Shaolin Five-Form Fist is a martial art that integrates the arts of attack and defense, encompassing both internal and external styles. It is not only an excellent exercise for strengthening the body, but also a unique set of skills for actual combat.

To write that Juli’s progress was good would be an understatement. In fact, it was phenominal. Reasons for that include her natural athletic ability, hard work, and perseverance. Another reason is her teachers Shi Yan Kong and Shi Jin are really phenominal Shaolin Kung Fu Masters and great teachers.

Our last morning at North Shaolin we left quite early, and Shi Yan Kong was kind enough to drive us to the bus station in Jixian. Once back in Beijing, Juli headed to the lovely beach town of Qingdao.

As for this writer, I knew I had pretty much video editing and production, photo editing, and writing to do, enough to keep me quite busy for a couple of weeks, so I headed off to my humble farmer’s courtyard room in a village outside the Beijing downtown area.

In August, another two young ladies from Germany visited North Shaolin Monastery. From the videos and stories I heard they a) had a most excellent time and b) performed spectacularly. Unfortunately, I was traveling at the time, but many sincere thanks to Miao Hui and Juli for their work promoting North Shaolin Temple training and culture. Rumors they may be Bodhisattvas might not be exaggerations. To quote Encyclopedia Britannica again “Bodhisattvas compassionately refrain from entering nirvana in order to save others and are worshipped as deities in Mahayana Buddhism.”

On a closing note, I would like to reiterate the North Shaolin Monastery really does need at least four million Yuan just to do the interior work on the very large Monks’ dormitory. That is the largest single structure at North Shaolin Monastery and was designed to accommodate 100 monks.

With even half that many monks, the monastery could be financially self-sufficient (excluding further construction costs) as Shaolin monks can earn money for the Shaolin via teaching in mostly public, and some private schools. The Shaolin Temple in Henan supports many charitable institutions, including an orphanage.

The Shaolin Monastery family headquartered on Songshan is a non-profit organization (not a .com) and since COVID-19, donations have nearly entirely ceased.

Shi Yan Pei is Songshan Shaolin Abbot Shi Yongxin's administrative assistant, and he is the person to contact if the reader would like to contribute to completing the reconstruction of the North Shaolin Temple.

He can be contacted via the headquarter Songshan Shaolin. The best way to contact him is through the one and only official Songshan Shaolin website at: http://www.shaolin.org.cn. On the Contact page of that website, one will find the Shaolin Temple Foreign Affairs office at: shaolinsi495@126.com.

Shi Yan Pei's direct email is: shaolinyanpei@163.com.

There are many places even in China advertising themselves as the “real Shaolin Temple,” these days, however the links above are to the official, original, real Shaolin Temple on Songshan.

The North Shaolin Temple was destroyed 82 years ago in 1942 during WWII. It would be very nice to complete its reconstruction, healing some of the wounds of the past while providing a solid platform for the further development of Shaolin Kung Fu in Northeastern China, and the world.

Peace, good will, harmony, and prosperity to all.