Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 10:16, 23 November 2006

Indian influence on Chinese martial arts, or more specifically, Shaolin Kung Fu, is endorsed by the traditional Shaolin temple claims and the claims of a majority of martial arts historians. Both versions agree that India was a vital influence on Shaolin temple's approach to institutionalized martial arts. Both versions however have seen some negationism from a minority of martial arts historians in recent years.

This foreign influence acting as a catalyst, however, does not necessarily indicate the indroduction of martial arts to China from India. In an article by published in the New York Times Travel section in 1983, Christopher Wren asserts that organised martial traditions predate the establishment of the Shaolin Monastery by centuries.

The Indian influence

Establishment of the Shaolin temple under Batuo

According to Chinese texts such as, Deng Feng County Recording (Deng Feng Xian Zhi), a Buddhist monk named Buddhabhadra (Chinese: 跋陀; pinyin: Bátuó) went to China to preach Buddhism in 464 A.D. The Shaolin Temple was built thirty-one years later in 495 A.D., by the order of emperor Wei Xiao Wen (471-500 A.D.). The temple originally consisted of a round dome used as a shrine and a platform where Indian and Chinese monks translated Indian Buddhist scriptures into native Chinese languages.

Buddhabhadra, an Indian dhyana master, was the founding abbot of Shaolin Monastery and the teacher to the monks there, including Sengchou and Huiguang. Monastery records state Sengchou and Huiguang, both expert in the martial arts, were two of Shaolin's first monks. The Taishō Tripiṭaka documents Sengchou's skill with the tin staff.

Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma, who is credited with the establishment of the Chan sect of Buddhism, arrived in China during the 5th century. He stayed and taught for several years in the Shaolin temple.

Excerpts from author Simmone Kuo's Long Life Good Health Through Tai-Chi Chuan are mentioned below :-

Finding that the sedentary life often left the monks weak both in body and mind, Ta Mo decided to encourage physical discipline as well as meditation. He taught streching exercises from the Indian tradition of Yoga with which he was familiar. On their part, the Chinese monks were reminded of the native fighting techniques from their youth. A group of eighteen particulary dedicated monks then developed and refined a system of streching exercises and movements of what is now the core of Shao-lin Chuan, the source for all subsequent martial arts, including Tai Chi Chuan. The Chinese revere the eighteen monks to this day and venerate them as Lohans.

This view is endorsed in many forms by the martial arts community and the Shaolin temple authorities alike. Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit, 4th generation successor of the Southern Shaolin Monastery writes :-

It was during this time that the Venerable Bodhidharma came from India to China to spread Buddhism. In 527 CE he settled down in the Shaolin monastery in Henan province, and inspired the development of Shaolin Kung Fu. This marked a watershed in the history of Kung Fu, because it led to a change of course, as Kung Fu became institutionalized. Before this, martial arts were known only in general sense. It was only after the inception of Shaolin Kung Fu that names were used to label various schools like Taijiquan, Bagua, Wing Choon, Eagle Claw, Praying Mantion and so on. Indeed, Kung Fu, as we understand today, started from the Shaolin.

Chinese martial arts, like martial arts of Greece and India, have existed before the arrival of Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma's status in martial arts is due to his role in the institutionalization of Chinese martial arts, presumably by introducing excercises, meditation, discipline, newer techniques etc. to the native fighting methods during his tenure at the Shaolin monastery.

It has also been suggested that these techniques which are the foundation for many martial arts today were never originally intended to be utilized as methods of fighting but were a manner in which the monks could attain enlightenment while preserving their bodies' health. The extensive development of these techniques by the Chinese monks over centuries led to modern day Shaolin Kung Fu.

Visible signs of Indian presence at the Shaolin temple

The Shaolin Temple mural

The Shaolin Temple in China contains fresco murals from the 17th century which depict dark-skinned (not black but similar in skin tone to Indians) monks teaching Chinese monks fighting forms. On the mural that survived three fires between 1644 to 1927, it says when translated from Chinese into Japanese script "Tenjiku Naranokaku" translating as "the fighting techniques to train the body which come from India."

