9781422286708

M A R T I A L A R T S F O R A T H L E T I C C O N D I T I O N I N G

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MARTIAL ARTS The martial arts of China, Korea, and Japan all have strong links with the religious faith of Buddhism. Why the world’s most formidable fighting arts are linked to a religion that preaches respect for all life, as well as pacifism, is of more than passing historical interest. Buddhism originated in northern India in the 6th century b . c . The historical Buddha, Prince Gautama Siddharta (563–483 b . c .), famous- ly left his luxurious palace and family, opting for a life of hardship, and pledging not to rest until he had found enlightenment. After sev- en years, his search was rewarded and he became the Buddha, the Enlightened Being. His teaching is summarized in the Four Noble Truths: life is suffering; the root of suffering is illusion; illusion can be overcome and suffering ended; the way to overcome suffering is by following the Buddha’s Eightfold Path (right thought, right action, right effort, right speech, right livelihood, right attention, right concen- tration, and right understanding). Although the Buddha rejected the yoga of India’s holy men as one of the roads to salvation, the practic- es of certain forms of Buddhism (such as Zen, with its many hours The idea of chi has already penetrated Western conscious- ness. Along with the martial arts, the West has welcomed such arts as feng shui, which is the art of harnessing the chi found in the cosmos, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which employs techniques such as acupuncture and herbalism to balance the chi that exists in the body. CHI AND THE WEST

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