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Martial Arts : A brief history on the origins and birth
Part One
All cultures have a martial tradition which is often linked to spiritual endeavour (The Greeks included wrestling in the Olympic games and the hero conquering the monster, demon or evil king is a major archetype of mythology); nevertheless, it is in the East that these arts have achieved their highest peaks and elaboration’s. It is thought that the martial arts had their origin in India (although little is known of this early stage) and spread to China like Buddhism.
Martial arts is said to originate from the Shoalin Monastery on the Songsan Mountain, Honan Province in northern China. It was introduced there by a wandering Indian monk named Bodhidharma, also known as Ta-Mo. Bodhidharma was the son of King Sugandha of India. As befitted the son was well versed in the martial arts of his homeland, and was a much respected member of the warrior caste. In his middle years Bodhidharma for some reason renounced his birthright, took up the robes of priesthood and set off on the life in pursuit of truth and knowledge. History records that some years later Bodhidharma surfaced in Honan province, having crossed the impenetrable barrier of the Himalayas on foot. He came to a Monastery named Shoalin where he found the monks in an emaciated state. According to legend, Bodhidharma introduced the monks to a series of exercises in the effort to get them fit and well. The 18 exercises he taught them were for conditioning the body and developing the mind. These therapeutic movements are popularly believed to be the forerunners of Shoalin temple boxing, known as the 18 hands of Lo-Han. Bodhidharma also bought Buddhist teachings and philosophies to these monks. It is believed that the Shoalin temple was the birthplace of the Ch’an philosophies, popularly known in the west as Zen.
For many years, the Shoalin monks of the Honan were feared s extraordinary fighters. They were men who, if they had to, kill with their bare hands, although they upheld the Buddhist reverence for all forms of life. The only exception to this was if the situation was a life or death one. In 1589 a Chinese named Kwok Yuen entered the temple and expanded Bodhidharma’s 18 exercises to 72. To increase the number of fighting systems it has been said that Kwok Yuen disguised himself as an old man and wandered around the country in the search for skilled teachers in Kung Fu. In this way he introduced these skilled teachers into the temple and expanded the movements to a further 170. Later these were then classified into five distinct styles: Tiger, Crane, Leopard, Snake and dragon, which was based on the beliefs of the mythological creature. Later these styles were improved into a more effective system known as the Five Animals Fist.
Kung Fu practitioners encompassed philosophies based on nature, religion and cosmology. Fighting techniques have been adapted from mammals, birds and insects and even the tidal flow. In this way many Kung Fu practitioners pioneered their own systems through the study of these beasts. One legend that I particularly find interesting is the birth of the Praying Mantis System or Tong Long System not only because it is the system that I train but also because it tells of one mans Perseverance, Determination and Adaptability to become the best he could be. It also demonstrates that many if not all systems were discovered in this way, and also because I believe it to be the most explosive new system developed that has come to light in the last 50 years. Before this system like many others was shrouded in secrecy by the Chinese practitioners unwilling to teach to westerners. Legend has it that a Kung Fu master named Wang Lang went to the Shoalin temple to challenge the monks to a fight because he had heard that these monks were undefeatable. After receiving persistent challenges, the abbot sent out a novice monk to fight him. Within seconds, the noviciate monk had thrown Wang to the ground and decisively defeated him. Training harder Wang twice more went back to the Temple to challenge the monks and only to return bitterly defeated. Wang retired to seclusion to the mountains and one day while sitting under a tree, he watched a fight between a grasshopper and a praying mantis. Although the grasshopper was bigger and stronger, it could not overcome the smaller and weaker mantis. Eventually the grasshopper was beaten and devoured by the mantis. Highly impressed by what he had seen, Wang teased the mantis with a piece of long grass and memorised every defence and attack movement that the mantis made. Wang proceeded to devise a fighting system based on the movements of the mantis. Returning to Shoalin, he issued the same challenge yet again, and this time Wang defeated all comers. From that time on this was the birth of Tong Long. The most distinctive movement in the mantis or Tong Long system is that the mantis hand, which when attacking is shaped like a hook and looks like the insect’s double-up forelegs. The fast footwork is based on the hops executed by the long-legged mantis.
Kung fu was truly recognised in the western world during the 70’s; this was the time the late Bruce Lee made many of his films. Even to non-followers of the martial arts, the name Bruce Lee is synonymous with the spectacular fight scenes, amazing flying kicks, and the use of bare hands against all kinds of weapons and opponents. He was given the title ‘The King Of Kung Fu’, and there is no doubt that the emergence of Bruce Lee onto the martial arts movie scene created a box office sensation that not only swept the country but the world. This coupled with David Carradine and his hit ‘Kung Fu’ series (which was actually thought up by Bruce Lee), set the wheels in motion for the Kung Fu boom of the early 70’s.
Bruce Lee was the son of touring Chinese opera star. He was born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong. When he was 18 he returned to the United States to further his education at the University of Washington. Already well versed in Kung Fu, Which he had learned in his formative years in Hong Kong, he was accepted to play the role of Kato in the television’s Green Hornet series. Although the series did not prove to be huge success in the U.S., the dubbed version, screened in Hong Kong, set Lee on the road to fame and fortune. Chinese producer Raymond Chow offered him the main part in the movie ‘The Big Boss’. This was a hit, and Lee went onto making more Kung Fu movies. Because Lee was a committed martial artist he would not be led into silly fight scenes. Instead, he insisted on realism, and even choreographed many of the fight sequences himself. It was not until Bruce Lee’s untimely death at the height of his success that the world stood up and recognised him not as good entertainer but also as an excellent martial artist. I believe that Bruce Lee is responsible for the western understanding of the true meaning of Kung Fu. Bruce Lee was an accomplished Writer, Dancer and Philosopher and he showed people that Kung Fu wasn’t just another sport or just some people fighting, but a way of life.
There is an important distinction, often inadequately recognised, between the martial arts and simply fighting. The distinction is not one of competence or technique; the martial arts all have their own origin as part of a total system of training, the ultimate aim of which was a radical transformation of the being of the practitioner. The training of martial arts is not only trained and learned for the physical benefits but also because of the great mental well being that it can offer if one truly understands the meaning behind the art. The paradox of beginning a lethal skill and along the way transcending the violent aims of that skill to become a human being with superior qualities in both mind and body, is perhaps best summed up by the Chinese proverb:
‘He who overcomes others is strong. He who overcomes himself is mighty
Copy Right 1999. Mak Miah