HE STANDS motionless, draped in his flowing white ghi (uniform). With eyes closed in mute contemplation, one thought possesses his mind. Finally, he is ready.
Bowing slightly to his sensei (honourable teacher), he steps near the object of his concentration. In the centre of the main room of the dojo (training centre), is a stack of six one-inch-thick pine boards; each end of the stack rests on the top of a cement block.
For several moments he glares at the inanimate boards. Suddenly, he draws several quick, rhythmic breaths and lunges toward the stack. He lets out a piercing yell (kiyai), as his hand strikes the centre of the stacked boards. Crack! The pine boards splinter and fall to the floor, victim of nothing more substantial than human flesh.
Some in the audience nod in approval while others shake their heads in disbelief. Few of them realize they have just seen an ancient discipline designed to harmonize the body with the energy forces of the universe, in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
The term 'martial arts' popularly refers to a variety of fighting sports, which primarily originated in the Far East. Most forms of these arts are not combative in their purest form.
Some are meditative forms of self discipline with strong religious overtones. They emphasize a state of total awareness which dissolves the consciousness of difference between the self and the world. The martial arts could be described as yoga in action; in essence, they are a form of Zen Buddhism.
Tales abound -- some spurious, some true -- relating paranormal feats of adept senseis. Such claims are astounding. Bullets can be caught between one's teeth. Punches can be pulled (i.e., stopped short of striking the body), and yet their effects can still be felt. Psychokinetic phenomena (the movement of material objects by immaterial 'mental' power) may be displayed. These accomplishments have a name: noi cun. The source of power for such feats is said to be ki, or ch'i. Ki is widely known in the occult arts as the life energy or creative force of the universe.
Advanced practitioners of the martial arts credit ki with enabling them to knock a man down by barely touching him or by merely pointing a finger at him. Some are able to floor an opponent by their breath, or a look from their eyes.
Most people are interested in the martial arts for less exotic reasons. They are more concerned with downing an opponent than with attaining spiritual insight. Some may be seeking to enhance a macho image. But the inherent principles of paganism underlying the martial arts promise the novice he may get more than he bargained for.
The centuries-old practices of martial arts are relatively new to the Western world. The boom started when returning World War II servicemen brought back such arts from the Pacific. Later, the movie industry churned out films starring Bruce Lee, David Carradine and others, bringing the arts to the masses.
The martial arts can be traced to the dawn of history. Over the centuries, various aspects of the arts were modified, and eventually evolved into more or less violent types. Kung Fu was the original all-inclusive term describing the martial arts. Later, specific names were applied to its variations.
The original religious philosophy of Kung Fu dates back as far as 2696 BC, where it was rooted in the occult forms of divination known as the I-Ching (The Book of Changes). Lao-Tse, the Chinese sage born in 604 BC, added further embellishments. His teachings were set forth in a 5,280-word manuscript called Tao Te Ching, often called simply the tao, or 'the way.' He taught that salvation could not be found in prayer but rather by the observance of nature: as the trees bend with the wind and the rivers follow the path of least resistance, so must man adapt to the rhythm of co-existence with evil and wrong.
The next development in the history of Kung Fu took place when a monk named Bodhidharma brought Buddhism to China in the 6th century AD. When he discovered the monks sleeping during his lectures, he introduced exercises to assist them in meditation. Known as I-chin Sutura, his system combined Kung Fu with the philosophical principles of Zen to develop a highly sophisticated form of weaponless fighting.
The monks at his Shaolin Temple became famous for their savage abilities of defence, which they employed whenever they were attacked in the course of pilgrimages.
Eventually two schools of martial arts evolved: Ch'uan Fe (Kung Fu) based on the hard (external) school of Buddhism, and other arts founded on the soft (internal) school of Taoism. After centuries of countless adaptations, the martial arts have evolved into six basic forms: Kung Fu; Tai Chi Ch'uan; Karate; Aikido; Judo; and Jujitsu.
As martial arts spread beyond the monastery to the fields of war, some of the religious flavour was lost. But the essential belief system behind these disciplines has never been completely abandoned, even today. For this reason, Christians drawn to the martial arts need to be wary.
I'm not saying that one can't be a sincere Christian and dabble in martial arts. Christians also dabble in Freemasonry and horoscopes. But like those practices, the martial arts can be spiritually dangerous. As Christians, we don't want to serve two masters, and fall into interfaith syncretism -- i.e. the blending of religions. Involvement in the martial arts is a subtle form of idolatry -- equivalent to dabbling in Hinduism or Buddhism.
The early Christians renounced all other religious practices when they accepted Jesus. People today need to do the same if they really want to grow in Christ.
Ed Hird is minister of St. Simon's Anglican Church in Deep Cove.
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p.s. For the pro-martial arts perspective, just click on http://www.canadianchristianity.com/cgi-bin/bc.cgi?bc/bccn/0902/artmartialarts
-For a more extensive critique of martial arts, click on http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/arm07.htm
-For a personal testimony by Scott Gould an ex-martial artist, click on http://www.pastornet.net.au/response/
