Cheap, plastic, tacky constants
The aftermath of a Shaolin adventure
Since this blog, so far, has been suffering from a serious case of Kung Fu infobesity, and while I rest(ed) from both blogging and Kung Fu for a few weeks (months?), let me share some highlights from my nine-months trip to China where I grappled with a measure of physical laziness, spiritual and mental heaviness, against a longing desire to find answers in Kung Fu and the eastern arts, and to move forward, despite dragging behind demons, memories, love and laughter, scrap books filled with needless and needed details, and a very, very beautiful mind (like Russel Crowe’s in that movie sans the genius factor).
Not everything makes the cut. So I’m only re-sharing my “Shaolin Letters” series re-published by CairoScene.com/TheScenario because it tells the story in chronological order, sort of. And it’s a mixed bag of darkness and humor.
The archives section on this space is stocked with many more stories and pictures, so if you like what you’ve read here, do explore the blog, and leave me your comments or questions. I’d love to hear from you too.
Very soon I’ll also be sharing the first chapter of a fictional story I’ve written (more of an experiment in prose), also inspired by Buddhism, my stay in China, my own memories, and the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
And now the letter stack:
- The Shaolin Letters: The Year of the Little Dragon, Part I
- The Shaolin Letters: The Year of the Little Dragon, Part II
- The Shaolin Letters: Character Training
- The Shaolin Letters: Morning Run
- The Shaolin Letters: Falling in Love with Ignorance
- The Shaolin Letters: What it Takes to be a Shaolin
- The Shaolin Letters: Snakes, Maspero and the Quest for Nirvana
- The Shaolin Letters: Xiaolong’s Faithful “White Boy”
- The Shaolin Letters: The Fellowship of Kung Fu
- The Shaolin Letters: The Art of Self-Destructing
- Shaolin Encounters - Exhibit A: The German Buddha
Note: During the course of my stay in Dengfeng, China, I have moved schools. I was first based in a boarding school called “Xiaolong,” around 10 minutes by bus from the Shaolin Temple. Then I made a risky (and quite unforgettable move) to the Shaolin Temple itself, to another boarding school called Ta Gou, by far the harshest and largest Kung Fu school in the world with over 30,000 warriors in training, and 2,000 resident Kung Fu masters.
Ta Gou has been featured in several documentaries on Shaolin Kung Fu and Chinese martial arts, and very recently in the 2011 movie Samsara.
What? Shaolin Dragon Camp and our friends at Tazkarty are giving one lucky Cairo 360 reader a chance to attend an eight-day camp staring February 8th – one that would otherwise cost you 5500LE.
Where? The camp will be held in the far reaches of Bahariya Oasis. Attendees will stay in Qasr El Bawity hotel on full-board basis and the trip will include an overnight camping excursion to the White Desert.
Why? Because if you’re not with them, you’re against them.
How do I get my hands on it? It’s almost too easy. Just answer this question: From which great nation does Kung Fu originate from?
Now what? Send your answers to freestuff@cairo360.com, including your full name and contact details with ‘Shaolin Dragon Camp Competition’ in the subject line. The competition ends at midnight on Sunday 20th of January 2013; so hurry up and send your answers in!
More sexy details are here.
It’s snowing in Shaolin!
Sanda training at my school’s (Ta Gou) new campus. When done right, it’s goddamn sexy.
Coming soon on this blog … a video of one of Shaolin’s favorite forms: Qi Xing Quan, in the Pagoda forest on a very frosty morning this December.
My Shifu’s blog! Check it out, follow, and spread it!
You don’t know anyone at the party, so you don’t want to go. You don’t like cottage cheese, so you haven’t eaten it in years. This is your choice, of course, but don’t kid yourself: it’s also the flinch.—Your personality is not set in stone. You may think a morning coffee is the most enjoyable thing in the world, but it’s really just a habit. Thirty days without it, and you would be fine. You think you have a soul mate, but in fact you could have had any number of spouses. You would have evolved differently, but been just as happy.
You can change what you want about yourself at any time. You see yourself as someone who can’t write or play an instrument, who gives in to temptation or makes bad decisions, but that’s really not you. It’s not ingrained. It’s not your personality. Your personality is something else, something deeper than just preferences, and these details on the surface, you can change anytime you like.
If it is useful to do so, you must abandon your identity and start again. Sometimes, it’s the only way.
Set fire to your old self. It’s not needed here. It’s too busy shopping, gossiping about others, and watching days go by and asking why you haven’t gotten as far as you’d like. This old self will die and be forgotten by all but family, and replaced by someone who makes a difference.
Your new self is not like that. Your new self is [a] Great […] Fire—overwhelming, overpowering, and destroying everything that isn’t necessary.
