斯坦福大学开设少林功夫课 嵩山少林寺和尚执教

"The big plus is that I'm learning real kung fu from real Shaolin monks, whom I would have no access to if I were still in China – all under the California sun," said one Stanford staff member who is enrolled in the class.

斯坦福大学一位报名了少林功夫课程的华裔职员表示：“最大的优点是我现在是在跟真正的少林和尚学习真正的少林功夫。就算是人在中国也难有这种机会，现在在加州的阳光下，我做到了。”

Jerrie Thurman, group fitness program manager with the Health Improvement Program, said a Stanford employee contacted her about bringing the Shaolin Monks to campus. After reviewing Shaolin Temple USA which is headquartered in San Francisco, its curriculum and instructors, Thurman said she decided to offer the class for one quarter to gauge interest in the class.

少林寺功夫的课由斯坦福大学“健康改进计划”开办。计划的经理杰莉‧菲曼说，一名斯坦福大学的雇员跟她联系，建议她开办功夫班，并且以少林寺和尚任教。菲曼研究了设在旧金山的“美国少林寺”所教授的少林功夫的课程和老师后，决定让功夫班在斯坦福试行一个学期，看看效果如何。

Master Yanran, a Buddhist monk ordained at the legendary Songshan Shaolin Temple in central China, striding into a Stanford campus courtyard, ready to teach a mind-body fitness class sponsored by the university. He was accompanied by six monks, ranging in age from 18 to 27, who wore light blue, belted robes, trimmed in black, bearing the embroidered logo of Shaolin Temple USA.

旨在身心健康平衡的功夫课目前正在斯坦福大学校园开班。功夫班由师出中国古刹嵩山少林寺的释延然师傅执教，还有六位17岁至27岁的少林和尚担任助教。少林和尚们身着浅蓝色黑边的系带僧服，衣服上绣有旧金山美国少林寺的标志。

Their students – wearing T-shirts, loose-fitting pants and athletic shoes – soon converged on the courtyard for the weekly hour-long class, which takes place in a courtyard behind the Medical School Office Building on Welch Road.

上课地点是医学院办公大楼后面的一个庭院，上课的学生们身着T恤衫和宽松的运动裤搭配运动鞋，不一会儿就站满了庭院。功夫班每周上一次课，每次一小时。

Paochen Zhang, an administrative associate in the research lab at Stanford Blood Center, carried a slender wooden staff grasped firmly in one hand.

斯坦福血液中心研究所的行政助理Paochen Zhang一只手里紧紧握着一根木棍。

Kathleen Guan, an administrative associate in the Department of Structural Biology, brought no weapons – only her novice self, eager to learn. Guan, who was born in Beijing and came to the United States 30 years ago, said the class represented a rare opportunity to study with Shaolin monks.

结构生物系的职员Kathleen Guan手里没拿家伙，她是个初学者但学习热情高涨。关小姐出生在北京来美国已经有30多年了，她表示功夫班是跟少林和尚一起学习的难得机会。

They were among the 17 students – 12 women and five men – who attended a recent class. Currently, 22 people are enrolled in the class.

去年冬季学期，有17人报名上课，12名女性5名男性。目前班上有22名学生注册上课。

Master Yanran said Shaolin Kung Fu is different than other martial arts systems because it incorporates the teachings of Buddhism.

释延然大师表示，少林功夫和其它中国武术不同，因为它融合了佛教思想。

"The spirit of Shaolin Kung Fu includes compassion, harmony, diligence and inclusiveness," he said, "It is not a brutal fighting system. In addition to self-defense skills, Shaolin Kung Fu exercises also improve the health and overall spirit."

“少林功夫的精神，包含了慈悲、和谐、勤奋和包容，与好勇斗狠不同。少林功夫除了将功夫用作自卫，还可改善健康和增进精神。”