The Shaolin Monks are coming to Washington, DC. Presented by Washington Performing Arts Society (WPAS), the monks perform at The George Washington University (GWU) Lisner Auditorium at 8pm on Friday, November 9 and in a special family matinee at 2pm on Saturday, November 10. Audiences can expect action. The Shaolin are Kung Fu masters in the truest sense.
Shaolin begin training as children. Have you ever seen a five-year-old stand still for ten minutes? How about stand still on one foot, the other held up straight over his head for an hour? Child monks hang by their necks in cross-legged position, ram their heads against hard surfaces repeatedly, and punch walls for hours at a time. As their skills mature, monks can stand on blades (featured in the GWU performance) balance upside down on one finger, and bend spears pushed against their throats.
But the monks are monks after all, so unique feats don't swell their egos. Hours of daily physical conditioning are tempered with hours of daily meditation. You won't catch these rock hard men kissing ladies or fighting in parking lots. Shaolin are devout Buddhist monks who use combat preparation as a way to understand life.
It is common knowledge that Buddhists live a life of "no-harm." So how did non-violent monks develop legendary fighting prowess? The idea is to refuse the delivery of violence. Shaolin never attack.
Shaolin means "new forest." The story goes that Bodhidharma (Tamo in Chinese), credited with bringing Buddhist Zen teachings to China from India, traveled to a temple in Henan Province. The temple was built in a forest that was cleared and burned. The emperor planted new trees all around it, thus it was known as the new forest temple. The monks at the temple were in poor physical condition, so Bodhidharma taught them exercises based on 18 animals. At some point in history the exercises took on a martial role and were refined over generations.
The Shaolin toured the U.S. in 2000, 2002, and 2004. They returned to China to work on their show, and return with an act to demonstrate their skills and provide a portrait of daily life in the temple—don't worry, Shaolin temple life is action packed as well.
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