Julien Smith
(via kaleidoscopicjuvenile)
(via awelltraveledwoman)
Stop trying to leave,
and you will arrive.”
— Lao Tzu
My Kung Fu teacher Shen Jia. He’s coming to Egypt 8-15 February 2013 with Shaolin Dragon Camp, to give an intensive Shaolin Kung Fu course in the heart of the Western desert, in a beautiful resort overlooking palm groves, and golden sand hills.
Find out all the details or book your place on the Kung Fu camp NOW by clicking here!
Blog: ShaolinDragonCamp.com
Tel: +86-150-933-60743 (China)
+20-2 3749 6162 (Egypt)
+49-151-587-38254 (Germany)
Twitter: @ShaolinDC
Facebook: Shaolin Dragon Camp
'Shaolin Kung Fu Warrior' Camp, in Bahariya Oasis, Egypt, 8-15 Feb. 2013
In addition to hard Kung Fu, the 8-day Shaolin Dragon camp will include a tour of the White and Black deserts. We will set camp in the heart of the Western Desert for one night of stargazing, meditating and energy work with teachers’ guidance. Then we will relax and enjoy Bedouin tunes under the clear night sky.
Make sure to secure your spot NOW on Tazkarty.net! There are very few places available and it’s on a first come first serve basis - follow this link or call 02 3749 6162
Why go Kung Fu camping with us?
- To learn an ancient martial art ––Shaolin!–– move, tone up and explore your body’s potential.
- Make the first step on the path to becoming a Shaolin Kung Fu Warrior-In-Training.
- Shaolin Kung Fu engages body and mind; it’s a spiritual, mental and physical experience, not just sports.
- Learn to work your “life force” or “life energy” using the practice of Qi Gong which will help you align your breath, movement, and mental awareness through sets of smooth and perpetual patterns.
- Whether losing weight, getting stronger and leaner, or building muscles, the ‘Shaolin routine’ that balances soft and hard, slow and intense training, will help you do that.
- Follow a solid training regimen, in a secluded environment, that includes Kung Fu, Tai Ji, Chinese kickboxing and Qi Gong. The training should help you cultivate both physical and mental toughness.
- Get to dress up in uniform like a true “Shaolin monk” while training.
- Meet like-minded people, and make new friends. Meet our teachers, Shifu Shen Jia of Shaolin Ta Gou and Jiaolian Felix Fechner who are experts at their field, and who would be happy to answer your questions about the ancient martial arts, and the psychology of training in them.
- Disengage from city life for the duration of the retreat, and stay close to nature.
- Meditate and learn how to breathe right, to reinvigorate your body, quieten your mind and heal any emotional pains.
- Build a new relationship with your body, by giving it the time and attention it deserves.
- Go home with tips on how to shape up, increase flexibility, strength and stamina, while keeping mental chatter and distractions at bay.
- Cultivate a passion for the outdoors, and for the beautiful and magical pockets of nature in Egypt. There will be time set for exploratory activities, like hiking, stargazing and a safari trip. Connecting with nature and silence is part of understanding the Tao of Kung Fu.
- Enjoy a warm spot in sunny Egypt, away from the bone-chilling freeze elsewhere.
- And finally, wrap up the Kung Fu retreat experience with a desert overnight camping trip to the White and Black Deserts, west of Egypt.
RSVP here: Shaolin Dragon Warrior Camp in Bahariya Oasis, Feb 8-15.
Secure your spot, and pay a deposit (Places are limited!): Book through Tazkarty
Cost per person for the entire trip (all inclusive): LE 5,500 or $920 (If you’re flying from outside of Egypt, Shaolin Dragon Camp can help arrange flights to Cairo and accommodation in the capital on arrival and departure for an extra fee)
Official Blog: ShaolinDragonCamp.com
Tel: +86-150-933-60743 (China)
+20-114-020-0007 (Egypt)
+49-151-587-38254 (Germany)
Email: info@ShaolinDragonCamp.com
Twitter: @ShaolinDC
Facebook: Shaolin Dragon Camp
I’m delighted (read: so damn excited that I almost can’t believe this is happening) to announce that Shaolin Dragon Camp, the moving martial arts school that the German Buddha Felix Fechner and myself have co-founded, will be holding our first Kung Fu camp in the Bahariya Oasis in Egypt from 8-17 February 2013, on a beautiful serene and secluded resort in the Western Desert, called Qasr El Bawity.
We’re flying in Shifu Shen Jia, our Chinese Kung Fu master from the Shaolin Temple, and Felix himself, will be there on the camp to teach Kung Fu and Qi Gong.
Qasr El Bawity in Bahariya, our camp of choice, overlooks a plethora of white hills from one side, and a palms farm on another. Its rooms are tranquil, clean, and comfortable, with private bathrooms and a desert view. We will be doing our internal and external martial arts training at the foot of nearby mountains or out in the open inside the resort, in nature or as close as possible to it, as we promised.
