Can you practice Kung Fu with out the Freakish Budhist Religeon?

Question

Hello I am interested in practicing in Kung fu (Gung Fu/ Wushu). I already train in Taekwondo. Anyways I am a Christian so yeah can I still be in Kung Fu? If so are there any school in China that have a website I could look at? Thanks

Answer 1

I'd just also like to add that if I recall my research correctly, there are more than just "buddhist" schools of kung fu.

--Almost anything that is classified as a "wudang" school of Kung fu--your internal styles like taiji, xing yi, yi quan or bagua zhang are going to be more "taoist" than anything, and that "taoism" is definitely more of a philosophy than anything, one of *its* principles is that believing in a God is entirely optional....it isn't a religion so much as a thought process.

--Several other schools of gung fu also have a bit of a "muslim" influence as well....

--But the big thing to remember is....it's "kung fu" and not karate or aikido. The Chinese Martial Arts are in general a *lot* less pushy about belief systems....if anything they are way more about *being Chinese* than about being of any particular faith. As in, it's a cultural thing way more than it is a religious one. You actually shouldn't have so much to worry about, *especially* with modern wushu's emphasis on sport and gymnastics training.

--And if all of the above doesn't convince you....just train in san shou or san da, the "kickboxing" methods where you just train the moves and *only* the moves.

Really. I doubt you are going to get half the religious hassle you think you are. If anything, just from what I have seen on the internet forums and Usenet groups, CMAs almost have too much in the way of lenience and tolerance....

I hope this helps, and thanks for your time! ^_^

Answer 2

christianity has wrestled with using martial arts (arts of mars) througout its history.

How for example did the knights/crusaders justify killing and training to fight when the tenets of christianity were written into much of thier "code" and any individual masters code?

Imagine a taoist learning from a european master in the 1300's, they wouldnt' want to hear about christianity either, but they would get it as part of the training nonetheless.

IMO- today, religion or spirituality shouldn't play any part in the martial arts. People used the spirituality to seem less violent towards society. In the past- the spirituality itself was part of the society, so every person, soldier, priest or merchant would have it ground into them. Today in america, it seems less violent if you add some "spiritual fluff" to appease the watchdog groups.

Personally you should be watching for other problems when you look at "kung fu" or CMA (chinese martial arts).

If that is really your desire, then I suggest you find and make sure that the school is a good one and the teacher is a good one that will train you realistically.

CMA is notorious for throwing pajama parties where people play dress up but don't really learn to fight.

You need to find a gym/kwoon that trains with resistance. Many CMA places don't. Your drills should eventually have your opponent doing full resistance and you should at some point begin sparring.

If the answer to this is "its too dangerous" well then you need to look for a new school. See, granted, if you train quick breaks and certain strikes that might be too dangerous for fear of injuring your sparring partner- and there is no protective gear that can be worn and will work for that, then you can't train those in sparring, but if that is your instructor's excuse for never sparring or doing any limited sparring or even a sparring like "free drill" then you won't be able to do it when it counts because you wouldn't have adequately trained it.
Every non-sportative system has some moves like that- but that doesn't mean you can't train the rest of what you learned. No system consists solely of breaks and groin, knee and eye punches (even with knee strikes you can just aim high).

Answer 3

Do you believe that Buddhism is truly a Religion the same as Christianity is in the West?

If so then you are misinformed and should ask a few more questions about Buddhism so that people do not think you are ignorant.

It seems you have a lot to learn and if you are to study one form of Kung Fu or another this may help you understand that Buddhism is rather a way for people to find out the truth and to utilise their mind out of right thought.

But if you are scared of being enlightened , please do us all a favor and keep studying TaKeMyDo.

Answer 4

I study Aikido and am a devout Roman Catholic. Yes, you can still study Chinese Wushu without practicing Buddhism or Taoism just as I can study Japanese Budo without practicing Shintoism or Omato or Zen. You must understand that these religions provide the philosophical basis of the martial arts, with many of the techniques being inspired by theological speculation. However, the martial arts are not a religion, but a lifestyle...even for the Shaolin monks. Rather, the martial arts are an extension of their religious beliefs.

The same is true for Christians who study the martial arts. If you took the Gospel literally, you wouldn't study the martial arts at all, even if you try to rationalize it as "just exercise." Does that mean you're not a "real" Christian? No. It just means that your Christian beliefs prevent you from using your martial arts skills unethically (i.e. fighting, bullying, bragging, etc.).

So, you have to decide if you can handle the "oriental flavor" of Chinese Wushu. It's important to understand and respect Buddhism and its philosophy in order to understand Wushu, but that doesn't mean you have to convert to Buddhism.

Answer 5

Hi back, I am Christian too. I do understand your quandary. First off some martial arts advocate that you empty your mind, some christians believe that is a no no am I right? Some martial arts like taiji are heavily based on taoism as well right? Furhermore you are in China, where it is mainly buddhist right?

Already some folks arent too happy with calling budhism freakish. But it depends on you as well, that you may just learn the martial art but stick to your own religion. It is a possibility.

Anyways here are some martial arts that i believe, do not involve religion. not 100% sure of the rest

1. wing chun
2. some wushu schools

i do belive that if you live in beijing the famous jackie chan has a martial arts school or more there or in shanghai too. Look it up. or if you are interested, I recommend

Jeet Kune Do. It isnt purely chinese martial arts but based loosely on wing chun. (some might contest this point but, oh well. its your choice)

Look them up yourself, because I dont exactly know which part of China you live in.

Answer 6

Taking Kung Fu doesnt mean you have to be budhist they dont ask u are you budhist? if ur not get the hell out they just ask u for ur money and they teach u no matter what religion u are so the answer to the question is Yes

Answer 7

If you are going to use adjectives like "Freakish" I would say NO!

The reason I say no is not because of your religious beliefs, but because you are too closed minded. You may "practice" but you probably won't "get it" (the insight!)

Wushu - OK...
but Kung/Gong Fu is more than a fighting style. It is a long term process of observation, self-examination, questioning your whole concept of "perception" and revamping your innermost self.

Many (if not most) westerners don't split hairs the way I do. Then again, most posters aren't technical writers with an in-born passion for semantics!
.

Answer 8

Buddhism has a lot to offer. You might be well advised to keep an open mind. And, a good argument could be made that Buddhism is really a form of depth psychology as opposed to a "religion" as you understand that term.

One of the "gifts" of Esoteric Buddhism is that it helps you to understand how the mind works, and how to overcome its natural and relentless propensity to have you saturated constantly by illusion.

A quiet mind emptied of illusion helps you to become a better martial artist, in all ways.

Answer 9

Yeah, I take kung fu lessons and there are people who are Christian. Somebody's name is even Christian, LOL, and nobody makes a big deal out of it, so i guess you can practice it.

Answer 10

It's all about the philosophy not the religion. I'm a Roman Catholic and I train in kajukenbo, a mixed martial arts with different backgrounds (chinese, japanese, and korean). None of which is forcing me to change my religion. But the philosophy transcends all that.