Bringing Shaolin to Oz

The year 2010 was a busy one for Queensland-based Shaolin kung fu teacher Ramesh Patel. As well as making several trips to China in a constant effort to keep his students in touch with Shaolin’s roots, the dedicated instructor was also granted the honour of opening Australia’s first official Shaolin Cultural Centre and kwoon (training hall). With the new kwoon approaching completion, Patel spoke to Blitz about his efforts to put his Australian Shaolin Kung Fu Guan on the map.

You had a very busy year in 2010, with multiple trips to China. Can you tell us about those?
The Fourth World Traditional Wushu Championships were held in Shiyan city near Wudang Shan in November and my students and I were part of the Australian team that competed. We were able to capture six bronze medals at the event and beat the team event favourites, Russia. It was an amazing experience, with an Olympic-sized opening ceremony and Jackie Chan opening and closing the ceremony with his singing.

I also attended the Third Chinese National Traditional Wushu Championships in Beijing at the world-famous Beijing Sports University. I was one of a handful of foreigners that participated in this event, which was truly amazing. I usually don't compete but my teachers expected me to - and I surprised the judges and myself by capturing first and second place!

The 10th anniversary of Dongyue taiji quan [tai chi] was held this year, also at the Beijing Sports University. Dongyue taiji quan is considered to be the new ‘sixth style' of taiji quan and was created by Professor Men Hui Feng and Professor Kan Guixing. This particular style represents their combined knowledge, as well as the unification of heaven, earth and man. With banquets, training, performances and its inclusion as an event in the Chinese National Traditional Wushu Championships, [the celebration] was a great experience.

Finally, The Shaolin Kung Fu Guan had our annual China tour that saw us once again travel, train and experience China's martial arts and beautiful culture. We travelled to Beijing, Shaolin Temple, Louyang, Xian and Wudang Shan. It was a great tour with a lot of beautiful cuisine, hard training and amazing sites experienced by all.

Why do you consider it so important for schools like yours to travel to ‘the source' of the system?
I believe that it doesn't matter what school of martial arts you study, it's important that what is being taught is authentic, not diluted and doesn't deviate from the original teachings of the style. All things come from a particular root or origin and this is a very important realisation that martial artists must come to. It is not just the skills but the culture and philosophy that are just as important for the transmission of a martial art to be complete.

It's also important for people to experience the lifestyle of those who embody their art directly at the source, to gain insight into the real training and life of a true practitioner. Learning directly from the inheritors, grandmasters and disciples - those considered the elite - is essential in gaining a greater understanding of what is necessary for your art to continue and not be lost or transmitted inaccurately. Practising kung fu in this way maintains our lineage and helps our teachings to remain authentic. Of course, things change over time, but we seek the root of what we do. Without knowing where you came from, you cannot go forward.

You have an interesting story about the return of one of the Wudang Taoist masters who disappeared into the mountains for several years - can you tell us about that?
Grandmaster Zhong Yunlong is a Wudang priest and the inheritor of the Wudang San Feng Pai sect. He is the head of the Wudang Taoist Association and is considered to be one of the leading exponents of traditional Wudang wushu culture in the world today. Zhong was also the head of the Purple Cloud Temple.

In 2004, Grandmaster Zhong decide to leave his many positions and further his own practice. He left his disciples the mantle of passing on Wudang wushu, and disappeared. For over six years Grandmaster Zhong's whereabouts was unknown, except to two disciples, Wang Zhiqiang and Jiangfei, who stayed with him to practise ‘internal alchemy' further. The pursuit of the tao [way] and, some say, immortality, is what the priests of Wudang strive for.

It wasn't until recently that he was found in the aptly named Yun Long Dong (Yun Long Cave) near the Five Dragons Temple in the Wudang Mountains. He was immediately approached by the government and asked to continue teaching and passing on Wudang wushu culture so that it would not be lost. After careful consideration he agreed, and only returned in the last few months of 2010.

This same master is known for his mysterious ‘soundless form', which you have witnessed. Can you tell us about that?
While studying in Wudang with Grandmaster Zhong Yun Long, he was showing us the finer points of the legendary Ba Xian Jian (Eight Immortals Sword), and I noticed something quite unusual indeed: I could not hear his footwork.

