Training Plan

Schedule:
Here you can see our training schedule. The plan can be adjusted to your personal goals, style
focus and body condition. Times vary depending on the seasons.

Teaching Plan:
In order to give you a general idea of what you can learn during different lengths of stay, we
provide you a rough teaching plan.
- One month: In this time you will learn the Shaolin Basics and rudimentary movements of
Shaolin fist, staff and broadsword. One traditional short fist form is what you'll have to master.
Furthermore basic Tai Ji moves and a basic Tai Ji form according to individual preference.

Examples of forms:

- Five Step Fist

- Continuous Fist or Tongbei Fist
- 24 Step Yang-Style Tai Ji

- Three months: During three months of studying you will learn some more advanced Shaolin
fists and weapons (either a long or a soft weapon), Sanda wrestling techniques, the law of attack
and defense, Sanda sparring and some hard Qi Gong.
Examples of forms:

- Xiao Hong Fist

- Yin Shou Staff or Ying Yang Staff
- Xiao Luo Han Fist
- Jing Gang Fist
- 42 Step Chen-Style Tai Ji or 56 Step Yang-Style Tai Ji

- Six months: During this time you can learn about four weapon, six fist and three Tai Ji forms
as well as all the applications of the forms. You will also be more skilled in Sanda combat and
takedown techniques. In hard Qi Gong you are able to break a brick by single hand or your head.
Furthermore: Flying needle, Two-Finger Zen.
Examples of forms:

- Da Hong Fist
- Da Luo Han Fist
- Canon Fist
- Liu He Fist (Two-Person Form)
- Four Weapons: Qi Mei Staff, Mei Hua Broadsword,
- Shaolin Straightsword or Shaolin Spear

- One year: You will know all Shaolin Kung Fu customs and ideas. Authentic Shaolin health
care Qi Gong, Ba Duan Jin and Yi Jin Jing. High achievements in flexibility, stability and
endurance training. You will learn advanced traditional Shaolin forms selected from the famous
Shaolin 18 types of weapons and 72 secret skills. In hard Qi Gong you can break an iron bar or
steel board or throat withstand a spear.
Examples of forms:

- Mantis Palm-Blossom Fist

- Drunken Fist
- Tiger Fist
- Monkey Fist
- Spear or Chain-Whip or Three-Section Staff
- Double Hooks

This plan will be adjusted individually to personal body condition, preference and
improvements. For example, if you like one type of weapon in particular you can learn more
forms of that weapon during your stay here.

After you've finished a set of movements or a form, masters will teach you all its practical
applications in order to make you understand the underlying meaning of it.
Please note: Kung Fu learning is an endless process. You are never too old and it is never too
late to learn.
Message of the academy:
An old saying in Chinese martial arts field says: "The master teaches the trade, but the perfection
of the apprentices skill depends on himself".
Our masters will teach you how to do something and they will do their utmost to help you to
progress, but your actual progress all depends on your personal effort. The harder you train, the
more you learn, and the better you get.
It is also said: No pain, no gain. When you are training here you may sweat every day.
Sometimes physical pain or weakness will bother you and you might not want to do anything.
But don't worry, our masters will help you to resolve any matters related to training.

GROWING UP AT SHAOLIN TEMPLE

Qigong Wushu Kung Fu Magazine

Before there are branches, there are roots. Therefore, to tell the story of my life I must start by
talking about my parents. My father grew up in an extremely poor family. They were basically
homeless; they had to go door to door and beg for food and he never went to school. He had to
sleep under a wood burning stove or burrow a hole in a stack of wheat to keep warm. Despite the

