The flip side of modesty is respect. As you make sure not to take more than you need , make sure that you allow for the differences between yourself and others. Different ways that we process, store, and communicate information make us seemingly very different creatures. We may have great differences in the way we see the world, but we can respect even our greatest enemies and through this respect strengthen our own position.
Respect precludes that we do not have to be correct! Righteousness should not be used as justification for greediness. Modesty and respect can resolve at least 80% of conflicts. When our will pushes into another's will, it like deciding to invade a foreign land and must be done with full justification.
Sparring is a great opportunity to explore protecting our own boundaries, yet not abusing our sparring partner. Using modesty and respect will help you to become a victor and respected martial artist.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Modesty - Kyum Soen
Modesty requires us not to put ourselves in front of others, take more than what we need, flaunt what we have achieved, or use our gifts to bully or manipulate others.
Modesty is the first act of wisdom that takes other into account. If we apply mushim, innae, geugki, jajeh continuously in our lives, we may then see modest advances in our relationships with others. Taking into consideration how hard it is to practice the first four words of wisdom ourselves, we must be reasonable in what we can expect from others.
This is an important point in itself. We mustn't be unrealistic in our expectations of how a relationship (student/teacher, business, friendship, or romantic) can progress. More on this when we discuss joen gyung (respect).
The best martial art students talk less and listen more. They show less and practice more. The practice of modesty in martial arts connects one with appropriate use of our energies. Do we really need to say what we were about to say? Did we need to hit our training partner that hard? Who really benefited from that interaction we just had?
Let me give a concrete example or two:
1. You decide to demonstrate a self-defense technique to the class. Will this help students understand and be able to execute the technique better or will it be discouraging and difficult to follow? Do you plan to break it down for students or did you do it to show off or just get the practice?
2. You notice a student seems unmotivated and lacks any power in her technique, so you admonish her for lack of effort, and then kick her target to show her what real power looks and feels like. Did you do this out of frustration that the student was not displaying effort and power? Does showing your own power necessarily translate into a students accessing their own? Did you investigate to what is going on with student?
When we are modest, we do not waste energy. We use what we have and we refuse to covet what other have.
Modesty is the first act of wisdom that takes other into account. If we apply mushim, innae, geugki, jajeh continuously in our lives, we may then see modest advances in our relationships with others. Taking into consideration how hard it is to practice the first four words of wisdom ourselves, we must be reasonable in what we can expect from others.
This is an important point in itself. We mustn't be unrealistic in our expectations of how a relationship (student/teacher, business, friendship, or romantic) can progress. More on this when we discuss joen gyung (respect).
The best martial art students talk less and listen more. They show less and practice more. The practice of modesty in martial arts connects one with appropriate use of our energies. Do we really need to say what we were about to say? Did we need to hit our training partner that hard? Who really benefited from that interaction we just had?
Let me give a concrete example or two:
1. You decide to demonstrate a self-defense technique to the class. Will this help students understand and be able to execute the technique better or will it be discouraging and difficult to follow? Do you plan to break it down for students or did you do it to show off or just get the practice?
2. You notice a student seems unmotivated and lacks any power in her technique, so you admonish her for lack of effort, and then kick her target to show her what real power looks and feels like. Did you do this out of frustration that the student was not displaying effort and power? Does showing your own power necessarily translate into a students accessing their own? Did you investigate to what is going on with student?
When we are modest, we do not waste energy. We use what we have and we refuse to covet what other have.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
MooGong
Our martial art of Moogong-Ryu means Way of guarding the peace. Moo meaning warrior and Gong meaning peacefulness. How does war and peace come together? Inner peace requires inner strength. When we live in fear we cannot feel peace. Moo and gong are eum and yang. One flows into the other to create harmony and peace.
We need to concentrate on private victory before we can have public victory. Our first four acts of wisdom: mushim, innae, geugki, jajeh are the actions that will aid us in having victory within. When we have a sense of ourselves, we hold ourselves to what we know is right, we accept and stay in the present moment, we will attract success outside of ourselves. As we work these first four words of wisdom, we will create inner peace and strength that will aide us in our relationships.
The Moo is the fighting energy that destroys old patterns: mental, physical,spiritual, and emotional. The Gong is the peaceful energy that give birth to new patterns and harmonizes them with existing ones.
Continued strength requires keeping peace this must be done internally and in our relationships. You cannot maintain any power in relationships if you do not know how to live in harmony with those around you. At the same time it must be from a position of strength or you will lose your essential qualities in the exchange. To have a peaceful relationship this strength must come from true inner power and not manipulation. This is why finding your true self and applying the first four words of wisdom our so essential!
Next month, I will move to the next set of words that deal with human relationship, beginning with Kyum-Soen (modesty).
We need to concentrate on private victory before we can have public victory. Our first four acts of wisdom: mushim, innae, geugki, jajeh are the actions that will aid us in having victory within. When we have a sense of ourselves, we hold ourselves to what we know is right, we accept and stay in the present moment, we will attract success outside of ourselves. As we work these first four words of wisdom, we will create inner peace and strength that will aide us in our relationships.
