Shaolin Summer Camp 2024
Intense heat. Puddles of sweat. Low energy. This is our current situation. The four senior students at Kung Fu Xing Lin continue to drill the same forms over and over again. New students spend the morning learning new moves from Shifu. Curious Chinese stand to the side watching us, mumbling comments to themselves.
Trying to motivate myself with the past; I remember the work I did to get here. How the past me would love to be in my current shoes now. Training in a park that is actually the Tomb of an ancient emperor. Learning fine details on a famous Shaolin form. Finally being in Henan, the province that Shaolin Temple is located. I'm living my dream.
The Grind
"Seeing, however, means more than mere intellectual acceptance on the grounds of intellectual ratiocination - it means individual experience, through which knowledge becomes a living part of our own being, i.e. genuine wisdom."
-The Psychological Attitude of Early Buddhist Philosophy, pg. 11
Part of Chan Buddhism is learning from experience instead of through lectures, sutras, or endless lessons. Instead, teachers act as a guide through your practice. Interpret your experiences, and show you how to develop a better understanding.
The past few months, the senior students at the school were left to their own means. To drill the forms on their own. Shifu would give us little corrections or guidance on what to do. As we get closer to the tournament Shifu has us working on "feeling" the form. It's no longer about correcting the body or movement. It's about our intention, the power, and minute details. To me, this shows that we've developed an understanding of the form that new students are still working on.
Although this grind is exhausting, boring, and (sometimes) not fun... it will be worth it. Shaolin's idea is that Kung Fu is one of the many ways to enlightenment.
Maybe this experience will lead me to some understanding.
📿Johnny
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