hardship he was self-taught; he was extremely literate and a great writer and excellent
calligrapher. My mother's family was better off, but not much. She, like most other girls in China
at the time, was not educated and raised solely to be a mother and housewife. She also had her
feet bound, as was the common practice of the time.
My parents eventually got jobs for the Chinese government under Mao Zedong. They worked
underground as telex operators. I was the seventh child of nine. Before I was born two of my
older brothers and one older sister died of starvation in Mao's "Great Leap Forward" in the late
1950's. This is when everybody said "everything is great, there is lot's of food" but it wasn't true.
Yes, it's sad but it's like the weather: you can't change it. That's why everybody has to try to be
better and understand and help others. I was born in Zhumadian Village in Henan Province in the
center of China on Chinese New Year's in 1964, the year of the Dragon. Very Lucky! But when I
was two or three I was very, very sick - I almost died. My parents thought they were going to
lose their fourth child and spent all their money on numerous doctors to try and save my life. My
father even had to sell his special calligraphy pen.
When none of the doctors could help me they finally had to give up. My body was cold and my
eyes could not open, everybody took me for dead. My parents wrapped me in blankets to throw
me away (they were too poor to provide me with a proper burial). On their way to go throw me
away outside the village they were stopped by a man who asked them why they were so unhappy
and crying. They told him that their son was dead. The man said that he was an acupuncturist and
that he wanted to try and save me. Right there in the street he unwrapped me from my blankets,
pulled out his needles and performed acupuncture on me. He brought me right back to life. I
believe he was a Boddhisattva sent by Buddha to save my life.
When I was five my parents, being Buddhists, took me to the Shaolin Temple because they were
worried that I had been so sick. It wasn't anything like the movies or what you imagine. It was
right in the middle of the Cultural Revolution and Mao had outlawed all religion. There was no
abbot wearing the red and yellow robes with the shaved head and the long white beard. Nobody
wore the monk's uniform until around 1980 after the end of the Cultural Revolution. The Temple
had been destroyed not only by the current government but also throughout history by many
warring dynasties. Only the foundation and some walls survived - but it was never completely
demolished!
The Temple as we see it now has been largely reconstructed in the last ten years. They took me to
see the head monk, Shi Xing Zheng. At that time there hadn't been an abbot in three hundred
years. He was eventually appointed abbot in 1986 but died only seven months later and there has
not been one since his death. I called him Shigong, my Grandmaster; he was my Shifu's Shifu
(master's master). It was he who accepted me. I didn't have to do any Kung Fu, he just had a look
at me and he knew. When you are at a very high spiritual level you can read people's faces and
know them immediately. The Chinese say "yuan fen"; in English you say "destiny". My parents
were very happy to leave me in the hands of Buddha.
My name was changed as soon as I entered the Temple. My name at birth was "Duan Gen Shan".
Once I entered the Temple my Grandmaster and masters renamed me Shi Yan Ming. All
Buddhist monks take the family name "Shi" as in Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism,

because we follow Buddha. "Yan" means "34th generation" at Shaolin Temple. "Ming" means
"perpetual" like the cycle of the sun or moon, or infinite, like the Dharma wheel, which never
stops. There were only 16 or 17 monks at the Temple at the time and I was by far the youngest
monk there. Most of the other monks were in their seventies. Five is very young for some people
to be away from their parents but not everybody is the same. My grandmaster, masters, and kung
fu uncles took care of me like parents. They loved me very much and I loved them very much.
Also, it was not safe to stay at the Temple all the time because Mao's Red Guard had absolute
power and they could do anything they wanted anywhere at anytime. Therefore none of the
monks could live there all the time and I got to see my parents quite often even though they lived
about 200 miles (approx. 300 km) from the Temple. Sometimes I even had to go back and live
with them because the Temple was so dangerous. My masters were Liu Xin Yi and Shen Ping
An. They taught me different styles - kung fu and acupuncture. They were Shaolin disciples, not
monks, that lived outside the Temple. At that time because there were no walls, the Temple was
completely open - many people came and went. I lived at the Temple but all my masters didn't
always live with us. I had other masters outside the Temple that taught me how to read faces and
palms. Inside the Temple I began learning forms, fighting, and Chan Buddhism right away
because I was living there. It's very normal: you are there, you just do it. It's like you're here in
America; you have to speak English. We all practiced together, me and the older monks. There
are no rules, you just learn everything naturally.
I developed everything early. The Chinese say if you are poor, like Shaolin Temple and my
family were poor, you develop everything early. I started to understand a lot and all masters
recognized that I was so smart but so bad. I was like a little monkey, I always played tricks on
people. For instance, I would dig a hole in the ground, put something on top of it and stay and
wait for someone to walk on it and fall in. I even played tricks on my masters but I don't have to
tell you about that. They almost always knew it was me. If I got caught I would have to do horse
stance until my legs were numb and swollen or I would have to do headstands until all the blood
went to my head and I felt like my eyes were going to pop out. Or my masters would hit me,
which is very normal for China, not like America.
I also used to give my brothers a lot of trouble. If they talked while we were practicing it made
me mad. I used to say,"We're practicing, why are you talking?" If they would keep talking, once,
twice, I would hit them with a staff very often. I started doing this very young, when I was
maybe 7 or 8 years old and I kept doing it when I was older. I wish I could do the same to my
students now! Even when I was a child I never wanted to lose; I was very competitive. My
brothers and I would be doing Chin Na or fighting and when we would fall down at the same
time I had to be on top of them. Even if we were tired after hours and hours of fighting I didn't
want to stop. Sometimes I went too far and hurt my brothers and of course they would get mad at
me but it's always like that when you practice martial arts. They would only be mad for a short
time - we were family.
I also used to get into fights with people outside the Temple. We might go to eat outside and
people would say bad things about the Temple or my brothers. I would kick them and made my
disciples kick them too. And here in America I feel the same; if you want to say something bad
about Shaolin Temple or Shi Yan Ming, buy a ticket, go to China or come to New York. You

