Mexico Shaolin Temple Celebrates its 10 Year Anniversary and Seminar
On October 24th, 2014, the Mexico Shaolin Temple celebrated its 10 year anniversary. The evening started out with Shi Heng Yi, 35th generation, Founder and Director of the Shaolin Temple Mexico, telling the assembled guests, students, and press, a story. The fold up chairs that everyone sat on semi-glowed in the reflected evening light, and faced a large screen. This evening we all found ourselves on the big grassy field of the Ahuatepec Benedictine Monastery, the location of the annual seminar. The big flowering trees and palm trees that lined the open field shimmed and flowed to the rhythm of a beckoning thunderstorm. Along with the white screen in front of the audience, was the skeleton structure of a fireworks display. It stood about 30 feet tall. If you squinted in the dark, you could read “Aniversario Templo Shaolin Mexico”. The guests were now all assembled, the performers were ready and Heng Yi was about to begin. This was definitely going to be a good show.
Click on the photo to watch a short video of the Weekend!
As with most universal stories, this one has no real beginning and no ending. It is a story that unfolds in the past, the present and the future equally. But for Heng Yi’s purpose, this story started when he met and invited Shifu Shi Yan Ming to Mexico. 10 years ago, he welcomed Shifu to his country for a Chan Buddhist Shaolin seminar. As Shifu has said about Shaolin philosophy, it is an “International philosophy” and its truth took root in Heng Yi. Each year that the seminar was held, more people came, and more people found their mind, heart and body changed. These same people became students of Shaolin. And now the story of Shaolin also rests with them. And on this day, they joined in on the story Heng Yi was telling the audience, with action meditation, and the story began and continued simultaneously.
The seminar continued for the next 3 days. Daily tai chi and chi gong classes in the morning, and kung fu in the evening. For those seminar participants who had over the years learned the tai chi Chen style form, a new style was introduced to them. The form which Shifu taught during kung fu was a broadsword form.
Zhengtitui- Straight Flex Kick
Tai Chi class
Shifu getting loose between takes of Fox Sports Mexico
Gongbu- Bow Stance
Shi Heng Yi (Austria Temple), Shishu Shi Yan Xiao (China), and Shi Yan Ming.
A.K.A. The Handsome Ones
After the conclusion of the seminar, a group of students flew to the new Temple Mayan Riviera, located on 8 acres of land deep in the jungle, 25 minutes from the airport in Cancun. While there in the jungle, we had our first class! Taking inspiration from the twisting and potent jungle, Shifu taught us a Leopard form!
The new temple Mayan Riviera has a poured concrete floor, thatched roof, and open walls to allow ventilation while training. The effect is both serene and austere- perfect for Shaolin Training.
As the temple is only a short ride away from the beach, we continued to train there!
Amituofo, we ended the trip with a visit to a beautiful pyramid- Chichen itza