The evolution of Asian martial arts as they are known today is thought to have originated around 500 AD, when an Indian Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma arrived in China. Legend has it that he taught Indian fighting exercises to the Chinese monks in order to improve their physical condition. All forms of Kung-Fu is believed to have evolved from this.
Travelling to China
Bodhidharma, the third son of a local king and therefore a member of the caste of warriors and rulers, arrived in China in 520, although there are historical indications that he may have arrived in 470, or even as early as 420.
Some say he travelled by sea, risking his life over the towering waves, from Madras in southern India to Guangzhou and then by land to Nanjing. Other scholars believe that he walked a well-beaten trail over the Pamir Plateau, across the desert and along the Yellow River to Luoyang, the provincial capital and center of Chinese Buddhist culture.
Teachings of Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma taught his brand of 'dhyana meditation' to monks at the temple, but found that they did not possess the necessary stamina. They were so weak that they tended to fall asleep during meditation lessons. In order to strengthen their 'flaccid and emaciated bodies' he instituted calisthenics, breathing exercises and Indian fighting exercises.
Bodhidharma (Taishi daruma in Japanese)
Bodhidharma eventually became revered as the founder of Zen Buddhism. Whether his legends hold an element of truth, or are the products of later Zen scholars attempting to flesh out a believable patriarch, he remains a prime symbol of will-power, determination and self-discipline that are essential to success in the martial arts.
Bodhidharma’s example of the master-student relationship for teaching the way to enlightenment also endures today throughout the martial arts. Consequently, though the hard evidence for his existence and his martial arts contributions is entirely lacking, he is still widely and beneficially accepted as the Father of the Asian Martial Arts.
R Shree Varadan is a class VIII student at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket school