Here is an interesting Podcast by Iain Abernethy called Discipline and Defiance and Practical Karate. Two Podcasts into one so to speak.
Discipline and Defiance / Practical Karate (podcast) | Iain Abernethy
Saturday 31 December 2011
Wednesday 14 December 2011
Egotism: Our Own Worst Enemy
It
is not uncommon in the Martial Arts world that many Martial Artists can have a
big ego. No matter what age you are and what belt rank you are. Many of us are
not able to control our ego. In my 7 years of training in the Martial Arts, I
have met or heard about a few people that have egotism. When I received my
black belt a year and a half ago, I vowed to be a humble person. My Sensei kept
me in check and made sure that I won’t act like a big-headed big shot. Many
Martial Artists who made it to black belt think that they are better than the
kyu belts and know more than the kyu belts and the sad thing is that they brag
about it, most likely teens act that way. In the Martial Arts world, egotism
can be our own worst enemy. When I got my black belt I was offered some perks
while I’m instructing and training. One of them is having a special change room
for the black belt club. However, by my own personal decision, I turned down
that offer and decided to still change with the kyu belts. The reason for making
that personal decision is that I felt that I am acting superior to the kyu
belts in a way, and I’m not like that. A big part of me says that I am more of
a student to the art still, and that I’m still one of the kyu belts. I know
more than them, I have more experience than them, but I’m not better than them,
I keep learning things in my training and how I teach. Since teaching is not
easy with all ages and with students with a range of learning style differences
and types of autism, I am always willing to take advice from my seniors and my
juniors. More importantly I have grown into a father figure or big brother-like
figure. I have trained kids that don’t see their fathers often because their
parents are either divorced or they never knew their father. It will benefit
students more to learn discipline in that atmosphere order to avoid harbouring
anger and hanging out with gangs engaging in negative activities. It is a
privilege to pass on what I have learned.
Kids
who have a high kyu belt ranking in the Martial Art system tend to change and
have an ego or have an ego from the start. They’re more worried about belt
ranks instead of building character, and improving their skills. More or less
it can stem from the teacher who cares more about the money and less about
educating their students. Young and old alike must come to the understanding
that coloured belts is just an indicator of progress, it’s not like “yeah I’m
the man now.” The old saying goes “The belt is just a piece of material that
holds up your pants.” When Karate was developing in the Ryukyu kingdom
(Okinawa), the natives their only trained in loin cloth on warm days. Belt
ranks never existed back then until Karate was introduced to Japan. Gichin
Funakoshi decided to adopt a dan/kyu ranking system in the art. He borrowed
that idea from Judo founder Jigoro Kano. The thing that gets me is when
students set a goal to get to their 1st dan (Shodan) and end up
reaching that rank with flying colours, they simply quit. I’m not saying they
take a little bit of a hiatus or train at another dojo. They simply stop
training altogether thinking that they have learned everything they needed to
learn and that they are a master. Those that have done this simply don’t
understand that Martial Arts training is a lifetime, when you get to Shodan; it
is a new beginning of your training or just the beginning of your training. I
can say if an individual cares only about obtaining coloured belts, you would
know that if he or she reaches black belt they would retire completely from
training.
In
my personal opinion I think that kids shouldn’t be Black belts, or Jr. Black
belts. This is a hot topic to discuss in the realm of Martial Arts. Many people
would go against what I say, but through my own experiences, I say that kids
under the age of 16 shouldn’t be black belts because it’s a big responsibility
to set a positive example. And a majority of kids who are black belts are
big-headed. Therefore they don’t have the mental maturity to carry the load of responsibility.
The problem is that we lack an understanding in the History of our art. To
understand how we got to do what we are doing, we have to go back to understand
what happened in 1393CE Ming dynasty. To understand why we are training in our
art we must go back to understand 1507CE, to understand why we are training in
our art we must go back to understand what happened in 1609CE. To understand
why we are training in our art we must go back to understand what happened in
1879, and to understand the history of our art we must go back to understand
what happened in the 1920’s in mainland Japan. To understand our history of our
art we must go back and understand what happened in 1945. That is my basic
outline in terms of chronology.
When the Asian Martial Arts were introduced
to the Western world by war veterans and some instructors from Japan and Korea
it had flourished into its golden age. Then overtime, the arts such as Karate
and Taekwondo became more of a commercialized sport, and the education of learning
self-defense as a top priority was overshadowed. The reason being is that
instructors just want to make lots money through commercialism and running a
black belt mill (McDojo). In most tournaments you would see competitors
sporting multi-coloured gis (Karate Uniforms) and all of that. Before I even
donned a Karate uniform and walked into a dojo to give this thing a try, I
thought all this commercialized hype was cool. When I was training in
traditional Karate for a while, I begin to realize how a scam it can be while
training in a McDojo due to pricy membership fees, merchandise fees, grading
fees and tournaments fees, and instructors that use their political power by
adding taxes to what instructors sell that don’t even relate to their own
state/provincial governmental taxes, thus abandoning their path as a warrior
scholar and taking up the role as being a con artist salesman to accomplish
their goals to make themselves filthy rich and spend their money on something
that may or may not relate to Martial Arts. Even those that engage in nepotism
in their dojo is a cancer towards traditional Martial Arts. Individuals who are
relatives and family friends to a Sensei can get an easy pass, furthermore,
receiving a black belt on a silver platter. It is just simply saying, “Oh we
like you young man, show me a few katas and I’ll give you your black belt and
certificate.” How does that feel to others that had to work hard and pay their
dues to achieve their goals than others? They can be envious. If that type of
practice at the dojo where I train happens, I wouldn’t stay around. Those that
expect to get an easy pass because they think in their minds that they are
special in one way or the other; don’t have the heart to be successful in the
Martial Arts or in life. You must earn it. As a scholar of the Martial Arts, I
felt that following the old budo way was the best path, going back and
understanding the roots of the art that I take through lineage and so forth.
The sad thing is that many young students that train in Karate or Taekwondo
lack the knowledge. All they know is to do this and do that and win lots of
trophies. Also, receiving belt ranks very quickly until getting to Jr. Black
belt at a young age. It is bad business for Martial Arts schools because
students are not educated enough and they are unable to fully grasp combative
principles. On one positive note, many Martial Arts students are becoming smarter,
if their instructors are being corrupt; they are willing to leave and find a
better instructor instead of blindly being loyal to him or her. However, in a
bad economy we must be aware of Martial Arts instructors that have an ego and
be desperately greedy because there can be more of those individuals out there.
In
the brotherhood of the Montu Arts, now Europeanized term as Martial Arts, we
have messed up really badly. I speak to those who have claimed titles in your
system, Senseis, Sifus, Gurus, Renshis, Kyoshis, Shihans, Hanshis, we must lead
by example or else we would lose our youth for the youth who are the future.
Don’t put business matters before your students; do not let your ego get the
best of you. Those that introduced military science to the world would be
disappointed in us. Those that developed Karate would be disappointed in us. I
ask these questions for those who are reading this. Do you still want to play
politics? Do you want to be narrow minded? Would you sell out? Would you
continue practicing nepotism? Would you continue to put your own students down?
Would you continue playing the shady salesman/con artists? If so, your Martial
Arts journey would be in vain.
HTP NTR
Jonathan
Monday 5 December 2011
Who is Bodhidharma?
Hotep/Ashashemalekim,
There have been more
myths and legends than facts for a number of generations of Martial Arts
origins and animal practices in the Martial Arts concerning where it originated
and who invented it. More of it has sprung out of belief systems more than
finding out the facts. However, more and more I see information written by
field researchers and others related to the field of study are coming out
during the time when everyone worldwide is using the internet. The reality is
that right knowledge is easily accessible to us, and the new generation of
people will be more intelligent than the previous generation. It is so true. My
quest as a scholar of the Martial Arts is not only competing and collecting
trophies at tournaments, teaching classes, attending seminars, improving my
health, etc. My quest and my passion in the Martial Arts have been for right
knowledge, finding out about my past in order to restore and preserve factual
History that can bring my self-esteem to a higher level into African
consciousness. In my previous blogs I have claimed that the Martial Arts were
not invented by Bodhidharma, it was in development all away back to the
Paleolithic age. It evolved out of hunting and gathering by early Homosapien
Sapien peoples of Eastern Africa. I will discuss in this blog the accurate
facts about Bodhidharma, and the actual origins of animal practices.