know who I am and where I am. Sometime you have to use different language to teach people,
like action language. Buddha said: "There are millions of different doors for millions of different
people."
I met my Buddhism Shifu, Shi Yong Qian, almost immediately after I entered the Temple but
didn't begin seriously studying with him until I was about 14 or 15. Learning the sutras was
natural. Everybody was praying and you hear it a lot and you learn it. I understood Chan and
reached enlightenment very early. I don't remember it being a sudden moment but it was very
early. Things became so clear, everything was deep but simple. Just like life at the Temple, it
sounds like a hard life but it was so simple. You have to love what you do.
We got up at 4:30am in the morning and practiced for two hours. At 6:30am we ate breakfast mostly steamed tofu and vegetables. Since I can remember I ate a lot. Still eat a lot. From 7 to
8am we would pray, read, meditate, or relax. From 8:00 to 11:30am practice again, pray, or study
Buddhism, clean, or do work for the Temple. At 11:30am we ate lunch, sometimes noodles, rice,
mantou. Most monks don't eat past noon but Shaolin Temple monks are different. But many
monks would visit from other temples so out of respect we would have lunch at 11:30am so they
could eat. From noon to 1:00pm we would relax. From 1 to 5:30pm we would practice, pray.
From 5:30 to 6:00pm we would have dinner; noodles, rice, soup. From 6 to 7pm relax. From 7 to
10pm practice or pray again. From 10pm to 1am some brothers walk around the Temple and
check the incense and make sure it's still burning. From 1 to 4am they switch and another shift
walks around.
We slept on a piece of wood with a blanket on it. Sometimes we would use our clothes for a
pillow. It was very comfortable and very good for your back. In America beds are too soft. In
1996 when my kung fu brother, Master Shi De Yang came to visit me he stayed at my house. I let
him sleep in the bedroom so that he could have the privacy and the comfortable bed. The
morning after the first night when I went in to wake him up I found him sleeping on the floor, he
too found the bed too soft! There was no electricity at the Temple until 1981 or '82 and no
running water until 1986. Before we got running water we had to get it from the rivers in the
mountains just outside the Temple, or we collected rainwater or drew it from a well. Most of the
monks were unhappy when they brought in the running water because the Chinese believe in
Feng Shui and digging up the ground and putting pipes underground is like cutting your veins
out.
During the summer we would shower often because the cold water was no problem in the heat,
but in winter sometimes it would be a couple of months between showers. We would wash our
face and our underarms but we wouldn't jump completely under the cold water. Sometimes we
would even use our sweat to wash ourselves. Even now in China most places don't have showers
available. You have to know somebody or pay somebody. Still today there is only cold running
water at the Temple. Before the Temple opened up in the early 80's we could eat meat inside.
After it was reconstructed there were other monks visiting so we didn't eat meat indoors. Shaolin
Temple monks are different from other Buddhist monks, we are allowed to eat meat and drink
alcohol. During the Tang Dynasty the Shaolin monks helped the Emperor Li Shi Min. He
decreed thereafter that they could eat meat and drink alcohol. This is the story depicted in Jet Li's
first movie Shaolin Temple.

