After having posted, I thought about it and realized that you probably will demand sources, etc. So I took it upon myself to collect some for you, and present further debate in favour of the Bodhidharma theory.
Now, this first source actually
discredits the theory of Bodhidharma, but the fact is, it acknowledges his existence, his teachings, and his contributions to the Shaolin Monastery. Even if the Author doesn't particularly believe that Bodhidharma was the "founder", I use this source to establish Means, Motive, and opportunity.
From:
http://www.pastornet.net.au/response/articles/24.htm
"In India there lived a Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma (Japanese: Daruma, Chinese: Ta-mo) who was the son of king Sughanda. Because of his high burden he was educated in martial arts by an old master called Prajhatra. Around 520 AD Daruma went to China where he finally moved in to the Shaolin Monastery in the Honan province. He is generally credited with founding the Zen Buddhism there (Indian: Dhyana, Chinese: Ch'an). Many regard Daruma to be the founder of Chinese boxing, but this is doubtful. More probable is it that the monk's mutual activity over a certain period of time is behind the development. It is presumed that the training in the Shaolin Monastery was divided in four:
Meditation (Zen is based on long periods of static meditation)
Fighting styles, brought from China
Chinese boxing styles
Three sets of physical exercises from Indian medicine which concentrated on rhythmic breathing and flexibility training.
It is likely that other monasteries existed under the name of Shaolin, where the martial arts was used as a means of spiritual expansion. Unarmed fighting techniques is mentioned in books from the Chou-dynasty (1066-403 B.C.). Some of the famous terracotta statues from the Qin-dynasty (221-210 B.C.) show the roots of Wu Shu in old Chinese fighting styles. Wu Shu signifies the Japanese term bujutsu (Martial Arts). Kung Fu means time and energy, and was originally used for any skill. Kung Fu describes the degree of skill or insight. The expression is today used more and more as a name for the external or hard forms (schools) of Wu Shu. The Chinese fighting arts are commonly divided into north and south.
Northern China consists mostly of open landscapes where people are used to walk or ride great distances, which made it natural to develop their legs into weapons. The northern style consists of kicks and graceful movements, often open positions. Arms and legs can be stretched in both attack and defense. Fast jumps, turns and sweeping movements are important. They train much in kata, which are long and complicated, and are mostly in lineal motions.
Southern China is crossed by a net of rivers, where people staked and rowed a lot, which made it natural to develop their arms into weapons. In the southern style good balance and solid positions are essential, with sudden and powerful movements. Often attack and defense occur simultaneously - both hands are used simultaneously most of the time. Also southern style is mainly lineal movements, but these are shorter and more compact than in the north.
Another important difference in Chinese fighting styles are the inner versus the outer, the soft versus the hard. Central in Chinese (Taoistic) mentality are Yin and Yang. These represent the counterparts in all existence; light/dark, positive/negative, day/night, life/death, conscious/subconscious etc. However, Yin and Yang do not represent a distinct difference between two opposites, as one often interfere with the other. Because of that one can not say that there is a distinct difference between soft/passive and hard/active. No style is only soft or only hard. Those styles that are called the outer, hard styles mainly descend from Shaolin, and are most often called kung fu. Five separate styles can be traced to Shaolin; tiger, snake, dragon, crane and leopard. From these five, singular or in combinations, was again created styles we recognize today, like Hung, Praying Mantis, Wing Chun etc. Among those under the name of inner, soft styles are Hsing-i, Pa-Qua and Tai Chi Chuan."
The following are further support of the Bodhidharma theory:
From:
http://www.ohioshaolin.com/SHAOLINDO%20Images/ShaolinTemple.htm
"The saga of Shaolin begins with Bodhidharma the third child of Chieftain Sugandha (Brahmin king) of Southern India and a member of the Kshatriya (a warrior caste). The root of his training was Vajramushti. He spent his childhood in Conjeeveram (also known as Kanchipuram and Kancheepuram), the small Buddhist province south of Madras. He received his training in the Dhyana school of Buddhist meditation (which was later transliterated to Ch'an in Chinese, Zen in Japanese and Son in Korean) from his master, Prajnatara, who was responsible for changing his name from Bodhitara to Bodhidharma. Shaolin arts and Zen thought are inextricably woven."
From:
http://martialarts.about.com/library/glossary/bldef-bodhidharma.htm
"Bodhidharma Definition: The name of the man commonly held to have introduced certain exercises to the Shaolin temple which are often regarded as being the origin of the Shaolin martial arts."
Also Known As: Tamo, Damo
Common Misspellings: Bhodidarma, Bodidarma, Bhodidharma
The following contains some mythological elements. . . I hope everyone will be mature and intelligent enough to sort the obvious myth from the likely fact:
From:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_of_the_martial_arts/98612
"Almost every book on the history of the Asian Martial Arts begins with a reference to Bodhidharma. Somewhere in time, contact with his teachings has occurred in most of the major branches of these arts. He has been given many names over time. In addition to Bodhidharma, he was Tamo to the Chinese, he is named Pu Tai Ta Mo in Sanskrit and Daruma Daishi in Japanese. In the Buddhist world he is known as the 28th Patriarch of Indian Buddhism or the First Patriarch of the Chinese Zen Lineage.
