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Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are often referred to as the ‘three teachings’ of ‘three pillars’ (三敎) of ancient Chinese society.   These philosophies and religions influenced spirituality, government, science, the arts, and social structure.  Although occasionally their specific beliefs and teachings were at odds with each other, more generally they have worked harmoniously alongside each other.  Instead of an interplay of a given tradition rising to dominance over the others, the three philosophies have mutually influenced society alongside each other, changing each other in the process, and at times blending together.  

Understanding the unique relationship between these three traditions and their complimentary teachings provides a necessary insight into ancient Chinese society, and a contextual backdrop through to modern times.   Given there is no way to separate the history of martial arts from the history of ideas and beliefs that surrounded them the ‘three teachings’ are inexorably tied to the development of Chinese Kung Fu.  Where Kung Fu is considered a way of life and a lifelong journey of self-development and discovery, it is impossible to understand this outside of the philosophical and religious context of the time.

During its long development, extending across thousands of years back to The Shang Dynasty  (商朝 1766-1046 BC) and beyond,  Kung Fu formed into a holistic movement – maintaining the Chinese tradition of attaching importance to etiquette and morality,  whilst stressing synchronicity between inner and outer, and the integration of mind, body, and spirit.  Being intertwined in this way with the ‘three pillars’, Chinese Kung Fu has played a positive role not only in improving people’s bodily health, but also in the cultivation of the spirit.

It is often the case that the level of a developing Kung Fu student’s attitude to learning, to their teacher and others, alongside a commitment to spiritual growth determines whether they will be able to reach the upper levels of Kung Fu mastery in their style or not.  Therefore, Chinese Kung Fu attaches great importance to the development of the spiritual life of practitioners and a correct adherence to moral code.

Confuscianism

Confucianism is a complex, comprehensive school of thought and behaviour encompassing religion, philosophy, morality, and political science developed by Confucius.  Confucius was a philosopher and teacher who lived from 551 to 479 B.C.E.  Confucianism and its teachings shaped the political and social development of China by establishing social values, institutions, and the transcendent ideals of traditional Chinese society.  It touched every aspect of life in China, shaping and influence it for over around two thousand years.   A Confucian revival began during the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE). In the late Tang dynasty, Confucianism developed in response to Buddhism and Taoism and was reformulated as Neo-Confucianism.  Confucius’s thoughts on ethics, good behaviour, and moral character were written down by his disciples in a number of books, the most important being the Lunyu. 

Confucianism believes in ancestor worship and human-centered virtues for living a well-ordered, peaceful life.  Confucianism rests upon the belief that human beings are fundamentally good, and teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal and communal endeavour, especially self-cultivation and self-creation.  Here, Confucian thought focuses on the cultivation of virtue in a morally organised world.  The main concepts of this philosophy include Ren (humaneness), Yi (righteousness), Li (propriety/etiquette), Zhong (loyalty), and Xiao (filial piety), along with strict adherence to social roles.  The golden rule of Confucianism is ‘Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you’. 

Confucianism was developed in the Spring and Autumn Period during the Zhou dynasty with Confucius most prominent in his teachings during the Warring States Period, when Chinese government was corrupt, and society was divided into many warring factions.  Confucius understood this corruption and the breakdown of society to have occurred because China had strayed from its ancient teachings.  Confucius sought to restore the Mandate of Heaven (天命)  to the rulers so that peace and prosperity would return to China.  The Mandate of Heaven was an ancient Chinese political philosophy that legitimised the rule of the King or Emperor.  According to its doctrine, heaven embodies the natural order and will of the universe, bestowing its mandate on a just ruler of China (the ‘Son of Heaven’) to maintain this natural order on earth.

The principal idea of Confucianism is the importance of having a good moral character, which can then affect the world around that person through the idea of ‘cosmic harmony’.   This moral character is epitomised in the ‘Son of Heaven’ where the Emperor has moral perfection.  When this is achieved his rule will be peaceful and benevolent, creating natural order for society to function correctly. This moral character is achieved through the virtue of Ren, or “humanity,” which leads to more virtuous behaviours, such as respect, altruism, and humility.

In this way Confucianism sought to help the people achieve social and personal perfection and re-establish the ordered society that had supposedly existed before this period of internal warfare.  Confucius believed in the importance of education in order to create this virtuous character. He thought that people are essentially good yet may have strayed from the appropriate forms of conduct. Rituals in Confucianism were designed to bring about this respectful attitude and create a sense of community within a group.

