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| Lin Boyuan who attributes the ''Yì Jīn Jīng'' to the ] priest Zining writing in 1624. <ref>Lin 1996:183</ref> Historian Paul Pelliot presents a version claiming that Bodhidharma did not exist at all, he is an entirely fictional creation, a proposal which conflicts with revisionist versions as presented by Matsuda Ryuchi, Lin Boyuan and Ling Tingkan. <ref>In his "Notes on some artists of the Six Dynasties and the Tang," ] asserts that all accounts of Bodhidharma are legendary.</ref> | Lin Boyuan who attributes the ''Yì Jīn Jīng'' to the ] priest Zining writing in 1624. <ref>Lin 1996:183</ref> Historian Paul Pelliot presents a version claiming that Bodhidharma did not exist at all, he is an entirely fictional creation, a proposal which conflicts with revisionist versions as presented by Matsuda Ryuchi, Lin Boyuan and Ling Tingkan. <ref>In his "Notes on some artists of the Six Dynasties and the Tang," ] asserts that all accounts of Bodhidharma are legendary.</ref> | ||
| The revisionist theories also do not address the establishment of the Shaolin temple under Batuo, Bodhidharma's association with Dyana and Yogacara, Bodhidharma's association with the ] military order, <ref>[http://www.wwzc.org/translations/denkoroku.htm Denkoroku: | The revisionist theories also do not address the establishment of the Shaolin temple under Batuo, Bodhidharma's association with Dyana and Yogacara, Bodhidharma's association with the ] military order, <ref></ref> previous foreign influences on aspects of Chinese culture and similarities between Indian arts and arts of China. These theories mostly revolve around disproving the Yi Jin Jing, a text associated with Bodhidharma. | ||
| Record of the Transmission of Luminosity by Keizan Jokin zenji translated by Anzan Hoshin roshi and Joshu Dainen zenji]</ref> previous foreign influences on aspects of Chinese culture and similarities between Indian arts and arts of China. These theories mostly revolve around disproving the Yi Jin Jing, a text associated with Bodhidharma. | |||
| Most accounts of martial arts history have credited the foreign influence, <ref> A Historical Prespective: The Origins of Kwon Bup, Chuan Fa, Kempo, Kuntao by Ian A. Cyrus, 9th Dan, Headmaster, Choson Kwon Bup International Chosondo Federation</ref> disregarding the conflicting theories. | Most accounts of martial arts history have credited the foreign influence, <ref> A Historical Prespective: The Origins of Kwon Bup, Chuan Fa, Kempo, Kuntao by Ian A. Cyrus, 9th Dan, Headmaster, Choson Kwon Bup International Chosondo Federation</ref> disregarding the conflicting theories. | ||
Revision as of 16:33, 6 December 2006
Foreign 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 the foreign influence was vital on Shaolin temple's approach to institutionalized martial arts.
The Foreign influence
Establishment of the Shaolin temple
The Indian dhyana master Buddhabhadra was the founding abbot and patriarch of the Shaolin temple.
According to the Deng Feng County Recording (Deng Feng Xian Zhi), Bátuó came to China in 464 CE to preach Nikaya (小乘) Buddhism. Thirty-one years later, in 495, the Shaolin Monastery was built by the order of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei for Batuo's preaching. 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.
Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma is credited with the establishment of the Chan and Zen sects of Buddhism. Bodhidharma arrived in China during the 5th century. He stayed and taught for several years in the Shaolin temple.
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 monastary in Henan province, and inspired the development of Shaolin Kung Fu. This marked a watershed in the history of 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.
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.
In addition to being a master of Dhyana, Bodhidharma is also related to Yogacara (Sanskrit: "Practice of Yoga " ). He is described as a "master of the Lankavatara Sutra", and an early history of Zen in China is titled "Record of the Masters and Disciples of the Lankavatara Sutra" (Chin. Leng-ch'ieh shih-tzu chi).
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.
Similarities
Historians have noted foreign influences on aspects of Chinese culture, such as mythology (Sun Wukong and Guan Yin, which were influenced by Hanumana and Avalokiteshvara respectively ) and architecture (Pagodas influenced by Buddhist Stupas) in the past.
The similarities between arts of India and Chinese martial arts have also been noted by martial arts practitioners, historians and news organisations.
Around the 3rd century BC, Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutras, which taught how to meditate single-mindedly on points located inside one's body, which was used in later martial arts, while various mudra finger movements were taught in Yogacara Buddhism. These Yoga elements, as well as finger movements in the nata dances, were later incorporated into various martial arts.
References to martial arts are found in early Buddhist texts. The Lotus Sutra also categorized combat techniques as joint locks, fist strikes, grapples, and throws, and also referred to a martial art with dance-like movements called Nara. Other stories suggest that Siddhartha Gautama was a champion wrestler and archer before becoming the Buddha.
Knowledge of the Indian arts was carried into China by Buddhist monks. Joyotpaul Chaudhuri notes that far too much attention is given to the Bodhidharma alone. Buddhist monks were active in China before Bodhidharma.
The Lankavatara Sutra repeatedly refers to the 108 steps. The 108 of the Yang long form and Wing Chun, taught by Yip Man having 108 movements are noted in this regard. The similarities between the posture of the "Nataraja" and bong sau and bong gurk in one hand and one foot position are also noted.
Historians have also noted that Indian works of art and particularly in temple sculptures show warriors in positions similar to modern day East Asian martial arts.
Similarities were also recorded by the British Broadcasting Corporation in a television documentary in 1981 titled "Kalari, the Indian way" which noted that a Southern Kalaripayattu practitioner performed martial arts identical to one found in a branch lineage from the Wong-Hon-Wing line of Tibetan Hop-Gar Kung-Fu.
