Are Martial Arts a Corruption of Chi Kung?
By John Chow of Tao of Tai Chi Chuan Institute,
There has been questions whether martial art are descended from Chi Kung, and are thus a corruption of what were once purely spiritual practices. Did the pure spiritual arts of Chi Kung that were practised in the mountains and temples get corrupted when they were spread to the “outside” and later became “family lineages of martial arts”. In Asian societies, this is not so much an issue, but with the unruly promotion and marketing of martial arts in the West as a way of spiritual cultivation, it has become an issue in the west.
To answer this question, one must investigate the
nature and practice of martial arts in
First, an introduction. I have been involved in Buddhism and Taoism since teenage. I was a founding member of the Monash University Buddhist Society in 1976. I helped with quite a few Buddhist and Taoist centres from there on, and I still do. I was founder of the Chinese Buddhist Society in 1982.
Therefore, I humbly submit that I have some understanding of Chinese temples and Buddhist temples. Therefore, I may, if you will permit me, submit my views.
Some temples/centres may have some monks or members practising some Chi Kung exercises. A few may even practise some "martial arts". However, to say that their Chi Kung influenced and developed and get 'corrupted' into family martial arts lineages is plainly putting the cart before the donkey.
Martial arts are as old as humankind – found every where, in every nation, every race, and every tribe. There is no necessity to have a Chi Kung predecessor. In some nations, martial arts are purely combat arts created and practised for self defence, fighting, killing or military use.
In some cultures, martial arts have a spiritual blend. But it is not correct to assert that the spiritual practices came first, and were then corrupted and became martial arts. Is there any proof that a such-and-such a yoga breathing method had degenerated through time into a martial art used for maiming and killing?
Just because some spiritual cultivators indulge in martial arts, and some martial artists indulge in spiritual arts does not necessarily mean the source of martial arts in from Chi Kung. Indeed, it is quite common in traditional Asian culture for spiritual cultivators to indulge in martial arts, and martial artists to indulge in spiritual arts. This is Asian culture. It does not raised any eyebrows. Asian culture does not see any contradictions in pursuing a spiritual art of harmlessness and mercy while practising a martial art for combat at the same time. It has been the case for centuries, and thus, is not a fade, as things tend to be in the West. It is only in the West that such apparent contradictions brings an uncomfortable or guilty feeling with it.
I would take the case of Tai Chi Chuan for discussion. Tai Chi Chuan was created as a “chuan” or martial art. Whether it is in Chen Jia Kou, or in Wu Dang Mountain, it was a chuan. Because Tai Chi Chuan has changed it emphasis to a "spiritual' and 'health' art in the West, many Westerners "would like" to think that Tai Chi Chuan was created as a Chi Kung or a spiritual art or as a Taoist Yoga in Wu Dang Mountain, and then spread out and became a martial art in certain families. This is not true. Many Taoist hermits also practise chuan. Some are very skilled in chuan. They are very skilled and so they have the control not to harm people. Just because they do not wish to harm people, and they manifest a softer art, does not mean they are not practising a chuan. Many Taoists in Wu Dang Mountain still carry on their ancient martial arts practices to this day, side by side with their spiritual yogas. There are distinct spiritual practices and there are distinct martial art practices, and they are often practised side-by-side. There are also practices are both spiritual and martial at the same time. To a typical traditional Asian, no question is asked.
The 'new' phenomena that you see in many temples/centres in Asia nowadays is another thing all together. It is monks and members who are practising whatever they know and can, of martial arts which some termed "family" martial arts. Thus, some practise Wing Chun, Tang Lang, Hung Chuan, Tai Chi, Ba Gua, Xing Yi, and even Islamic-based arts like Tam Tui etc. It is for exercise and cultivation. Not for fighting. You may perhaps say that the "family martial arts" have now been brought to the temples/centres, and corrupted there. Hardly the other way around.
