Indian influence on Chinese martial arts

Indian influence on Chinese martial arts, or more specificly, Shaolin Kung Fu, is endorsed by both the traditional Shaolin temple claims and the claims of a majority of martial arts historians. Both versions agree that India was a vital influence on Shaolin temple's approach to institutionalized martial arts. Both versions also have seen a measure of negationism from a small community of martial arts historians during the recent past.

Main gate of the Shaolin temple in Henan

This foreign influence acting as a catalyst, however, does not necessarily indicate the indroduction of martial arts to China from India. In an article by published in the New York Times Travel section in 1983, Christopher Wren asserts that organised martial traditions predate the establishment of the Shaolin Monastery by centuries.

The Indian influence

Establishment of the Shaolin temple under Batuo

According to Chinese texts such as, Deng Feng County Recording (Deng Feng Xian Zhi), a Buddhist monk named Buddhabhadra (Chinese: 跋陀; pinyin: Bátuó) went to China to preach Buddhism in 464 A.D. The Shaolin Temple was built thirty-one years later in 495 A.D., by the order of emperor Wei Xiao Wen (471-500 A.D.). 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.

A painting on a wall in the temple showing lighter skinned Chinese monks and darker skinned monks

Buddhabhadra, an Indian dhyana master, was the founding abbot of Shaolin Monastery and the teacher to the monks there, including Sengchou and Huiguang. Monastery records state Sengchou and Huiguang, both expert in the martial arts, were two of Shaolin's first monks. The Taishō Tripiṭaka documents Sengchou's skill with the tin staff.

Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk, arrived in China during the 5th century. He stayed and taught for several years in the Shaolin temple.

Excerpts from author Simmone Kuo's Long Life Good Health Through Tai-Chi Chuan are mentioned below :-

Finding that the sedentary life often left the monks weak both in body and mind,Ta Mo decided to encourage physical discipline as well as meditation. He taught streching exercises from the Indian tradition of Yoga with which he was familiar. On their part, the Chinese monks were reminded of the native fighting techniques from their youth. A group of eighteen particulary dedicated monks then developed and refined a system of streching exercises and movements of what is now the core of Shao-lin Chuan, the source for all subsequent martial arts, including Tai Chi Chuan. The Chinese revere the eighteen monks to this day and venerate them as Lohans.

This view is endorsed in many forms by the martial arts community and the Shaolin temple authorities alike. 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. It was only after the inception of Shaolin Kung Fu that names were used to label various schools like Taijiquan, Bagua, Wing Choon, Eagle Claw, Praying Mantion and so on. Indeed, Kung Fu, as we understand today, started from the Shaolin.

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 monastary.

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. The extensive development of these techniques by the Chinese monks over centuries led to modern day Shaolin Kung Fu.

Visible signs of Indian presence at the Shaolin temple

The Shaolin Temple mural

The Shaolin Temple in China contains fresco murals with dark-skinned, not black, but similar in skin tone to Indians, monks teaching Chinese monks fighting forms. On the mural that survived three fires between 1644 to 1927, it says in Chinese script "Tenjiku Naranokaku" translating as "the fighting techniques to train the body which come from India."

Bodhidharma and Zen

Bodhidharma by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892)

Zen is a form of Mahayana Buddhism that places great importance on moment-by-moment awareness and 'seeing deeply into the nature of things' by direct experience. Zen emerged as a distinct school in China and spread to Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and, in modern times, the rest of the world.

"Zen" is the Japanese pronunciation of the character "禅" which is pronounced "chán" in Mandarin Chinese. The same character is read "Sun" in Korean. Zen is a contraction of the seldom-used long form zenna (禅那; Mandarin: chánnà), which derives from "dhyānam" (Sanskrit) or "jhānam" (Pāli), meaning meditation.

Bodhidharma is associated with the idea that spiritual, intellectual and physical excellence are an indivisible whole necessary for enlightenment. Such an approach to enlightenment ultimately proved highly attractive to the Samurai class in Japan, who made Zen their way of life, following their encounter with the martial-arts-oriented Zen Rinzai School introduced to Japan by Eisai in the 12th century.

Negationism and it's extent

Main article: Disputed Indian origins of East Asian martial arts

Like the Bible or the Koran, the Indian influence on Chinese martial arts has also been subjected to negationism by a microscopic section of the martial arts community. However, these attempts have been rejected by the larger martial arts community including authors, practitioners, major news institutions and martial arts institutions.

Martial arts 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, [48] Howard W. French, Pete Hessler, Prof. J. Roe, [49] P. E. Katzer, Joyotpaul Chaudhari and Tony Sims have rejected the revisionist claims.

The revisionist claims have also been rejected by legendary martial arts practitioners and authorities, including Chojun Miyagi, Funakoshi Gichin, Wong Kiew Kit and Tadashi Nakamura.

In addition, reputed organizations such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, the New York Times, and the Discovery Channel to name a few, have also rejected the revisionist claims.

Claims that Shaolin Kung Fu is independent of any foreign influence have also been rejected by prestigious martial arts institutions, including the Shaolin temple and the Gracie family.

Proposed influences on India

Some of the The oldest known records concerning combat techniques are hieroglyphic scrolls from Egyptian tombs, dating as far back as 4000 B.C. The Beni Hasan tombs are shown in the picture.

Many historians have theorised that Indian arts were influenced by other civilizations as well. Early martial arts can be traced to Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. There was an extensive maritime trade network operating between the Indus valley civilization 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, ancient Greece is the home to the Pankration system. This system was practiced by Alexander the Great's army. Historians suggest that over time the concepts in the primitive martial arts spread east to India. Here they fell on fertile ground and began their development in relationship to Yoga, dharma, and dharmic religions. These principles were eventually transmitted to China.

Further reading

• Introduction of Red Pine, translator; The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma. North Point Press, New York. (1987)