by Professor Peter Georgiou

I. Background

Many today (2004) have lost sight of the spirituality of the life arts by focusing primarily on the physical nature of the arts. The lure of becoming physically strong and learning to defend one’s self, through the practice of the arts, is intoxicating and will cause a practitioner to lose sight of a fundamental historical fact. The fact that I am referring to is that the arts developed through religious and spiritual practices only as an ancillary physical activity and only for the purpose of assuring that the practitioner remains physically able to continue with spiritual training. This fact is often lost to the vast majority of today’s practitioners, and as a result the arts are not properly taught, practiced or learned. More important without this critical historical connection, that greatly affects practice and learning, the arts are not properly transmitted to succeeding generations causing confusion and misapplication.

To understand the spiritual base of the arts and its importance to learning we must travel back in time to the first visit of the legendary Bodhidharma 1 to the Shaolin Temple in China. Bodhidharma is credited with bringing Zen Buddhism to China (Zen is the Japanese word for meditation). Very little is known about Bodhidharma but scholars do agree in the following salient facts. Bodhidharma was born in Kanchi in the Southern Indian kingdom of Pallava around year 440 AD to a Brahmin family and at a very young age began to study Buddhism. He is credited of having tremendous power of observation and a keen intellect as a result he became "aware" early in life. His spiritual instructor, Prajnatara, instructed him to travel to China and to spread Zen Buddhism. Bodhidharma accepted this call and agreed to travel to China to spread the word. In 475 AD Bodhidharma traveled from India to China by ship, arriving in Southern China in the same year. (Bodhidharma is also credited in bringing tea to China)

Once in China Bodhidharma eventually began to teach Buddhism and meditation (zen) to the monks of the Shaolin Temple. Legend has it that before associating himself with the Shaolin Temple Bodhidharma meditated for nine years straight facing the wall of the Shaolin Temple and it was this unwavering show of will that impressed the Shaolin monks to come under the teaching of Bodhidharma. However, upon entering the Shaolin Temple Bodhidharma discovered that the monks had very little energy to endure his type of rigorous meditation techniques. The monks’ bodies, due to physical inactivity because of meditation practice, had become soft and weak. As a result they could not endure Bodhidharma’s type of strict devotion to meditation, as it required great physical strength. It was at that point that Bodhidharma began to develop physical exercise and martial art style of techniques to ensure that the monks developed the necessary physical strength and endurance that is required to continue with their spiritual training. These techniques and set of exercises is what later became the many styles of Wu Shu (misnamed in the West as Kung Fu 2). To this regard Bodhidharma is credited of creating the so-called "martial arts".

During his life Bodhidharma had a few true disciples. Reportedly less than five. Bodhidharma eventually transmitted the patriarchship of his lineage to Hui-k'o, prior to his death. Bodhidharma died in 528 AD. A few years after his death, a Chinese official reported encountering Bodhidharma in the mountains of Central Asia. Bodhidharma was reportedly carrying a staff from which hung a single sandal, and he told the official that he was on his way back home to India having accomplished his mission to China. 3 When this story reached his home in China, his fellow monks decided to open Bodhidharma's tomb expecting to find his remains. Inside, however, there was nothing but one sandal. And herein lies the legend of Bodhidharma.

II. Meditation

Zen meditation is a road towards enlightenment or truth. It is a vehicle used by travelers seeking to find the true essence of human existence and for the contextual framework wherein other natural and manmade conditions can be explained. It is a device for calming the spirit to such a degree that the individual becomes capable of hearing the truth. It is something that needs to be practiced on a daily basis and be made part of a warrior’s life. All else, including the physical techniques of the arts, is ancillary and second in importance. It is the warrior’s degree of commitment in seeking the true path that is the measure of his skill.

Recently (1973) as a result of extensive research by Herbert Benson, M.D. 4 we have found that simple Transcendental Meditation (TM) when performed properly has incredible health benefits. When practiced correctly simple TM can reduce heart rate, rate of metabolism and lower blood pressure. Reduction in these processes can add many healthy years to your life. Therefore, with meditation we have a vehicle that is suited to bring the practitioner closer to the path and a practice that has proven beneficial effects to health. A perfect combination.

There are some basic concepts and mechanics for simple TM:

1. Find a quite place;
2. Find a comfortable sitting position;
3. Find a "focus" point – this focus point can be a word (i.e. love) or an object that you like to thing of;
4. Begin to breathe normally by inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth – do this for 3 minutes
5. Then, begin to eliminate all other thoughts from your mind until the only thing in your mind is your focus point – do this for the next 5 minutes
6. Then, at the end of each breathe cycle you think of only the focus point while eliminating all other thoughts – do this for at least 12 minutes.

This form of TM is the simplest and possibly one of the most effective for beginning students. It should be practiced daily, two times a day. In a ten-week period the result will be obvious. (Take your measurements before the program begins to monitor your progress)

III. The Arts

The connection between enlightenment and the life arts is clearly established by historical facts. But more importantly Bodhidharma’s story establishes that the original role of the arts was to keep the artist in physical shape so that he may continue on his path to the truth through the practice of meditation. The arts never had an independent origin. The need for the application of the arts may have varied from generation to generation but their origin is clear. Therefore, in order to stay true to the spirit of the arts the artist’s true goal must be enlightenment.

(1) Known in Japan as Daruma.

(2) Kung Fu translated really means to have exceptional skills in something, not necessarily the fighting or life arts. It could be anything (i.e. cooking, calligraphy, playing a musical instrument...).

(3) Zen eventually reached islands of Japan where Dogen (1200-53 A.D.) became its most influential master. Dogen founded Zazen meditation whereby the idea of practice and meditation was incorporated into one road towards enlightenment. (practice is enlightenment; there is no "gap" between the two) Japanese masters of Zen or zazen expressed their spirit through some form of art such as pottery, sword making, poetry, calligraphy and of course the "martial" arts.

(4) The Relaxation Response, Herbert Benson, M.D. (1975).