NEW WEBSITE: www.ephesians-511.net
APRIL 2004, UPDATED AUGUST 2009
THE MARTIAL ARTS MARTIAL ARTS IS NOT JUST A PHYSICAL BUT ALSO A MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL EXERCISE Martial Arts deal with moves, countermoves, kicks, punches and self-defence, but contrary to popular belief, these skills are not about fighting or conflict. The word which derives from the Chinese ‘mu’ (martial) and ‘ye’ (the way for search of truth) is considered to be a process of enlightenment that can be achieved by creating a synchronization of body, mind and spirit. “A martial art coordinates the conscious and the subconscious mind,” says Kanishka Sharma who trained in the Shaolin style of martial art. He has already developed a special course for children: “SPIRITUAL WARRIORS”, India Today November 3, 2003 Channels like BBC’s Discovery, and News Asia telecast regular programmes on New Age Living and Alternative Therapies that explore the different ancient martial art forms and their application in 21st century lifestyle. The first time my attention was drawn to martial arts was several years ago when I happened to read an item in a newspaper, which reported that Catholic nuns were learning karate as a means of self-defense. It was explained to the reader that they faced possible attacks from dacoits and anti-Christian elements in the central Indian state where they were stationed. I didn’t give it much thought at that time, except to reflect how different their attitude seemed to be from that of Jesus who would have them offer the other cheek. It would have struck me as very un-Christian if I had learned, for example, that Graham Staines’ widow took judo classes as a precaution against marauding activists after forgiving her husband’s murderers. But I was even more taken aback when a priest [belonging to a religious congregation] shared, during a homily to a group of lay-evangelists in training, that he was an accomplished exponent of karate. As a missionary in a backward northern state, he had favoured liberation theology, and was dedicated to espousing the cause of Dalits and the marginalized against the rich landlords. He held, if I recall correctly, a ‘black belt’, and exhibited the scars of several injuries all over his body to testify to a number of escapades that he had been involved in. And very recently I was e-mailed the resume of an ex-seminarian of the same religious order who was now seeking secular employment. One of his achievements was a ‘green belt’ in… was it taekwondo? Christian schools and colleges across the nation, women’s institutions not excluded, encourage all forms of martial arts on their campuses, either as part of their physical training period classes, or as extracurricular pre- or post- school time programmes. While not too long ago our pre-teen boys would be serving at weekday Mass or at the cricket nets, it is now not an uncommon sight to find groups of them, come dawn, assembled on our school grounds robed in their white ghis, bowing to their sensei or ‘honourable teacher’ who will, for the next hour or so, take complete authority over their bodies; and their minds. The YMCAs in India seem to have become dojos or ‘training centres’ for martial disciplines. The soothing melody of old Christian hymns has been replaced by the shrill piercing yell or kiyai as lithe young hands and feet are jabbed forward or retrieved, hitting or kicking out at imaginary opponents. Just a couple of weeks ago I was in a town in the deep South, where there is a predominant Christian presence, and I happened to pass by the local YMCA. I made a note of the following message painted on a side of the main building at the entrance to the complex: “The YMCA seeks to unite those young men who, regarding Jesus Christ as their God and Saviour according to the Holy Scriptures, desire to be His disciples in their doctrine and in their way of life, and to dedicate their efforts for the extension of His Kingdom amidst young men”. I was provoked into copying that down in my diary by what I read on the adjacent wall of the building: “Alan-Thilak Karate School International. Affiliated with All India Karate Do Federation and World Karate Federation”. The names of the instructors were Christian and they were ‘black belts’; one, an ‘VIII Dan’. At the Examiner Press bookshop in Mumbai, I came across a book titled “The Art of Kung Fu, Wu Shu Chinese Martial Arts by C. Fernandes [Zorba Publications]. It was published with the support of Fr. Tony Fonseca, St. Mary’s High School, Mazagaon and the priests and teachers of Holy Family High School, Andheri [E], Mumbai. 1.