PART THREE
Black-belt karate devotee (karateka) wearing “gi” (karategi) meditating in yoga “lotus” “power” position.
[Editor’s Note: This article series is an adaptation from the book, Exposing the Dangers of Martial Arts, by Vito Rallo, a former five-time USA National Karate Champion. See the end of this article for more about the book.]
READ PART TWO of this article.
There are many influences in our western society. Some are good – some are not so good. Some appear on the surface to be beneficial, but in fact, are the proverbial “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” In other words, the acclaimed benefits of a thing or practice of something may, in fact, turn out to be harmful, if not downright dangerous. The irony is, it may not be obvious at the onset.
What matters most is what lies behind the secret mask of all martial arts and yoga—what is at the root! The two are undoubtedly intertwined and are often advertised together. The practice of these ancient practices, driven by a huge popularity factor, has made major inroads, especially of late, into western society. This infiltration has had an enormous impact on both the world we live as well as in an ever-expanding segment of the church realm, and consequently has become a force to be reckoned with due to its widespread acceptance as a supposedly innocuous sport or physical activity.
In this book, I draw from my own experience and professional expertise of 30 plus years in the martial arts—as a former student, instructor, and later as a five-time national champion. I will reveal what I have learned. In order to expose the myths, I will also draw on the expertise of others. I will uncover the mysteries and hidden secrets that are almost never revealed to those who are involved, or those who are thinking about becoming involved.
It never ceases to amaze me how many ignore the uneasiness they feel about getting involved in the martial arts prior to their first forays into it. I think that may be because most people are uninformed or misinformed concerning the spiritual roots from which these practices originate, and therefore ignore the early warning signs. The deadly tentacles of deception go back thousands of years and are deeply rooted in various pagan religions. Today, that fact is well disguised. Various forms of these two activities have now reached into all social, economic, and spiritual levels of our society. Unfortunately, warnings from a veritable few frequently fall on deaf ears and are ignored.
It is my hope that many will heed warnings trumpeted forth in and through this volume. I am well aware that there are many, especially those who are entrenched practitioners, who will disagree with my assessments concerning the martial arts, and assert that there is no proof that what I am saying is true, and counter with arguments to the contrary. But, that itself is deception. The founders and masters of the martial arts well understand what is behind these activities and will often allude to the fact that what is at the spiritual “root” is what fuels the power that one sees demonstrated. They are not themselves in any wise deceived, but they are nonetheless experts at deceiving others! What I share with you in this regard is not theory, but from decades of personal involvement and firsthand conversations with many who have achieved the highest levels of recognition in the world of martial arts.
I want to share what I believe is most important from my own life experiences―hard-hitting, eye-opening, unvarnished, facts—to reveal the indisputable truth concerning the origins of the martial arts, how they have evolved over centuries and millennia, and the status quo with respect to them today. Over the past six decades in particular, a diabolical and insidious plan has developed and been gradually implemented into the mainstream of western society and culture, in particular, to the extent that it is now impacting millions of lives, to one degree or another.
What I am about to share with you in this book is not to judge or condemn any individual, or their choice to become involved in the martial arts, yoga, or any other eastern-related practice. My purpose is simply to inform all those who read this book of the truth so they may ascertain for themselves the risks of getting involved. The content of this book may shock and anger some, yet hopefully, will set others free from deception and bondage from forces most cannot fathom or understand without true revelation.
The martial arts and yoga are often cleverly disguised as self-defense, physical fitness, a sport, exercise, stress reduction, or some other health benefit. Many are drawn to what they consider to be sheer fun, excitement, relaxation, or entertainment. Yet most who are involved in these activities and practices, even many who have been involved for years as teachers or instructors, do not have a clue what is hidden under the surface. Even if they did, most would not know what to do about it. Some would shrug it off as “no big deal” or say, “That is not possible!” Whether these eastern arts are for supposed health benefits, competition, non-competition, or self-defense, all incorporate various harmful spiritual concepts—without exception!
In recent years, these activities have exploded in popularity, running through millions of households—to schools, universities, to top government officials, and even to the White House. The eastern arts (especially yoga and transcendental meditation) have also been brought in through some medical professionals, who tout all the supposed proactive benefits that can supposedly be derived from yoga and other eastern activities.
