Religion in the Martial Arts

The average Asian's religious beliefs are a hodgepodge combination handed down from generation to generation, observing a few Buddhist holidays, living by his or her choice of Taoist principles and mixing in elements of ancestor worship and Confucianism. And nobody cares or gets offended.

In general, religious practices are often indistinguishable from a lifestyle, philosophical or ethical choice in East Asia.

Most Asian martial arts have origins that are tied to Buddhism and/or Taoism. The Shaolin Temple was known as the home to sophisticated and potent fighting form, but it was first and foremost a Buddhist temple. Many people believe Taijiquan was invented by a Taoist sage named Zhang Sanfeng.

To my knowledge, no Buddhist or Taoist belief truly contradicts anything that is said in the Bible or Koran (though I admit that I've done very little study on the latter.) It is true that for many martial arts, you'll have to understand the concept of yin, yang and balance in order to apply the techniques in a practical situation. But it's easy to see this as a scientific principle or practical strategy.

And it's true that at many traditional schools, there is Buddhism/Confucianism-inspired discussion of ethics and proper behavior - things such as honesty, courage and the importance of helping the helpless and disadvantaged are often stressed. What's not Christian or anti-Muslim about that? I'm not aware of any rabbi that would object to these things.

Yet, if you asked an Asian with an incomplete grasp of Western culture or language whether or not religion and the martial arts were related, he might very well answer "yes." In the end, though, there is nothing taught in a dojo that will clash with any religious beliefs you might have.

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