Reminiscing Shaolin重游少林寺忆往昔

龙安志

Though it was over 30 years ago， I still remember the first time I came here. In 1981， I was a student at Nankai University in Tianjin. It was late August， and together with some classmates， we began our journey with a long train ride to Luoyang. A rickety bus up a long， winding dirt road， mud-soaked from summer rains， brought us the rest of the way to a legendary temple called Shaolin at the sacred Mount Songshan.

Having grown up in America with the television series “Kung Fu” starring David Caradinne， and as a practicing martial artist immersed in Bruce Lee books and movies， arrival at the gate of the iconic Shaolin Temple was both personal and powerful. Clouds drifted above misty waters like an unmistakably classic Chinese painting. What we would find inside would further awaken the mind， suspended still in a dreamlike astonishment.

Climbing the steps past ancient steles， we arrived at the Great Hall， the ultimate training room for Shaolins martial arts monks. There was hardly anything in the room， only a rack of ancient rusted martial arts weapons leaning confidently against the wall. I never forgot the haunting power of this room， marked by large indentations in the stone floor from years of monks practicing their martial arts.

Those imprints in stone， worn over centuries by monks repeatedly practicing the same kung fu forms in unison to work towards achieving their perfection， revealed a lot to me about a value called perseverance. It is a task requiring what we in the West call “blood， sweat and tears.” Perseverance represents the reason for Chinas economic success over these past four decades. One must devote time and patience to achieve a goal.

At the entrance to Shaolin， Master De Yang greets me. A quiet， humble monk， De Yang is one of the 31st lineage holders of Shaolin. He points to stone tablets， steles raised over decades and even centuries by martial arts associations from all over the world recognizing Shaolin Temple as the source of their own lineage. There are even carvings and records cast in iron on ancient bells， and writings on the stone tablets recalling earlier times when Japanese monks came to Shaolin to study kung fu， the origin of karate， even a thousand years ago. Climbing the stairs 38 years later， once again I am in the Grand Hall where the monks of past centuries practiced martial arts. “This is the source of kung fu，” explains Master De Yang pointing to the almost surreal indentations in the stone floor.

In another hallway Master De Yang shows me a mural dating back to the Ming Dynasty， with an array of monks practicing different kung fu styles on the grounds of Shaolin. “Shaolin has been recognized as the source of kung fu by many schools from karate， aikido and even Ninjitsu，” explains De Yang.

“But there is a common misunderstanding in the world，” he adds. “Many people think kung fu is about fighting. Actually， it is about self-cultivation. Making yourself a better person. Real kung fu practitioners follow a strict code of self-conduct and discipline. Kung fu is to cultivate the body， mind and spirit. However， in history there have been exceptional situations， the stories become legends and even movies.”

He then pointed to another mural of Shaolin monks riding horses to protect the emperor during the Tang Dynasty when their martial arts skills were sought by the emperor as a last ditch effort to save the dynasty from invaders. The monks agreed and the Tang survived and thrived. The movie “Shaolin Monastery” is based on the story recorded in this mural.

I was then received by Abbot Shi Yongxin himself， who had just returned the night before from New York City， where he had presented a call for world peace before the United Nations General Assembly.

My return to Shaolin after nearly four decades made me think about the inter-connected matrix of all things. During ancient times， Shaolin monks were called out from their meditation and practices to save the nation. Maybe they are being called out once again—only this time， to help save the world.

雖已是30多年前的事了，我至今仍记得第一次到这里来的情景。1981年，我是天津南开大学的一名学生。那年8月下旬，我和几位同学搭乘长途列车前往洛阳，开始了我们的旅行。我们坐上一辆摇摇晃晃的公交车，汽车驶过一条漫长又曲折的土路，夏季的雨水把路面弄得泥泞不堪。我们终于到达神圣的嵩山，来到了颇具传奇色彩的少林寺。

从小在美国看着由大卫·卡拉丁主演的《功夫》系列电视剧长大，而且我自己也是习武者，痴迷于有关李小龙的书和电影，所以那时亲临具有代表意义的少林寺，站在门口，真是感到既亲切又充满力量。水面雾气弥漫，上方飘过朵朵白云，这景象像极了一幅中国传统水墨画。进到寺内，看到的一切更是让人心旷神怡，观者仿佛身处梦境，惊异不已。

经过一个个古老的石碑，拾阶而上，我们来到了大殿，这里是少林寺武僧的主要训练场所。殿里空荡荡的，只有一排生锈的古代兵器雄赳赳地靠墙而立。僧人们经年累月在此练武，在石质地面上留下了巨大凹痕。大殿有种气势让我至今难忘。

几个世纪以来，僧人们一起反复练习相同的武术招式，力争至善，石质地面上的那一道道印记向我生动展现了一种宝贵品质，这便是坚韧。用我们西方人的话说，这是一项需要付出“血汗和泪水”的任务。过去40年，中国经济成就辉煌，其根本原因就是坚韧。一个人要想实现某项目标，就必须付出时间与耐心。

在少林寺门前迎接我的是德扬大师。……