Confucius took older religious precepts and translated them into guidelines for social mores. His teachings gave guidance on all levels of ancient Chinese life, from interactions between family members and political groups, to educational standards and how states should be governed.  For Confucius, every aspect of life was comprised of obligations between people and entities, and rituals to convey the mutual dependency between them. His teachings focused on humanism – if everyone fulfilled their roles and obligations with respect and kindness towards others, it would build a stronger state.

The Confucian approach is one of consistent vigilance in the refinement of a changing person in a changing world.  This approach embodies the central principle of Chinese Kung Fu – the process of daily practice, working hard over a long period of time to develop fighting skills that are applied in changing situations and achieving self-perfection of body, mind, and spirit over time.  This idea of practicing the same routine every day to constantly refine and develop skills, whilst simultaneously adapting to ever changing duties, needs and circumstances is a Confucian idea. Confucianism values this process towards perfection as intrinsically rewarding, rather than seeking to attain any end-state reward for doing this.

In Confucianism great attention is paid to relationships with harmony resulting from every individual knowing their place in the social order and acting accordingly.  In a Kung Fu school, an individual’s particular duties arise from their situation in relation to others. The individual maintains different relationships with different people simultaneously: as a junior in relation to his teacher and elders, as a senior in relation to younger students, as an equal to his classmates.   This is the Confucian idea of Filial piety(孝) – the virtue of respect for one’s father, elders, and ancestors and also to be obedient.

Filial piety is considered a key virtue in Chinese culture and influenced every aspect of life in China, including Kung Fu.  In more recent times this principle no longer has the same adherence, but in earlier times the teacher was really considered as a father and school was really considered as a family.  The titles and ranks that do remain commonly known today reflect this tradition; where teacher (Sifu, 師父), means ‘skilled person’ and ‘father’ whose word was historically followed without question.  Yet, the teacher has their own responsibility to take care of their students in the same way as he would take care of their own children – to pass down their knowledge and to lead by example in educating them in correct behaviours.

Students equally had a role to play, which varied depending on the length of time they had spent at the school.  Being addressed as older or younger brothers and sisters, accordingly.  The idea of family extended into these roles with the teacher’s Kung Fu brothers being addressed as Kung Fu uncles and so on.   Each Kung Fu school member had expectations which meant for the student they had same responsibilities and obligation as as son or daughter he has in a real family.  Here the student should respect their elders and their teacher, and their actions should bring only respect to their teacher, school, and style.

There are no particular Chinese Kung Fu styles associated with Confucianism, rather it pervades all styles with its focus on self-development, abiding by a moral code and in the sense of obligation, responsibility, and family within each style.

Taoism

Taoism, also called Daoism, is the philosophical, ethical, and religious Chinese school of thought (道家 Daojia) that emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao or Dao (道).   Its origin can be traced back to the late 4th century B.C.E. and the main thinkers associated with representing its teaching are Laozi and Zhuang Zhou.  Key component of Taoism includes the Tao, immortality, and the need for balance in nature through a necessary interdependence of extremes (Yin and Yang).   

Within the balance of the three teachings, Confucianism was very much associated with the ideology of the law, institutions, and the ruling class.  Taoism, alternatively, represented the worldview of the radical intellectuals and was compatible with the spiritual beliefs of peasants and artisans.  Although at opposing ends of the philosophical spectrum, Confucianism and Taoism collectively created the Chinese understanding of the world.

Taoists believe in spiritual immortality, where the spirit of the body joins the universe after death.  Taoism states there is no God, only an ‘energy’ that pervades the Universe and gives rise to the things within it.  Unlike the concept of a living, intelligent being as understood in Western religions this energy is a naturally occurring pattern and its influence gives rise to what we understand as nature.   Although this energy cannot be seen directly and is detectable only by its influence and Taoism defines a set of principles by which life may be lived in order to reflect the way this ‘energy’ acts upon reality.  

The Taoist belief is that in living in harmony with this ‘energy’ is like being in tune with music – a harmonious vibration leading to a balanced, healthy life.  In Taoism the basis of order is duality; the changing (Yang) and the unchanging (Yin).  Each can’t exist without the other – they are mutually dependent opposites present in everything. An emphasis is placed on the link between people and nature.  Taoism teaches that this link lessens the need for rules and order and leads people to a better understanding of the world and why things happen.

