2 Years Intensive Kung Fu School in Beijing, China

Accommodation will be in a shared room with 2 - 4 persons with a shared toilet, and shower in a beautiful traditional courtyard (Siheyuan).

Amenities

• Use of the laundry room
• Use of recreation areas (including satellite TV)
• Western style showers and toilets

Daily schedule

06:30 - 07:30 Wake up for morning exercises

07:30 - 09:00 Breakfast and break

09:00 - 11:00 Morning training

12:00 - 15:00 Lunch and break

15:00 - 17:00 Afternoon training

18:00 - 20:00 Dinner and break

20:00 - 21:00 Self practice and meditation

Wugulun's teaching

Wuguluns teaching is very ancient, placing less emphasis on pure physical development and sports, while emphasizing more spiritual development by incorporating breathing and developing internal energy resources. Rather than forcing the students into a certain mold or paradigm, Wugulun works with the unique characteristics of each individual, and thereby allows students to experience a deep personal cultivation.

In addition to the learning of the essence of traditional Shaolin Kung Fu - Chan Wu (Zen martial arts), they have designed several retreat programs consisting of experts to give talks on Chinese culture. These talks will cover Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism in order to provide students with a deeper understanding of the philosophical foundations of their practices and of Chinese culture. To complete this holistic approach to self-development, they have included insight calligraphy and meditation courses in the retreat program.

Training preparation

Physical preparation is not strictly required for this course. However, it will be helpful, as you will get used to the training schedule quicker. Generally speaking, the training is not as physically intense as the training in the Wushu schools, but it is difficult at times as it requires a lot of concentration, the training is mentally challenging. The only advice would be to first "empty yourself".

Shaolin Wugulun Kung Fu Academy is located within Changpin district near Beijing in a prosperous rural village with all amenities. The Great Wall of China is visible on the jagged ridges of nearby mountain ranges, and ancient temples are within strolling distance. The school itself is housed within a traditional Beijing-style courtyard with red wooden pillars, sloping slate rooftops, and the murmurs of birdsong. The setting is ideal for the study of martial arts. The school is just close enough to the modern / international world for convenience, but far enough away to act as an authentic, first class retreat.

Nearby places

• Beijing International Airport - 1 hour
• Changpin - 25 minutes

The academy only provides vegetarian food. In traditional Shaolin culture, the vegetarian diet that the students have at Wugulun Kung Fu Academy is believed to cleanse the body from impurities in the blood, while making the qi tranquil, and helping to create a peaceful state of mind.

Shaolin Temple vegetarian culture

Shaolin Temple is an ancient Buddhist temple. Shaolin Kung Fu and a vegetarian diet have always been part of its culture. Traditional Kung Fu training is about saving and storing energy for every organ. We eat in order to get energy. Energy in natural food comes from the sun, the air, the water, and the earth. By going directly to the earth for their food, vegetarians receive the purest, best-quality energy straight from its source, not already processed by another being, such as an animal.

Benefits of vegetarian to Kung Fu

It is believed that this energy, of a finer quality, can be used for a higher purpose like Kung Fu and meditation. During the Ming Dynasty, the Manchurians were trying to seize China by force while the imperial government of the Ming Dynasty was corrupt and incompetent. At that time, scholars who were trying to save the country wrote books expounding theories on how this could be done. They also advocated the practice of martial arts.

When the Manchu's finally invaded China, many people with high ideals and integrity did not want to be slaves under a new regime so they fled to the mountains and lived in seclusion. Some entered into a religious life. They focused on martial arts intensively in order to acquire the fighting skills to regain their country. Many of them already had good Kung Fu skills and brought together their collective knowledge of various local styles of Kung Fu to create a refined form.

