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00:05The
00:06The
00:06The
00:10Kung Fu is arduous.
00:12This is not dancing.
00:15This is
00:17Fulano.
00:29It requires strength, agility, balance, flexibility beyond my ability.
00:35It's not about winning a fight outside a bar.
00:39This is about inner peace.
00:42This is about enlightenment.
00:46I'm Ed Stafford.
00:47As an explorer and survivalist,
00:50I've made a career out of mucking about
00:52in the wild.
00:54If I'm honest, I've never really grown up.
00:56Look at that!
00:57So now...
01:00Ready, guys?
01:02I've set myself a mission
01:05to see how cultures across the world
01:08navigate the messy business
01:10of becoming an adult.
01:14I believe many of us in the modern world
01:17have lost our sense of identity.
01:19But I'm hoping
01:20by immersing myself
01:22in the often extreme trials that young people face,
01:25I can figure out
01:26how these rituals make us better members
01:28of our communities.
01:30I've never experienced anything
01:32even comparable
01:33in terms of pain.
01:35By joining them on their journey,
01:38I hope I'll learn to become a better man.
01:43Maybe even grow up.
01:44It's very honest.
01:46Okay, he wants me to jump up.
01:47I'm gonna jump up.
01:48And successfully pass my own...
01:51Rite of passage.
02:13I'm in the middle of China,
02:14in Henan province,
02:16on my way to the world-famous Shaolin Temple,
02:19which was renowned for its extraordinary Kung Fu.
02:25Henan is considered
02:27one of the cradles of Chinese civilization.
02:29And at the foothills
02:31of the sacred Song Mountain,
02:33the Shaolin Temple is one
02:35of the nation's cultural icons.
02:40I'm going there to live for a week
02:42with the monks
02:43to try and understand
02:44what it is within their training
02:46and lifestyle
02:47that helps young people transition
02:48into adulthood.
02:51Studying at the Shaolin Temple
02:52can be considered every Kung Fu student's
02:55ultimate rite of passage.
02:58Instilling respect, discipline
03:00and strength.
03:02Where heartening the physical form
03:05goes hand in hand
03:07with the softening of the mind.
03:11To create the complete martial artist.
03:16From what I understand,
03:18it's not just about Kung Fu.
03:20The whole ethos here
03:21is about slowing down
03:22and becoming the best version of yourself.
03:26With slowing down being something
03:28that I've struggled to really come to grips with
03:30in the past,
03:31it's an internal challenge
03:33that I must face head on.
03:35While Shaolin monks train for years,
03:38I'll only have a week to absorb
03:40as much ancient knowledge as I can
03:42before ultimately proving myself
03:45in a test of mind and body
03:46as a worthy Shaolin disciple
03:48to my new martial arts masters.
03:52I am so excited about this one.
03:54I cannot wait to get inside.
03:59I am so excited.
04:00Yan Ju.
04:01Hello.
04:02Hello.
04:02Hello.
04:03Hello.
04:03Hello.
04:03I am Yan Du.
04:06Oh, I am Yan Ju.
04:07I am very welcome to Shaolin Si.
04:12Yan Ju will be one of my masters
04:14known as Sha Fu in Chinese.
04:16I am extremely well.
04:22He will help set me on the path needed to become a disciple of the Shaolin.
04:42Yan Juo, if it's okay with you, I'd love to spend the next week living here
04:46amongst the monks and find out about how you live your life
04:50and the different qualities that you need to become a monk.
05:04Cool. If I didn't have a shaved head already,
05:15would I have to shave my head at this point?
05:20Yan Juo explains that for me to become a disciple of the Shaolin,
05:24there is a ceremony that I must complete.
05:27It involves performing a complicated set of movements
05:30called the 13-fist routine,
05:33known to the Shaolin as Shishan Chun.
05:37There are two parts to the routine,
05:39a solo routine and a combat routine with a partner.
05:43This is the first level of a boy becoming a man.
05:47If I'm unable to pass,
05:49then I will have failed in becoming a Shaolin disciple.
05:59That sounds fantastic.
06:07The sun is starting to go down over the Shaolin temple,
06:10and because I'll have an early start tomorrow,
06:13it's time to check out my digs and get ready for bed.
06:15OK, this is my accommodation block.
06:20And I am number two.
06:22Welcome.
06:26OK.
06:28It's basic.
06:30OK, so obviously, as part of being here,
06:33I've got to dress the part.
06:39It's Billy Armas!
06:49It's going to be fun.
06:54Oh!
