Shaolin Monks take their turn in the Vegas spotlight

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2000 | 10:19 a.m.

What: "Masters of Shaolin."

When: 7:30 and 10 p.m. daily, Friday-Feb. 23.

Where: The Hollywood Theatre in the MGM Grand hotel-casino.

Cost: $42.50, plus tax.

Information: Call 891-7777.

The opulence of Las Vegas is light years away from the simple life of a remote monastery in the mountains of Western China.

Members of an order of Buddhist monks that has has been around for 1,500 years seem out of place as they stand patiently in the middle of the busy lobby of the MGM Grand hotel-casino, surrounded by harried tourists trying to cram as much excitement as possible into three or four days.

The monks, clad in brightly-colored robes, seem out of place among the bustling crowd of people dressed mostly in jeans and T-shirts.

They are here to share a part of their culture with the world and, in the process, learn more about the outside world.

"Their way of life is something special," Jian Wang, interpreter for the non-English-speaking monks, said. "They are very spiritual."

The cultural experience will give the 20 members of the "Masters of Shaolin," who will perform martial arts at MGM's Hollywood Theater starting Friday, something to meditate on when they return to a monastic existence void of cell phones, television and computers.

"Cultural exchanges are very important," explains Wang, a Chinese businessman who brought the monks out of the mountains five years ago and put them on annual worldwide tours. "If people knew more about each other's culture there would be greater understanding and no more war."

The Shaolin (which means "new forest") order dates back to the 6th century A.D. The Shaolin monks are best known for being practitioners of kung fu.

According to some accounts, the tradition dates back to the arrival of an Indian Buddhist priest at a Shaolin monastery in 540 A.D.

The priest found an order of monks who spent all of their time doing things that did not involve physical activity and consequently were very weak and subject to attack by bandits.

He instituted physical exercise and focused on the teaching of kung fu, which already was an ancient form of self-defense in that nation.

"Most orders of monks don't practice martial arts," Wang explained. "Only the Shaolin."

The artistry of the system of self-defense that has been practiced in China for almost 2,000 years -- and in vogue in American films and Tv shows for the past 30 years -- will be demonstrated by Shaolin masters during their 12-day stay.

But, Wang noted, the show will be more than simply a kung fu class.

"The show is a presentation of two things: kung fu movements and the cultural and historical background of the Shaolins," he said. "They don't like to do the same thing as you see in the movies. They want to give something more to the audience."

The monks have seen many of the kung fu movies, as well as the popular ABC series based on Shaolin monks called "Kung Fu" (1972-75) that starred David Carradine.

Some of the films they liked, but objected mainly to the fact that they don't put kung fu into a spiritual and historical context.

The premise of the TV series, based on a half-American, half-Chinese boy reared as a Shaolin, is not that farfetched.

"Anyone may become a Shaolin monk," 57-year-old master Shi Yan Wen said through the interpreter. "We have foreign students. To become a monk you must find a master to teach you. You will live with the master and the master will work with you and watch you and will decide if you will become a Shaolin monk."

Wen has been a monk for more than 30 years. He rises each morning at 4:30 a.m., meditates until breakfast, then practices kung fu for seven or eight hours.

A monk's life is filled with simple routine chores -- meditation, conversation, long walks, housekeeping. Wen said that he has never had to use his kung fu skills, although a number of people have tried to provoke him.

"As a Shaolin monk, you must be tolerant. You must have a good heart," he said.

Wang added that the most important part of the Shaolin philosophy is the inner peace that it provides.

"It creates an inner harmony between spirit and body. In today's modern world people are under a lot of stress and frustration," Wang said. "They have big money, big cars and big houses, but they are not happy. Inner harmony is the most important thing you can have. You can be happy in simple surroundings, the way the monks live."

In addition to a cultural exchange, Wang said that the monks go on tours to raise money to help rebuild their monastery, which is in a bad state of disrepair. The monastery has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times over the centuries. About 100 monks live in the monastery and another 200 or so live in old buildings that surround the outside of it.

Wang has been taking monks on tours since 1995, first in Europe and, for the past couple of years, in the United States. Different monks participate in the tours, which are limited to one or two each year.

"Not all of the monks want to participate," he said.

Las Vegas may not be as outlandish a place for monks to participate in a cultural exchange as it first seems.

"Vegas has many tourists from all over the world," Wang said. "We can reach many cultures here."

He added that the monks have been impressed with Las Vegas.

"It is a well-organized city," Wang said. "And the people here have made the desert bloom."

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