Shaolin Temple was the movie that changed everything. After that movie came out many tourists
started visiting the Temple. Our daily routine changed because we had to take time to take care
of the tourists. It might seem bad but it was good too. More people visit the Temple, more people
know about the Shaolin Temple Martial Arts, Chan Buddhism, and China. You have to be happy
for that. Right around the same time Shaolin Temple came out both of my parents died of lung
cancer within 6 months of each other. Their jobs were very stressful and they were heavy
smokers. I was 16. Even when my parents died, I don't think they died. I think they are still with
me all the time.
After they passed away I took care of my younger brother and my older brothers took care of the
younger siblings. I still keep in contact with them. They can call me, I can call them. People have
to appreciate and understand now. A hundred years ago you had to take a boat from America to
China, now you can take a plane. You have to understand yourself and love and appreciate
everything we have right now; you have to bring yourself to a higher level. I hope this article
helps people learn more about Shaolin Temple and China. Shaolin Temple Martial Arts and Chan
Buddhism are very powerful. They helped me through hard times and can help anybody. I
encourage anybody who is interested to go visit the Temple in China or come see me here in
New York. If you get to the Temple in China and see all the tourists and see all the things for
sale, or if you come here to New York and I do not have a Temple surrounded by mountains and
a forest, don't be surprised or disappointed. Open your mind and your heart. Believe in yourself,
trust yourself and you will find all the answers to all your questions." Amitabha (Buddha Bless
You)

What's In A Shaolin Monk's Refrigerator?

Food is Medicine
Shaolin Monks alongside the majority of Chinese people see food as medicine and eat in
accordance with traditional Chinese Medicine. Foods have Yin and Yang qualities and we alter
what we eat in accordance with how our health is that day. For example, if we have a cold then
we'll make chicken soup with dried red plums, Goji berries and ginger, an excellent tonic soup.
Inside the Shaolin Temple we eat vegetarian food but outside the temple, the fighting monks are
allowed to eat meat. In this article I'm not going to go into the pros and cons of being a
vegetarian but I'm going to give you an insight into our daily diet.
Shaolin Monk's focus on eating foods in their natural state. We don't eat energy bars or cereal, we
don't drink coca cola, protein shakes, alcohol, or water with ice. We eat a diet which is rich in
fruit, vegetables, and good quality protein. For carbohydrate we eat white rice, steamed buns or
noodles. We drink water at room temperature, and lots of green tea. For snacks we eat nuts and
fruits.
Carbohydrate - The Difference Between East & West
Before I came to the West I'd never seen brown rice before. I, along with the majority of Chinese
people don't like the taste of it so it's not something we eat. There seems to be a backlash against
refined carbohydrates or even carbohydrates in general in the West. But anyone who trains hard
needs to eat carbohydrates. ( I eat about three times the amount of carbohydrate the average

person eats because I train so much.)White rice is a source of dietary fiber, which is important
for a healthy digestive system, it contains vitamin B1 and is low in fat.
Our daily food is stir fried vegetables and protein with carbohydrate, the most common protein
being lamb, chicken, pork or tofu (now that I'm in the West I eat turkey and Quorn , which is a
good source of lean protein). Lamb is usually grass fed which is better than grain fed, it's Yang
and is good to eat if people are low in energy. We rarely eat beef. We eat protein with every meal
because it helps us to sustain energy during our training. For our evening meal we don't eat any
carbohydrate unless we're going to train that evening.

Timing Is Important
Shaolin Monks believe that the time they eat is as important as what they eat. We eat our heaviest
food at breakfast because we need this energy for training, a slightly lighter lunch then less food
in the evening. Studies have shown that eating breakfast aids weight loss. Eating within an hour
of exercise burns a little more fat and helps to promote leanness. Eating before exercise enhances
performance and increases the amount of calories burnt.
Chinese food - excluding Chinese food in Western restaurants which is usually not authentic
Chinese - combines food in such a way that not only is it packed with nutrition but it's also an
immune booster.
5 Vegetable Immune Booster
A good example of this and a dish to eat in the evening is five vegetable stir fry with ginger.
Take five vegetables, preferably five different colours, cut them thinly then stir fry them with
ginger, garlic and chili. I suggest that one of your vegetables is red pepper which has a high
vitamin C content, and shitake mushroom which enhances immunity . Ginger aids digestion,
chili contains capsicum which has anti-bacterial qualities and garlic is one of the most powerful
healing foods that you can include in your daily diet to boost immunity. This simple dish not
only tastes great but helps to prevent cancer, the common cold, gives you your five a day, and
cannot make you fat.
Although our diet is Chinese, you don't need to start eating Chinese food to change your diet to
healthy, you just need to make sure that you're eating fresh fruit and vegetables with good quality

protein and carbohydrate. Food in its natural state has all the nutritional benefits you need.
Avoid processed food. Live simply and keep your diet simple. That way your mind and body will
be in balance.