06:55F***!
06:59I've taken the mattress off that bed,
07:02doubled up,
07:03so we've got two mattresses on that bed,
07:04so I had a bit of comfort.
07:06So these mattresses are about that thin,
07:08and, um, let's just say they're not, um, orthopaedic.
07:28Brilliant.
07:34Today it's so hot.
07:35Yeah.
07:37Canopy.
07:37It's boiling.
07:40This place is amazing.
07:48This is a talk.
07:54This is a love.
07:56Hi.
07:57Hi.
07:57Hi.
07:57Hi.
07:58Hi.
07:58Hi.
07:58Hi.
07:59Hi.
08:01Thanks.
08:02Thanks.
08:03See you later.
08:04See you later.
08:05All right.
08:06Here we go.
08:15the mercury is pushing 40 degrees celsius but as i now have less than a week here
08:21okay here we are i really need to start my shaolin kung fu training now
08:26helping me on this journey are two of shifu's favorite junior monks who can help bridge the
08:31gap between shifu's words and the actions i'm supposed to take because both of these lads are
08:54already shaolin monks at the temple it will be just me vying to complete a rite of passage at the
08:59end
09:00of the week so they'll be more like friendly experienced kids showing me the ropes
09:06hopefully feet very wide apart the horse dance is the very foundation of kung fu so if i'm to complete
09:22my rite of passage i'll have to really dig deep to push my nearly 50 year old body to its
09:27limit
09:32so i can't physically move any lower than that
09:43you慢慢 line you you can't do it you can't stay in that position
09:52okay easy as i said than do
09:54Okay.
09:55Take your eyes.
09:56Take your eyes.
10:01Take your eyes.
10:02Take your eyes.
10:06Take your eyes.
10:14Take your eyes.
10:14Use your eyes.
10:14And you say, don't get me.
10:18Now,
10:24Sorry, I'm an old stiff man.
10:31Fighting sport or no fighting sport, this is hard.
10:35This is not dancing.
10:37This is not yoga.
10:38This is full on.
10:41The pose is difficult because it's right at the extreme of my flexibility.
10:46It's going to take a lot of conditioning, clearly.
10:54Okay.
10:59Good.
10:59This one.
11:03Look at the front.
11:06Look at the mouth.
11:10Some of many bits of me that are saying no.
11:13Okay.
11:15Getting slightly dizzy.
11:16Down, down, down.
11:18Down, down.
11:19Down.
11:20Time for another break, Shafu.
11:24Of course not.
11:30Is this physically impossible for me?
11:33Sorry.
11:33Oh, just two.
11:35Come on.休息一下.
11:55it's just on that um it's just on that cusp of um you know when things start to go a
12:01bit starry
12:02and like you feel the vision closes in a little bit it's just it's just there
12:18that was a bit of a wake-up call i guess i need to come to terms with the fact
12:23that i'm no spring
12:23chicken and the body and mind just don't work like they used to
12:32i know that to properly utilize my time here i'll need to take a step back and slow down
12:39so yen je invites me to a meditation session in the forest as performing for 13 fists requires a
12:46great deal of mental clarity and focus to be completely successful the movements in both
12:52routines are just as much about the mind as they are the body how long are we going to be
12:57meditating for okay cool how does this fit into the whole shaolin kung fu philosophy
13:19all right let's go
13:20about the training session we first want to master to be able to show up
13:24it's a female牧师
13:26uh,recit.. or the eyes
13:29of the light and we can
13:29take a step back and do the movement with the
13:33body and then we
13:35can take the step back and do it and then we
13:36can take the step back again and then we
13:37can take the step back and rest and then we
13:38can actually find the step back on what happens our journey is
13:48we can take
13:48our step back and stay so we have
13:49to make a step back to our journey before we have
13:50You can also feel that your body is long or short.
14:11Okay, I don't.
14:25Yeah, it was beautiful. Literally, when that breeze came in, I was in heaven. Really beautiful. I enjoyed that. Thank
14:35you.
14:58It's nice, yeah. I like veggie food then.
15:01Because the Shaolin monks are Buddhist, all their food is vegetarian.
15:06Is this typical of the food that you guys get to eat?
15:09Yeah. Do you ever eat junk food?
15:11No? No burgers?
15:14No.
15:14Never?
15:15No.
15:15Okay. Crikey.
15:23Oh, really? Okay.
15:24So, most of that you would watch on your phone though, would you?
15:29So, have you got your own TV or is it like a TV room for all the monks?
15:45Yes.