For those involved in the martial arts and related arts, or for those who are considering becoming involved to any degree, have you ever wondered about the source of power that is behind them, or where it originates? Have you investigated, asked questions, or considered that all of these practices overlap and are integrated with each other? Have you asked who founded or created them, or what were their original purposes? Do you want to know the truth? Obviously, martial arts and yoga did not develop on their own out of thin air. They both have a complex root system, the knowledge of which may come as a surprise to many. I invite you to join me in taking a closer look.
The Origins of Martial Arts
On the surface, the various eastern arts may look entirely different, have different names, functions, or purpose, but all begin from the same source and are cleverly disguised and shrouded by a veil of mystery and secrecy. The martial arts, yoga, and related arts all have the same root system—their foundation being one and the same source of power—rooted and grounded in religions, which were developed in the eastern world.
History depicts with some accuracy the early beginnings or infancy of these various art forms. The development and empowerment of these practices did not happen by accident or on their own. But they are a direct result of a strategic, long-term plan implemented by an “unseen” spirit world, operating in and through the various eastern religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Zen.
Thousands of years ago, most cultures around the world found a very real need to provide protection for themselves—for self-preservation. Out of this need, they developed various methods to ensure their survival as a family. They armed themselves with weapons such as swords, knives, bows and arrows, spears, et cetera. for self-defense, to be used in times of danger and conflict. It was and is a natural outgrowth for basic survival.
Eastern cultures, as well, developed the use of weapons for self-defense and self-preservation. But in the process of this development, they also began to use “unarmed” methods of self-defense, which they learned through religious meditation. This was unique to eastern cultures and was not developed or found anywhere else in the world, at least not in the beginning. The true nature and intent of these eastern arts has been shrouded in mysticism for centuries, which has covered them with a veil of deception. This fact alone has ultimately prevented western cultures from understanding and grasping their true nature and purpose.
It is historically documented that these various fighting arts, per se, had their origins in the cradle of India and then were passed along to China thousands of years ago. Today, one can go to any library or search the Internet and retrieve volumes of related materials, depicting the history (for the most part, bits and pieces of information) about those who were responsible for the development and advancement of the martial arts, yoga, and related practices. These practices, which have now been exported from the East to the West, are currently packaged, portrayed, and presented as very beneficial to those who engage in them! This in itself is potentially very dangerous – both physically and spiritually.
To our benefit, however, the history and evolution is recorded and if we are willing to search it out, we will gain understanding. (If you are already involved in any eastern arts or related activities, but have uneasiness about it, I urge you to do some research yourself.)
The Early Beginnings
As we begin our search in history, we see the plight of the defenseless Buddhist monks who were traveling around the country, doing whatever Buddhist monks do. We are told they were not very active and through their sedentary lifestyle, they began to gain weight—a lot of weight! If they looked anything like the big, pot-bellied statues I have seen of Buddha, it is obvious how they would be easy targets for the bandits who often beat and robbed them, who didn’t care if they were holy men or not!
Buddha Figurine
They had no exercise program established up to that point, but out of necessity, they had to come up with something to deliver them from their plight as easy targets! So, out of necessity, these defenseless monks began to develop skills and powers that made them far superior to the “bad-guy” robbers. My question is: How long did it take and how many times were they beaten and robbed before these mysterious powers emerged? How long before they were able to defend themselves, as well as be able to disable or even kill their attackers? Was the killing necessary, and why?
It is reasonable to think they had the right to defend themselves, but why develop such a complex “unarmed” system? Couldn’t they have used a weapon of some sort like the robbers had? Undoubtedly, most people would have! Better yet, why didn’t they just appeal to their higher power (gods) to protect them? What was the point of meditation before their unseen gods if their gods could not or would not help them? Is meditation the same as prayer and if so, who and what did they receive in answer to their appeal?
There are many unanswered questions. Why is it that no other culture in the world developed similar methods to defend themselves? Many other cultures in every part of the world have had similar problems of roving bandits who beat and robbed people. Those cultures also had to learn to defend themselves in some way. Why the difference in how the Buddhist monks responded, compared to the rest of the world?
First of all, there is a vast difference between cultures in the East and in the West. Their philosophies, in general, are not parallel, but rather are in conflict with and contradict one another. Relatively speaking, very few western practitioners of the martial arts and yoga ever make the connection between these practices and their eastern roots. Most do not care about any kind of hidden spiritual link, as long as they get the so-called “benefits” they signed up for.
