In wuxia novels, films, and TV series, one notable trend is that Buddhist martial artists tend to use a variety of weaponry *except* for the standard wuxia weapon: the sword. This is a curious trend. The Buddhist martial artists at the Shaolin Temple, for example, are known to be trained in a variety of martial arts weaponry, including cudgels, sticks, spears, sabers, and even projectiles...but no swords. Conversely, Taoist-based sects use the sword almost by default: there was a Cheun Jen Sect Sword Technique, an Ancient Tomb Sect Sword Technique, a Mo Dong Sect Sword Technique, an Ngor Mei Sect Sword Technique, a Kwun Lun Sect Sword Technique, and a Mt. Hua Sect Sword Technique...but *never* a Shaolin Sword Technique.
I have a theory that perhaps Buddhist martial artists eschew the sword because it is a uniquely deadly weapon that is inconsistent with their pacifist creed (then again, so are martial arts and weaponry in general), but sabers, sticks, cudgels, and even empty hands can be deadly too if wielded by a skilled martial artist. Is there a reason why sword skills seem to be lacking in wuxia Buddhist martial arts?