Letter to the editor of Martial Arts Professional Magazine

I enjoyed the column and offer my perspective on it.

We can teach martial sport or martial science, but to teach martial arts, we must first acknowledge the origin of martial arts. Most practitioners agree that China, more specifically the Shaolin Temple in the Hunan Province, is the birthplace of martial arts. Bodidharma, the founder of martial arts, incorporated a physical discipline into a spiritual path. martial techniques and meditation as a path to higher states of awareness and understanding is the deepest purpose of martial arts. Like it or not, our practice has spiritual roots. Spiritual development is as much a part of martial arts as holding your breath is to going under water.

So the question is, why would we decide not to teach the real goal of martial arts? The answer is that teaching punches and kicks is less offensive. Customers come to us for self-defense and to get into shape. They workout and get in shape, as well as learn how to fight. When we play it safe, no one is offended, and we make money. The problem is that our customers never become students of the martial arts. A real student of the martial arts must see their practice as more than simply punches and kicks.

I found it interesting that in the same issue of Martial Arts Professional Billy Blanks was quoted as saying, “Jesus Christ was a perfect person and they crucified him. I’m a man born into sin. What do you think they’re going to do to me?” It seems that a “Christian” religious overtone is acceptable, but an eastern overtone is immediately questioned. The martial arts do not have “Christian” roots, but they do have spiritual roots.

I feel that it may be necessary to make a distinction between spiritual development and religion. My students work on spiritual development but they practice many different religions. They are encouraged to study what they believe, and then to follow that faith to the best of their ability. With over 400 students, the largest percentage of our students are Christian, but many are Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Taoists, and a handful of agnostics and atheists. Historically, we have seen great martial artists from many disciplines that all followed different religious beliefs. Bodidharma, Chang San- Feng, Ueshiba, Funakoshi, Kano-Judo. All of these great masters were believed to be in their prime in their later years of life. Usually, no athlete is in his or her physical prime after the age of sixty or more. However, each of these great masters clearly understood that the practice of martial arts is a mental and spiritual discipline as well as a physical discipline. Each master achieved greatness within their art, because they mastered their minds and their bodies. All of these great masters viewed the art as sacred, although they had different religious convictions.

When we teach the truth, there will be certain individuals that will be offended. People have quit our programs because we bow, meditate, and the most ridiculous, because we count in a foreign language. On the other hand, so many others have had their lives influenced and improved because I teach the deepest philosophical and spiritual aspects of the practice. Society is starving for a deeper reason to practice, and I believe that they want and deserve the truth.

Respectfully yours,
Sifu Robert Brown

Sifu Brown is the author of the Lessons in Mindfulness program and owner of two martial arts schools in southeast Michigan. For more information, go to the website, http://www.zenmartialarts.com