The
Existence of Bodhidharma the Buddhist Monk
There are
documentations of Bodhidharma’s existence that originated in Nepal, and in
China. This Buddhist had made a significant contribution to the Asian Martial
Arts so much that the Chinese writer made out that he was the originator of
Martial Art concepts through animal imitations, but he really wasn’t.
Bodhidharma (Chinese name was Da-Mo) was born from the warrior caste of
Dravidians around the late 400’s or early 500’s CE. It is important to note
that the Dravidians are the descendants of various Kushite (Ethiopians) tribes
such as the Ta-Seti, Ta Nahesi, Mursi and Nubians. The Tamils of Southeast
India descended from the Dravidians. The city and kingdom that Da-Mo was born
and raised in was Kanchipuram, Pallava kingdom (modern day Tamil Nadu in
Southeast India). He was the third son of a Pallavine King. Da-Mo was a student
of Mahayana school under Prajnatara. After his studies, he traveled to China
through boat, landed on Nepal and walked on foot across the snowy mountains of
the Himalayas into China and settled at the Province of Honan c.525CE.
It was there that he
spread the teachings of a new Buddhist sect called Chan (in Japanese called
Zen). He was invited into Shaolin Temple to introduce Zen meditation. He
noticed that the monks were unable to sit in meditation for a long period of time;
they were falling asleep so often because the monks cannot attain the proper
mental aspect. So Da-Mo left the Shaolin Temple and he meditated, trained, and
ate in the cave for nine years. After nine years he returned to Shaolin Temple
and taught the monks newer techniques that his disciples incorporated into
their Chinese boxing stressing the importance of controlling breathing and
introducing Yoga techniques. It is unknown that Da-Mo studied the animals in
both his home country and in China, but maybe he did. The closest evidence I
have found was that he studied Yoga and his native fighting arts Kuttu Varisai
and Silambam and passed the techniques down to the monks. The monks called the
forms Lohan Quan (monk fist boxing). I have been told that the 18 forms of the
Lohan were fully developed 4 or 5 generations after Bodhidharma’s time.
Video of Lohan Quan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr3q4vhzr58&list=PLF4B8F10A97A0F288&index=83&feature=plpp_video
Was
Bodhidharma’s Legacy fact or myth?
There had been many
legends coming out everywhere on the internet and books related to Martial
Arts. My goal is to present the facts and dispel the myth. Many attributes of Bodhidharma are
questionable by many Historians. Unfortunately it has been widely accepted as
Historical truth. Most Martial Arts schools are being misinformed about History
and have been taught fables.
In one legend where I
have been taught, was that Bodhidharma was the creator of all Martial Arts.
That he was the first person to introduce Martial Arts to China in the 6th
century CE. He noticed that the monks were weak physically and were falling
asleep. The monks were constantly being attacked by bandits. So Bodhidharma
taught the monks physical exercises and Martial Arts, thus gave birth to
Shaolin Kung Fu. After his death, he left a manual of exercises called Yi Jin
Jing. Many historians discredited the authenticity of Yi Jing Jin.
Source: Traditionally
Bodhidharma is being credited to be the founder of the martial arts at the
Shaolin Temple. However, martial arts historians have shown this legend stems
from a 17th century qigong manual known as the Yijin Jing.
The authenticity of the Yi
Jin Jing has
been discredited by some historians including Tang Hao, Xu Zhen and Matsuda
Ryuchi. This argument is summarized by modern historian Lin Boyuan in his Zhongguo
wushu shi:
As for the "Yi Jin Jing" (Muscle
Change Classic), a spurious text attributed to Bodhidharma and included in the
legend of his transmitting martial arts at the temple, it was written in the
Ming dynasty, in 1624, by the Daoist priest Zining of Mt. Tiantai, and falsely
attributed to Bodhidharma. Forged prefaces, attributed to the Tang general Li
Jing and the Southern Song general Niu Gao were written. They say that, after
Bodhidharma faced the wall for nine years at Shaolin temple, he left behind an
iron chest; when the monks opened this chest they found the two books "Xi
Sui Jing" (Marrow Washing Classic) and "Yi Jin Jing" within. The
first book was taken by his disciple Huike, and disappeared; as for the second,
"the monks selfishly coveted it, practicing the skills therein, falling
into heterodox ways, and losing the correct purpose of cultivating the Real.
The Shaolin monks have made some fame for themselves through their fighting
skill; this is all due to having obtained this manuscript." Based on this,
Bodhidharma was claimed to be the ancestor of Shaolin martial arts. This
manuscript is full of errors, absurdities and fantastic claims; it cannot be
taken as a legitimate source.
Another original source
that proved that the Bodhidharma story to be mostly false:
The oldest available copy was published in 1827[43] and
the composition of the text itself has been dated to 1624.[24] Even
then, the association of Bodhidharma with martial arts only becomes widespread
as a result of the 1904–1907 serialization of the novel The
Travels of Lao Ts'an in Illustrated
Fiction Magazine[44]:
One of the most recently invented and familiar
of the Shaolin historical narratives is a story that claims that the Indian
monk Bodhidharma, the supposed founder of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism,
introduced boxing into the monastery as a form of exercise around a.d. 525.
This story first appeared in a popular novel, The
Travels of Lao T’san, published as a
series in a literary magazine in 1907. This story was quickly picked up by others
and spread rapidly through publication in a popular contemporary boxing manual,
Secrets of Shaolin Boxing Methods, and the first Chinese physical culture
history published in 1919. As a result, it has enjoyed vast oral circulation
and is one of the most “sacred” of the narratives shared within Chinese and
Chinese-derived martial arts. That this story is clearly a twentieth-century
invention is confirmed by writings going back at least 250 years earlier, which
mention both Bodhidharma and martial arts but make no connection between the
two.[45]
Another source can be seen here: The attribution of Shaolin's
martial arts to Bodhidharma has been discounted by several 20th century martial
arts historians, first by Tang Hao on the grounds that the Yì Jīn Jīng is
a forgery.[12] Stele
and documentary evidence shows the monks historically worshiped the Bodhisattva Vajrapani's
"Kimnara King" form as the progenitor of their staff and bare hand
fighting styles.[13]
Huiguang and Sengchou were involved with
martial arts before they became two of the very first Shaolin monks, reported
as practicing martial arts before the arrival of Bodhidharma.[14] Sengchou's
skill with the tin staff is even documented in the Chinese Buddhist canon.
Records of the discovery of arms caches in
the monasteries of Chang'an during
government raids in AD 446 suggests that Chinese monks practiced martial arts
prior to the establishment of the Shaolin Monastery in 497.[15] Monks
came from the ranks of the population among whom the martial arts were widely
practiced before the introduction of Buddhism. There are indications that
Huiguang, Sengchou and even Huike, Bodhidarma's immediate successor as
Patriarch of Chán
Buddhism, may have been military men before
retiring to the monastic life. Moreover, Chinese monasteries, not unlike those
of Europe, in many ways were effectively large landed estates, that is, sources
of considerable regular income which required protection.
In addition to that, the Spring
and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue, the Bibliographies in the Book of the Han
Dynasty and the Records of the Grand Historian all document the existence of martial
arts in China before Bodhidharma. The martial arts Shuāi Jiāo and Sun Bin Quan, to name two, predate the
establishment of the Shaolin Monastery by centuries.[16]
So the whole idea that
there were no Martial Arts in China during the dark ages, until Bodhidharma’s
arrival is completely untrue! First recorded history of Chinese Martial Arts
existed approx. 1,500 years before Bodhidharma’s time. Even just before
Bodhidharma’s arrival to Honan province, most of the monks were well skilled in
Chinese Boxing such as Huiguang, Senghou and Huike, the disciples of
Bodhidharma’s Zen Buddhism.
