Shaolin Martial Arts and Buddhism

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Shaolin Martial Arts and Buddhism
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Legends Surrounding Shaolin Martial Arts

• Staff legend associated with the Vajrapani
  Legend Vajrapani, aka. Narayana
• Tang account indicates that Sengchou, a Shaolin
  monk in the 5th century, became a fighting monk
  after being helped by the god Vajrapani, who
  forced him to eat sinews-flesh
• Vajrapani is a vajra wielder, a divine warrior,
  Shaolins tutelary deity

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• Vajrapani inspired Shaolins military training,
  staff fighting techniques and provided physical
  strength to martial monks
• He also provided religious sanction to monastic
  violence, and Shaolin fighting monks changed his
  image, transforming him into a staff fighting
  expert

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• A 12th century stele associated with Shaolin
  depicts Narayana as a manifestation of Guanyin,
  noting that whoever studies his mudra and mantra
  as described in the Sutra of the Assembled Charms
  can increase his bodys strength
• Shaolin monks worshiped this deity from this time
  on
• 14th century Shaolin monks changed his image,
  arming him with a staff and transforming him into
  a staff expert, progenitor of the monasterys
  renowned staff technique

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• Ming Shaolin legend also elevated Vajrapani to
  the position of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, or
  Guanyin
• Also the monastery's "guardian spirit", replacing
  Lord Guan (Guan Gong) as the temple's tutelary
  deity. Guan Gong remained tutelary deity in most
  Chinese Buddhist temple
• The deitys name was changed from Vajrapani and
  Narayana to Kimnara, a name originally designated
  a semi-divine and semi-human heavenly musicians
  and had nothing to do with warfare

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Bare-handed Fighting

• Shaolins bare-handed fighting techniques are
  said to have been practiced in the Ming dynasty,
  particularly late Ming
• Late Ming authors, however, attributed creator of
  the bare-handed fighting techniques to
  Bodhidharma, who allegedly authored the Sinews
  Transformation Classic,
• The book outlines a method of hardening the body
  to protect practitioners from being harmed

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• Legend says that the text was written in Indian
  language and that Shaolin monks could only
  comprehend a 30 to 50 of it
• A Shaolin monk brought the text to Mt. Emei in
  Sichuan, where he met an Indian holy monk Pramiti
  who explained point by point the text and
  rendered its meaning

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• A Ming author, an outsider to the monastery,
  eventually got hold of the translated text and
  published it
• The text was frequently referred to in Chinese
  fiction produced in Qing times and became widely
  popular in military circle

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• Bodhidharma was perceived as the originator of
  Shaolins fighting techniques and Shaolin monks
  began to practice the techniques taught in the
  text
• Both Buddhists and Daoists regarded him as the
  creator of different Buddhist and Daoist
  meditative, gymnastic, and martial art exercises
  and techniques
• Religious syncretism in the Ming provided an
  intellectual foundation for the late Ming
  evolution of bare-handed fighting

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• Despite syncretism, competition between Buddhism
  and Daoism continued well into the Ming and the
  Qing
• Shaolins bare-handed fighting was considered
  offensive, external school
• Legends talk about a defensive, internal
  school created by Zhang Sanfeng, a Shaolin
  disciple turned into a Daoist immortal who
  secluded himself on the holy Mt. Wudang in Hubei
  (p.179)
• Two hand combating schools emerged
• ShaolinNorthern School Shaolin Quan
• WudangSouthern School, Taiji Quan

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• Shaolins Fighting Monks (Wuseng) in Historical
  Accounts

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• Two important historical instances in which
  Shaolin monks resorted to armed forces
• During the last years of the Sui dynasty
  (ca.610), warded off bandits attack
• Beginning of the Tang dynasty, assisted the
  would-be emperor, Li Shimin, in his military
  campaign against Wang Shichong
• During the second half of the Ming (1368-1644)
• Helped defend the nation against Japanese pirates
  

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• Serving the emperor
• Shaolin monks defeated Wang Shichong's army that
  occupied a strategic mountain, where the
  monastery's Cypress Valley Estate was situated
• the monks also took Wang's nephew captive
  thereby pledging their allegiance to the dynasty

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• Later on, Shaolin monks were awarded titles of
  general and prefecture officers, although Tang
  emperor wanted them to disband and return to
  their monastery to perform their duties
• Shaolin monk Tanzong is said to have become very
  famous because of his unsurpassable fighting skill

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• Shaolin's contributions to the Tang dynasty in
  its very beginning were recognized in three
  Taizong's letters and other documents that were
  engraved on stones and became known as "Shaolin
  Monastery Stele

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• The stele safeguarded the monastery, protecting
  it from being destroyed by Tang government in
  845, when Buddhism was suppressed and 4,600
  monasteries were destroyed, many itinerant monks
  were Killed because they did not follow the order
  to return to laity.
• Shaolin Monastery continued to receive official
  patronage.

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• Defending the Nation
• By the second half of the Ming period, the 16th
  century, Shaolin monks had established themselves
  as expert fighting monks specialized in a wide
  variety of fighting techniques, including staff
  (gun) fighting, spear (qiang) fighting,
  broadsword (dao) fighting, and unarmed hand
  combat (quan)

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• Shaolins martial arts had become a household
  name and were often praised by late Ming military
  experts, despite Shaolins concentration on
  staff fighting
• Decline of the regular Ming army and piracy
  crisis prompted people to study Shaolin martial
  arts and form monastic troops

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• Ming military officials mobilized Shaolin and
  other monastic troops to fight against Japanese
  pirates
• Shaolin monks and those clerics receiving
  military education at Shaolin often scored
  victories in battles
• Shaolin monks reaffirmed their renown after the
  piracy campaign and the Shaolin monk Tianyuan
  became best known for both his martial arts
  skills and his strategic genius

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• In early 16th century, Shaolin monks were drafted
  to quell local bandit armies in North China and
  continued to offer military support well into the
  dynastys last years, 1640s, during which the
  Shaolin fighting force was annihilated by the
  bandit led by Li Zicheng

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• In early 20th century, Shaolin monks became
  embroiled in warlords' feud and sided with
  General Fan against General Shi, whose army
  defeated General Fan's and Shaolin monks and set
  fire to the monastery, destroying some towers and
  halls