The Tao can be understood as the ‘way’, ‘path’ or ‘principle’ and describes something that is both the source and the force behind everything that exists.   This force is the source of balance, harmony and exists as an interdependence between all things.  Taoism has an underlying , fundamental principle that living within the set of principles leads to enlightenment.  Achieving this state is referred to as becoming complete, true or a real human.  It is the desire to activate our full human potential.  Enlightenment in this context is a timeless state, that has no fixed end and therefore the focus should be on the path and the actions involved in moving towards this rather than in the end-state itself.

Taoist (道教; Dàojiào) Kung Fu fighting styles are popularly associated with Taoism.  These include Chinese martial arts that were created or trained mostly within Taoist Temples, which then later spread out to the wider general population.  The epicentre of Taoist teaching is the Wudang temples in the Wudang Mountains, located in the heart of the mainland in the Hubei Province.  These are still active today with Taijiquan, Bajiquan and Baguazhang styles of Kung Fu still practiced by robed Taoist priests.  Taoist styles include Taoist philosophy, principles, and imagery.  

Wudang Kung Fu is one of two main streams of Chinese martial arts.  With its origin in Taoism, it differs greatly from Shaolin Kung fu which has its origin in Buddhism.  Whilst Shaolin Kung Fu is famous for its strength and explosive power, its external power, Wudang Kung Fu is the opposite, being intimately linked with so-called internal Kung Fu styles.  There is a popular saying in China – ‘where you pay respect to Shaolin Kung Fu training in the North and pay your respect to Wudang Kung Fu in the South’.

Taoists follow a philosophy that maintains that one trains in Kung Fu for the pursuit of good health, preservation, longevity, and self-defence when necessary.  Here the Taoist influence on Kung Fu has seen itself reflected in a more contemplative and spiritual inclination in the practice, in line with traditional Chinese ontology.   Taoist philosophy developed into ‘soft styles’ or ‘internal schools’ that are based on the doctrine of ‘Wuwei’ (action through non-action, effortless action) which follows the path of Yin.  These styles are in opposition to ‘external’ or ‘hard styles’ of martial arts that follow the path of Yang. The Taoist philosophy of ‘Ziran’ (naturalness, spontaneity) influenced ‘animal’ or ‘imitation styles’ and is central to the idea of natural, unplanned, and unforced combat movements.   Here ‘softness’ or ‘yin power’ is used to overcome ‘hardness’, and ‘stillness’ is used to overcome ‘motion’.

Bhuddism

Unlike Taoism, which was native to China, Buddhism is a religion that was founded in northeast India during the sixth century BC by Prince Siddhartha.  The main principles of this belief system are karma, rebirth, and impermanence.  Buddhists believe that life is full of suffering, but that suffering can be overcome by attaining enlightenment.  All our day-to-day troubles have easily identifiable causes: thirst, pain from an injury, sadness from the loss of a loved one are all seen to be rooted in desire.  Liberation is possible by extinguishing the fires of greed and achieving Nirvana – attaining this means reaching enlightenment.  Nirvana is not a spiritual otherworldly place, instead it is a state of mind that humans can reach – a profound spiritual joy, without negative emotions and fears.

The Dharma provides a practical pathway to achieve this through the discourses on the fundamental principles – the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold path.   The Four Noble Truths are (1) Suffering (Dukkha) (2) the Origin of suffering (Samudāya)  (3) Cessation of suffering (Nirodha) and (4) the Path to the cessation of suffering (Magga).  The Noble Eightfold Path from a modern psychological viewpoint is nothing more than a structured way to try to change patterns of thought and behaviour.   The Dharma, meaning the teaching and methods of the Bhudda, is one element of the ‘Three Jewels of Buddhism’ in which practitioners ‘seek refuge’ (relying on to achieve lasting happiness).  The other two are the Buddha, meaning the perfection of the mind to enlightenment, and Sangha, the supportance and guidance from the community of practitioners.

Buddhists believe that there is no God, instead reality is likened to waves with a rising and falling motion within a great sea.  Life is part of this constant wave like rise and fall of energy and Buddhists believe that life and death is a cycle of rebirth; there is no soul that survives the transition between life and death, instead the impermanent components that you comprise of are brought together in a new combination and a different life form. This is because in Buddhism  reality that is impermanent and unconnected from other parts – the same way that a sea is composed of individual drops of water flowing together and yet dependant on each other.  

