As we marvel at all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Sochi Winter Olympics, we sometimes overlook the dedication and arduous training the athletes undergo in the years leading up to this event. Yet, with all the new scientific advances in sports, the training methods still practiced by the Shaolin monks in the mountains of Henan, China, leave us in a state of admiration.
The Shaolin temple is one of the earliest homes of Ch’an (“meditative”) Buddhism, also referred to as Zen Buddhism. Since the legendary arrival of the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma from India, Shaolin monks have been developing rigorous training methods to hone their bodies and master their minds. Their uncompromising days have changed very little over the past 1,600 years, and are divided between chores, study, meditation, and traditional martial arts training.
Though we marvel at their physical feats as they crush stone with their bare hands and seemingly defy gravity with ease, the monks would probably attest that instead, their greatest pursuits are that of the mind.
Mind over matter, indeed.
Photos by Tomasz Gudozowaty.