15:45Did it rain a lot here?
15:47Very little.
15:47Yes, very little.
15:48Oh, really?
15:51Yes, very little.
15:53Yes, very little.
15:53Do you eat lunch when you talk?
15:55Yes.
15:57I guess, for me, the main social part of the day, certainly for the family, is to get everyone around
16:04the table.
16:05And while we're eating, I'd ask them about their day, how's it gone.
16:09It's the main time when we all talk to each other, yeah.
16:12Why? Do you not talk when you eat?
16:17Really?
16:19Yes.
16:20Wow.
16:21Takes the fun out of it, doesn't it?
16:24Yes.
16:25Yeah.
16:25No, I'm only teasing.
16:26I know.
16:27It's nice.
16:28The whole concept of being mindful when you eat and appreciating your food is a good thing.
16:33Is that why you eat quickly then?
16:35So you can get out?
16:36Yes.
16:37Yeah.
16:39That's bad for your digestion.
16:41You should slow down, chew each mouthful 50 times.
16:46And do you ever get pudding?
16:49Pudding?
16:50Pudding.
16:51Like dessert?
16:52No.
16:54No dessert?
16:55Wow.
16:56That's the biggest sacrifice of all.
17:09Breakfast over.
17:11And it's time to get warmed up before learning the very basics of the 13-fist routine.
17:17Shufu takes us all up into the forest training ground at the back of the Shaolin Temple,
17:21because apparently my movements are less like water and more like concrete.
17:27You definitely don't want to bounce.
17:28Not when you're as tight as me, mate.
17:31It will scope.
17:32PING!
17:32You try it a bit, try it a bit.
17:35Whew.
17:36You don't have to hold it.
17:37You have to be a nice.
17:38Yeah.
17:40No one likes to show off, mate.
17:41All right?
17:44Now that I'm all limbered up, it's time to finally start learning the steps needed for
17:50the two parts of the 13-fist routine that will make up my rite of passage.
17:57This set of movements were developed by Kung Fu masters over the centuries as a gateway
18:02to mastering essential techniques and philosophy of Shaolin.
18:07So it will require huge amounts of mental and physical discipline to complete successfully.
18:15You also have to do it against a competitor.
18:21It can be done slowly or in fast time.
18:26If I can learn those moves, then I will have officially got the sort of certification.
18:34For me, that will be a big success this week.
18:37I can learn 30 moves in the next few days.
18:39No sweat.
18:49Why?
18:50Which arm over which?
18:51So, from here.
18:54OK.
19:13It might look simple, but it's incredibly difficult to get the movements exactly right.
19:29Like Bruce Lee said, I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear
19:36the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times, or something like that.
19:46As an all-systems-go kind of guy, I reckon it might be easier said than done to really
19:53slow myself down and take in all of the Shaolin monk's teachings.
20:04One of the core aspects of the Shaolin Ware of Life is mastering the mysterious powers
20:09of Qi, which takes years of careful cultivation of breathwork, meditation, and mindful movements
20:16to attain.
20:18To the Shaolin monks, Qi is a vital internal energy that connects mind, body, and spirit,
20:25generating strength and focus beyond what is meant to be physically possible.
20:38Can I ask a very basic question?
20:40I don't understand what Qi is.
20:42Can you explain it to me?
21:25While something of an alien concept to me, I'm hoping that learning a basic level of Qi can
21:31help bring my movements to life and allow me to complete my rite of passage with flying colours.
21:45OK.
21:59OK.
22:00OK.
22:00Ah, ok.
22:12OK.
22:18Is it a problem at this stage that I can't feel the chi?
22:22That is a problem.
22:28OK.
22:28OK.
22:30You can see.
22:31All right.
22:32I'm watching.
22:43I'm watching.
22:45OK.
22:46I'm watching.
22:55And did that hurt?
22:59It does hurt though.
23:00That's interesting.
23:02Yeah.
23:04I think it's a doable thing.
23:06I think you've just got to tense your muscles up.
23:10Yeah, yeah, yeah.
23:11I'll try it on my back.
23:12Yeah.
23:12OK.
23:15I'll try it.
23:16I'll try my best.
23:17If not, I'll just get a bruised back.
23:19It's all right.
23:21So I'm going to breathe, I'm going to breathe, and then I'm going to go like this.
23:25Is that right?
23:29Do you reckon?
23:32Just give it a go.
23:33Give it a go.
23:34What's the worst that can happen?
23:39OK.
23:43I'll give it a go if you want.