Therefore,
Bodhidharma’s creation of Martial Arts is a myth which unfortunately until this
day had been taught as truth and propagated through Martial Arts books, the
internet and documentaries.
Another legend where I
read for myself was his nine year meditation in a cave. After being disturbed by
the monks’ poor conditioning and being unable to stay in meditation for long
periods of time. He left Shaolin Temple and gone to a cave and meditated for
nine years. He kept falling asleep, so he cut his eyelashes to stay awake. Once
his eyelashes hit the grass it grew tea leaves. Bodhidharma had the ability to
stare at the wall for so long that it burned a hole through the wall. These
supernatural attributes are questionable.
Failing to make a favorable impression in
Southern China, Bodhidharma is said to have traveled to the northern Chinese kingdom of Wei to
the Shaolin
Monastery. After either being refused entry to the
temple or being ejected after a short time, he lived in a nearby cave, where he
"faced a wall for nine years, not speaking for the entire time".[18]
The biographical tradition is littered
with apocryphal tales about Bodhidharma's life and circumstances. In one
version of the story, he is said to have fallen asleep seven years into his
nine years of wall-gazing. Becoming angry with himself, he cut off his eyelids
to prevent it from happening again.[22] According
to the legend, as his eyelids hit the floor the first tea
plants sprang
up; and thereafter tea would
provide a stimulant to help keep students of Chán awake during meditation.[23]
The most popular account relates that
Bodhidharma was admitted into the Shaolin temple after nine years in the cave
and taught there for some time. However, other versions report that he
"passed away, seated upright";[18] or
that he disappeared, leaving behind the Yi Jin Jing;[24] or
that his legs atrophied after nine years of sitting,[25] which
is why Japanese Bodhidharma
dolls have
no legs.
The reality is that
Bodhidharma was human and that he didn’t posses god-like powers. If you
meditate in a cave or anywhere for nine straight years, you will die of
starvation. Bodhidharma did yoga exercises in the cave and his disciples or
villagers sent him food. The nine year
meditation in the cave is an influential story on the Japanese people that possess
Bodhidharma (Daruma) dolls that feature the wide, bulging eyes with no
eyelashes and these dolls have no legs.
Animal
Imitation: The Cornerstone of Martial Arts
I haven’t found any
proof that Bodhidharma studied different kinds of animals in India or in China
to incorporate into his Martial Arts system. Animal imitation in the Martial
Arts had been practiced formally since the beginning of early human history. African
people, the first human race on earth were the first to possess God
consciousness through nature. African people were not at all polytheist or a
cult of that matter. They believed that the god Amen-Ra was present with the
earth and other living things given animals a special God-given attribute that
humans can imitate in a way. I have been teaching this to students on a few
occasions. In Kilindi Iyi’s article called The
Martial Arts of Africa:
Certain
formulas were memorized, such as the transformation into the Crocodile god
Sebak, which is as follows; “The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, saith;
‘I am the Crocodile-god Sebak, who dwelleth amid his terrors. I am the
Crocodile-god, and I seize my prey like a ravening beast. I am the great Fish
which is Kamu. I am the Lord to whom bowings and prostrations are made in
Sekhem (Letopolis). And the Osiris Ani is the Lord to whom the
bowings and preparations are made in Sekhem.”
This is just one of the prayers of transformation which, when approached in the
proper manner, would bring about the desired results in combat. The
ancient Africans laid down the fundamental basis for self-mastery, with the
warrior arts as one of the vehicles.
–Kilindi
Iyi
The Africans were very
advanced in medicine, science, mathematics, geometry, architect, music,
agriculture, Yoga exercises, Martial Arts (Montu Arts) and Spirituality in
their established civilization before Europeans ever got out of their caves.
On the subject of Spirituality
and the Martial Arts, Bodhidharma’s contribution of his Buddhist teachings and
his Martial Arts exercises were revolutionary (not whatsoever a new invention
of that generation) which influenced Karate-do goes back to his African
ancestors, the early developers of indigenous fighting systems. Kilindi Iyi
stated in his article Martial Arts of
Africa that the early writings of the Martial Arts goes back to the
Hieroglyphs (Greek word meaning Sacred Carvings/Writings) of Kemet (Egypt).
The martial arts of Africa presented to the world one of the earliest forms of
systematic combat. The use of weapons such as the spear, mace, sword, and the
bow and arrow all have their origins in Africa. The unarmed forms
of combat exemplified the movements of certain animals held sacred by the
ancient Africans. They found early in their history that these animal principles could be
isolated within the consciousness of man and manifested into
an unconquerable fighting force. Of course, this
was thousands of years before there was civilization in
those areas commonly thought to be the “birthplace” of martial arts.
It was the ancient Africans who first gave to the world military science.
The martial beginnings started with mankind’s desire to preserve and
organize combative principles in system that could be readily taught
to subsequent generations.
On the African continent, the oldest remains, tools, and weapons of man
are found. The oldest martial arts records in existence are in the form of
hieroglyphics in what is today called Egypt. The ancient Egyptian
priesthood taught systems of combat based upon history, legend, and myths
about the gods and goddesses. As handed down by the religion, every great
temple maintenance an armed force to protect its interests.
-Kilindi Iyi
Kilindi also claimed
that animal imitation had remain African in Origin before India, China or Japan
ever came up with that idea, “Through imitating the movements of these animals, we seek to
awaken their attributes within ourselves.” (Kilindi Iyi Martial
Arts of Africa).Prof. Carroll also claimed that the Wrestlers of Nubia
imitate the monkey and the dragonfly in wrestling bouts, “According to an oral tradition, the Nuba began wrestling in order
to imitate certain species of monkeys which were abundant in the hill country.
The young monkeys played by trying to overthrow each other. The Nuba wrestlers
imitate certain animal and insect characteristics while wrestling. Like a
baboon or monkey threatening its foe, the Nuba will rub his hands on the
ground; (and it helps his grip). He stamps his feet and roars like a bull.
Flicking his tongue and moving his fingers like a large flying insect, the Nuba
dances into the ring, not as a man, but representing the spirit of his cattle
herd,
(Prof. Carroll). Until this day it
is written on the walls of the many tombs of Egypt, Nubians and Kemites
performing combative movements and wrestling holds that resembles that of Judo,
Karate and every Martial Art system known to man.
I taught the breakdown to students of
animal attributes that my ancestors admired in their MD NTR (Word of God or
gods) such as the snake that can strike quickly as ever at a victim Africans
would say wow I wish I had the ability to be quick with my hands the enemy
wouldn’t see it coming. The falcon has the ability of strong eyesight, the
falcon can see its prey from high above the sky and swoop down Africans say wow
if only I had the ability to see far away, that is the eye of Heru (Horus) the
original Messiah. They don’t worship the animals; they worship the attributes
to see if it can rub off on them. The dog has the ability to smell things far
away and can sense that someone is going to die. The dog has the ability to be
the judge represented by the NTR (Neter) Anubis the Jackal. Approx. 50,000years
BCE when Africans settled along the Yellow River of China they saw Cranes
standing on one leg for long periods of time, and they only wish they had the
ability to be balanced like the crane. They don’t worship the animal; they
worship the attribute of the animal to see if it can one day rub off on them.
Here is part of a video of Dr. Booker T. Coleman on what he said about animal
imitation in his lecture called History and Science of the Moors:
In
conclusion, what Bodhidharma brought into China was African in origin. The
Bodhidharma story had been turned into a fabricated story of the 20th
century. The Martial Arts practices existed long before his time and that every
civilization developed their own Martial Art discipline before his time. A wise
man once told me that, “The human body is universal the arm in Europe can break
the same as in Asia.” I’m not trying to
be unkind or cause any hurt to anyone whatsoever. I’m trying to be factual,
encouraging all of you to be open minded in expanding our knowledge of the
Montu Arts, which the term being Europeanized as Martial Arts. This is how deep
it is when presenting real live history in order to detach the myths. My
occasional conversations I had with my mother about our history had risen to a higher
level of interest. Several years ago I didn’t have much interest, but now I
have been doing my homework, doing critical thinking and spreading the wisdom
to anybody. My mother told me “it is great to educate yourself and open your
eyes to the knowledge in order to give your wisdom. Keep doing what you’re
doing.” I saw that movie the Warriors a few months ago when Cyrus said, “Can
you dig iiiiiit?” I am asking you, can you dig what I have presented to you? If
not, do your own research, try to prove me wrong. Know your past and understand
your past. Everyday I go on my quest for the light for right knowledge. As the
saying goes, “The truth shall set you free.”
