The words of the famous Chinese sage summarises the essence of Eastern martial arts. A good warrior, as considered by their master, is that sort of person who is not motivated by anger, revenge, lust, desire or other negative feelings during a fight. The main purpose of exercise and combat is self-knowledge. The ancient martial arts have to serve the development of the body and the mind, simultaneously interacting with each other.
There are different types of martial arts, and within one type there are several more sub-categories. We can group the different types of martial arts based on their origins (country), or the tools which are used in them (for example the weapons or other fighting implements). Kung Fu is one of the oldest, and recently the most popular, Eastern martial art.
The general tendency is that the modern and Western versions of these ancient martial arts are gradually losing their spiritual elements, the self-knowledge element is fading away and any kind of physical exercise which was purely used for getting closer to one’s self is losing its importance and its purpose. This is how an ancient martial art gradually became a sport, where physical power and reaching better physical results are the only aims and the only things which matter.
One of the most important elements of Eastern martial arts is the different techniques and methods that calm the mind. According to the Eastern masters conquering your opponent is not enough, you can lose a fight if your mind is stuck at a certain point during the fight – this point could be a hit or a punch or even a feeling. This is why the most important point is to reach a state when your mind is still. In other words, when your mind takes leadership over your ego. We are able to make the best decisions and act according to them even when the most unexpected situation occurs only if we’re in this state (of ‘still mind’).
Also, it’s really important to learn differ