In addition to its spiritual practices, Zen has had some influence on popular culture.
For example, Zen martial arts developed at Shaolin temple, a Zen / Chan temple in China. The first version of that monastery was founded in 464, but it was destroyed and built various times over the centuries.
From the standpoint of “human nature,” the monasteries’ large land holdings, and frequent times of internal warfare in Chinese history, obliged the monks to develop a martial arts tradition for protection.
Since monks had taken vows against using weapons, martial arts involving physical training was preferable. However, many monks could use weapons such as spears in self-protection.