Here
is an article I am currently reading called In the Shadow of Bodhidharma by
Dr. William C.C. Hu and Fred Bleicher. This article is written in 1965 for
Black Belt Magazine as the introduction says, “Black Belt’s research team
verifies the Historical existence of Bodhidharma but finds no evidence
to support claims that he was the originator of Karate.
Jonathan
Further Recommended Reading:
Origin of Martial Arts: The Real History
They Came Before Bodhidharma
African Contributions to the World (Facts
revealed) Kata and the Transmission of Knowledge by Michael Rosenbaum (book available on Amazon)
Thursday 22 September 2011
African Contributions to the World
Hotep,
This
is an exciting time for me. Since there is so much information out there now, which
had been suppressed since at least the dark ages? I owe a big thanks to
professors of African Studies, past and present who fought to bring out so much
information, to educate a new generation of young people. It is something that
is inspiring, something that would boost our self-esteem and say hey, I would,
in some way follow in the footsteps of our ancestors. I have read a few
articles about the contributions of the African people. They invented
Mathematics, Science, Astronomy, Medicine, literature, music, Architect and
Freemasonry, and Martial Arts (Montu Arts). Sadly, for centuries Africans never
had the credit as a result we have been told nothing but lies.
Ancient African Civilization: Get Ready to be Enlightened
by the Storm
by Sister Nordine
Black
Civilizations of Ancient America by Paul Barton
Ancient Kemetic Roots of Library and Information
Science
by Itibari M. Zulu
Here is a lengthy essay written
by the late Dr. John Henrik Clarke called Education
for a New Reality in the African World
African
people were the first human race on the planet earth. Originally, humans had
skin pigmentation and resided in east Africa. Humans were created by dark
complexion to survive UV Rays and prevent skin cancer. Overtime when the human
race were branching out into Europe, Asia and Americas, the last Ice Age hit
causing a mutation phase in the human race. I watched on YouTube a lecture by
Dr. Booker T. Coleman on the History and Science of the Moors, and in an
interview of Booker T. Coleman on the origin of Europeans. He further suggested
research on Dr. Diop, and Dr. Ivan Van Sertima.
Here is a 15
minute interview with Dr. Booker T. Coleman on his theories.
Africans
were the originators of fighting systems in what we know today as Martial Arts.
Many people believed that the Martial Arts a synonymous with East Asia. Many go
as far to say that the Martial Arts originated in India by a Buddhist monk
named Bodhidharma. My recent blog called They Came Before Bodhidharma dispels
that myth and I presented a more factual story. I oppose the notion that the
Martial Arts only came from Asia, so does the late Bruce Lee, Jim Arvanities,
Hanshi Pat McCarthy, Mike Coombs, Kilindi Iyi, Abraham Hardy, and Oso Tayari. I
can go about this whole I don’t know what you’re talking about and I know what
you’re talking about thing the way the late Dr. Clarke so eloquently put it. If
anyone tells me that the Martial Arts only came from Asia, then I don’t know
what you’re talking about. If anyone tells me that Bodhidharma was the
originator of the Martial Arts, then I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Now if anyone tells me that every civilization developed their own fighting
system, then I know what you’re talking about. If anyone tells me that the
Martial Arts originated in Africa, then I know what you’re talking about.
India
and Pakistan before and during the dark ages, didn’t exist, that landmass at
the time was split up into numerous warring states and Pakistan was formally
called Hindu Kush until various European powers invaded certain territories in
the 1600’s CE. Until the 1800’s the British kicked out their Imperialist rivals
out of that landmass and amalgamated the various states into the Indian Union.
When it comes to discussing Martial Arts, many Westerners thought that the
various fighting styles were coming together around the 500’s CE, the early
years of the dark ages. If you try to invalidate what they believe, they will
say that they are no records of such and such a thing. It can be a state of
denial or deny that any fighting system outside of East Asia is not a Martial
Art. I’m a thinker; I seek out truth instead of beliefs; beliefs that don’t
really make sense to me. In China, the most famous military treatise is the Art
of War by Sun Tzu. This book was written in the 5th or 4th
century BCE. The earliest record of Martial Arts was written by the
multi-genius, Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor (aka Hu Nak Kunte) c.2696 BCE approx.
1,500 years before Bodhidharma ever arrived in Honan province in China to teach
Zen Buddhism and Martial Arts. China’s oldest system was Shuai Chiao, which is
still practiced till this day. Huangdi
(Hu Nak Kunte) was of direct African descent. Early Chinese civilization,
especially during their first dynastic period where ruled by African people,
the very first Emperor was Fu Hsi. Here is an article written by Dr. Khalifa A.
Khaliq:
Here is a video of Early Africans
in China:
Here is an
article on the History of Shuai Jiao:
The oldest
Martial Art system came from Africa and that is Nubian Wrestling. All grappling
systems from across the world can have its roots from Africa.
Here is a video
of Ashra Kwesi lecturing in Egypt about the Martial Arts
I
have discussed the terminology of Martial Arts before in one of my blogs.
Martial is a word derived from Mars who is the Roman God of War. So India, in
the Hindu faith there’s no Mars, so how can Martial Arts originate from India?
If you go back to where human life began Martial Arts was originally called the
Montu Art form. Montu is the Kemetic (Egyptian) God of Warfare. Dr. Booker T.
Coleman said, “It is important to understand language or else you are going to
miss it.” It is important to know why certain words are being used in the
English language by digging into the origins of the words.
To
understand the dark ages (medieval times, middle ages), there are many events
that turned the world at that period upside down. Primarily the uprising of
many Barbarian tribes, that brought about a gradual fall of the Roman Empire.
The beginning of the dark ages go back to 325CE, the first Council of Nicaea
where 318 Bishops under edict of Emperor Constantine politically put together
all the doctrines stolen from Egypt and other ancient cultures into the
creation of Christianity. In 525CE, Justinian I burned all Egyptian spiritual text
and passed law if anyone was caught with any Egyptian spiritual text or
practicing ancient pagan rituals would be put to death. It is also important to note that Greek
Martial Art Pankration was banned since the rise of Christianity in the 300’s
by Emperor Theodosius because they think that this sport in the Greek Olympiad
was pagan. Pankration is a Martial Art that paved the way for MMA. There is no
denying that Pankration is a Martial Art. When the Greeks were educated by
Africans, they learned their Martial Arts from their great teachers.
Until
now, there are many people in top fields of study, that are bringing back information
out of the dark, and this is an opportunity for us to rediscover our roots and
seek out right knowledge which had been suppressed for over 1,000 years. Let’s
get rid of those incomprehensive fables, and get to know the facts. On the
subject of the Origins of indigenous fighting systems, the best researchers in
that field to find out about their thoughts and facts are Kilindi Iyi, Abraham
Hardy, Oso Tayari, Professor Carroll, and Baba Faesegun. Also Ashra Kwesi,
although he is not a Martial Artist, the video presented above is informative
too, have claimed and proved that the Martial Arts existed before the dark
ages, which a majority of people believed. I have been investigating the roots
of the Martial Arts for six years, currently I have been studying the roots of
mankind and African History to supplement my Martial Arts studies, the
information I presented is current information of articles and videos written
by Archaeologists, Professors, and Martial Art Historians in order to present a
closer factual accounts instead of being programmed into a lie.
