Saturday 13 October 2012

Martial Arts : Draw Your Bow!


Kung Fu devotee are well aware that the Chinese martial arts got rolling in the sixth century C.E. thanks to a buddhist teacher named Bodhi Dharma. Bodhi Dharma came to China from India, where the martial arts were already an ancient tradition.

I don't recommend you pack your bags and fly to India to study with the Hindu martial arts masters, however. This tradition has been in decline in India for so long it's barely kicking anymore, except for a few locations, such as pockets in Kerala where small groups of enthusiasts fight to keep the old traditions from total extinction.

In ancient times, the most prominent, and most deadly form of military skill was archery. If ancient accounts are true, Hindu troops used to use arrows like we use missiles today, to carry payloads. The Mahabharata describes arrows and laden with toxic substances that could stun dozens of troops into unconsciousness.

Hindu martial arts training included mastery of the breathe as well as mastery of mantras. Warriors used mantras to "empower" their weapons. By manipulating icking during an emergency( Breath control really works, incidentally. I'll show you how in Chapter 23, "The Royal Road")

The spiritual training underlying the martial arts is of course intended to teach the student self-discipline, courage, and the ability to remain calm even under life threatening circumstances. These are valuable skills for anyone to add to their resume, if you ask me!


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