RELIGION AND THE MARTIAL ARTSHarvey Kurland Karate/Kung fu Illustrated June 1997, pp 64-67 edited by Robert Young, based onReligion and Taoism by Harvey Kurland 1996 (1) Kurland 1998

Belief in a supreme being plays an important role in the life of most human beings. Religiousbeliefs have been shown to promote good health in the faithful. For example, one researcher foundthat after surgery, patients with strong religious beliefs - Christian and Jewish, in this case -suffered one-third fewer deaths than those without beliefs. Another study, Dr. Larry Dosseydocumented the value of Christian and Buddhist prayer in the healing process. For religious Jews,Christians and Moslems, certain Eastern practices can clearly be considered idol worship, for Jewsand Christians those same practices are violations of the Ten Commandments.

In the martial arts, religion has an equally important role. It was crucial in the historicaldevelopment of many arts, and it continues to dictate the ways in which many students think andact during practice sessions. And more than a few Western students have converted to an Easternreligion simply because their martial art grew from that spiritual tradition.

But does the fact that a martial art germinated in religious soil mean all practitioners have to abideby those beliefs? Can the self-defense portion of an art be separated from the religious portion? Ifnot, should students be warned that they are engaging in religious practices? (2)

Before answering these questions, it's useful to examine the relationship between the Asianreligions and their associated martial arts.

Taoism was created as a philosophy that advocated living a simple life. It was described in detailaround 300 B.C. by a Chinese recluse named Lao Tzu in the classic text, Tao Te Ching. Amongother things, it stressed the principle of yin and yang, and living in harmony with nature and thetao (universal way).

Originally, Taoism had little or nothing to do with religion, but the philosophical teachings weregradually combined with Chinese folk beliefs, Animism and Buddhist practices. By the seventhcentury, it had been transformed into a religion, and branches emerged.

Many scholars believe the Chinese emperor was responsible for organizing religious Taoism as apolitical institution to replace Buddhism, which was considered a foreign religion that threatenedthe existing power structure. In fact, the term "external martial arts" was coined to refer to Shaolinkung fu, which was based on Buddhism and other practices having their roots in India. In contrast,the term "internal martial arts", which included tai chi chuan, pa kua chang, and hsing-i chuan,was used to refer to those developed within China according to Taoist principles. The internal artswere later improperly designated as "Wudang boxing" (also spelled Wutang) in an effort to linkthem to China's Wudang mountain, still a thriving center for Taoist meditation.

Many kung fu masters promote Taoist meditation and religious practices. For example, ChengTing hua style pa kua chang (3),(4),(5), training may include meditation methods based on theTaoist Dragon Gate monastery circle-walking practice. These may be non-secular, or they maystem directly from religious Taoism. And t'ai-chi ch'uan instruction includes a lot of theory basedupon the yin-yang principle and the use of chi (internal energy) and jin (internal power). In The

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Way of the Warrior, Howard Reid and Michael Croucher wrote, "Tai chi chuan contains a widerange of esoteric Taoist knowledge and is rooted in the intricacies of the Sung-dynastyneo-Confucianist world view, which, despite its name, is essentially Taoist in nature."

Modern-day martial artist should know that religious Taoism has about as much to do withpracticing the internal arts as Christianity does with playing football. While students mayappreciate the value of philosophical Taoism, they need not practice religious Taoism. Studentswith other beliefs should be permitted to substitute a prayer from their own religion whenevernecessary. This eliminated any potential conflict and offers more potential benefits for the students.

Buddhism The history of Buddhism in China spans some 1,500 years. Originally from India, itwas spread by wandering monks, one of whom was Bodhidharma, the priest credited withfounding Shaolin kung fu at the Buddhist temple bearing the same name.

Buddhism can be viewed similarly to Taoism in that it originally consisted of philosophicalguidelines - for eliminating suffering, in this case. Specifically, the Buddha taught that suffering iscaused by desire and that eliminating desire eliminates suffering. He then expounded on the eightsteps for getting rid of desire: right thought, right action, right speech, etc.

Another parallel to Taoism involves the status of the Buddha, who insisted during his lifetime thathe was just a man. After his death, his followers elevated him to the status of god, and Buddhismwas transformed into a religion that spread throughout Asia and, to a limited extent, the West.

