[Buddha-l] Chinese Zen connections with the martial arts

[Steven Rhodes]

Based on its title alone (I've not seen the book) I was going to 
recommend that you look at:

    Andy James, The Spiritual Legacy of Shaolin Temple:  Buddhism, 
Daoism, and the Energetic Arts (Wisdom Publications, 2005).  However the 
only "review" of the book posted at Amazon.com says that the title is 
very, very misleading.  Nevertheless, maybe there will be a nugget of 
relevant information tucked away in a footnote!  Then again, maybe not.

Steven Rhodes

Bob Zeuschner wrote:

> The connection between Chinese Zen or Ch'an and the empty-hand martial 
> arts seems to be mostly myth (i.e., the 6th century Bodhidharma 
> connection).
>
> I had a graduate student many years ago who wanted to work on the 
> connection with Chinese Ch'an and the martial arts for his project.
> He was certain that Bodhidharma had brought Indian fighting skills to 
> China.
> I don't recall the specific details, but if my memory is not failing 
> me, after several years of research his conclusion was that the empty 
> handed fighting style of the Shaolin monks begins somewhere in the 
> 14th or 15th centuries, and at that time, the Shaolin monastery was 
> Taoist.
> The conclusion: Taoist longevity exercises were the origins of these, 
> and the connection with Ch'an wasn't until a whole lot later. There 
> was zero evidence to support the popular Bodhidharma-Shaolin myth.
> I'm sure other members of this group have more accurate research which 
> they can share with us.
> Bob Zeuschner
> Dept. of Philosophy
>
>
> d f tweney wrote:
>
>> At the risk of veering off-topic, I am wondering whether anyone has 
>> considered older, Chinese connections between Buddhism and military / 
>> state power. It seems clear that the kinds of militarization of Zen 
>> that happened in Japan also happened in China, perhaps at a very 
>> early stage. For instance, even a passing acquaintance with Chinese 
>> martial arts reveals abundant connections between Buddhism and the 
>> martial arts (cf. Shaolin temple), many of which were employed in 
>> decidedly non-peaceful ways.
>
>
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