Codified behavior?

[umgong]

The Japanese samurai basically had rules of behavior expected of them as a "warrior" of that class.

Did the Chinese have rules of behavior as a "knight" or "warrior"? Was it ever codified?

Does anyone have knowledge of a book that I could read if there is such a book?

Thank you in advance for any help

[HuangKaiVun]

tao te ching

[apoweyn]

the tao te ching doesn't have anything pertaining to a warrior code. it makes a couple of brief references to soldiering. but not much.

there was a discussion here a while back about chinese martial virtue. i can't remember what it was called though.

i suppose the art of war might be a place to start, though i haven't read it myself. i don't know how much it actually addresses conduct vs. strategy.


stuart b.

[Shaolindynasty]

Wu De, martial virtue
Similar to Budo

www.shaolindynasty.cjb.net (http://www.shaolindynasty.cjb.net)

[apoweyn]

wu de. that's it. cheers.

that's right. wu = war and de (or te) = virtue.

i'd forgotten hearing that the te of piglet translates to piglet's virtue.

[Shaolin36]

Dont forget that some CMA styles have codes or precepts that run along the same line.

[Kung Lek]

yes, Wu De is martial virtue and the codes differ slightly from style to style, school to school.

Shaolin has their own and it is founded in the eightfold path of buddhism with the additional:

stop rather than harm
harm rather than maim
maim rather than kill
for one should never kill
because all life is sacred

essentially. tHis added with the eightfold path makes for a good guideline to teh martial artist.

Martial virtue or wu de is where the foundation of Bushido comes from.

peace

Kung Lek

Martial Arts Links (http://members.home.net/kunglek)

[Wongsifu]

ive got this in a book, and it states shaolins ethical code ssometihng like 20 different things under 3 different categories of what you must do and dont do. And its got some really hard to apply things in this day and age like.

If you see the weak getting oppressed it is your duty to help them etc etc.

This is because THC is not an alkaloid. It does not contain a nitrogen atom, therefore it is a terpenophenolic compound

[Radhnoti]

Wongsifu,

Do you think you could post them? Thanks.

[Wongsifu]

the shaolin moral code

3 parts

a)12 shaolin ethics
b)10 forbidden acts
c)10 obligations

A

1) respect the master, honour the moral code and love the fellow disciples
2) train kung fu devotedly and build up a strong healthy body
3) forbidden to molest or rape ; forbidden to astray
4) forbidden to show of the arts; nor to offend the seniors
5) forbidden to laugh for no reason ; nor to tell lies
6) forbidden to bully those under you; nor to take advantage of high office for settling personal differences
7) forbidden to quarrel loudly, waving the hands wildly
8) forbidden to kick about aimlessly, to stand at fighting stances, nor to make accusations against others noisily
9) forbidden to speread false rumours ; nor to boast of strenght and oppress the weak
10) forbidden to be greedy neither to rob nor steal others properties
11) be humble and softspoken ; be unbashful in seeking advice for knowledge
12) develop self control, be co-operative and helpful

B

1) forbidden to molest or rape
2) forbidden to rob anothers wife; nor to force someone into marriage
3) forbidden to bully the kind and gentle people
4) forbidden to rob
5) forbidden to take advantage of intoxication to do evil.
6) forbidden to torture ; nor to be cruel
7) forbidden to be involved in improper activities
8) forbidden to show disrespect to the elders
9) forbidden to rebel against the master
10) forbidden to associate with villains

C

1) obliged to maintain peace
2) obliged to eliminate bullies and help the weak
3) obliged to save lives and to contirbute to humanity
4) obliged to eliminate the cruel and the villainous
5) obliged to protect the lonely and the oppressed
6) obliged to be chivalrous and generous
7) obliged to right wrongs courageously
8) obliged to spread shaolin teachings and kung fu
9) obliged to learn the art for self defense and to overcome calamity
10) obliged to pass the art unselfishly to selected, good disciples

This is because THC is not an alkaloid. It does not contain a nitrogen atom, therefore it is a terpenophenolic compound

[Ryu]

gonna save this one to my desktop.
Love this stuff.

Ryu

http://home.vobis.net/user/roy/anime/images/streetfighter15.jpg


"One who takes pride in shallow knowledge or understanding is like a monkey who delights in adorning itself with garbage."

[Radhnoti]

THANKS Wongsifu! Great stuff. What book did you find this in, out of curiousity? :)

[neptunesfall]

there are examples of codified behavior given in a book called '100 Unorthodox Stratagies' [translated by Ralph D. Sawyer, ISBN:0-81332861-6]
the codified behavior discussed in this book is military in nature, and mostly relating to training, battlefield discipline, etc.
[one interesting point in this book is the use of special forces, in 5 man teams, each man responsible for his entire team. if 1 man fails, they all do, etc. just like modern US special forces, i believe]
a very very cool book if you have a few bucks to spend.
each tactic is illustrated by a historical account of it's use, so you get some pretty cool stories to boot.
i've read it twice.

[Wongsifu]

its from a book by wong kiew kit , i cant remember the name its not here rite now , but wong kiew kit has 2 good books on kung fu
one of them is a fat book which goes into detail about shaolin kung fu.
This particular one is a very thin green book with a huge picture of him saluting on the front.
Its quite good actually as it has a form performed step by step by him and the applications of it. IT sgood for begginers but even for somone who is advanced , you see for example how people misunderstand techniques and screw them up.
eg, in the thread "how to block a muay thai round kick" it shows this application that would get your head blown off, wong kiew kit does the same application but for a side kick and you see the difference of how youre not in such danger.

This is because THC is not an alkaloid. It does not contain a nitrogen atom, therefore it is a terpenophenolic compound

[HuangKaiVun]

Like the CMAs themselves, the Tao Te Ching features seeds that blossom only after they've been planted and nurtured.

[The Whyzyrd]

ap Oweyn - The art of war doesn't discuss a bushido like code. It concentrates on strategy for combat.

"The Wolf does not regard the barking dog"

[apoweyn]

Huang,

That, i can't argue with. the TTC is a good read. and i definitely believe it has a lot of light to shed on martial arts. just not a particularly specific light. it doesn't specifically address martial virtue. in fact, daoism, on the whole, doesn't really address ethics. it's relatively amoral.


stuart b.

[apoweyn]

whyzyrd,

i had a feeling it wouldn't. but i thought it was worth mentioning.

in fact, i suspect that sun tzu's take on martial virtue would be that it gets in the way. i picture him as being a little more pragmatic than that, for better or worse.

i'll get around to reading it one of these days.


stuart b.