Monks kick-start visit
Henan Province, January 12, 2007 : In their street clothes of baseball caps, fluorescent shorts and T-shirts, the five boys look like most other teenagers.
But orange robes transform them into Shaolin Warriors, fighting enigmas whose lithe bodies contort seemingly beyond logic while their faces remain serene portraits of Zen Buddhist control.
In town to perform their new show Shaolin Warriors: Legendary Masters of Kung-Fu at the Lyric Theatre this week, manager Wei Ming said the tour was a chance for the troupe of 24 monks to experience the world.
"For most of the year they stay in the Songshan Shaolin Temple (in Henan Province, central China) and meditate, train and stand guard over the temple," Wei said.
"It is pretty tough for them to do international tours – they have to get used to the different cultural environment and the different food.
'But it's good for the young boys, who are so energetic and curious about everything. They love to watch television and movies, and see the beautiful scenery of Australia.
"But they are not that isolated – their temple may be located in the mountains but it's open to the world."
He said the monks also found it difficult to deal with the relaxed routine of the tour.
At home, they are usually up at 4am for an hour of meditation, another hour of martial arts training, breakfast and then a full day guarding the temple.
Then it's back to training and meditation late into the night.
Add to that the rehearsals needed to prepare for the tour, and it's easy to understand why all the monks in this year's show are new to the tour.
"All of the cast is new because it's kung-fu and to perform you need a very high energy level. There's only 24 people on stage. So they need the stamina of a young age to do it," Wei said.
There's also new moves – watch out for men balancing on spears, a lettuce being chopped with a sword while resting on a bare stomach and a battering ram forcefully applied to a torso.
Ouch. Don't try that at home – unless you are a Buddhist monk.
Henan Province, January 12, 2007 : In their street clothes of baseball caps, fluorescent shorts and T-shirts, the five boys look like most other teenagers.
But orange robes transform them into Shaolin Warriors, fighting enigmas whose lithe bodies contort seemingly beyond logic while their faces remain serene portraits of Zen Buddhist control.
In town to perform their new show Shaolin Warriors: Legendary Masters of Kung-Fu at the Lyric Theatre this week, manager Wei Ming said the tour was a chance for the troupe of 24 monks to experience the world.
"For most of the year they stay in the Songshan Shaolin Temple (in Henan Province, central China) and meditate, train and stand guard over the temple," Wei said.
"It is pretty tough for them to do international tours – they have to get used to the different cultural environment and the different food.
'But it's good for the young boys, who are so energetic and curious about everything. They love to watch television and movies, and see the beautiful scenery of Australia.
"But they are not that isolated – their temple may be located in the mountains but it's open to the world."
He said the monks also found it difficult to deal with the relaxed routine of the tour.
At home, they are usually up at 4am for an hour of meditation, another hour of martial arts training, breakfast and then a full day guarding the temple.
Then it's back to training and meditation late into the night.
Add to that the rehearsals needed to prepare for the tour, and it's easy to understand why all the monks in this year's show are new to the tour.
"All of the cast is new because it's kung-fu and to perform you need a very high energy level. There's only 24 people on stage. So they need the stamina of a young age to do it," Wei said.
There's also new moves – watch out for men balancing on spears, a lettuce being chopped with a sword while resting on a bare stomach and a battering ram forcefully applied to a torso.
Ouch. Don't try that at home – unless you are a Buddhist monk.
posted by Ven. Pragya Jyoti at 4:16 AM
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