Religious beliefs have been shown to promote good health in the faithful.
One researcher found that after surgery, patients with strong religious beliefs – Christian and Jewish, in this case – suffered one-third fewer deaths than those without beliefs.
For religious Jews, Christians and Moslems, certain Eastern practices can clearly be considered idol worship, for Jews and Christians those same practices are violations of the Ten Commandments.
Does the fact that a martial art germinated in religious soil mean all practitioners have to abide by those beliefs? Can the self-defense portion of an art be separated from the religious portion? If not, should students be warned that they are engaging in religious practices? Before answering these questions, it’s useful to examine the relationship between the Asian religions and their associated martial arts.
Originally, Taoism had little or nothing to do with religion, but the philosophical teachings were gradually combined with Chinese folk beliefs, Animism and Buddhist practices.
Many scholars believe the Chinese emperor was responsible for organizing religious Taoism as a political institution to replace Buddhism, which was considered a foreign religion that threatened the existing power structure.
The term “External martial arts” was coined to refer to Shaolin kung fu, which was based on Buddhism and other practices having their roots in India.
Many kung fu masters promote Taoist meditation and religious practices.
Cheng Ting hua style pa kua chang,(4),(5), training may include meditation methods based on the Taoist Dragon Gate monastery circle-walking practice.
These may be non-secular, or they may stem directly from religious Taoism.
In The Way of the Warrior, Howard Reid and Michael Croucher wrote, “Tai chi chuan contains a wide range of esoteric Taoist knowledge and is rooted in the intricacies of the Sung-dynasty neo-Confucianist world view, which, despite its name, is essentially Taoist in nature.” Modern-day martial artist should know that religious Taoism has about as much to do with practicing the internal arts as Christianity does with playing football.
While students may appreciate the value of philosophical Taoism, they need not practice religious Taoism.
There is a fine line between nonsectarian meditation practice and religious practice.
Buddhist religious chanting during meditation is a matter that should be approached with caution.
Some may be willing to practice Shinto, but those with other religious beliefs, which conflict with such practices, should not be unwittingly subjected to these religious practices.
The practice of hatha yoga was derived from Hinduism and other elements of Indian culture.
With knowledge and a little effort, instructors can separate the physical portion of yoga from the religious portion and thereby allow students to benefit from the meditation and flexibility training.
How does learning self-defense techniques – how to hit harder or kick faster, make one spiritual? Is spirituality the same as self-confidence, empowerment or serenity? If you are Jewish, Christian, or Moslem, you should be aware that practicing certain martial arts and their related religious rituals may be considered sacrilegious.
You should also know that in almost every art, the physical can be separated from the spiritual/cultural religious practices.
It’s easy to incorporate your religion’s prayers and beliefs into your martial arts and meditation practice.
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