Inside the Life of a Shaolin Monk

Most martial artists are familiar with the extraordinary powers of the Shaolin monks. They train
in the use of 36 weapons, and each monk picks two animal movements and styles to specialize
in. (See my previous article "The Transformative Powers of Kung Fu.") When I first watched the
mesmerizing DVD "Shaolin: Wheel of Life," I got goosebumps. The monks seemed to be beings
of pure spiritual energy (chi) that perform kung fu at the highest level.
I recently had the great fortune of sharing the afternoon with Sifu Wang Bo, a Shaolin monk who
was 11 years old when on tour with "Wheel of Life." (For those who have seen the DVD, he's the
one performing "Monkey Style.") His father started to train him in the martial arts at age three,
and at age eight he begun his life at the temple.
Bo's beaming face welcomed me at his door. He had a clear, radiant complexion. He had
prepared a lovely brown rice tea, fruits, nuts, rice crackers and seaweed. We sat on comfortable
floor mats. This 21-year-old graciously answered all my questions in perfect English. Not only
did he speak with the wisdom of an ancient master, but each time I looked into his eyes I saw the
beauty of Divine Love emanating from him.
Me: At what age is the student at the Shaolin Temple tested?
Bo: From age three and up. When you first arrive at the temple there will be a test. The test is not
determined by age, rather by when the master feels you are ready. The physical test is short. The
biggest part of the test is on answering questions about one's view of life.
Me: The Shaolin Monks don't eat meat but have boundless energy. What do you they eat for
protein?
Bo: Their protein comes from beans, tofu, milk and nuts.
Me: What is the daily schedule for the monks growing up at the temple?
Bo: A typical daily schedule, including the vegetarian diet served at each meal, is up at 5:30 a.m.,
chanting; 6 a.m. breakfast, which consists of a soup made of beans called eight treasures; then
more chanting and a half-hour break, followed by two hours of kung fu training. During training,
the monks switch what form or style they are practicing every 10 minutes. After practice, more

chanting until at 11:30 a.m., lunchtime, which consists of five to six different vegetables, tofu
and rice. We do not drink tea or liquids with our meals to aid in easy digestion. Lunch finishes at
approximately 12:30. Now it is back to chanting, then comes a two-hour break. During this time
the monks may meditate, relax or nap. At approximately 3:00 p.m., another two-hour kung fu
practice session begins. This wraps up at 5 p.m. There is no chanting before dinner out of respect
for the dead. At 5:30 p.m., noodles are served for dinner, with bread -- the breads we eat are
black or yellow wheat; 6:30 p.m., Heart Sutra chanting for one hour -- we call the heart the
center of the Universe; 8 p.m., quiet time for meditation; 10 p.m., bedtime.
Me: What method is used to teach the children to train properly and focus?
Bo: harsh words can scar a person for life. Physical punishment is usually forgotten within a few
days, and is much more effective at getting the student to perform at their best.
Me: There are no illnesses or injuries during practice?
Bo: Yes, all the time. We have our own hospital (Western medicine is not used, just the
technology). We go every two weeks to monitor the progress in the brain that meditation
produces by using EEG testing.
Me: Are their still great kung fu masters at the temple today, as we have heard about the legends
in the history of the temple?
Bo: Masters are not as powerful today due to the electrical signals such as wi-fi, satellite, radio,
television etc. As a result masters are 15 percent less powerful than in ancient times.
Me: What can we all do daily to advance on our path?
Bo: Love. Don't be selfish. Do daily acts of kindness. Be nice. Pray a lot. Practice a lot. With
practice comes wisdom. Wisdom brings advancement each day. And pain brings growth -- that's
how we learn.
Me: Why do you all seem to never get tired, even with your demanding daily training schedule?
Bo: Because we don't have a draining and meaningless program of thought running through our
heads.
***
Bo now lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful girlfriend. Seeing them together, one immediately
understands that this is a Divine Right Union. They have a performance coming up together at
UCLA in November. He is currently teaching classes and private lessons. To learn more and to
contact him, visit his website at www.shaolinarts.org.