Hotep,
Jonathan
Friday 1 July 2011
Over Competitive: The Poison of Us All
In the Martial Arts World, tournaments and other types of competition representing Martial Arts can be a great thing for many of us who want to pursue the Martial Arts as a sport. You get recognition, and you would be loved and hated by fans. You get the rush of excitement, and competitions can draw an interest to people, especially those who want to break into the Martial Arts training. The next generation would be influenced by us in many types of systems. However, since the arrival of the Asian Martial Arts systems to the western world after World War II, competition had a dark side, where Martial Artists can break rules on purpose, do whatever it takes to win, taking the short cuts to achievement, heated real-life rivalries between people and dojos, pressure being put on students from tyrannical Instructors, and parents, whether or not trained in the Martial Arts push their children hard to win consistently. These incidences are not only in the Martial Arts world but it can happen in any sport, Hockey, Football, Baseball all across the board. If we do not control our barbaric nature it can be the poison in us all.
Since I have respect for the accomplishments of many Martial Art competitors, I would not mention any names. In the Canadian National Championships in Metro Toronto at the time of the Breaking division there was a black belt in Taekwondo who tried to break a bat with a round kick. It was my Sensei, his wife and Sensei Debbie Crispin judging that and the black belt competitor was competing against his own student. How the story goes, I didn’t see the whole drama of it though, was that after several attempts to break the bat, he got upset and threw his bat across the gym floor. The three judges deducted points for his bad attitude and made the young competitor win the breaking contest. At the end of that contest, the Instructor gave his student hell perhaps saying that how could that happen and “I’m a higher rank than you, and you don’t deserve it.” A black belt should always control his or her emotions when things don’t work out, it is a tournament, and it is not the be all and end all of things. You will live to fight another day. At times I have come up short, but I don’t get all bent out of shape about it thinking it is the end of the world. I try to improve my skills so I can get better. Another example of competitors losing their temper over something was at the recent tournament I had competed in Georgetown. In the weapons division, where a black belt in Chinese Boxing went up and did a staff kata, somewhere in the middle of his performance he dropped his staff on the ground. He was handicapped, having only one hand; he was doing well from the beginning. So at the end of his performance, he lost his temper and threw down his staff in front of me. You can never express your anger to the judges about these flaws, because that means you lose the fight all together. Always control your emotions.
I would discuss a story about tyrannical instructors being told to me by a student and friend, although I wouldn’t fully believe it until this day was that one Instructor she had trained under who is a 9th dan who operates a dojo in southwestern Ontario, who has a barbaric nature of forcing his students to compete and fight. This was a common thing in 30 to 40 years ago and there are many dojos that still operate that way. This Hanshi doesn’t grade students the traditional way. He gives away belt ranks to his students after they successfully compete in a tournament. If you don’t place in the top 3 in any division you will get your butt kicked in class. The story is hard for me to believe because I saw a couple of videos of him, watched an interview of him and seems to be a nice man and the comments I have read seemed like they love him, I am completely baffled by all this. I have been told that if you don’t like the atmosphere in the dojo, better leave it and find another one, and that is a fact. What possess these people to turn themselves and others into monsters, barbarians and do whatever it takes to win? Being over competitive is a poison, and it will be if you let it. It is an obsession in those types of competitors who devote themselves to only the sport aspect of the Martial Arts.
Most MMA competitors today are egotistical and lack sportsmanship, why, because they want public attention and want to strike fear into their opponent. Those people have no sense of discipline and it is downplaying thousands of years of tradition in sport Martial Arts. MMA wanted to almost be like pro wrestling where promoters are trying to publicize on a heated rivalry, where two fighters hate each others guts. So in other words, most of the fights being advertised have a story behind it, a build up coming into the fight being dated. Well skilled Martial Artists can have a bad attitude it can mostly come from their own teacher. The flaw that we have in the Martial Arts world is that we lack our mental side of our training. The mental aspects of our training which is studying the Martial Arts history, it roots, its lineage, meditation, self-control, building self-confidence, and having a positive attitude, in that way we can always be open minded. This goes all the way back to the birth of human civilization, in Africa.
The reason why our ancestors made Martial Arts (Montu Arts) a sport is to reduce bloodshed on the battlefield. Although not talked about much by African Historians, Africa did have its conflicts within. Instead of always just killing each other for power and land, they put the Marital Arts, the Montu Arts in a sporting event way before the Greeks, Romans and Japanese people ever thought of. The African people implemented rules and regulations and developed Montu Art sports such as Boxing, Nubian Wrestling and Pan Kau Ra Shen, which later came into Greece and called Boxing, Greco-Roman Wrestling and Pankration. The reason why we have Martial Arts sports right now is to avoid hurting someone on purpose or taking a life, we can settle this with our skills in the name of the Neter (God) of warfare Montu in the arena bound by rules to see who the better brother is, instead of solving our problems by spearing each other to death. This was an African concept in origin. What happens day to day up in Jane and Finch area, now that’s black on black crime. But back to cradle of human civilization, sport Martial Art was the alternative from warfare format of Martial Arts.
There are great competitors in any sport that fall from grace, hang with the wrong people and do bad things. There are competitors that do whatever it takes to be on top by not harming others, but harming themselves, with the possibility that it has an outside influence. I like watching the kata performances of the French Shotokan Karate practitioner Michel Milon. He had the hand speed and precise timing. Unfortunately, I heard the comments on youtube saying that he died from a drug overdose. It is true that Michel Milon died in his hotel room back in 2002, and he was 29 or 30 years old. It was confirmed that it was cocaine and steroid overdose. We got to use our common sense if we are to be role models to the Marital Arts community. I live a clean life because I teach children Martial Arts and set a positive standard. My mom instilled in me to treat your body as a temple. Never cheat yourself, never take shortcuts or else the grim reaper will take your life when it is your time, a steep price to pay.
In tournaments when it comes to kids, parents whether or not were involved in the Martial Arts be overprotective or push their children to succeed on the tournament circuit. Although I never thought of this, but one time at Ron Day Memorial tournament when I was judging a ring with my Sensei, he reminded me to make sure to point off to an angle properly to the person I want to score because the score keepers may score the point on the wrong person on my behalf, and then I can get some serious heat with a parent on that call. It can happen, so I was worried about parents coming up with complaints with a misperceived call. Even if I brought up an excuse to say that I am still inexperienced at this job, would not save me from being told off. There had been incidences where parents get involved. Most of them don’t understand that tournaments are supposed to be a fun event; it’s not about winning trophies. The highest goal to make your parents and your instructors proud is by trying your best 120%. Then work on improving yourself. XMA competitors are near and dear to me, I treat them like family as much as my fellow Traditionalists. These guys don’t get much respect from other Martial Artists who never trained nor cared about XMA. I like watching so many competitors and admire their athleticism and intensity. I remember getting a private message via youtube from a parent two years ago who is the mother of Tiffany Larsen, thanking me for posting many positive comments about her daughter, saying it means a lot to her. I also been contacted on youtube two years ago shortly after the death of David Carradine, that a parent who is a Martial Arts Legend and patriarch, Mr. Kenneth Huor. He thanked me for having the integrity to post positive comments about his kids, Brendon and Dayna Huor. These are true stories. I like watching performances of Becca Ross, every chance she gets she replies with a “thank you” to me for posting supportive comments. Amanda Chen thanked me on myspace for writing kind comments to her. These competitors can do whatever that makes them happy as long as it’s positive. These talented Martial Artists don’t have to stick around the competition circuit forever; they can take their talents elsewhere. Anyone can take their own path of Martial Arts no matter if it’s for sport, if it’s to learn self-defense, or if it’s to gain self-confidence, improve your health, and self-esteem. Young Martial Artists love the sport, Older Martial Artists love the old budo ways, the tradition. For me, I like the balance of everything in order to be a well-rounded, knowledgeable person, the embodiment of the Martial Arts, a scholar warrior, and a competitor. I like the old and new concepts of the Martial Arts, studying the science, the realistic combat, and learning the sport aspect of the Martial Arts. I have respect for the young energetic XMA performers, but at times I had a feeling that parents get too involved and push their kids to succeed. I remembered Mr. Huor telling me through youtube email, and this is a true story that he told me a year and a half ago, that a fellow tournament colleague of his son and daughter had implant gels, (like the ones for breast implants) for her heels, and she was 13 or 14 years of age, (although I’m not saying the name of that person) in order to spring higher and farther when doing aerial tricks in her forms. 13 years of age and had gone under the knife to improve her performance, me and Mr. Huor suspected it was more of the encouragement of her parents. You can cause harm to yourself when you be over competitive from outside influences no matter if it’s your relatives or peers because if you succumb to those outside influences you lack faith to believe in yourself. My Sensei says this to his students, and I will never forget those words, “Do your Karate training for you, not for me, and not for your peers, but for you.”
