MARCH/APRIL 2016
Martial Arts for Longevity
Long-time practitioner/teacher touts
benefits of ancient discipline
by Charles Sebastian, Staff Writer
As a long-time practitioner and
teacher of the martial arts, I have
firsthand experience with how
they can develop a longer, richer
life for the ardent practitioner.
The term “martial arts” is somewhat of a misnomer, as “martial”
derives from Mars, the god of
war. While the martial arts were
developed over hundreds of years
for the purpose of protection and
fighting, they were first and foremost used for health and longevity.
This is seen not only in the various
histories you can read concerning
martial arts, but also in the widely
accepted story of how true martial
arts began.
Bodhidharma was an Indian
monk who also happened to be
in the Indian warrior class of his
time, the Vashramushti. When
he traveled to China, he came to
the Shaolin Temple. He saw the
monks there meditating and praying daily, but they were sorely out
of shape. He gave them exercises
based on his training as a warrior
to make them healthier and stronger. This is probably the earliest
and best-known example of using
martial arts practice for longevity
and health. The Shaolin temple
is the place, people usually agree,
where the martial arts truly began.
How was what Bodhidharma
did at the Shaolin Temple different from what came before? The
exercises had a code, a martial
virtue, attached to them. Thus,
the concept of the warrior monk
developed: the idea that one can
become better physically, mentally
and spiritually through a disciplined practice.
Since that time, the East has
widely accepted the value of
martial arts practice. As the training spread from China to Japan,
Okinawa, Korea and later the
Unites States, people began to
appreciate martial arts not only for
their obvious self-defense value,
but also for the value of health and
wellness. One of the best-known
proponents of martial arts’ healthy
benefits in the United States is
William Durbin, who lives in
21
Frankfort, Ky. His book, Undo
Ryoho: Exercise Cure deals with
the issue of using martial arts for
health and longevity.
This was long before the time of
sport, long before the time of making big money in competitions.
When people realized they could
make money by training those interested in the watered-down sport
forms of the martial arts, many
savvy promoters and advertisers
leaped on the bandwagon. However, these practices are not the
traditional martial arts developed
for the battlefield and for long life;
they are, rather, a shadowy glimpse
of the true training.
This is most readily evidenced
by the many injuries and incalculable damage that occur in the
more extreme forms of sport and
the unhealthy, contentious spirit
that goes along with many of the
misconstrued arts today. When
people over age 35 come and train,
typically you will notice a trend:
They have outgrown all the extreme, excessive, violent attitudes
that are found mostly in younger
people. As we age we want an art
that will help us with our desire to
stay young, healthy and vibrant.
For some, good solid Karate
practice will strengthen a weak
body. For others who may need
to learn gentleness in life and
thinking, there are the “Ju” arts;
Jujutsu, Aikijujustu, etc. For others
who want a so-called “softer” style
of martial arts, Tai Chi is available. This was the ancient way of
training for health and combat. In
the ancient world, a person could
not afford to get a broken arm or
busted rib from a sporting game.
Field