Wai Kru Ram Muay (pre-fight dance ritual)

[kneedy93]

Greetings CA Forums,

I am a twenty-five year old American currently living in Thailand. The original reason for my visit was a pursuit of my training in Muay Thai (thai boxing that permits kicking, punching, elbows and knees, while standing.) My stay has been beneficial in many other ways. Today for the first time in the two months that I’ve been here I was taught the Wai Kru. This is a ceremonial dance that most fighters perform in Thailand before a boxing match.

During the dance you start in your corner, you bow and connect hands in prayer. You make a light jabbing motion three times, the fist ascends after each punch. I learned after the training (on Wikipedia) that the three jabs are basically a shout-out to the Buddha, Rama, and sangha of monks. I prayed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Islam is more predominate than Christianity in this part of south-east Asia, I had heard before that some Muslims modify the Wai Kru for religious purposes, so my actions were improvised as I didn’t know I’d be learning this today.) You walk to each corner of the ring and follow these same actions (supposedly to seal the ring off from negative energy or spirits.) Then you enter the center of the ring, do a slight dance at the same time as your opponent and alternate between dancing and praying (in threes again, so again I prayed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy spirit.) After you’ve repeated this step facing each direction of the ring you return to your corners, sometimes one fighter may fire an imaginary bow at you and you’re to dodge or block the arrow. I’ve seen some fighters just stand there ignoring it, particularly those who don’t perform a Wai Kru.

Does this dance ritual sound intrinsically sinful or a near occasion of sin to you? If it does or does not, please explain why using as much doctrine, logic, or scripture as possible. I did not feel the same sensation that I feel when I have full knowledge of doing something that is a grave matter. The dance brought a sense of peace and not unease over me. Thank you for your respectful opinions and let us please not turn this into a debate over the morality of martial arts in general. I am a consenting adult who is practicing a sport that guarantees no more injury than running or any other high impact sport. Have a great day and may the Lord be with you!

 

[poche]

I think that your modification is a good way to baptize a non Christian ritual so that it becomes Christian.

 

[kneedy93]

Thank you Poche, that is where my mind was at during my actions. Is anyone else willing to be generous and offer advice? This is important to me because I don’t want to partake in the eucharist if I am in a state of mortal sin.

 

[lilypadrees]

I don’t know if what you do is a mortal sin. But part of it sounds like what the Wiccans do in their ceremonies.

 

[kneedy93]

That is an interesting connection, thank you for the insight. It isn’t a connection I had made before but I can see how that could come to be. My understanding of Wiccanism is that it is an attempt to reconstruct pagan practices of Europeans by taking what knowledge is available and combining it with ideas of practices from around the world. Even then, not all of their actions are intrinsically bad or sinful, unless they have some spiritual aim that opens them up to “forces or energies” that they are recognizing as sovereign powers.

 

[huck]

Hello kneedy93,
1COR 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
My response will be based on my understanding of the Edgar Cayce material. He would ask what is your ideal. It was important that we have n ideal that we live by. A life without an ideal is like a ship without a rudder. He told people not to be good but to be good for something. Paul’s ideal was preaching the gospel and he was willing to do whatever was necessary. Since the dance is bringing a sense of peace it doesn’t appear that it’s conflicting with your instinct so I would say keep on doing it.