We Martial Artists have future generations that look up to us, we in the brotherhood of Martial Arts should clean up our act and have common sense. Going under the knife, putting something foreign to the body to enhance your skills, and disrespecting other competitors should be the last thing we ever wanted to do. These things make us completely stupid. The path of Martial Arts training is for us and it is not to try and impress other outside influences. Be true to yourself and believe in yourself through mind, body and spirit.
Hotep,
Jonathan
They Came Before Bodhidharma
There had been many myths and misconceptions surrounding this legendary Indian monk named Bodhidharma (Da-mo in his Chinese name). For 6 years of research in order to preserve a more accurate account for our generation, I felt that it is necessary to put away the myths. I give a big special thanks to my mother for giving me insight and revitalizing my interest in researching on African History and for being a thinker in order to find the answers myself. There is a great deal of information being revealed about the great contributions of African people, which gave me an interest in looking into my past. I have been researching articles and watching lectures of these great people in the many fields of study of African History. Martial Artists such as brother Abraham Hardy, Kilindi Iyi, Baba Fasegun, Oyo-Tayari, Master Bakari, Balogun, Nestor Capoeira, and many Capoeira players worldwide for preserving History with truth and justice. I give thanks to many field researchers, lecturers and professors of African Studies such as Dr. Booker T. Coleman, Dr. Jose Pimenta Bey, Dr. Ray Hagins, Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, Dr. Runoko Rashidi, Khalifa A. Khaliq, Ashra and Mereira Kwesi and many others I can’t name all at once. What I write about in this blog, I’m not expecting everybody to believe what I write overnight, just to make you people think.
There had been a long History in China stretching back at least 7,000 years. On the subject of Martial Arts History and Origins, there have been many schools that believed, and indoctrinate a half myth about the Martial Arts being invented by one man out of one nation and spread in each nation over different centuries in a period of time. Those that say that, (and no offense) have a poor understanding of world History. The sad thing is that it has been propagated through many Asian Martial Arts books, documentaries related to the Chinese Martial Arts and the internet. An Indian Monk who lived around the 500’s CE, named Da-mo traveled from southeast India to Honan province in China. It was there that he taught the monks Chan Buddhism (Zen Buddhism in Japan) through long periods of meditation, and he found that the Shaolin monks were falling asleep in meditation. Da-Mo noted that the monks were strong mentally, but weak physically and they were constantly being attacked by bandits. So Da-mo taught the Shaolin monks breathing exercises and Martial Arts which became the foundation of Chinese Kung fu. From there the Martial Arts spread to Okinawa, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and into North America.
That’s the vague, inaccurate story. The Da-mo story is mostly fictional. Where I’m going with this is that I’m not saying that Da-mo didn’t exist at all, there had been proof that this legendary monk existed, all that I am saying is that I don’t consider him the great creator of the Martial Arts and that the fighting systems originated in India. All I can say that the story had been misunderstood by many Westerners. By the time I was green belt in Karate, I had begun to question to myself with many questions such as how were there many centuries of wars throughout the world while many devoted Martial Artists claimed that Da-Mo who lived during the dark ages be considered the originator of the Martial Arts? How China didn’t have Martial Arts disciplines until Da-Mo’s arrival in the 6th century CE? Until now there had been Archaeologists that had been investigating and restoring China’s long history. There had been evidence that the Chinese Martial Arts had existed for many centuries before Da-Mo’s arrival to China during the Liang Dynasty. One who has known so much about Asian History have to study the long military history of China. There had been numerous rises and falls of many Dynasties of China through war and conquests.
Furthermore, I have come across more surprising revelations about China’s history. According to field researchers there are two theories of how human life began. One is the Out of Africa theory and the other is the Multi-regional theory. The Multi-regional theory is that the belief that early humans were born all over the world with different skin tones and phenotype features. The Out of Africa theory is that the one Human race came from the Nile Valley of Kemet (modern-day Egypt) then throughout the Paleolithic age, humans began to branch out throughout the African continent and outside the African continent and settled in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas before the last ice age. According to the staggering amount of my research, the Out of African theory is the most popular out of the two. My mom told me, that “We, and I mean our people were the first to go out into the world and build civilizations.” All I did was to do my own research to find answers that make sense to me. There are pyramids established in many parts of the world, it’s not only in Egypt and Sudan, there are pyramids built by Africans in Australia, Mexico and parts of South America and there is one in China. The Africans had the ability to read and write, do mathematics, study the stars, study medicine, and military combat before the people up north got out of their caves after the end of the last ice age.
There are three of my valid theories of the Origins of the Martial Arts:
1) All human civilizations developed their fighting systems
2) The Martial Arts originated in Africa where life began
3) The caveman or early tribes of cavemen developed indigenous fighting systems
All three of these theories are interrelated. The Chinese Martial Arts had been influenced by both African and Indian fighting systems for many centuries before Da-Mo’s arrival during the Liang Dynasty. During the pre-dynastic period of China in c.2696BCE, it was Huang-di, the Yellow Emperor who recorded China’s earliest fighting system called Shuai-Chiao, China’s wrestling discipline taught by the military. Some more of his talents was that Huang-di introduced into China medicine, music, poetry, mathematics and many other subjects. It is interesting to note, that Dr. Khaliq pointed out that Huang-di’s alias names were Yuhai Huandi (in old Chinese) and Hu Nak Kunte.
If you break down the name Hu Nak= One who is Black
The Nak-hi is a Chinese word = Nak – Black/dark Hi - Man
Then take Kunte= Kunte tribe out of Africa
Huang-di was of African descent and one of the early pioneers who brought about civilization to China. He was considered of sorts the father of Chinese Martial Arts according to Sun Tzu who mentioned his name a few times in his famous book the Art of War, written during the time of China’s infamous Warring States era in c.500’sBCE, being the one who started the Martial Arts in China. Huang-di had been deified in the line of the likes of Imhotep for being a multi-genius. Huang-di was China’s Imhotep. The first Emperor before Hu Nak Kunte’s (Huang-di’s) time was Emperor Fu Hsi, a wooly haired African who had written the first spiritual text ever written outside of Africa called the I-Ching – The Book of Change, he lived in the 29th century BCE. The earliest spiritual text was the Kemetic (Egyptian) text written carved on the Heiroglyphics called The Coming Forth by Day and by Night (Book of the Dead), which predates other spiritual religious texts such as the Vedas, The Septugiant, the Talmud, various versions of the Bible, and the Koran combined. Hu Nak Kunte’s lengthy treatise of Martial Combat predates the Art of War, the Bubishi, and the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic written by Da-Mo’s disciples. Until this day Shuai-Chiao which is now called Jiao-li is practiced as a national sport amongst the Chinese people, and the grappling system has an influence to Mongolian wrestling and the Okinawan wrestling art Tegumi amongst other Asiatic grappling systems. Shuai-Chiao is derived from Nubian Wrestling and other African grappling systems.
The first recorded Chinese dynasty was the Shang Dynasty. The first Emperor of the Shang dynasty (c.1500-1100BCE) was of African/Moorish descent named King Tang. Before and during the Shang Dynasty, there were two tribes of African people that settled in China, the Pygmies and the Kunte Clan. The Pygmies were dark skinned dwarves standing 4 feet to 5’2 tall. The Shang people considered themselves to be called the Li-min.
