WEAPON NATURE

 by Phillip Starr

One of the important aspects of gong-fu, taekwondo, and karate training is that of quite literally turning your body into a weapon; you become a living, breathing weapon. This means not only that you must strive to master the fundamental techniques and learn how to use them for self-defense, but you must “temper” each weapon as well. Like everything else in martial arts (training), this takes time and focused effort. That is, you can't approach it with a “laid-back” attitude and train in a haphazard manner. You must focus and train your spirit as well as your weapons.

And as is the case with any kind of weapon, you must take care of it. If you fail to do this it may not take care of you at the critical moment. A sword cannot be left to rust; it must be oiled properly and kept sharp and clean! And when your body finally achieves what my teacher called “weapon nature”, you dare not slack off. He warned me about this more than fifty years ago. If you get lax in maintaining your body's weapon nature, it will become soft, rusty, and dull.

One thing about the revered Shaolin Temple that is mostly unknown is just why Da-Mo (in Japanese; Daruma or Bodidharma, the founder of chan or zen) taught the monks hand-to-hand fighting techniques. Legend tells us that he taught them a series of exercises known as the yijinjing and also a highly advanced form of qigong known as sisuijing. But he also taught them combative techniques. Remember that he was the 28^th patriarch of Gautama Buddha...and the Buddha was very much against needless violence. The key word in that statement is “needless.”

In those days (the early 5^th century and for many centuries thereafter) groups of bandits roamed various areas of China, preying on the weak and defenseless. Buddhist temples were a favorite target because their inhabitants wouldn't offer any opposition to the bandits who would take most of their food. Shaolin had been hit several times and Da-Mo determined to put a stop to it.

And so it was that the monks of Shaolin began their combative training...and when the bandits returned some time later, they were handed a quick and brutal defeat. It is said that Da-Mo told the monks:

“In times of (physical) distress, it may be necessary to call forth one's

martial skills to put an end to the violence. Therefore, from this day

forward, let us train our bodies and minds so that unto every hand there

comes a sword, unto every finger a spear, and unto every fist, a mace.”

The need for personal self-defense is as great as ever in our modern, high-tech world. Times haven't changed much.

     The actual odds of being attacked nowadays is 3 out of 4....