Over 100 monks from Shaolin Temple and other major monasteries in China will be performing in a unique show at Lincoln Center in New York! What’s unusual is that this is the first time that so many important Buddhist temples have come together to feature the country’s diverse traditions of the religion on one stage. The show also includes recently discovered ancient chants and sacred music, so it’s not just another entertaining kungfu display.

Here’s the press release.

SHAOLIN KUNGFU & BUDDHIST CHANTING MUSIC TO DAZZLE
IN UNIQUE CONCERT AT LINCOLN CENTER, OCT. 12-13 2019

NEW YORK/BEIJING, Aug. 30 – Over 100 monks from China’s most renowned temples will perform a groundbreaking “Peace & Well-Being Concert” featuring a rarely seen combination of Shaolin martial arts, music and chanting that showcases the essence of Zen and Buddhism’s diverse culture.

The spectacle by the Chinese Buddhist Chanting Music Ensemble, presented by the China Buddhist Association, goes beyond dazzling kungfu displays to uplift audiences into a meditative state of peace and well-being through ancient sacred music, some of which was discovered only in the last decade.

The full-time monks were chosen through rigorous auditions throughout China, for six months of intense rehearsals, to reflect the country’s various Buddhist performing artforms that have evolved over 2,500 years.

“The show presents the various traditions of Buddhism in a capsule for audiences who would otherwise have to travel long distances to experience them,” said An Zhao, whose “PANDA!” spectacle was the first Chinese production to take up a Las Vegas residency.

The show took three years of planning and coordination among major monasteries:
· Shaolin Temple, the

cradle of Chinese kungfu and Chan (禪, or Zen in Japanese) Buddhism
· Wat Pajie Maharajatan Sipsong Pana, the cultural exchange center of Chinese Pali language Buddhism
· Yonghegong Lama Temple, the largest and most perfectly preserved lamasery in Beijing
· Daxiangguo Temple, with an imperial music tradition from the Han Dynasty
· Lingyin Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries of China.

“We wish to share the deep practice of Buddhist monks and profound teachings of the Buddha, and immerse the audience with compassion, peace and joy,” said Venerable Guangquan, Abbot of Lingyin Temple and deputy secretary-general of the Buddhist Association of China.

The “Peace & Well-Being Concert” performs two shows only at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center on Friday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, Oct. 13, 2019 at 2:30 pm. Tickets ($65-120) are available at the box office, over the phone at 212-721-6500, or online at https://www.lincolncenter.org/show/peace-and-well-being-concert,

Video: https://tinyurl.com/y3zasw64
https://tinyurl.com/yyczj7tf

CHINESE BUDDHIST CHANTING MUSIC ENSEMBLE
The ensemble was organized by Hangzhou Lingyin Temple in 2019 at the direction of the Buddhist Association of China, which aims to unite the country’s estimated 100 million Buddhists of all ethnicities to promote the religion and cultural exchange among practitioners worldwide for social harmony and world peace. The ensemble consists of 100 monks and practitioners from five renowned monasteries: Wat Pajie Maharajatan Sipsong Pana, Shaoling Temple, Yonghe Lamasery Temple, Daxiangguo Temple and Lingyin Temple.

CHINA BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION
The nonprofit organization based in New York City was founded in 1963 by Reverend Miao-Feng. It manages the Fa-Wang Temple in Chinatown, Manhattan; Song-Lin Temple in Hyde Park; and Ci-Hang Sublime Abode, in Flushing.