The routine itself is compact, for 8 days, yet very intense ––seven hours per day, every day–– styled after training here in the Shaolin Temple. It will include traditional Shaolin Kung Fu (Taolu forms), Chinese kickboxing or Sanshou/Sanda, basic sparring and self-defense, Tai Ji and Qi Gong, in addition to breathing exercise, and self-massage.
It’s not for the faint-hearted. The camp’s schedule is packed, and participants will be expected to attend every single training session unless there’s a legitimate reason or a heath-related concern that prevents them from doing so; naturally, discipline and consistency in training is one of the main markers of a serious Shaolin warrior-in-training.
Beginners above 16 year old, who are healthy, able to work hard, passionate about martial arts and ready to give their all in training, are most welcome to join.
Our two experienced teachers are trained to work with and accommodate different levels, so if you’re a beginner, intermediate, or an advanced warrior-in-training, rest assured that the practice and exercises will be modified to suit your level. However, dedication and heart are key. Kung Fu is a very demanding mind, energy and body work. However, practicing it provides a rewarding, empowering experience.
The 8-day Shaolin Dragon Camp trip will include a tour of the White and Black deserts, where we will be setting our camp in the heart in of the Western Desert for one night of stargazing, meditating and energy work under the guidance of our Kung Fu teachers, before we relax and enjoy Bedouin tunes under the clear night sky.
The overall price of the 8-day trip is LE 5,500 per person (that’s around $920 or 720 Euros). The price includes intensive martial arts and energy work training, accommodation in Qasr El Bawity in a double room, meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and water, transportation to and from Cairo, training uniforms and any Kung Fu equipment needed, in addition to an overnight camping trip in the White Desert. Camping equipment (including tents, and sleeping bags) will be provided, and are part of the package.
It’s not for the faint-hearted. The camp’s schedule is packed, and participants will be expected to attend every single training session unless there’s a legitimate reason or a heath-related concern that prevents them from doing so; naturally, discipline and consistency in training is one of the main markers of a serious Shaolin warrior-in-training.
Beginners above 16 year old, who are healthy, able to work hard, passionate about martial arts and ready to give their all in training, are most welcome to join.
Our two experienced teachers are trained to work with and accommodate different levels, so if you’re a beginner, intermediate, or an advanced warrior-in-training, rest assured that the practice and exercises will be modified to suit your level. However, dedication and heart are key. Kung Fu is a very demanding mind, energy and body work. However, practicing it provides a rewarding, empowering experience.
The 8-day Shaolin Dragon Camp trip will include a tour of the White and Black deserts, where we will be setting our camp in the heart in of the Western Desert for one night of stargazing, meditating and energy work under the guidance of our Kung Fu teachers, before we relax and enjoy Bedouin tunes under the clear night sky.
The overall price of the 8-day trip is LE 5,500 per person (that’s around $920 or 720 Euros). The price includes intensive martial arts and energy work training, accommodation in Qasr El Bawity in a double room, meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and water, transportation to and from Cairo, training uniforms and any Kung Fu equipment needed, in addition to an overnight camping trip in the White Desert. Camping equipment (including tents, and sleeping bags) will be provided, and are part of the package.
What to expect?
- Get introduced to an ancient martial art ––Shaolin!–– move, tone up and explore your body’s potential.
- Make the first step on the path to becoming a Shaolin Kung Fu Warrior-In-Training. Get to know a martial art that ngages body and mind; it’s a spiritual, that’s at once a mental and physical experience, not just sports.
- Learn how to begin to work your “life force” or “life energy” using the practice of Qi Gong.
- Whether losing weight, getting stronger and leaner, or building muscles, the ‘Shaolin routine’ that balances soft and hard, slow and intense training, will help you do that. Learn the routine on camp, take it back with you, and repeat. You don’t need equipment or a gym to do that. A space in your home or a park will do.
- Follow a solid training regimen, in a secluded environment, that includes Kung Fu, Tai Ji, Chinese kickboxing and Qi Gong. The training should help you cultivate both physical and mental toughness.
- Meet our teachers, Shifu Shen Jia of Shaolin Ta Gou and Jiaolian Felix Fechner who are experts at their field, and who would be happy to answer your questions about the ancient martial arts, and the psychology of training in them.
- Disengage from city life for the duration of the retreat, and stay close to nature.
- Meditate, or get a taster of the practice, and learn the basics of breathing right.
- Go home with tips on how to shape up, increase flexibility, strength and stamina.
Places are limited. So if you’re interested, we advise you to book your place asap.
Shifu Shen Jia, September 2012, Ta Gou, Shaolin Si.