The history is based upon many legends and stories, complicated by the many names. I have attempted to provide a summary of these stories as a starting point. The dates vary from the 400Â’s to the 500Â’s AD. I have used the most widely accepted dates in this brief history. Recommendations on his history and his Buddhist teachings can be found in the bibliography at the end of this article.
Bodhidharma was born a prince in the southern regions of India and raised as a warrior to succeed his father as king. He had been trained in the Kalaprayat technique of martial arts. Bored with his training Bodhidharma began to study with a Buddhist teacher named Prajnatara. On his deathbed, Prajnatara asked him to go to China to re-awaken the followers of Buddha. Some sources say that almost five percent of the population were Buddhist Monks even before the arrival of Bodhidharma. Legends vary in the method of his arrival, some say he traversed the Himalayan Mountains, others say he rode a ship around the coast. Regardless, he arrived around 526 A.D.
Upon arriving in China, the Emperor Wu Ti, a Buddhist himself, requested a meeting with Bodhidharma. The Emperor asked him what reward he had received for all of his good works. Bodhidharma answered that he had accrued none. Bodhidharma was unable to convince Wu Ti of the value of the new teachings he brought from India.
Frustrated, Bodhidharma set out on a northerly direction. He crossed the Tse River, and climbed Bear's Ear Mountain in the Sung Mountain range to where the Shaolin Temple was located. It had been founded forty years before by Buddhist monks and was famous for its translations of the Buddhist scriptures into Chinese. Bodhidharma sought entrance into the Shaolin temple. He was accepted after he was able to prove that he was committed to Buddhism.
When he arrived Boddhidharma was appalled to find the monks fat, and without the ability to even stay awake during his lectures. In addition, the monks were unarmed and easy pray to bandits when they attempted to go out into the world to teach. So they decided to stay in the safety of the monastery. This explained one reason that Buddhism was no longer as widespread as it had been.
Legend has it that Boddhidharma then went to a cave and stared at a wall for seven years. He is said to have cut off his eyelids to stay awake in meditation, and so is usually depicted with bulging eyes. Others say that he cut off his eyelashes and that they fell to the ground and became tea plants. Recognizing the ability of tea to help a person stay awake has made tea a part of the practice of zazen.
Bodhidharma created an exercise program for the monks which involved physical techniques that were efficient, strengthened the body, and eventually, could be used practically in self-defense. When Bodhidharma instituted these practices, his primary concern was to make the monks physically strong enough to withstand both their isolated lifestyle and the deceptively demanding training that meditation requires. It turned out that the techniques served a dual purpose as a very efficient fighting system, which evolved into a marital arts style.
His system involved dynamic tension exercises. These movements found their way into print as early as 550 A.D. as the Yi Gin Ching, or Changing Muscle/Tendon Classic. We know this system today as the Lohan (Priest-Scholar) 18 Hand Movements, which serves as the basis of Chinese Temple Boxing and the Shaolin Arts. Many of the basic moves of both tai chi chuan and kung fu can be seen in the scenes recorded on the walls of the temple.
These skills helped the monks to defend themselves against invading warlords and bandits. Bodhidharma taught that martial arts should be used for self-defense, and never to hurt or injure needlessly. In fact, it is one of the oldest Shaolin axioms that "one who engages in combat has already lost the battle." Bodhidharma also taught medicine to the monks and arranged for Chinese doctors to come to share their knowledge with the Shaolin. In three years the monks became so skilled in both the martial arts and medicine that they start to be feared and respected by the bandits. This went a long way toward continuing the spread of Buddhism and Zen thoughout China and the rest of Asia. Even the death of Bodhidharma is shrouded in mystery. Legend has it that he was poisoned by one of his followers disappointed at not being selected as the successor. Regardless of the reason, Bodhidharma died in 539 A.D. at the Shaolin Temple at age 57. They laid him to rest in a tomb there."
In conclusion:
I do not believe (nor am I trying to impress upon anyone else) that Bodhidharma (Daruma, Ta mao, etc.) was the founder of all martial arts. I think that a lot of the contradiction and contestion about this comes from this misconception. I believe that Bodhidharma was the founder of SYSTEMIZED, FORMAL martial arts, AS WE KNOW THEM.
Throughout the history of the world, people have fought and killed eachother, and as such there have always been people teaching other people how to fight and kill. There has always been war, and people teaching other people how to fight a war. These were the first "true" martial arts-- but not as we think of them today.
Some people think that Henry Ford was the founder of the automobile-- this is entirely untrue. The "automobile" is an idea, and as such was probably conceived CENTURIES before Henry Ford was even born. He WAS, however, the founder of the first company to mass-produce automobiles, as we think of them today-- thus adding to the misconception surrounding him. The same thing has happened with Bodhidharma.
Looking past the legends, the stories, the outrageous claims, eliminating it all, you leave only fact. The fact is, Bodhidharma existed, he taught the monks at the Shaolin temple, and (whether this last fact is true or not, it is still a fact) he is believed to have taught the monks at the Shaolin temple the first regimented training, which spawned the martial arts.
Your turn.