The above has nothing to do with the legend that Bodhidharma (Da Mo) created Kung Fu. That is only a legend. Da Mo was a great and enlightened monk of the Chan (Japanese = Zen) tradition. He was not a fighter. He was an enlightened being, and he became so famous after his life that we fondly attributed so many things to him. Even some Taoist lineages (I hold 2 such Taoist lineages, and was the holder of records for one of them, so I know what I am saying!!!!!!!!!!) trace their ancestry to him! All rubbish - of course! The Muscle Change Classic and the Tendon and Marrow Washing Classic were also attributed to Da Mo. There is no proof either. Chan Buddhism was so famous that it thundered through Tang China, and it was said that most of China during the Tang Dynasty was Chan, Chan and Chan. The Chinese (and perhaps other races too) have a favourite trick of attributing one's ideas to a great personage like Da Mo, in order to gain acceptance. Thus, Da Mo is the creator of Kung Fu, and the monastery that he stayed at for 9 years was full of great fighting monks who are not allowed out of the monastery unless they successfully negotiate and fought their way of the exit chamber of 108 bronze robot dummies. Utter nonsense, which form legends to feed the fantasy of the gullible.
The romantics try to tell us that all Shaolin Kung Fu sprang from these classics. And Da Mo is the founder of Chinese martial arts. What rubbish! Martial arts are as old as pre-historic mankind! All cultures and all regions in the world have martial arts. Same in China. China's most famous warring period was the Three Kingdoms period, and our patron saint for war is Kuan Kung who lived during this period which preceded Da Mo by 300 years!. Prior to that, the famous wars were by Chin Shih Huang Ti, the infamous 1st emperor of China. Prior to that, it was during the Hsia and Shang dynasties. Great fighters existed in China's history far before Da Mo. Poor Da Mo - a peaceful enlightened, very great being, is loaded up with this rubbish we attribute to him. There is no evidence that Da Mo created Kung Fu.
Even if Da Mo was the creator of these 2 classics of Wai Chi Kung, this is the only plausible connection to Chi Kung first appearing on the temple scene. (Kung Fu already existed hundreds of years before da Mo!). It is not Kung Fu or the martial arts. It was a health art. It is very understandable that monks needed exercises to stretch and invigorate their blood circulation to relieve the effects of long hours of sitting meditation and sitting in prayer rituals. It is conceivable that yoga-like exercises were introduced in Buddhist temples for this purpose. But the connection of Chi Kung to martial arts as a source or origin is flimsy at best. Not only there is no real evidence, but the relationship could be the other way around - ie. martial arts was first, and Chi Kung of the martial arts was developed to make the martial arts more combat effective.
The martial arts in Wu Dang and many other Taoist places are still martial arts. A martial art is a martial art. Only in the West, we now view a martial art as something for health and spiritual calmness sort of rubbish. In Asia, we do not see any conflict of interest between a martial art and spiritual cultivation. It is not a question. To us, martial arts are martial arts and they are also a method of cultivation (Kung = Gong). We do not get guilty feelings and practise martial arts, and then change over and practise a peaceful loving grovey type of meditation after that to ease our discomfort.
Since we are questioning the ORIGIN, than, we must try to understand how it is done and thought of in Asia, afterall, isn't Asia the origin of Tai Chi Chuan? I do not accept "That is the way they do things in Asia, but this is USA". You are asking about the facts of origin, therefore, forget USA, and how they think what Tai Chi should be in USA. Go to the source and ask about it. Better still, if you really want the truth, marry a Chinese girl and go live in Asia for at least 10 years to know how they really think there, and then, you may start to comment about origins .....etc. I have lived in Australia for 30 years, so I know both Western and Eastern cultures very very comfortably, and I know how each think. I would only comment on Western things after I put on my Western hat, and I would only comment on Eastern things after I put on my Eastern hat. To me, it is unethical to do otherwise.
As far as I know, Tai Chi Chuan did not arise as mere Chi Kung in Wu Dang San and then got corrupted and became a martial art. There is no evidence of that. Our Tai Chi Chuan forefathers learnt the fore runner of our Tai Chi Chuan from Taoist sources, and became skilled martial artists, and passed it down to us. It was learnt as a martial art.
Written on 27 April 2005, by John Chow, a practitioner of Chinese medicine, acupuncturist, masseur, healer and teacher of martial arts and spiritual paths.
Copyright:
No part of this article can be used, quoted, copied in any form without the permission from the author.
For further information on this article, please contact John Chow at vajra_master@yahoo.com.
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