During the two years I spent at Shaolin, I met people from Taiwan, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, England, France, Italy, Germany and Brazil. Some of them lived at the temple for a long time, while others visited only occasionally. The Buddhist monks spend the rest of the morning meditating or doing chores. Beginners start with stretching and basic movements, including stances, jumps, kicks and strikes. Most of the monks practice only these moves for an entire year until they can show perfect control and focus.
Lunch comes next, followed by a short nap.
At night, the Buddhist monks chant some more, and the advanced martial monks practice secret techniques that their masters have ordered them not to show anyone else. Everyone hits the sack early to prepare for the next day. The temple was built, but it was not until the arrival of another Indian, Bodhidharma, that it became important. These movements, which were originally basic exercises for monks who spent most of their time sitting in meditation, became the foundation for many of Asia's martial arts. Although it had its ups and downs, Shaolin Temple ran fairly smoothly for the next 1,000 years.