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

[Bernie Simon]

Bob Zeuschne wrote:

> 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.


Anyone who has read the Muscle Changing or Marrow Washing classics can 
see the connection to Bodhidharma is spurious. The Wikipedia article on 
Bodhidharma discusses the issue. Scroll down a bit to see the 
discussion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhidharma

The military and martial arts were considered low class pursuits in 
China. My guess is Buddhism played a role in this opinion. The 
connection between martial arts and Taoism and Buddhism is real, but 
mostly of a late date, in the Qing dynasty, when the internal styles 
become  popular and qi gong exercises and standing meditation became a 
standard part of martial arts practice.

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Dancing satyrs and nodding mandarins