With this principle of impermanence and continual change, the Buddhist concept of self is not an actually a thing, rather it is a convergence of impermanent energies.  Buddhism puts consciousness at the primacy of reality with all objects being a creation of the mind – whereby “self” is understood as a sequence of events that are experienced.  When these are combined with the memory of the past, this gives rise to the illusion of the self.  

Although China and India border one another, some aspects of Buddhist thought were quite alien to Chinese thinking when it first came to China.  The religious notions of Karma and Rebirth were very different the notions of longevity and immortality referred to in the Tao te Ching, by Lao Tzu.   However, there were enough similarities to lead some Chinese people to view Buddhism as an Indian version of Daoism.  For example, ‘path’ and Dharma were often translated as ‘way’ and Dao in the translations of Sanskrit to Chinese.   Both of these teachings reject the notion of a God figure, seeing the Universe as existing as an energy state in impermanent flux.   Both believe that the fundamental truth of reality can be obtained in a practical way through enlightenment.  

Both embrace living within a set of principles can lead to enlightenment and this is the path to happiness.  Both are conduct and discipline-oriented and the practice of which is intended to lead toward self-awakening and liberation.  Both recognise the importance of daily practice and stress the importance of progressing step-by-step through structured self-improvement to achieve physical, mental, and spiritual development.   Both require mental focus and discipline to progress to the higher levels of capability.   The extent of cross pollination between Taoism and Buddhism lead to the emergence of Ch’an Buddhism. 

This is one reason Buddhism so freely spread because it was more philosophy than religion, and it rarely imposed itself on indigenous religions.  It often complimented them and even evolved culturally to suit the region.  Over the centuries the Shaolin temple added skills from different martial arts to Bodhidharma’s original system.  These practices served to strengthen both the mind and the body in accordance with the Buddhist principles of self-realisation, focus and drive.   Shaolin as a way of life is focused on enhancing one’s spiritual wellbeing, health, and longevity to help others.  Their training is focused on developing strength, health, happiness, and internal peace. 

According to legend, an Indian priest named Bodhidharma introduced the Shaolin monks to meditation.  When Bodhidharma arrived at the temple having travelled from India, he noticed the monks were hunched over tables reading and studying Buddhist writings.   Although they were spiritually and mentally strong, they were physically frail.   Bodhidharma introduced eighteen movements derived from traditional Indian meditation and yogic calisthenics to the monks.  This was designed to increase their physical and mental strength necessary to endure the physical demands of long periods of mediation.  

Buddhist (佛教, Fójiào) styles include Chinese martial arts that originated or practised within Chinese Buddhist temples and later spread to the wider community.  These styles include Buddhist philosophy, meditation, imagery, and principles.  The term “Shaolin” (少林, Shàolín) is used to refer to those styles that trace their origins to Shaolin.  This includes the Shaolin Monastery in Henan Province, another temple associated with Shaolin such as the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian Province, or even wandering Shaolin monks.   Examples of Buddhist styles include Shaolin Quan, Choy Li Fut, Luohan Quan, Hung Gar, Dragon style, White Crane, Wuxingheqidao and Wing Chun. 

Buddhism influenced martial arts that extended outside of China include Aikido and Muay Thai.   Central to each of these styles was the Buddhist focus on practice, conduct and self-help using a disciplined method.   Buddhist Kung Fu styles are external focused, adopting a wide range of self-defence striking techniques, emphasizes wide stances, kicks as well as both open and closed hand strikes.  It is taught through forms – sets of stances and moves grouped together.  With more than a thousand forms Shaolin Kung Fu is deemed to be the most complex Kung Fu style. As a result of this diversity, and abundance of training methods and forms, many sub-styles have been developed.  Wing Chun is a much smaller, compact style with only 3 open-hand forms, the dummy form and two weapons forms.

The histories of Buddhism and Chinese Kung Fu have become intertwined to such a degree that a full understanding of either requires knowledge of the other.   The many forms of both Buddhism and martial arts, share a common goal to improve oneself both mentally, physically, and spiritually.  It is clear the contemporary practice of Chinese Kung Fu has adapted ideas and practices from the rich Buddhist heritage of Asia.  Yet this does not make the objectives or the rationale of Chinese Kung Fu Buddhist.   This is just one of the three elements with Kung Fu equally being rooted in Chinese Taoism and Confucianism.

If you have found this investigation into the 'three teachings' and the interplay of Taoism and Buddhism you might like my article Taoism and Buddhism in Wing Chun. Click on the link here and start reading: Link

Copyright @ Craig Sands