A Taste of Asia – Asian cuisine and antiquities

How much are asian beliefs/philosophies incorporated with martial arts?

Like, i know the shaoulin monks train and have buddhist beliefs, does this affect their martial arts performance in any way?

The philosophy behind the movement is extremely important because it allows you to understand what you are doing. For example, the principle of minimal interference in Tai-chi-Chuan requires that you do not block but move out of the way (towards the striker) so you can enter an unprotected area.

You move only the parts of the body that need to be moved so you don’t use exaggerated movement.
If you read the Tao Te Ching you read that stiffness is associated with death and flexibility with life. And so the body must be relaxed in order to be able to move quickly. The force comes from the ground up as a sequential expansion of the joints – only possible with a flexible and loose body.

Taoism promotes inner stillness in the midst of motion and that is why we don’t use anger to energize ourselves, but develop our bodies to be like a pulled bow, ready to release or a tiger ready to pounce.

All of the attitudes and principles and training emanate from the philosophy. Without knowledge of that philosophy, the martial arts just become the memorization of technique.

Beliefs Made Visible: Buddhist Art in South Asia (Part II)

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