23:47No?
23:49OK.
23:52We're doing it.
24:06Two breezes.
24:07That's cool.
24:13That's OK.
24:14Two.
24:16One.
24:18Wow.
24:19Yeah, that's OK.
24:19Here.
24:22Three.
24:22Three.
24:22Two.
24:26I think you're going to break it.
24:28You're going to break it.
24:36If I'm honest, I still can't feel the chi at all.
24:39I don't really know what it is.
24:41However, I'm very happy to have the stick broken over my back
24:43because I'm going to tense my muscles,
24:45and I think that will help me.
24:56I may have bitten off a little more than I could chew,
24:59trying to harness my chi energy so quickly.
25:03I guess there's only so much I can learn in a week.
25:06Fingers crossed, this doesn't derail my ability
25:09to complete my 13-fist routine.
25:16Let's do more of the chi breathing first,
25:19before we do any more.
25:20I'm taking a chi.
25:22It's a good idea, this is just painful.
25:41You are in a tight grip.
25:47Look at him, doing an Milo.
25:48I'm taking a chi thing forward.
25:50You can just keep breathing all the way out.
25:52You've got to throw all the woods over there.
25:53You've got to make sure that you need to be continue.
25:56You've got to keep trying.
25:57Can't deal?
25:58Ready?
26:02How many?
26:10There's almost three stipulations in this field.
26:18But I can't really say the same for step two onwards.
26:23Here we go.
26:53OK, not the smoothest, but I pretty much did it.
26:57So now, on to the second half of the solo part of the routine.
27:34It's better this morning.
27:36I slept well, my attitude has improved.
27:38My motivation to learn feels more attuned,
27:43and I'm taking on board the stuff that is new
27:47in a sort of less panicky way.
28:18My Shaolin Rite of Passage is the day after tomorrow,
28:22so time is quickly running out to learn and master
28:26the combat portion of my 13-fist routine.
28:29Yeah.
28:44Yeah, that's meant to be a punch.
28:46Yeah, OK.
29:13Oh, I know, I'm interested in the next bit, but...
29:25OK.
29:25This is getting ridiculous now.
29:27I just don't get why Shifu won't continue to teach me the rest of the routine.
29:44I think there's an element to me learning that I clearly don't like being told what to do.
29:53And I, without going into too much detail, I've had a period of my life where I was controlled
29:58to a degree where I gave up everything and everyone that mattered to me,
30:03and it was the darkest years of my life.
30:08And so there's a very large part of me that does not want to have anyone else manipulate my life.
30:17And, erm, it's hard being told what to do, therefore,
30:23because I'm in charge of my life.
30:25Erm, always gives me problems with my wife as well.
30:30She wrote me a list for our wedding of jobs to do,
30:33and I had to rewrite it in my own handwriting in order to do it,
30:36so that I didn't feel like I was being controlled.
30:39And I think that says a lot, erm, about me,
30:41but I understand that this is something that I have chosen to do.
30:45I'm not being forced to do this in any way.
30:48Erm, this is out of my own volition.
30:51I'm here to learn, and not only do I choose to do it,
30:54I love the fact that I'm doing it.
30:56Therefore, I have to keep reminding myself of that.
31:07I'm tired. I'm gonna, I'm gonna pick this up tomorrow.
31:11I'm gonna pick this up tomorrow, if that's all right.
31:13OK.
31:15I'm tired.
31:41I'm gonna unpack this, I'm gonna try and unpack it.
31:46I think it's to do with adoption.
31:48I think it's to do with the very beginning of my life.
31:52I think it's one of the reasons that I haven't really grown up.
31:57It's because there's developmental issues that go back a long way.
32:05There's a concept, and I believe it's exactly how I coped as a child,
32:11that when an adopted baby gets given up,
32:14they lose sight of themselves, of who they are,
32:18and their own wants and needs,
32:20because they're trying to please everyone around them
32:22to not be abandoned again.
32:25So, you'll become a people pleaser.
32:29But in doing that, you become resentful of the people around you,
32:33because essentially, they're running your life, not you.
32:36You've given up your sense of self,
32:38because the only thing that's important is pleasing the people around you,
32:43to make sure that they love you as a child with huge insecurity issues.
32:50There's a hurt little boy inside of me
32:53who vowed never to lose sight of himself again,
32:58never to lose sight of his own wants and needs.
33:00And when he gets pushed around, it triggers him,
33:05and he wants to smash the place down.
33:09And it's understandable.
