Role of Buddhism in the evolution of Physical Education as a discipline Abstract Vikrant Singh Phy. Edu.

Teacher Buddhism has played a pivotal role in giving shape to the evolution of human ethics and human behavior and annals of human history are replete with examples that project Buddhism as the religion of social transformation. Projection of Buddhism as the religion of peace and human upliftment is its another aspect which has been neglected considerably. Role of Buddhism in shaping the dynamics that helped to develop the martial arts as a discipline of self defense and strength is quite interesting which became a unique phenomenon especially in Japan,China, Korea, Mangolia etc . Self defense and hence the techniques of self defense own their origin and development to Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk who is credited with the development of monastic arts especially the Shaolin Kung Fu in 527 CE. Martial arts was introduced in the Buddhist tradition to make the monks strengthen their bodies and infuse a sense of self discipline. Buddhist history is clear about the role of the Indian Buddhist monk Buddhabhadra in China during 495 CE and thirty years later Zen Buddhism came to the Shaolin Temple. Supposedly Bodhidharma exercised in the cave to keep fit and when he entered Shaolin Temple, he found that the monks were not physically very fit. He developed a set of exercises that later became the foundation for the specialized interpretation of martial arts at Shaolin. Martial arts were already widespread in China and many of the monks were retired soldiers. Thus existing martial arts exercises were combined with Bodhidharma's teachings to create the Shaolin version of Kung Fu. Originally used as an exercise to keep fit, the Kung Fu eventually had to be used against attacking assailants after the monasterys assets. Shaolin eventually became famous for its warrior monks who were masterful in their practice of Kung Fu. Being Buddhist monks, however , they were bound by a set of principles called martial ethics ,wude, that includes prohibitions such as do not betray your teacher and do not fight for frivolous reasons as well as eight hit and do not hit zones to ensure that the opponent does not get too seriously injured. During turmoil early in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), thirteen warrior monks helped the Tang emperor rescue his son, Li Shimin, from an army aiming to overthrow the Tang. In recognition of their help, Li Shimin, from an army aiming to overthrow the Tang. In recognition of their, Li Shimin, from an army aiming to overthrow the Tang. In recognition of their help, Li Shimin, once emperor, named Shaolin the "Supreme Temple" in all of China and fostered learning, teaching and exchange between the imperial court and armies and the Shaolin monks. Over the next few centuries until Ming loyalists used Shaolin as a refuge, Shaolin Temple and its style of martial arts enjoyed an ever flourishing development and advancement.

The paper intends to explore the role of Buddhism in physical education and the techniques used to develop the discipline of martial arts. The focus of the paper will be to explore the origin, development of martial arts as a physical science to keep the body fit .Keeping in view the spiritual aspect of the discipline paper will highlight its relevance in the contemporary world. Key Words: Buddhism, martial arts, Kung Fu, Physical education, Shaolin Title Page Topic: Role of Buddhism in the evolution of Physical Education as a discipline

Name: Vikrant Singh Address:66 A, Sarwal Colony ,Jammu(Jammu and Kashmir)-180001 Email:bhalwalvikrant@gmail.com Mobile No: 09796622762,09697010010