Tainan Mantis
07-06-2014, 09:39 AM
Within Eighteen Luohan Gong exists the posture and method of Wei Tuo-Buddhist protector of the faith.
Eighteen Luohan Gong is presented as being a Buddhist book on martial training. Yet, the contents are almost exclusively Daoist. The Daoist writing style of a Buddhist book has always been something of an enigma to me. For this reason I have tried to divide the book up into its Buddhist and Daoists parts in hope of finding clues to its origins.
One of the few Buddhist aspects of the book is the method of Wei Tuo. He is generally considered a Buddhist deity who works as a protector of the faith, thus a great warrior. Since Wei Tuo is a protector and a great warrior his method of Qi development is part of old kung fu training, including Praying Mantis Boxing.
I have come across a Daoist reference to Wei Tuo that is worth considering. But first, his appearance in Eighteen Luohan Gong.
Here is a quote of the first page
Weituo Offers the Pestle
First Round; Divide the Hands in Front of the Chest
Raising your qi and straightening your spine strengthens muscles and bones.
Opening, shutting, gathering and closing, the pair of phoenixes dance.
With your hands together, support your palms and apply all your strength.
Stick out your chest and ribs like a great a drum.
Devoted to attaining a tiger subduing intent,
You must persevere in training the gong throughout the four periods.
-Take special note of the words "Hands together support your palms."
-"...the four periods..." literally means everyday at all moments of the day. It refers to the pure state of mind of Wei Tuo.
In my search for Ming Dynasty impressions of Wei Tuo among the laity I have come across several representations of Wei Tuo as a Daoist Diety. Stories of the Deities of generations (歷代神仙通鑒), is one of those novels that changes deities from Buddhist to Taoist. It was printed in 1645 C.E.
Here is the quote from the book
A man wears a helmet and armor. He balances a Demon-subduing mallet on his arms and press palms against each other. He said he was ordered to come by the Buddha, Dīpaṃkara said: he has obtained the complete perfection since he was young. His name is Weituo and learns Taoist teaching from me. He was introduced to the world of deities by the Heavenly Kings. He could arrive any place in the three continents in one day. He responds when there is a sound. He is extremely powerful. As a result, he was called as the protective Tianzun of the three continents. Everyone answers: excellent
Page 60 (http://library.umac.mo/etheses/b25856078_ft.pdf)
My main concern is how Wei Tuo was viewed from the mid-Ming through the mid-Qing by people who practiced martial arts. The above paragraph shows that by the end of the Ming the legend of Wei Tuo being converted to Daoist is in place. Today, Wei Tuo is thought of as a Buddhist. Which shows that the changing of his religion didn't really take much hold over the centuries, though we may want to keep it mind when considering the source of ideas and the possible origins of Luohan Gong.
Eighteen Luohan Gong is presented as being a Buddhist book on martial training. Yet, the contents are almost exclusively Daoist. The Daoist writing style of a Buddhist book has always been something of an enigma to me. For this reason I have tried to divide the book up into its Buddhist and Daoists parts in hope of finding clues to its origins.
One of the few Buddhist aspects of the book is the method of Wei Tuo. He is generally considered a Buddhist deity who works as a protector of the faith, thus a great warrior. Since Wei Tuo is a protector and a great warrior his method of Qi development is part of old kung fu training, including Praying Mantis Boxing.
I have come across a Daoist reference to Wei Tuo that is worth considering. But first, his appearance in Eighteen Luohan Gong.
Here is a quote of the first page
Weituo Offers the Pestle
First Round; Divide the Hands in Front of the Chest
Raising your qi and straightening your spine strengthens muscles and bones.
Opening, shutting, gathering and closing, the pair of phoenixes dance.
With your hands together, support your palms and apply all your strength.
Stick out your chest and ribs like a great a drum.
Devoted to attaining a tiger subduing intent,
You must persevere in training the gong throughout the four periods.
-Take special note of the words "Hands together support your palms."
-"...the four periods..." literally means everyday at all moments of the day. It refers to the pure state of mind of Wei Tuo.
In my search for Ming Dynasty impressions of Wei Tuo among the laity I have come across several representations of Wei Tuo as a Daoist Diety. Stories of the Deities of generations (歷代神仙通鑒), is one of those novels that changes deities from Buddhist to Taoist. It was printed in 1645 C.E.
Here is the quote from the book
A man wears a helmet and armor. He balances a Demon-subduing mallet on his arms and press palms against each other. He said he was ordered to come by the Buddha, Dīpaṃkara said: he has obtained the complete perfection since he was young. His name is Weituo and learns Taoist teaching from me. He was introduced to the world of deities by the Heavenly Kings. He could arrive any place in the three continents in one day. He responds when there is a sound. He is extremely powerful. As a result, he was called as the protective Tianzun of the three continents. Everyone answers: excellent
Page 60 (http://library.umac.mo/etheses/b25856078_ft.pdf)
My main concern is how Wei Tuo was viewed from the mid-Ming through the mid-Qing by people who practiced martial arts. The above paragraph shows that by the end of the Ming the legend of Wei Tuo being converted to Daoist is in place. Today, Wei Tuo is thought of as a Buddhist. Which shows that the changing of his religion didn't really take much hold over the centuries, though we may want to keep it mind when considering the source of ideas and the possible origins of Luohan Gong.