Martial Arts Roots
Hinduism’s Ayurveda (ancient traditional Indian healing system) and Chinese Traditional Medicine both have their origins based in astrology, as does all aspects of paganism wherein man is considered a microcosm of the macrocosm (cosmos). The mental and physical practices of these Eastern religions are solidly founded in astrological concepts, which are anti-Biblical.
The Chinese Zodiac utilizes the movement of 108 planetary bodies through our galaxy for use in divination. These heavenly bodies are, in the occult world, symbolic of deities, false gods of paganism/nature-worship. The spirits of five of these planets (Jupiter/Zeus, Mars/Ares, Saturn/Cronos, Venus/Aphrodite, Mercury/Hermes) are believed to be Elemental Energies/spirits, involved in creation and its continuation. Synonyms for these Elemental Energies are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. Synonyms of these same five planetary bodies used in the martial art “Kung-fu” (grandfather discipline of martial arts) are presented in similar order: Leopard, Tiger, Serpent, Dragon, White Crane. The five “Elements,” “energies,” or “spirits” concept of the planets are integrated into Traditional Chinese Medicine, and into the martial arts.
In the mid-5th century AD, Bodhidharma an Indian Buddhist monk who had revised Hinduism, came to the Shaolin Temple Monastery in China. There he introduced practices derived out of yoga which today is referred to as “martial arts.” These practices spread to various countries in the East with each country adding to the technique and giving its own name to the practices.
A martial art is not just a physical but also a mental and spiritual exercise. The real power comes through and only through “spiritual” training. The spiritual DNA of a martial style can never be separated or severed from its practice and physical manifestation.
Of interest is the choice of 108 planets in Chinese Zodiac theory. We see 108 moves in Tai Chi Chuan, 108 beads in the neckless each bead representing a deity, 108 rounds of yoga “sun salutation,” 108 emblems/symbols each representing a single manifestation of the supreme Hindu deity, Brahman. A string of prayer beads is used in Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Roman Catholicism. The second in hierarchal order of the 108 symbols is the swastika, which is actually a “sun wheel.” The five planets/Elemental Energies are also referred to as the “Five Ancestors.”
Exert from Exposing Spiritualistic Practices in Healing by Edwin A. Noyes M.D.
These Symbols below illustrate the concept of creation as coming from the five planets of the Chinese 108 planet zodiac. The five planets, five “Elements,” “energies,” or “spirits” concepts are integrated into Traditional Chinese Medicine, and into the martial arts of Feng-shui, Kung-fu, Tai chi etc., and also into yoga of Hinduism. Tai chi has 108 moves. The expression “five ancestors” refers to these planets spirits as being man’s ancestors.
