Shaolin Buddhist Kung Fu conflict of beliefs?

Buddhist belief, %26quot;harm no living thing%26quot;. Doesn%26#039;t Shaolin kung fu violate that principle? Kung fu is a martial art, i.e. an art of war. Isn%26#039;t that a direct violation of the Buddhist ethical code?|||Kung Fu is the physical form of meditation. When you can be mentally empty while striking then you can transend the ego and conditionings. War in ancient times was always practiced as an artform so that warriors can gain enlightenment and transcend the human barriers so there is no problem. During meditation the monks became mentally and physically fatigued so needed physical activity to sustain their spiritual practice.





In order for good to triumph we must also be capable of fighting evil also so their is no violation. So sometimes there is such thing as the good battle. In ancient China their were many battles against evil men that the shaolin monks needed to fight to protect against bandits, wild animals, and foreign invaders.|||Many of them were still pacifists, and refused to use martial arts to harm others. Many forms of Kung Fu were developed as a means of subduing an enemy without causing severe injury. Nevertheless, you do have incidents like the Boxer Rebellion, where Buddhist monks slaughtered thousands of Christian missionaries, along with their wives and children.





And there is Buddhist Kung Fu as well as Taoist Kung Fu. Buddhist Kung Fu was based on the exercises taught by the monk Da Mo, and had little or nothing to do with Taoism or Taoist Kung Fu.|||I am not one. But I did watch the Kung Fu series on television that was visualized and presented to Hollywood by the late great martial artist of all time Bruce Lee. The main character however was David Carradine who played Caine.





What that shows presented was a way to fight. Not just physically but in all areas including the mind and heart. Even prayer was used as a weapon.





For Christians we are told that we are involved in a spiritual battle against spiritual wickedness in high places. The same discipline we ask God for is what men work toward in the discipline of Kung Fu.|||Kung Fu is essentially Toaist, not Buddhist. So, no.





Also, Kung Fu is about defense and protection, not agression. In the world where we live, it is sometimes necessary to defend ourselves or those dear to us, much more so in previous centuries!





Edit:


The Shaolin Arts I have done are Tao and not Zen.


There are distinct differences.


In Tao there is more emphasis on immediate responsibility and less on universal consequence (Karma)


In Tao, serenity is found through discipline and balance, finding stability and consistency in the constant but changing %26quot;Now%26quot;





Zen has the concept of serenity being found in the backlog of previous actions, often related to the present not by direct consequence, but by the force of karma.





The concept of Chi is vastly different. In Toa Kung Fu, the Chi is kinetic energy created by the muscles moving together and Yin and Yang are movements in opposite directions that create greater momentum. (right hand punches, left hand pulls back, creating circular momentum, adding power to the punch.)





The Zen concept of Chi is some universal force of nature, where Yin and Yang are positive and negative poles.





Very different philosophies.