(Note: While at the temple sexual relations are forbidden and monks usually do not marry.
However, a monk who leaves the temple may marry without losing his status as a monk. In fact,
many monks who have left the temple have married in the U.S. and U.K.)
The Shaolin temple has outreach programs trying to spread their message and training to new
groups of people. There are at least two monks running the outreach programs in the U.S. who
have married since moving here. In the temple itself there are two groups: monks and
practitioners. Monks have devoted their lives to the temple, and practitioners may one day leave
it to spread their wisdom and skills to the world at large.

From Middlesex school boy to Shaolin monk:

Enter the (terribly suburban) dragon
He's the ordinary north London boy who became a Chinese
warrior monk. And his story is as astonishing as it is
inspiring
Matthew Ahmet is 20 and he's hard - well hard. His head is shaved, and his body bears the
ravages of a violent life. A mark on his forehead shows where a metal bar came crashing down
on his skull. His forearms have been sliced repeatedly by razor-sharp knives and his left arm has
a 'punishment' burn from boiling water.
So when he sits down, flashes a beautiful smile and talks about spreading happiness and peace, it
comes as a great surprise. Because Matthew left his home in Enfield, north London, at the age of
17, to become a Shaolin monk in China. In doing so, he renounced all the worldly belongings
that are the staple diet of teenage life, and entered a gruelling regime of training, sacrifice - and
punishment.

Matthew Ahmet, 20, has given up all the usual trappings of a 20-something's life to live the
gruelling life of a Shaolin monk in China

Each mark on his body bears testament to this new and extraordinary life. Matthew says,
'Recently, I went to visit an old schoolfriend of mine, who is at Manchester University. I met him
at the digs he shares with his friends and I was stunned.
There were dirty clothes everywhere, unwashed dishes and belongings just thrown around. In
China, I wash my own robes in a bucket of cold water, which I also use to bathe in. I sleep on a
bunk bed with no mattress, lying directly on a plank of wood.

Everything in my new life is so neat and disciplined that I can't imagine being a typical student
now.'
Does this earnest young man, who looks like a feral youth but who is in fact gentle and
thoughtful, miss anything about his 'old life'?
He says with a brilliant smile, 'Hot showers. When I do go home, I love the luxury of being able
to have hot water running over my body.'

A Shaolin monk balances on spears as part of their endurance performance

The extraordinary transformation of an ordinary teenager into wannabe monk began nine years
ago, when China's famed Shaolin monks performed their extraordinary show of martial arts and
physical feats at London's Dominion Theatre.
Matthew says, 'I was 11 and my older brother and cousin took me along to see the show. I was
quite interested in martial arts, and I liked watching Jackie Chan films, but nothing could have
prepared me for this.
I sat in the audience absolutely mesmerised. The show started just like it still does today, with a
candle burning and soft chanting before the monks start demonstrating gentle tai chi moves.
Suddenly, it all explodes into wonderful combat sequences and incredible feats of human
endurance. The monks walk up stairways made from razor-sharp knives, lie on beds of knives
with concrete slabs on top of them, and break metal bars over their own heads - showing how
they can overcome pain.

But it was when I saw a monk do a handstand, supporting himself on just two index fingers, that
I thought, "Wow. I want to be that strong." I vowed that one day, I would be on stage with the
monks.'
On the way back to the three-bedroom home that he shared with his parents and two brothers,
Matthew was strangely quiet. A new dream had been born.
He says, 'People say that there is often a moment in life where everything changes, and for me, it
was watching that one performance. I knew immediately that all I wanted to do in life was go to
China and join the Shaolin monks. When I got home, I told Mum and Dad, and I think they
assumed it was just a passing phase. But they were wrong.
'I found a small local martial arts club and, as I grew better and better, I started training with a
private teacher at five every morning, before school.
Meanwhile, I researched everything I could about the monks, and downloaded pictures of them
from the internet to plaster all over my bedroom walls. I wanted to wear impressive robes like
the orange ones they wear for their performances, so I borrowed the sewing machines at school
and made myself some.'
When Matthew was 15, his Turkish-born father, Metin, was diagnosed-with testicular cancer and
was admitted to hospital for the first of two major operations. Matthew, his mother, Penny, a
professor, and his brothers sat in vigil by the bedside.
Matthew says, 'Watching Dad in so much pain was the most awful time of my life. He was so
brave - he became my total inspiration. But watching him lying in his hospital bed, so sick,
convinced me that life is too short.
My teachers wanted me to do A-levels and then go to university. I realised that I didn't want to
waste any precious time - I wanted to follow my dream.'
When his father had recovered, Matthew, who had passed seven GCSEs, begged his stunned
parents to allow him to fly, alone, to China. He says, 'My martial arts master in London had
direct links with the Shaolin monks in China and approached them on my behalf. They agreed to
give me a one-year trial to see if I could withstand the regime.

