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Wu Wei Si is a Bhuddist monastery nestled in the picturesque Cangshan mountains, not too far from Dali Old City. I had heard about this place through word of mouth and figured it would be different way of experiencing some Chinese traditional culture. The monastery itself dates back about 1200 years. Mahayana Bhuddism is the form practiced here. I was to spend the next week training in the ancient art of Kung Fu and living a monk lifestyle.

I arrived in the afternoon after making my way up a steep incline up the mountain with all my stuff and was greeted to a pristine and peaceful pathway to the temple. Upon arriving I met a young monk who first tested my moral character and then gave me the rules to the place. Only the most serious of students were allowed to stay, there was no electricity on the temple grounds, the food consisted of only a vegan diet, alcohol and smoking were prohibited, shoes, long pants and sleeved shirts had to be worn at all times during training, curfews had to be respected, pictures of the monastery itself were allowed but none of the monks(I broke this rule slightly), intimacy between men and women would not be tolerated, when walking past an elder monk one had to place his hands together and say "Amitofu" which is basically like saying hello and good luck, and finally he requested that I not highly publicize the place upon leaving because they wanted it to remain relatively quiet and not overrun with tourists. Once I agreed to the rules I was shown to my room. Two other foreign students were there as well. One was a Dutchman while the other was Swiss, the Swissman had also just arrived. I shared a room with him. Soon after a Frenchman arrived, who had previously trained there.

5 AM: I awaken to a loud gong, followed by chanting. I continue drifting in and out of sleep.

6:30 AM: Wake Up

7 AM: Morning Training. We run a short distance down the mountain until we reach a pile of rocks. Taking one, we then balance it on our head and walk all the way back up with it.

8 AM: Bell is sounded. Breakfast is served, this generally consists of noodles or some rice porridge. Each of us has our own bowl and chopsticks which we must take care of. Certain table etiquette must be maintained such as no elbows on the table and lifting up the bowl while eating. Everyone says "Amitofu" before we can begin eating and seifu (master) always begins eating first. All food in the bowl must be eaten, even something that drops from ones bowl must be picked up and eaten. When leaving the table, a minimum of two or more people can leave the table together and must say "Amitofu" to each of the other remaining tables.

9 AM - 12 PM: Kung Fu Training. We begin with stretching, followed by assisted stretching and then various exercises. Next is plenty of Kung Fu movements and Katas. The training is not for the weak of heart. Literally.

12 PM: Lunch. The food is actually quite good albeit a little mundane. Since we don't eat meat, dairy or eggs, tofu is used as the protein element of our diet. Everyone drinks the regular "tap" water which seems to come from the mountains(never during a meal, only after), and although weary of this I don't have much choice to do otherwise.

4 PM - 6 PM: Kung Fu Training. More of what I described above. Very Intense.

6 PM: Supper. Assortment of veggies, tofu and always rice as the staple.

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM: Bhuddist prayer and chanting in the temple. I'm not obliged to do this but the monks do like it if we partake and I think it was worth doing sometimes to get that full monastery experience.

9:30 PM: Bedtime. The curfew is non-negotiable and everyone goes to sleep at this time. Besides without electricity there isn't all that much to do once darkness hits.


Everyday played out like this. The monastery life is all about routine and discipline. There were about fifteen monks living here, plus a few old women who did the cooking and cleaning(although the monks themselves did clean up after themselves a lot). Many of the monks were quite young, trained hard and were very disciplined considering their age. I was amazed at what some of them were capable of. I witnessed one jump an entire flight of stairs with weights strapped all along his legs. Many others could perform unbelievable acrobatic feats and seemingly had superhuman strenth and flexibility. I felt privileged to be able to view these acts in person.

Being in the monastery also afforded me much free time between training and in the evenings. I put this time to use by doing my own exercises in the training ground, and using some free weights that were available. I practiced a bit with the variety of spears and swords in the armory, this was quite fun. I went for short hikes into the countryside, on one of them I discovered an old graveyard full of past monks, many of the tombs must have been hundreds of years old. I read and wrote a lot in peace. I took advantage of the seclusion to practice meditation, although I get distracted too easily with many thoughts popping into my head which made it a little futile.

The training was intense all week, by the end I could hardly stretch anymore. My muscles burned, especially my legs. I completed my first Kung Fu kata, quite well in my opinion but I must continue practicing to perfect it.

So could I see myself living like a monk? It was an interesting taste but something that I couldn't do for a long period of time. The training itself was awesome, but certain restrictions would be difficult to live with. However I'm very glad I had the opportunity to experience this and will remember its lessons for a long time to come.

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