Would Buddhist monks be keen to learn Baguazhang?

[Gerard]

I am willing to teach monastics in order to help them in their pursuit to enlightenment.

 

Would it work?

 

Do you think they would incorporate high level Taoist practices in their training?

 

What do you think?

Edited March 20, 2014 by Gerard

[ChiDragon]

Sorry, no.

[yabyum24]

I don't see why not. Didn't Buddhist monks practice kung fu in China?

[doc benway]

I am willing to teach monastics in order to help them in their pursuit to enlightenment.

 

Would it work?

 

Do you think they would incorporate high level Taoist practices in their training?

 

What do you think?

I think it depends on who you are referring to but I seriously doubt it.

I apologize if my post is discouraging and I reserve the right to be completely wrong…

 

Monastics of a solid tradition generally have enough to do to allow little or no extra time in their daily practice.

"High level Taoist practices" require first that we establish a firm foundation in the basics.

This takes a long time. Granted, there are basic practices in Buddhist traditions that are similar to Daoist basics, but it is a substantial investment to reach a point where we are training at a high level and Bagua is a particularly subtle and advanced art.

 

Another concern is that Bagua is martial - it is founded in violence.

While I'm of the mind that there may have been circle walking practices that predated Baguazhang as a martial art, modern Bagua palm changes imply violence. This is anathema to Buddhist cultivation.

 

Finally, most Buddhist traditions, particularly monastic ones, are comprehensive and brilliantly designed to support the practitioner along their path. Forays into completely different traditions and other detours are generally discouraged and are unlikely to improve the established tradition.

 

All that said, you never know with people - you may find a monastery with a head monk looking for something new and different, but I think it's unlikely.

I think you'd have better luck with Daoists or those on a less traditional path.

[themiddleway]

I agree with what Steve said. Really comes down to whether Ba Gua can be classed as skill-full means, it's certainly skill-full. Wouldn't other forms of Buddhist Chi Kung be more appropriate, if there is such a thing?

[Apech]

I thought the tradition was that the Bodhidharma (a Buddhist obviously) developed forms of exercise like Qi Gong and bone marrow washing and so forth to keep the monks healthy. Why then would Buddhist monks reject Ba Gua? I mean maybe they would choose not to or simply not have time and so on ... but that's true of anyone.

[ChiDragon]

I don't see why not. Didn't Buddhist monks practice kung fu in China?

 

Yes, Kung Fu comes in all styles. It happens to be that Ba Gua is a Taoist style rather than Buddhist. Have you seen any Buddhist monk practice Ba Gua yet.

 

I can tell you one thing though. Tai Ji is a Taoist style and popular throughout the world. Hence, the shaolin(少林) monks have picked that up for its market value.

 

FYI Chi Kung is universal. Anyone can practice it.

Edited March 20, 2014 by ChiDragon

[yabyum24]

Have you seen any Buddhist monk practice Ba Gua yet.

No. I've just seen David Carradine (R.I.P.) on my boxed set of Kung Fu DVDs, so I suppose that doesn't qualify.

[ChiDragon]

No. I've just seen David Carradine (R.I.P.) on my boxed set of Kung Fu DVDs, so I suppose that doesn't qualify.

 

Oh yeah, he tried everything and hanged himself in the closet.

[Jetsun]

I have never done Bagua so what would the Buddhist monks get from Bagua they don't get from their meditation?

 

I guess the only exercise many Buddhists get are prostrations, so there may be some decent health benefits for the physical body and organs and the turns must be good for the joints.

 

I heard that a lot of nuns in the Drukpa lineage are being taught Kung Fu now as well as a lot of Vietnamese Buddhist nuns http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2003009,00.html so some Buddhists don't seem to see a conflict with martial arts

[doc benway]

I have never done Bagua so what would the Buddhist monks get from Bagua they don't get from their meditation?

Bagua offers lots of physical and energetic benefits.

 

 

I guess the only exercise many Buddhists get are prostrations, so there may be some decent health benefits for the physical body and organs and the turns must be good for the joints.

Depending on the tradition, they also so a variety of physical exercises - calisthenics, walking, yoga of various types, energetic forms (tsa lung), and so forth. They seem to stay in pretty good physical shape.

[Maddie]

I think Bagua is cool, and good for the health, but I don't see how it fits in with Buddhist enlightenment? Where on the eight-fold path would that fit in?

[Taiji Bum]

OP, how many Buddhist monks have you met? Most I know in the Zen tradition are "mind only". If you were to approach them and say you could help them with "high-level" Taoist practices, they would be very polite as they declined your offer the same as a Catholic Franciscan would. Each already thinks it has all it needs within its own respective tradition. That said, I am a martial arts hobbyist so I can feel you.

[Stumpich]

 

 

 

[Fa Xin]

I knew someone would find a Buddhist doing Bagua !

[Cheshire Cat]

Why would a Buddhist monk want to learn a martial art that doesn't work?