In more recent times, Buddhism in China was purged by the communist during the CulturalRevolution. The monasteries were destroyed and the monks persecuted. Many temples, includingShaolin, have recently reopened to capitalize on the worldwide interest in kung fu. Unfortunately,they are staffed mostly by wushu students and ex-bureaucrats, which leads one to wonder abouttheir authenticity.

Some kung fu instructors include basic Buddhist teachings in their curriculum. As long as theyfocus on the non-religious doctrines like ahimsa (refraining from purposely harming any livingbeing), there is little cause for concern. But many schools also teach Zen (Chan in Chinese)meditation. There is a fine line between nonsectarian meditation practice and religious practice.The most commonly encountered method involves partially closing the eyes and monitoring thebreath, which are compatible with most religions. But Buddhist religious chanting duringmeditation is a matter that should be approached with caution.

Shintoism Shinto, meaning "Way of the gods", is Japan's indigenous religion. It is similar toreligious Taoism in that it includes animist elements and spirit worship. It also teaches adherents tovenerate the Emperor of Japan as a descendent of the sun goddess.

Some modern aikido teachers include chants directed to Shinto spirits (kami in Japanese) as partof their classes. Students usually go along with the chanting to be part of the group but may notunderstand what is going on. Some may be willing to practice Shinto, but those with otherreligious beliefs, which conflict with such practices, should not be unwittingly subjected to thesereligious practices.

Hinduism is usually considered a polytheistic religion which was created in India some 4,000years ago. Some followers claim it is in reality a monotheistic religion and what are called godsare closer to the Christian view of saints. Believers worship various gods, including Brahma,

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Vishnu, and Shiva - who also has human incarnations named Krishna and Rama. Hindus believethe soul, or atman, of every living creature gets reborn in human or animal form after it dies. Thisceases only when the being attains spiritual perfection.

The practice of hatha yoga was derived from Hinduism and other elements of Indian culture.Martial arts students are sometimes taught yoga because it features an extensive arsenal ofmeditation methods and provides low-impact techniques for stretching the muscles.

Some hatha yoga exercise classes include chanting to various Hindu deities and gurus. Others,such as certain branches of kundalini yoga, use Sikh chants. Yet with knowledge and a little effort,instructors can separate the physical portion of yoga from the religious portion and thereby allowstudents to benefit from the meditation and flexibility training. Such Chanting or saying Hindu orSikh prayers would clearly be a violation of Christian, Jewish or Moslem religious beliefs.

East vs. West Western students often link martial arts and religion when they talk about how"spiritual" a certain art is, but that should make us wonder about their definition of the word. Howdoes learning self-defense techniques - how to hit harder or kick faster, make one spiritual? Isspirituality the same as self-confidence, empowerment or serenity?

If you are Jewish, Christian, or Moslem, you should be aware that practicing certain martial artsand their related religious rituals may be considered sacrilegious. You should also know that inalmost every art, the physical can be separated from the spiritual/cultural religious practices. Nomatter what, you need to clearly understand what you are learning in class, and instructors need toclearly explain to their students which spiritual portions of the arts, if any, they are teaching.

There is no need to risk violating the precepts of your religion for the sake of training in tai chi, pakua, hsing-i, aikido, or yoga. In fact, it's easy to incorporate your religion's prayers and beliefs intoyour martial arts and meditation practice. If you need help with this, ask at your church,synagogue, mosque or temple for advice.

As the Chinese sage Confucius said thousands of years ago: "Although you may respect spiritualbeings, hold them at a distance. This is a part of wisdom."

Links: http://www.au.org/

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Some of the above information came from previous articles by Kurland:

1. Kurland, "Religion and Ethics in Martial Art Training", NWTCCA Newsletter, 1996 pp 1-7

2. Kurland, "Taoism and Pa Kua", Internal Wushu Arts, Dec 1996, pp 2-4

3. Kurland, "The Eight Trigrams Palm Ch'i Kung", Internal Wushu Arts Newsletter, Feb 1996, p4

4. Kurland, " Pa Kua Chang, Movement of the Dragon", Inside Kung Fu, Aug 1995, pp 52-57, 109

5. Kurland, "Ch'i Kung Unveil the Mystery", Inside Kung Fu, June 1995, pp86-90

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