You may find this strange or hard to believe, as I did at the time, however, what made this more obvious to me was that we were training on a very sandy surface in the mountain and any time you stepped, naturally it would make a crunching noise, yet Grandmaster Zhong's footwork was silent. I have witnessed jing gong (light skill) but not like this before. We asked Grandmaster Zhong about this and he just smiled and said, "When you practise with nature, everything becomes natural". In that moment it became obvious to me what he was truly trying to transmit was more than just a form, application or qi gong, it was the essence of true Wudang wushu. Grandmaster Zhong Yun Long embodies that which is Wudang. He is both an exceptional martial artist and a grandmaster of high wu de (martial ethics). His dedication to his Taoist beliefs and his intense study is a true testament that traditional Chinese martial arts and Wudang wushu will continue to flourish as the old ways are maintained and passed on by such masters. You are in the midst of building Australia's first ‘Shaolin cultural centre'.

What will its function and purpose be?
The Shaolin Temple Cultural Centre is the first and only official centre in Australia and the Oceania region that is under the guidance and direction of the Shaolin Temple. This status has been bestowed on me by my sifu, the Abbot of Shaolin Temple, Shi Yong Xin, to continue to pass on Shaolin's legendary art here in Australia. The centre will be dedicated to the promotion and passing on of the skills, culture and philosophy of Shaolin Temple and Chinese martial arts. It will play host to workshops, conferences, competitions, gatherings, Chan [Zen Buddhism] debates, regular training, Chinese language and much more. We also have a museum dedicated to educating the public on Shaolin and Chinese martial art culture.

The centre will provide all Australians the opportunity to study from authentic teachers and representatives of the Shaolin Temple and China's martial arts community.

When will it open, and what events do you have planned?
At this stage we are looking at early 2011. We have many programs and events planned for the year so we are very keen to open as soon as possible. We are currently awaiting confirmation from the Abbot of Shaolin Temple regarding his availability for the official opening of the centre. It would be a great honour to have Shi Yong Xin attend.

What's your feeling on the value of competition for those studying Shaolin arts?
Like everything, competition has its place in the scheme of things. Competition is a great way of developing old and new friendships through the pursuit of wushu. It fosters development and growth and allows practitioners to come together to show what they do and see what other styles do in a format that promotes development and friendship.

In regards to competition and its value for those who study Shaolin, it varies from person to person depending on what they hope to achieve from competition. What is most important for all practitioners of Shaolin is Chan. Regardless of form or fighting competition, Shaolin's core principles are dedicated to and enshrined in the precepts of Chan.

Competition in itself is just another form of Chan practice to a Shaolin practitioner. From every aspect of life we can learn something and competition gives practitioners another insight into the Pandora's box that is Shaolin.

Compared to karate, with most major organisations being part of the AKF or being big enough to have large national associations for single styles, the Australian kung fu/wushu scene seems fairly fractured, with many smaller independent schools that don't really interact.

Do Qld schools interact, and what's the competition scene like?
Competition is very limited in Queensland. There are only competitions that mix styles, such as National All Styles. Up until 2006, Queensland and Australian wushu competitions held by our national federation could be found in Queensland, but since then nothing has been recorded.

We have had the Tai Chi Association of Australia (TCAA) national tournament on the Gold Coast annually, but nothing else specific to Chinese martial arts. I believe that the Australian Kung Fu/Wushu Federation (AKWF) at present has a committee here and they are looking at the possibility of holding competitions once again in Queensland in the near future.

Like all things, there are those that want to participate and those that are happy with the status quo. I fully understand this, yet I hope one day that all schools in Queensland can come together and foster friendships, develop Chinese martial arts further and reach new heights of participation, and increase the popularity of the arts in the future.

With many of the older generation of masters passing away in recent times, how do you see the future of Shaolin martial arts and do you think it will be propagated the same way in the future?
It's up to each generation to learn from the previous generation all that they have to offer and continue these teachings on to the next generation. We are fortunate that Shaolin is such a popular art and that present-day grandmasters such as 31st-generation Shaolin Warrior Monk Shi De Yang have received direct transmission of the art from the previous generation and continue to pass on this legendary art.

Shaolin has lasted for over 1500 years and I believe it will continue long after we are gone. It is a style that has proven itself for centuries both as a martial art and as a religious and cultural identity. I believe that we are heading into another golden era for martial arts with the popularity of it in the media and its heavy effect on pop culture, Shaolin will no doubt be a part of this era and be one of the front-runners.

Everything is cyclic and martial arts are once again moving to the forefront in a positive light. Shaolin will continue to be revered and be more accessible to all practitioners as time moves forward. The Shaolin Temple Cultural centre opening in Brisbane is just one example of the future of Shaolin; it is growing in popularity worldwide and people are embracing it more and more.