123-Start part 4 - Buddhism in daily life

Start part 4


So first of all I unpacked my backpack, I would still be able to
think about the connections later. Nevertheless, a queasy feeling
remained, what had driven me here to the Shaolin Temple China?
Wasn't that much too ambitious for a recreational athlete? On the
way here I passed countless martial arts schools, saw surely tens
of thousands (if not more) of students, lined up for training,
flexible and fast, with a completely different physique than me,
small and nimble, me big and strong.


The young men trained all day, I watched them for hours, up and
down they ran lanes, practicing punches, kicks, sweeps, holds,
strength and endurance. And now here I come, a typical German
recreational athlete, training three times a week, between
school, university and work, more time just wasn't in it. The
hard-working Chinese were completely different, they trained for
about 9 hours a day, I couldn't even manage that once a week.
What had gotten me into this? How did I get the stupid idea to go
to the Shaolin Temple to learn Kung Fu from the monks? What an
overconfidence.


What I did not know at that time was that the temple was actually
taboo for all "normal" students, that only monks and novices
found (and find) admission here. I was to find this out much
later, at the time of my "admission" to the temple I was not
aware of this at all. What honor was bestowed upon me here, I was
not at all aware of. According to the normal rules I should have
been accepted "only" in one of the schools, not at all in the
temple. However, after a long period of isolation, I was one of
the first people interested, so I seemed unusual and interesting.


I had quickly stowed my few things, when my new friend asked me
to come with him. It went out through the main entrance onto the
temple path, which was packed over and over with stalls. Mile
after mile of small stores, mainly food and souvenirs, it was
noisy and full of foreign smells. Shi Yan Zi bought sweet
potatoes at one stall, a sticky candy at another, we devoured
everything hungrily as we walked. Then we walked around the area,
stopping here and there, the monk talked to many people, he
seemed to be very well known, clearly, he was the only one with
such clothing. The tourists were also long gone, the area now
seemed quiet and peaceful, in some corners you could still hear
Buddhist songs from the tape, there was a magical mood, almost
magical, so my first evening seemed to me. Slowly we strolled
back to the temple, the simple bulb in the room barely gave
light, we quickly went to bed. I into my sleeping bag, which I
packed on the rack, the monk put on a tracksuit, lay down fully
dressed on his mattress, covered himself with all kinds of
things, it was bitterly cold, the monk's hermitage was without
windows, only some newspaper replaced a glass, we slept almost
"outside", visibly with a few degrees in the minus.


The way was and is my goal!


Long lasts the night to the awake, long the way to the wandering
tired.


Long wanders through the worlds, to whom knowledge is not granted


- Buddha - honorary name of the Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480
before the year zero


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