Li = Dark/black and Min = people
Also to note, some people believed that Confucius the philosopher descended from the Shang line. The Shang Dynasty, the first Chinese dynasty were ruled by the dark kings according to a few surviving Chinese documents. There are carvings of images of African people in China being found. These statue carvings were unearthed during the dark ages of the Tang Dynasty. If one has to look at the image, it is broad nose and thick lips and curly hair and you can’t go about doubting it. There are also statue carvings of African people in the Shang Dynasty and Chou Dynasty. In c.1100BCE, the Shang Dynasty fell to the Mongol invaders. The Mongols have founded the Chou Dynasty, thus learning the art of Shuai-Chiao, becoming Mongolian Wrestling. Shuai-Chiao ended up being recorded into the Classic of Rites in c.12th century BCE. During the establishment of the national religions of Confucianism and Taoism, the Taoist monks who dwelled in temples learned the fighting arts from war veterans who retired and were invited to teach the monks Martial Arts, around the Chou Dynasty.
The Martial Arts/Sciences in China no doubt had an African and Indian influence. Da-Mo wasn’t the only Monk that journeyed into China. He was in a long line of Buddhist Monks and traveling warriors before and after him stretching back to at least 500BCE. The Shaolin Monastery was established under the leadership of the Indian Monk under the Chinese name Ba-tuo who came shortly before Da-Mo’s arrival. He also became the first Abbot of the Shaolin Monastery during the Liang Dynasty. Shaolin is Chinese for Young Forest, the Japanese word is Shorin. Around this time, it is called the dark ages because of the chaos going on in Europe and Asia. Many Barbaric tribes made an uprising and destroyed the Christianized Roman Empire leaving many lands in the wake of devastation, along with famine, cannibalism, deadly diseases, and many other atrocities, especially the decline of education. Many African Historians pointed out that 99% of Europe cannot read and write including members of the Royal Family bloodline excluding the Catholic Monks and members of the priesthood. If you are interested in knowing about the Dark Ages there is a documentary from the History Channel titled the Dark Ages, and it’s on youtube. Also Asia had on and off conflicts. It is important to note that India did not exist until the British occupation in the 1600’s. India was during and after the collapse of the Roman Empire was split up into warring states. You have the Cholas, the Muaryas, the Tamils, the Keralans, the Pallavas etc. trying to have supremency over each other including resisting the Islamic forces. So it wouldn’t make sense that there was no Martial Arts in-between the time of Alaric I’s brutal attack on Rome and the Islamic movement.
India’s exercise of Yoga and breathing techniques are a common practice and was introduced in East Asia for many centuries, but India’s influence of these exercises were of Kushitic African origins. The Eastern African’s crossed over Hindu Kush into the Indus valley. There were also African’s from Australia who migrated into Sri Lanka and India and merged with the Kushites to make the Indian/Hindu race. There were also Europeans from the North who called themselves Aryans who invaded the Indus Valley 4,000 years ago and created a Caste system in the Hindu religion. The Aryans merged with the Indians, and that’s where we have lighter skin Indians and we have darker skin Indians. In the Buddhist and Shaolin Monastery’s there are mural paintings and both dark/brown skinned monks training in Martial Arts with Chinese monk. There is also a picture of a monk of dark complexion sparring with a Chinese monk in Patrick McCarthy’s translations of the Bubishi. Kung fu is not just classified as a Martial Art discipline it is a goal to excel in every skill trade such as calligraphy, astrology, study of medicine, carpentry, arts and crafts, mathematics, biology and chemistry etc. and no doubt that China’s civilization has been an influence of Africa, that the earliest rulers were of African origins as much as they were in Kemet (Egypt). Many African Historians claimed that until this day there are black people living in India and in China (the Nakhi), especially in Europe amongst the populace, but not shown by the media.
Early primitive weapons such as the bow and arrow, the spear, mace and club originated in Africa. The Nubians were great archers of their time, serving the Kemites in military campaigns. There region called Nuba was nicknamed Land of the Bow. There were many Martial Arts disciplines that put their nation’s or tribe’s name in front of their Martial Art name and that concept originated in Africa for the nation’s identity. There are numerous examples and connections. The oldest grappling system Nubian wrestling was practiced by the Nubian people. There are numerous grappling systems throughout Africa such as the Gambian type, the Senegalese type, etc. The Greeks learned the grappling art, took it back to their kingdom and changed the name to Greek/Hellenic wrestling. Then there is an Egyptian art called Kuta translated as Defender of the Pharaoh, which probably dates back to the 30th century BCE during the first recorded Pharaoh named Narmer from Lower Kemet conquered Upper Kemet to unite the kingdom. Kuta was passed down to the Akkadians and Elamites who went on to become rulers of Malaysia, Borneo, and Cambodia which became Kuntao – Way of the Fist, in China it is called Quanfa (Cantonese)/Chuan’fa(Mandarin). During the modernization of Tode, it was changed to Karate-do, way of the Empty Hand, the change towards that name had some African influence. Another example is the Nigerian fighting art called Dambe Boxing, it influenced Asia with the birth of Khmer Boxing (Bokator Khmer) and Thai (Siamese) Boxing (Muay-Thai).
The African contributions to Asia returned during the medieval times after Da-Mo’s time. The Japanese and Ryukuan (Okinawan) people are descendants of the Southern African tribe called the Bushmen according to Abraham Hardy and Dr. Rashidi. The early inhabitants of Japan were the Ainu who came from possibly Kemet and along the Middle East and settled in eastern Russia and Japan. Then we have nomadic people coming from southern Africa, Australia and the Polynesian Islands and settled in Okinawa and Japan. In Japanese History, there is a Samurai of African descent named Sakanoyoue Tamuramaro. If you look at the surname and break it down it represents the word Moor.
Mura/Maro = derived from the Greek, Italian and Latin words Maures, Mauros, Maranos amongst other names that represent Moor – meaning Black.
Dr. Jose Pimenta Bey and Dr. Booker T. Coleman both said that there are English and Scottish names abroad with names that represent Moor, if it at least starts with M such as McDougal, Macdonald, Morrison, Moore, Margaret etc. Into other European nations there are names such as Maurice, Mario, etc. Furthermore, in Japan there are names such as Moritsune, Mooroku, Morokuzaki, Mooroka, etc. What’s so intriguing is that Dr. Rashidi quoted a Japanese proverb that says, “To be a brave Samurai, one must have some black/Moorish blood in them.” Tamuramaro was a Samurai who lived during the time of the Heian period of Japan (794-1185CE), around the time, in Europe that the Moors, lead by Tariq Ibn Ziyad liberated Spain from the oppressive grasp of the Visigoths and Vandals establishing the Ummayad Dynasty. Tamuramaro was descended from Sakanoue clan and became a popular hero in Japan. He served Emperor Kammu, founder of the Botukuden in 795CE which later, in 1895 became the Dai-Nippon Butoku-kai. He had so many accomplishments in his military career, the article of Tamuramaro here:
The founder of the great Ming Dynasty in China (1368-1611CE) was ruled by Emperor Hung Wu around the time of Almohade Dynasty Moorish occupied Spain. Emperor Hung Wu was Moorish descent and Mongol descent, and was a Muslim, ordering the construction of several mosques in Nanjing, Guangdong, Yunnan, and Fujian province. He was instrumental in overthrowing the Mongoloid Empire and liberated the Ryukyu Kingdom from Mongol control. In 1372CE he established a trading relationship between China and the Ryukyu Kingdom and in 1393CE Emperor Hung Wu allowed Chinese to migrate into Okinawa and give that kingdom an economic boost into the golden age. It is noted by many Martial Arts Historians that the Chinese Immigrants were called the 36 families who settled in Kume Village in Naha, Okinawa making one of the theories of the development of the Okinawan fighting system of Tode-jutsu which is now called Karate.