33:12And I guess, at this stage, all I need to do
33:15is be aware of that.
33:37It's my last day before I'll be put to the test
33:40to gain my certification as a Shaolin disciple.
33:44But, to move on from yesterday,
33:46I feel I need to make things right with Yen Chen, Shufu.
33:51Shufu, can I just say sorry for yesterday?
33:54It was very disrespectful of me to walk out of the lesson like that,
33:58and I just wanted to say I'm very sorry.
34:00I didn't know why.
34:04I'm very sorry.
34:05I don't know why.
34:09It's not a bad thing.
34:10We are good.
34:12We are tired and hard.
34:14But you have to be very careful.
34:16You have to be quiet and confident.
34:17You can say that I won't go away,
34:19I won't go away.
34:22I won't go away.
34:22You can't go away.
34:24It's not fair.
34:26You have to be careful.
34:28You still should be careful.
34:31Okay, thank you, thank you, thank you.
34:37As Bruce Lee said, mistakes are always forgivable
34:40if one has the courage to admit them,
34:42and I'm glad that Yan Chan Shefu was able to forgive and forget.
34:48Taking on Yan Chan Shefu's advice,
34:50I will use what little time I have left to reflect and improve,
34:54as I know my journey to the finish line
34:56is one that is just as mentally challenging as it is physically.
35:11And just like Confucius said,
35:14it doesn't matter how slowly you go as long as you don't stop.
35:19I want to end my time here on a high,
35:21and luckily, Yan Chan Shefu and the boys
35:24have always been kind enough to help give me the best possible run-up
35:27to complete my rite of passage.
35:30Giving me one final lesson in both sections of the 13-fist routine.
35:38Fingers crossed that resulting higher level of inner peace
35:42will then help me calm myself in order to smash this final test.
35:48Prove to Shefu that I haven't wasted his time,
35:51and do justice to my time here with the Shaolin Moon.
36:03Go ahead.
36:04Go ahead!
36:05Go ahead.
36:05Go ahead, look.
36:24accepting what is and finding my inner peace with the meditation and with the
36:31kung-fu it's required me to step outside of the frustrations that result from
36:36resisting and accepting it for what it is and I think in that respect it has
36:42been beneficial
36:47this is finally it it's showtime
36:55first up my solo 13-fist routine
37:18and
37:36it's so deceptively difficult but this time I think I nailed it
37:42although I can't let my excitement get the better of me I still need to
37:46demonstrate that I can do the combat portion to complete my rite of passage
37:49stop
37:57sorry can we start again
37:59stop
38:03stop
38:09stop
38:10stop
38:10stop
38:14stop
38:15stop
38:20stop
38:21stop
38:24stop
38:25stop
38:25stop
38:44So I messed up the second one, the fighting one, twice, and had to start it again two times.
38:50But I don't know what the rules are, so I don't know whether that's allowed.
38:55I did get it right when I finally did it, but I don't know what the rules are.
39:02Do you get a chance to do it again if you fail?
39:16Do you have a chance to do it again?
39:33Do you have a chance to do it again if you fail?
39:35I'm very surprised that I passed. Thank you.
39:41I wasn't expecting to pass. I was expecting to be failed and then maybe given another opportunity.
39:47That final exam, you know, that did fluster me. Therefore, I haven't really found my inner peace yet, have I?
39:53I've still got some way to go.
40:21Oh, but thank you so much for your time.
40:24I hope you can practice in a better way.
40:28So do I. Thanks, mate. Appreciate it.
40:32Can I just say thank you to all of you for giving up your time for the last week? It's
40:35been hard for you guys to adapt, but I just wanted to say thank you so much.
40:40Yes.
40:41Okay.
40:42Cheers, guys.
40:46Personally, I think this challenged me more than I thought it would. At a physical level, I'm not as young
40:51and sprightly as the guys who I've been training alongside. And it's been a wake up call. You know, I
40:57am turning 50 this year. And when you realize that there's quite a gap now between me and a 20
41:03something year old, it stings a little bit, if I'm honest.
41:07And I think, therefore, a combination of that going into a teaching environment where you've got a pretty forthright man
41:16barking orders at you, sometimes trying to get your attention by just clapping definitely triggered me.
41:22But in a way that I'm really pleased now looking back on it that's happened because it dug up some
41:29deep seated behavioral sort of traits that I'd learned along the way. And, you know, it's given me an ability
41:37to step outside of that and recognize a behavior that might not have been conscious before. And for that, I'm
41:44grateful.
41:45Thank you very much.
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