Being vegetarian to improve Kung Fu skill

As time went on, Shaolin Wugulun Kung Fu constantly improved and developed. Another important factor in Shaolin Kung Fu reaching such a high level of skill and importance is the vegetarianism of the Shaolin monks, who were all Buddhist and followed Buddhas teachings of eating no meat. The monks saw vegetarianism as a means of reaching a high level of training. In addition, being a vegetarian can aid the practitioner in achieving a higher level of endurance while training and fighting.

For example, animals like horses and buffalos are vegetarian, their main diet consists of grass and they have a tremendous amount of stamina while running, even when encumbered with heavy things. On the other hand, tigers and leopards, with their diet of meat only are only able to maintain short periods of power. From a scientific point of view, when an animal is killed, it is known that in their state of shock, an animal undergoes a process, by which its cells alter and create poisons in the flesh.

Why vegetarian?

Buddhists believe that these poisons represent anger and fear, and remain trapped inside the animals flesh. When people eat this meat, the poisons and impurities enter their body, and people can easily get sick, angry, and depressed. When the mind and the body are in this unbalanced state, people cannot continue training on a regular basis. For traditional Shaolin culture, therefore, vegetarianism is not only important for religious beliefs, it is important for maintaining a healthy body as well.

Vegetarianism is a necessary foundation for attaining a high level of Kung Fu skills. Without a healthy body, ones Kung Fu cannot improve. In addition, vegetarianism helps to cleanse the body from impurities in the blood, while making the qi tranquil and helping to create a peaceful state of mind. Morality, ethics, and honor are other related issues. A Kung Fu practitioner spends his life studying something that in a split second, without a second thought, could be used to harm or kill someone. This ability has to be controlled.

Principle of Vegetarianism

The answer is the cultivation of a caring heart for all living creatures. A first basic principle should be to refuse to kill and eat animals. The anger that is brought out by combat training must be balanced out with a conscious effort to treat all people with compassion, understanding, and tolerance. Such principles of caring help create a balanced and healthy mind in which there is no threat that a Kung Fu practitioner will consider criminal wrongdoing.

As this level of conscience develops and expands, it helps to diminish negative feelings and behavior such as greed, anger, violence, and criminal acts of all kinds. This in turn allows the conscience of the Kung Fu practitioners to rise higher, and for them to eventually reach a state of enlightenment. An enlightened being has total awareness of his or her own self, body, and surrounding environment.

Vitalities of Vegetarianism to Kung Fu

Enlightened Kung Fu practitioners are aware of fear and danger before ever seeing or knowing the source of those feelings and their reactions to danger, whether in training or in real combat, are much faster. This is essential for mastering high-level Kung Fu skills and vegetarianism is a vital element in reaching this state of total and complete awareness.

It is a concern for many people that vegetarian food does not supply enough nutrition to the body. This is, in fact, not the case. When eating a balanced vegetarian diet, the body will receive ample nutrition for vitality and health. Master Shi Dejian and his disciples are living proof of this. Vegetarianism is essential for those who are serious about mastering the highest levels of Kung Fu.

Mandarin Chinese lessons

Private lessons with a qualified Chinese teacher can be arranged at 100 CNY per hour. After about 20 hours of private classes, you can then begin to study by yourself and practice with other Chinese students at the academy.

• 1 set of bedding
• 2 years accommodation
• 2 tailored training suits and 2 t-shirts
• All trainings, classes and meditation sessions
• Daily vegetarian meals
• Free use of internet (WiFi)
• Free return transfer (Beijing International Airport / train station)
• Training by Kung Fu masters
• Use of training, and meditation equipment
• Use of recreational areas

• Personal expenses

Arrival by airplane

When you arrive at Beijing International Airport, take a subway (airport express) to Dongzhimen. Transfer to subway line 13 to Xiergi.

Transfer subway line to Changping, and take subway to Nanshao station. Exit at B2 where you can catch a bus (No. 59 or 870) to Xiangtang village.

• A reservation requires a deposit of 25% of the total price.
• The deposit is fully refundable if the booking is cancelled up to 60 days before the arrival date.
• The rest of the payment should be paid on departure.