Bodhidharma and Zen

Zen is a form of Mahayana Buddhism that places great importance on moment-by-moment awareness and 'seeing deeply into the nature of things' by direct experience. Zen emerged as a distinct school in China and spread to Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and, in modern times, the rest of the world.

"Zen" is the Japanese pronunciation of the character "禅" which is pronounced "chán" in Mandarin Chinese. The same character is read "Sun" in Korean. Zen is a contraction of the seldom-used long form zenna (禅那; Mandarin: chánnà), which derives from "dhyānam" (Sanskrit) or "jhānam" (Pāli), meaning meditation.

Bodhidharma is associated with the idea that spiritual, intellectual and physical excellence are an indivisible whole necessary for enlightenment. Such an approach to enlightenment ultimately proved highly attractive to the Samurai class in Japan, who made Zen their way of life, following their encounter with the martial-arts-oriented Zen Rinzai School introduced to Japan by Eisai in the 12th century.

Negationism and its extent

Like the Bible or the Koran, the Indian influence on Chinese martial arts has also been subjected to negationism by a minority of the martial arts community. However, these attempts have been rejected by the larger martial arts community including authors, practitioners, major news institutions and martial arts institutions.

Martial arts authors across the world, including June Lordi, Charles C. Goodin, Hidetaka Nishiyama, Cezar Borkowski, Simmone Kuo, Robin L. Rielly, Howard Reid, Liow Kah Joon and Kah Joon Liow, Annellen M Simpkins and C Alexander Simpkins, Bruce Thomas, Thomas D. Seabourne and Yeon Hwan Park, Steve De Masco, Stephen Kuei, Pat Zukeran, Ervin de Castro, BJ Oropeza and Ron Rhodes, Christopher Wren, Howard W. French, Pete Hessler, Prof. J. Roe, P. E. Katzer, Joyotpaul Chaudhari, Dr. William Durbin and Tony Sims have rejected the revisionist claims.

The revisionist claims have also been rejected by legendary martial arts practitioners and authorities, including Chojun Miyagi, Funakoshi Gichin, Wong Kiew Kit, Tadashi Nakamura, and Rickson Gracie.

In addition, reputed organizations such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, the New York Times, and the Discovery Channel to name a few, have also rejected the revisionist claims.

Claims that Shaolin Kung Fu is independent of any foreign influence have also been rejected by prestigious martial arts institutions, including the Shaolin temple.

Proposed influences on India

Many historians have theorised that Indian arts were influenced by other civilizations as well. Early martial arts can be traced to Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. There was an extensive maritime trade network operating between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamian civilizations as early as the middle Harappan Phase, with much commerce being handled by the "middlemen merchants from Dilmun". Ancient Egypt had trading relations with India. Ancient Greece was in contact with India before Alexander the Great's Invasion. The Greek Pankration system was practiced by Alexander the Great's army. It has been suggested that over time, concepts in primitive martial arts spread east to India, where they fell on fertile ground and began their development in relationship to Yoga, dharma, and dharmic religions, and were eventually transmitted to China.