The history of the martial arts, as well as yoga, goes back to the dawn of civilization. Most agree that the roots of martial arts originated in India thousands of years ago, and that it eventually spread into China where it was developed more extensively. We know that in many cultures immortality and a deeper understanding of the alignment between the spiritual and the natural world were highly sought after.
Early on, these ancient people recognized that there is indeed a spiritual realm, as well as a natural. (People today, especially in western culture, do not so readily connect the two.) From the beginning, man’s quest for knowledge was (and is) insatiable. In the early days, their efforts to connect the two realms would, over a period of time, lead them into various forms of meditation, through which they were able to receive both knowledge and power from an unknown, unseen spiritual source.
Yoga (including the introduction and development of all its various forms, as well as meditation) was the forerunner that would open the door to their ability to gain knowledge (the “so-called” enlightenment) of what would later translate and evolve into “the fighting arts.” This would be further developed by Indian Buddhist monks (supposedly the “enlightened ones”) who then traveled from India to China and other parts of the Far East.
There is probably some distortion and contradiction as to who did what and when it was done. But to belabor and try to sift through various opinions of trivial information such as timelines is not as important as it is to understand the spiritual aspect. Let us take a journey back several thousand years or so and examine some often overlooked facts concerning the spiritual connection with the martial arts and yoga development from its earliest beginnings.
My point here is not to give you a history lesson or in any way portray the people groups of India, China, Japan, or other Far East countries in a negative, derogatory way. They have all contributed greatly in many different ways to the other people and societies of the world. As a people group, for the most part, they are gracious, honorable, kind, gentle, and humble. My experience and travels over the years with these people groups and cultures has been very pleasant and informative, to say the least (except in a very few instances years ago). So what I am going to share with you has to do with their religious practices and how they and their predecessors are responsible, to a great extent, for having impacted our western society today.
Their religious practices have not changed much over the span of thousands of years. Eastern cultures may vary in different ways socially and economically from each other, but their religious practices are very much intertwined and connected in similar ways and developed along many of the same lines. Now there are other cultures of the world who have also developed their own religious (or spiritual) belief systems, yet they are quite different from eastern practices and beliefs. One thing we all have in common, however, is “spiritual awareness.” The main difference between the East and the West is that in most cultures of the East, vast numbers of people worship many so-called “specialized” deities, rather than the one true God—Creator of heaven and earth.
The similarities in the development of the various belief systems belied the fact that they were separated by thousands of miles, as well as thousands of years, as they were in the process of developing. They all believed in a spirit world. Many had beliefs in their own god, or gods. Many had several gods―the sun god, the moon god, god of Mars or other planets―the list is long! They also worshipped other created things, objects of wood, stone, etc., which were made by man’s hands. The worship was in expectation of receiving favor, protection, health, and/or power!
In essence, man is a spirit being, housed in a human, or fleshly body.
Thousands of years ago, man recognized his own weaknesses and inability to comprehend the mysteries of life and sought instinctively a connection between his own human spirit to a higher power, which could possibly lead him through life’s challenges.
People in ancient Egypt recognized both the spiritual realm and the afterlife. American Indians also recognized the spiritual realm and prayed for help to what they believed was a higher power. In nearly all cultures, people recognized their “built-in” desire to communicate with and worship a power greater than their own, whom they believed could help them. Many cultures were influenced by and operated in spiritism, mysticism, and superstition. But no form of spiritual worship comes close to being as extensive and complex as the Hindu religious practices, which were developed from the cradle of their existence all the way to the present day in India. Regarding religious practices, this culture has developed differently than any other on earth.###
Click here to access A Prayer of Repentance & Release from Personal or Hereditary Occultic Involvements
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READ PART TWO of this article.
READ PART ONE of this article.
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This article series is an adaptation from the book, Exposing the Dangers of Martial Arts, by Vito Rallo, published by Real Truth Publications. The publisher/editor of Spirit Life Magazine, was the contributing editor of the book. Click on the book cover image below to learn more about the book.
Dr. Vito Rallo is an evangelist gifted in the ministry of healing, deliverance, and the prophetic. He is a former five-time USA National Karate Champion, who several years after becoming a Born Again Christian, withdrew from all involvement in Martial Arts and destroyed all his medals, belts and uniforms. In 1983, he founded Free Indeed Ministries, a ministry committed to winning souls and bringing deliverance to those who are bound and burdened. He and his wife, Pat, travel the U.S. and world, conducting spiritual warfare seminars and demonstrating the truths set forth in the ever-growing number of books they have written and published. They now reside in western North Carolina.
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