Enfield-school boy turned Shaolin monk Matthew Ahmet performs alongside fellow Shaolin
Monks in an incredible show of strength and endurance
Dad wasn't keen at all. He wanted me to carry on studying. But Mum understood that it was
something I had trained for years to do. She agreed to pay for my flight and said I could try it for
a year.'
In June 2005, the Ahmet family gathered at the airport to wave Matthew off. He says, 'We were
all in tears. My martial arts master had arranged for me to travel with an old Chinese man, who
could deliver me to the monk's temple.
But when we got on the plane, I realised he didn't speak any English. When we arrived in China,
all the signs were in Chinese characters, and I couldn't understand anything. I suddenly felt really
alone.
It took 14 hours to reach this man's village by car, and after staying overnight we set off for
another nine-hour drive. I sat in the back of a tiny van on top of my case, and I was absolutely
terrified. No one wears seatbelts in China, and they all smoke and chat as they drive.'
When Matthew arrived at the Shaolin monastery in remote province of Henan, he was given
plain grey robes and shown to a sparse dormitory with a concrete floor, no windows and rows of
plain bunk beds.
He said, 'My bed had no mattress, just a thin pillow and a blanket. The next morning, we were
woken at five to go running up a mountain. I learned that training each day is the same - after
reaching the top, we crawl back down on our hands and feet, like crabs, to build up our muscles.

At the bottom, we stretch and pull our legs for 20 minutes, then, at seven o'clock, we stop for
breakfast - boiled vegetables and rice.

A Shaolin monk demonstrates his capacity for taking pain as a pile of bricks are smashed on his
head with a sledgehammer
'From eight to 11, we continue training, with a 30-minute run to warm us up again. Then, we
spend an hour on hard stretches, which include raising our straight leg and putting our foot into
our own mouth. At midday it is lunch - vegetables and rice again - and then a two-hour sleep
followed by training until nine at night.
'By the second day, my calves and hamstrings were hurting so much I couldn't walk. But I
learned that if you stay in bed, you are pulled out onto the floor - and if you don't line up outside
quickly, you are whipped around the legs with bamboo canes, which really hurts.
'The first few weeks were incredibly painful and lonely. I wasn't able to ring my mum and I lost
over a stone in weight. But my pride just kept me going. I didn't want to admit defeat, and I also
saw children aged four and five training alongside us, doing the same punishing exercises.
If they could do it, then so could I. Finally, after about a month, I started to understand the
language and I learned to carry on through the pain, and to conquer it.'

Within a year, Matthew was able to join the famed Shaolin monk performing troupe, which had
so inspired him as a child. That summer, his mother flew to China to see him. He says, 'I did look
different - my head was completely shaved and I had lost so much weight - but she could see that
I was happy.'
Did he not miss the teenage temptations of alcohol - and girls? Matthew shrugs. 'I had never
drunk alcohol because I didn't like the smell. And even though I had gone out with girls at
school, I never wanted to just have casual sex. I felt it was too disrespectful.'

A young Shaolin monk trains in a temple in China

Now, on his tours of the UK with the Shaolin monks, Matthew can be seen on stage performing
incredible feats. He says, 'If I do feel pain, and it does hurt, I always think back to my dad lying
in his hospital bed and how brave he was. That image helps me rise above the pain.'
Matthew visits schools to talk about the monks and Buddhism. He says, 'I want to teach kids that
you can be cool without being violent.
My friends had knives when I was younger, but if I can persuade just one boy to put down a
knife and train in a proper discipline like tai chi, my work will be worthwhile.'

And Matthew hasn't completely forsaken girls: he is marrying 20-year-old Chinese student
Chang Chun on 25 January - his parents' wedding anniversary. He says, 'I am allowed to marry
because I haven't taken my full vows as a monk.
I want to continue as part of the Shaolin monks, perhaps moving back to Britain.'
Matthew sits back and flashes a brilliant smile. 'I see plenty of other lads my age who have
shaved heads and scars. But none of them smile the way that I do.'
You can't argue with that.