References

1. Shaolin.cn.com
2. The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu: The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defense, Health and Enlightenment by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
3. "Of Monks and Martial Arts"; Sept. 11, 1983; New York Times
4. Kungfu History at EasternMartialArts.com
5. Legacy of Shaolin Fighting Monks by Salvatore Canzonieri
6. Broughton, Jeffrey L. (1999). The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 109. ISBN 0-520-21972-4.
7. Canzonieri, Salvatore (1998). "History of Chinese Martial Arts: Jin Dynasty to the Period of Disunity". Han Wei Wushu. 3 (9). {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
8. Concise Encyclopedia Brittanica Article on Bodhidharma
9. Long Life Good Health Through Tai-Chi Chuan by Simmone Kuo
10. The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu: The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defense, Health and Enlightenment by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
11. Of Monks and martial arts by Christopher Wren. Published: September 11, 1983
12. The five holy mountains
13. Our Martial Arts History and Tradition: A Brief History Of Kempo by Prof. J. Roe
14. India and China
15. The Neo-Orthodoxy of Donald Bloesch by W. Gary Crampton
16. Bible and Revelation
17. The Real History of Islam by Dr. Michael Lamb
18. Tai Chi by June Lordi
19. Daruma: Determination and Zen training in Budo by Charles C. Goodin
20. Karate: The Art of Empty-Hand Fighting By Richard C. Brown, Hidetaka Nishiyama
21. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Martial Arts By Cezar Borkowski, Marion Manzo
22. Long Life, Good Health Through Tai-Chi Chuan by Simmone L. Kuo
23. Yin-Yang in Tai-Chi Chuan and Daily Life by Simmone Kuo
24. Karate for Kids by Robin L. Rielly
25. The Book of Soft Martial Arts: Finding Personal Harmony with Chi Kung, Hsing I, Pa Kua and T'ai Ch'i by Danny Connor and Howard Reid
26. A Musical Journey: from the Great Wall of China to the water towns of Jiangnan by liow kah Joon, Kah Joon Liow
27. Zen in Ten: Easy Lessons for Spiritual Growth by C. Alexander Simpkins, Annellen M. Simpkins
28. Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit: A Biography by Bruce Thomas
29. Tae Kwon Do Techniques & Tactics by Thomas D. Seabourne, Yeon Hwan Park
30. An American's Journey to the Shaolin Temple by Steve De Masco
31. Beginning Qigong: Chinese secrets for health and longevity by Stephen Kuei, Stephen Comee
32. Martial Arts by Pat Zukeran
33. Patrick Zukeran: The Origins and Popularity of the Martial Arts
34. Enter the Dragon? Wrestling with the martial arts phenomenon. Part I: The historical-philosophical backdrop by Ervin de Castro, BJ Oropeza and Ron Rhodes
35. So Many Paths. Which Shaolin Is Real? The Reply: Yes. by Howard W. French
36. Drinking Up Life In a Chinese Teahouse by Pete Hessler. Published: May 18, 1997
37. History of Shotokan Karate by P. E. Katzer
38. 108 STEPS: The Sino-Indian Connection in the Martial Arts by Joyotpaul Chaudhuri
39. The History of Teaching Methods used in the Martial Arts by Dr. William Durbin
40. Kempo Jitsu – Pre 1900 Martial Art System by Tony Sims
41. Breathing In and Breathing Out In Accordance With "Go" and "Ju": A Miscellaneous Essay on Karate by Chojun Miyagi
42. Okinawa Kata Classification: An Historical Overview by Mario McKenna
43. The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu: The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defense, Health and Enlightenment by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
44. Karate: Technique and Spirit by Tadashi Nakamura
45. History of Jiu-Jitsu
46. How Hong Kong took Hollywood- BBC
47. So Many Paths. Which Shaolin Is Real? The Reply: Yes. by Howard W. French
48. Of Monks and martial arts by Christopher Wren. Published: September 11, 1983
49. Kalaripayatta- Discovery Channel
50. History Facts: The Founder Of Shaolinsi
51. African Martial Arts Homepage
52. Neyland, R.S. (1992) “The seagoing vessels on Dilmun seals”, in D.H. Keith & T.L. Carrell (ed.), Underwater archaeology proceedings of the Society for Historical Archaeology Conference at Kingston, Jamaica 1992 pp. 68-74. Tucson (AZ): Society for Historical Archaeology.
53. Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Maritime Spice Route Between India, Egypt. Publication: Popular-Science.Net. Date: April 1, 2004
54. New Proof Of Ancient India's Flourishing Trade With Rome by Anand Parthasarathy
55. History and backgroud of Pankration
56. The Roots of Martial Arts
57. Martial Arts-Basic History by Rick Gill

Further reading

• Introduction of Red Pine, translator; The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma. North Point Press, New York. (1987)
• Our ancient legacy
• Denkoroku: Record of the Transmission of Luminosity by Keizan Jokin zenji, translated by Anzan Hoshin roshi and Joshu Dainen zenji
• Prana
• Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms (by Soothill and Hodous)

• Zen
• Chinese martial arts
• Indian martial arts