The Shaolin tradition lives on in London

In a suburb of London, just off the Tufnell Park underground station, the centuries-old Shaolin tradition lives on. Ten years ago, Shifu Shi Yanzi arrived in the United Kingdom with a mandate from the Abbot of the Shaolin temple in China -- to help spread the teachings of Shaolin to the western world.

"A lot of tourists and martial artists go to China to visit the Shaolin temple. They want to learn about Shaolin fighting techniques and culture. The abbot, Yong Xin Shifu, thought that if there are a lot of people in the world who are interested to learn about us, we should send someone out of China to go to England, America, everywhere, to spread Chinese culture," Shi Shifu said.

"I was chosen by the abbot, who was also my master, to go to the United Kingdom. When I was still in the Shaolin temple, many foreigners would come specifically to fight with me. I was an eight-time national champion of China and was world champion twice. So, a lot of foreign martial artists would come to study with me. The abbot thought that I knew not only the fighting style but Buddhist philosophy as well, which made me the right person to set up a temple or cultural center in England."

Not a monk, but a disciple

Shi Shifu pointed out that a lot of people are confused about the meaning of "monk." "A monk lives in the temple and stays in the temple all his life. He is not allowed to get married. He only studies Buddhism. He is successful when he attains enlightenment. He teaches the people and helps them."

"Most fighting monks, on the other hand, or wu sheng, are not monks in that sense, but disciples. They have a master in the temple. They learns Buddhism and kung fu but they are not like the Buddhist monks because they can go out and get married."

"Shaolin disciples receive a Shaolin generation name of 72 words, so they are also called generation disciples. I am the 34th generation Shaolin disciple or fighting monk."

Zen philosophy is one of the pillars of the Shaolin tradition. (Image: Shaolin Temple UK)

Temple life

Training in the Shaolin temple is a far cry from what is seen in Chinese martial arts movies. "Shaolin training is hard, but it is simple as well. It's not really like in kung fu films, where you have to keep a bowl of water on your head while keeping the horse-stance the whole day. I think that kind of scene is good only for the screen. In real life, it's simple."

Life in the temple begins early. "You get up at around 3:00 am, then there are prayers and chanting. After breakfast, you start work in the temple. The monks have different jobs. Some monks stay in a different room because at 8:00 am, the temple opens to the tourists. That's why we have to do everything else earlier."

"When the temple door opens, the monks go to whatever room they're supposed to look after. They have to check that everything's right. People come to pray, to burn incense. When they give donations, they have to sign their name. A monk takes care of that. Another monk takes care of security in the daytime, making sure that there's no fire anywhere that can damage these ancient buildings. Some monks work in the evening; some cook; some grow vegetables; some are in-charge of cleaning."

"But there are also some things that workers who are neither monks nor disciples do. Selling tickets to tourists, for example, is not a monk's job. There's also a small police station in the area and there are regular workers like electricians and others. Some people have said that the Shaolin temple is like a government temple, with all the 'fake' monks staying there. Actually, that's not true. They just don't know how the system works, that there are different kinds of people, not just monks, working there."

The Shaolin tradition

The Shaolin temple is known as the birthplace of Chinese martial arts. It was established in 495 BCE during the Northern Wei dynasty. The temple has been the biggest school of Zen Buddhism since the Tang Dynasty. Shaolin martial arts blends fighting techniques with Zen doctrine.

"In ancient times, the Shaolin abbot invited all the famous masters in China to stay in the temple for three years. Then, they wrote books that teach what has to be learned in a progressive manner, kind of like showing the way from nursery to university. All Shaolin knowledge are from these books. Because Shaolin brought in all the best teachers and they created their knowledge from this, Shaolin has become the best of the best."

Shi Shifu acknowledged, though, that the best of the Shaolin monks are difficult for the people to see. "The best monks, the famous ones, stay in the temple, the mountain, or the village. They don't go out. They're not interested. The performance team that goes outside China is made up of mostly young monks or disciples. They don't yet have the highest standards of skill or knowledge."

He also reminds the public that the performance team is often brought in by commercial companies. "Showing that you are highly-skilled is sometimes not very dramatic. It's very simple, very basic. The companies that bring in the performance team, I think, want to make money. On the Shaolin side, we want to promote culture. We need this opportunity to let people see what Shaolin culture is about."

Shaolin fighting techniques are taught at Shaolin Temple UK. (Image: Shaolin Temple UK)

"A lot of ideas regarding the shows do not come from the Shaolin temple. These promotion companies don't want to use the Shaolin idea because traditional kung fu does not look as exciting or impressive as the modern martial arts stage show. For that, they want acrobatics, jumps, flips, whatever. Business people who bring in the performance teams want it to be commercial, so they can make money."

"I've been in England for about ten years now. I see that the western people respect the Shaolin tradition. People think that Shaolin is the best, but people cannot find the best master, they cannot learn the real teachings of Shaolin. That's why I came here. I feel like I have a very big job. I have to change people's minds, so they don't misunderstand what Shaolin is about. I came to teach traditional and genuine Shaolin culture."

It's all about balance

Shi Shifu teaches his students the basic principles of Shaolin martial arts. "Shaolin martial arts is not just about fighting. Arts refer to culture, both Chinese and Buddhist culture. Shaolin martial arts includes Zen philosophy and fighting techniques. We often use Bruce Lee's words, 'fighting without fighting' to describe it."

"Including Buddhism, there are three sides of the Shaolin culture. The first, of course, is Zen philosophy. The second is genuine Shaolin martial arts. We teach fighting. People have to understand that when you learn a martial art, it's usually about fighting. Otherwise it's dancing or practising forms. Third, I teach Shaolin qigong for health."

According to him, qigong is an essential part of martial arts. "You can fight when you're young. You can fight when you're older. But what happens when you're really old? Well, if you've been training from a young age, you can enjoy your life when you're old. Nobody wants to be sick or ill when they're old. That's why we do qigong. We believe that when we become old, we'll still have a healthy mind and a healthy body. So, everything's in balance."

"Shaolin qigong can calm your mind, help your concentration, change your character and strengthen your internal organs. It can slow your aging process, purify your bone marrow, change your tendons, open your meridians and improve circulation. But a lot of people don't think about this, they don't understand."

"The main principle of Buddhism is balance. In Buddhist expression, it can also mean peace. If things are in balance, if they are even, then there's peace. In life, you need to balance yourself. In kung fu, you need to balance yourself. To be one with everything, you have to balance yourself. It takes real skill, but then no matter what situation you find yourself in, you will be at peace and that's real balance."