With the controversy with Da-Mo (Bodhidharma) was that many Martial Artists that claimed that he invented the Martial Arts and there are Martial Artists that don’t believe that he actually existed. If we say that Da-Mo invented the Martial Arts, then he would have lived back in the Paleolithic age at least 100,000 years ago. However, it is impossible to say that the Martial Arts started with one person. In fact there are no records in India about Da-Mo maybe because of the collapse of the Roman Empire and Europe and Asia were plunged into years of warfare, including the burning of many spiritual and pagan manuscripts c.500CE. Only the oldest accounts of his existence survived in Nepal, and China including other neighbouring Asian countries where Da-Mo’s Buddhists sect Zen spread out to. There are other myths aside from inventing the Martial Arts and encountering lethargic, physically weak Shaolin monks being constantly attacked by bandits was his nine years of meditation in a cave. While he was meditating for long periods of time, he fell asleep, so he cut off his eyelashes to stay awake. His eyelashes having fallen to the ground caused bushes to grow around him creating tea leaves. The story of China’s founding of tea dates back to c.2800BCE where a man was boiling water under a tree and leaves fell into the boiling water creating a tea flavour. Another account of Da-Mo, was while in meditation, stared at a wall so hard that he burned a hole through a wall. Since Da-Mo dwelled in a cave for nine years, it is assumed by Historians that he meditated nine straight years with no food and water. The Da-Mo legend is a very ambiguous story of from all angles. To be real about this is that Da-Mo was a human, flesh and blood and not half-man, half supernatural being of sorts. He dwelled in the cave for nine years, but he did some other activities such as yoga and other exercises. His disciples sent him food and water too.
Da-Mo had been just another significant contributor which further developed Chinese Boxing (Kung fu), he did not invent it, he just came from a long line of other Buddhist monks that arrived in China to introduce their personal sect of Buddhism and their teachings of the Martial Arts. Amongst introducing Chan Buddhism which in Japan called Zen, Da-Mo taught the monks yoga and breathing exercises. The Monks incorporated Da-Mo’s teachings into their Chinese Boxing techniques along with practicing Zen Buddhism. Four generations after Da-Mo’s time, the Lohan Quan forms were formed. In English it is called Monk Fist Boxing.
Da-Mo was born in Kanchipuram, Pallava Kingdom (modern day Tamil Nadu, southeast India) and became a disciple of Prajnatara in the Mahayana school of Buddhism (Zen). He learned the Martial Arts of Silambam, Kuttu Varisai, and pressure points called in Tamil language Kuttu Kalai. The myth and misconception was that Da-Mo learned Kalaripayattu and passed the art on to the Monks. Kalaripayattu is an art practiced in Kerala, India and it was formed in the 12th Century CE, around the time of the second Crusade being launched by the Muslim Saracens. That is approx. 700years after Da-Mo’s arrival to Honan province. Kuttu Varisai looks very similar to Lohan Quan and many Karate disciplines. When Da-Mo died he was buried in Honan province. So he existed. If you don’t believe he existed, travel to Honan province and visit his grave. It’s not about believing in it, it is about knowing that there is evidence.
Many Martial Artists and those that never donned on a Judo gi and trained in the dojo think that the Martial Arts is only an East Asian thing, (and I was one of them) most likely because it’s inspiring goal of the training is going towards peace and a deep spiritual connection. Through my research, spirituality and Martial Arts being one had originally been an African concept in Kush, Nuba and Kemet. The purpose of Martial Arts was born out of violent times where man has to defend himself from thieves and vicious animals. There are drawings carved out on stones in the tombs of Kemet of warriors practicing grappling, boxing, archery, and spear throwing. The ancestors worshipped the gods for their strength in combat, along with wisdom, knowledge and philosophical understanding. They understood the balance of the physical and mental aspects of the Martial Arts, the opposites of life, good and evil, before Asia came up with the yin and yang. There were rules enforced for everything they did in everyday life written in the Medu Neter (Words of the God(s)) in The Coming Forth by Day and Night. The Kemites follow the 42 Laws of Ma’at. I’ll drop some examples that echoes our morals in our Martial Arts training.
I have not avenged myself, nor have I burned with rage
I have not caused terror, nor have I worked affliction
I have caused none to feel pain, nor have I worked grief
I have done neither harm nor ill, nor have I caused misery
I have done no hurt to man, nor have I wrought harm to beastsI have had no knowledge of evil, neither have I acted wickedly, nor have I wronged the people
I have not stolen, neither have I taken that which does not belong to me, nor that which belongs to another, nor have I taken from the orchards, nor snatched the milk from the mouth of the babe.
I have accused no man falsely, nor have I supported any false accusation
I have spoken no lies, neither have I spoken falsely to the hurt of another
I have never uttered fiery words, nor have I stirred up strife
I have not judged hastily, nor have I judged harshly
These rules have an influence of the Dojo rules today having the Integrity, the respect, and honesty. Gichin Funakoshi said Karate Ni Sente Nashi – There is no First attack in Karate. Implying that Karate is for defense never for attack, bullying or harming people. It has an influence on the 42 Laws of Ma’at and other variants of laws in other civilizations.
The oldest European Martial Art originated in Greece called Pankration. Greek for All Force, All Powers. In Latin it’s called Pancratium. The Greeks nicknamed this art as the game of the Gods. It’s a Martial Art that has strikes, kicks and grappling techniques. Pankration is not only a sport which was introduced into the Greek Olympic games in c.648BCE it was battlefield tested by the legendary Spartan warriors while they fought the King Xerxes’ vast Persian Army at the battle of Thermopalye in the 400’s BCE. In Greek myth Haracles (Hercules by the Romans) was the founder of Pankration where he fought a Lion in one of his 12 labours. There’s also Theseus he used Pankration to slay the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. Pankration was a popular sporting event right through the time of the Roman Empire of their violent gladiatorial bouts in the Coliseum up until the collapse of the Roman Empire ushering in the dark ages, where the art was extinct. It’s not until the 1970’s that Jim Arvanitis revived the ancient Greek Martial Art back. Jim is still alive and teaches students Pankration. Pankration is a derivative of the Kushite art of Pan Kau Ra Shen – fighting in the honour of Ra. Ra is one of Kemet’s Gods. So spirituality and philosophy have always played a part in the Martial Arts in all civilizations not just in Asia. Martial Art means Roman God of War Mars, he wasn’t worshipped anywhere in India, but in Ancient Rome. In Kemet the ancients called it the Montu Art Form. Montu was Kemet’s God of War. The Greeks who were mentored by the African people in all aspects of education took the name Montu and have their own family tree of Gods, and we have Ares the Greek god of War. Then the Roman Empire came into being and overthrew the Macedonian/Greek Empire and adopted Greek’s Pantheon of Gods and changed most of the names, calling their War god Mars, thus you have the current name Martial Art. You cannot deny that Martial Arts is based on war, and it then evolved into a sport, and civilian self-defense system. It encompasses everything.
Those who are so hung up on just plain fables; believe in their own hype too much. I have read stories of Martial Artists in North America current and former Martial Artists that have trained in a Martial Arts cult and McDojos. They have trained under egotistical teachers where they make up all these ridiculous stories, saying that they were trained by mystic ninjas, or trained under mysterious monks that master dim mak (death touch), and no touch knockout, and cannot be killed by bullets but has no evidence and never demonstrate those supernatural abilities, and you know what? Most of the students believe in the lie! There are teachers that go so far into self-certifying themselves as Black Belts, yeah, they go out and purchase a Black Belt and teach lousy Karate to students. On top of that teach their students fictional stories of how their lineage goes back to some Shaolin Monk who lived up to over 200 years of age, and most of the students believe in the lie!
Martial Artists got to wake up, and tune into your thinking instead of believing in falsehoods that are being incorporated into world History. If you don’t believe what I wrote, I say you do your own research, the information is out there. We must teach the new generation of people who are lost, and needed a better, comprehensive understanding of factual events instead of fables. The Martial Arts in China goes back thousands of years before Da-Mo’s arrival. The early Emperors until the end of the Shang Dynasty were of direct African Descent. It was African people who introduced the Martial Sciences to China, the earliest account of recorded military treatise in China was written by the Yellow Emperor Huangdi (Hu Nak Kunte) and not Da-Mo during the Liang Dynasty.
Hotep
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)