Discovery Channel also notes "Possibly the oldest martial art in the world, Kalarippayattu is still being practiced widely today in the Indian state of Kerala. Shaolin chuan is said to have evolved from Kalarippayattu."
Bodhidharma's stature in religion
Bodhidharma is associated with religion. A measure of conflicting accounts, traditional and modern in nature, are associated with religious figures, including Jesus Christ, Gautama Buddha and Prophet Mohammed. However, the conflicting accounts are usually made insignificant in comparision by views commonly held by the vast majority.
In case of Bodhidharma, it is generally believed:
Bodhidharma (c. 6th century CE) was the Buddhist monk traditionally credited as the founder both of Chán and Zen sects of Buddhism and venerated as the first patriarch of the Shaolin kung fu school of the Chinese martial arts. It is generally agreed that he was a South Indian monk—possibly from Kanchipuram—who journeyed to southern China during the Liang Dynasty (502–557), from which he subsequently relocated northwards.
Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece
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.
Extent of acknowledgement of the foreign influence
Views from the martial arts community
Martial arts journalists and 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, Prof. J. Roe, P. E. Katzer, Joyotpaul Chaudhari, Dr. William Durbin, Bruce A. Haines, Jess O'Brien, Lawrence Galante and Betsy Selman, Robert Scaglione, George A. Kirby, George E. Mattson and Tony Sims have noted the foreign influence on Chinese martial arts.
Claims that that Chinese martial arts are independent of any foreign influence whatsoever have also been rejected by prestigious martial arts institutions, including the Gracie Barra, International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Florida Federation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the Shaolin temple.
The foreign influence has also been recognized by legendary martial arts practitioners and authorities, including Chojun Miyagi, Funakoshi Gichin, Wong Kiew Kit, Tadashi Nakamura, Carlos Machado, and Rickson Gracie.
In addition, reputed organizations such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, the New York Times, The Hindu and the Discovery Channel to name a few, have also taken a note of the foreign influences.
Conflicting theories
Further information: Bodhidharma, the martial arts, and the disputed India connectionLike the Bible or the Koran, the foreign influence on Chinese martial arts has also been subjected to revisionism by a minority of the martial arts community.
In order to revise history associated with Bodhidharma, some historians have conducted their independent research. This has yet to yield result as seperate attempts at revising history have led to different conclusions, often dramatically conflicting in nature.
Historian Matsuda Ryuchi dates the Yi Jin Jing, a text often associated with Bodhidharma, to 1827. His claim is rejected by another historian, Lin Boyuan, whose research dates it to over two centuries earlier in 1624. Ling Tingkan concluded that the author of the Yì Jīn Jīng must have been an "ignorant village master." This claim has also been rejected by Lin Boyuan who attributes the Yì Jīn Jīng to the Taoist priest Zining writing in 1624. Historian Paul Pelliot presents a version claiming that Bodhidharma did not exist at all, he is an entirely fictional creation, a proposal which conflicts with revisionist versions as presented by Matsuda Ryuchi, Lin Boyuan and Ling Tingkan.
The revisionist theories also do not address the establishment of the Shaolin temple under Batuo, Bodhidharma's association with Dyana and Yogacara, Bodhidharma's association with the Kshatriya military order, previous foreign influences on aspects of Chinese culture and similarities between Indian arts and arts of China. These theories mostly revolve around disproving the Yi Jin Jing, a text associated with Bodhidharma.
Most accounts of martial arts history have credited the foreign influence, disregarding the conflicting theories.
References
- Shaolin.cn.com
- The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu: The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defense, Health and Enlightenment by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
- Faure, Bernard. Chan Insights and Oversights: an epistemological critique of the Chan tradition, Princeton University Press, 1993. ISBN 0-691029-02-4
- The Founder Of Shaolinsi The founder of Shaolinsi
- Kungfu History at EasternMartialArts.com
- Legacy of Shaolin Fighting Monks by Salvatore Canzonieri
- Concise Encyclopedia Brittanica Article on Bodhidharma
- The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu: The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defense, Health and Enlightenment by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
- The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu: The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defense, Health and Enlightenment by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
- Encyclopedia Britannica Article: Yogacara
- The five holy mountains
- Our Martial Arts History and Tradition: A Brief History Of Kempo by Prof. J. Roe
- Systematic study and training in ancient Chinese discipline of Shaolin Kung Fu Wushu for holistic health and self-defense, including the study of various aspects of Eastern philosophy and religions - International Curriculum Proposal
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- The Spiritual Legacy of Shaolin Temple: Buddhism, Daoism, and the Energetic Arts - Page 78 by Andy James
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- 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.
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- Lin 1996:183
- Lin 1996:183
- In his "Notes on some artists of the Six Dynasties and the Tang," Paul Pelliot asserts that all accounts of Bodhidharma are legendary.
- Denkoroku: Record of the Transmission of Luminosity by Keizan Jokin zenji, translated by Anzan Hoshin roshi and Joshu Dainen zenji
- A Historical Prespective: The Origins of Kwon Bup, Chuan Fa, Kempo, Kuntao by Ian A. Cyrus, 9th Dan, Headmaster, Choson Kwon Bup International Chosondo Federation
See also
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)
- - An interview with the Shankaracharya of Kanchi
- The Sound of the One Hand - Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 107, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1987), pp. 125-126
- Trinidad and Tobago's Guardian newspaper
- The Bodhisattva warriors: the origin, inner philosophy, history, and symbolism of the Buddhist martial art within India and China by Terence Dukes (1994). Publisher: York Beach, Me. ISBN 0877287856
- Karate Basics By Robin L. Rielly
- Luo Han 18 Monks