The Moo is the fighting energy that destroys old patterns: mental, physical,spiritual, and emotional. The Gong is the peaceful energy that give birth to new patterns and harmonizes them with existing ones.
Continued strength requires keeping peace this must be done internally and in our relationships. You cannot maintain any power in relationships if you do not know how to live in harmony with those around you. At the same time it must be from a position of strength or you will lose your essential qualities in the exchange. To have a peaceful relationship this strength must come from true inner power and not manipulation. This is why finding your true self and applying the first four words of wisdom our so essential!
Next month, I will move to the next set of words that deal with human relationship, beginning with Kyum-Soen (modesty).
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Who is the self in self-control?
Most of us think that we struggle with control, but what I think we are really struggling with is the "self." Who is in control anyways? Without a leader within us there is no way for things to fall in order. We have so many conscious and unconscious influences on us that it is one's sense of self that obscures who is actually making decisions. Find the self and you will find-out who is steering the wheel.
Try spending more time with less thoughts and outside stimulus to find yourself, then you will have more control in your life.
Try spending more time with less thoughts and outside stimulus to find yourself, then you will have more control in your life.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Discipline is all a matter of time!
When we are fully present, we almost always know what to do. This is why it is so important to remain present as often as possible. When we try rush or stuff our lives with too many activities, or take ourselves out of the present through addictive behavior, we lose our connection to what is real in the moment. Later we may say " that was a dumb thing to do or say." If we remind ourselves to wait and stay present, we will remember what we really want to do or say. This is where holding yourself to what you know is right comes in -discipline!
When we are present and inhibit our habitual reactions through patience, it gives us a chance to go beyond our ego and sense what our true self knows to do or say. This can be illustrated more concretely, when you are practicing a sidekick. If I am having a difficult time striking a target hard with my side kick, I could keep adding more speed and power with my will. Usually, I will get farther and farther from what I am trying to achieve with this method.
Instead, I could stop, empty my mind, try the technique as slowly as I can, and then see if I can now identify what instructions I can use that will change the outcome. Many times I will quickly discover what it is I need to do. Other times I may need to repeat the process or ask others to watch.
In the next stage I will find that when I try to speed-up, I will go back to my old patterns. This reminds me of a story:
There was a student walking to the dojang who would get to a spot where there was a hole in the ground. Every time his left foot got stuck in that hole and he tripped and fell. Each time he cursed and ran on with mud on his dobok. Eventually, he started to absorb some of the lessons from his master about mushim and innnae.
He decided to leave for class a little earlier and he took his time enjoying the walk with his mind more and more present instead on what he would be practicing in class. The student would start to slip into the hole, but he would be present enough to catch his balance. As the student absorbed more of the master's lessons on discipline and he became better at holding himself to leaving for class on time, he spent less time worrying about if he would remember his forms in class, and held himself to noticing the his surroundings more. Not only did he start remembering his forms better, but his performance became more powerful. Most importantly, he noticed that there was a path he had never noticed before that was a little quicker, had no hole to fall in, and had a beautiful view!
When you find that you slip back to your old patterns when you speed things up, you know you must slow things down so that you can be mindful enough to replace your reaction with a new one. You must be humble and patient enough to really break things down into small pieces
In our next installment, I will explain how the realization that we really do control our reactions is!
When we are present and inhibit our habitual reactions through patience, it gives us a chance to go beyond our ego and sense what our true self knows to do or say. This can be illustrated more concretely, when you are practicing a sidekick. If I am having a difficult time striking a target hard with my side kick, I could keep adding more speed and power with my will. Usually, I will get farther and farther from what I am trying to achieve with this method.
Instead, I could stop, empty my mind, try the technique as slowly as I can, and then see if I can now identify what instructions I can use that will change the outcome. Many times I will quickly discover what it is I need to do. Other times I may need to repeat the process or ask others to watch.
In the next stage I will find that when I try to speed-up, I will go back to my old patterns. This reminds me of a story:
There was a student walking to the dojang who would get to a spot where there was a hole in the ground. Every time his left foot got stuck in that hole and he tripped and fell. Each time he cursed and ran on with mud on his dobok. Eventually, he started to absorb some of the lessons from his master about mushim and innnae.
He decided to leave for class a little earlier and he took his time enjoying the walk with his mind more and more present instead on what he would be practicing in class. The student would start to slip into the hole, but he would be present enough to catch his balance. As the student absorbed more of the master's lessons on discipline and he became better at holding himself to leaving for class on time, he spent less time worrying about if he would remember his forms in class, and held himself to noticing the his surroundings more. Not only did he start remembering his forms better, but his performance became more powerful. Most importantly, he noticed that there was a path he had never noticed before that was a little quicker, had no hole to fall in, and had a beautiful view!
When you find that you slip back to your old patterns when you speed things up, you know you must slow things down so that you can be mindful enough to replace your reaction with a new one. You must be humble and patient enough to really break things down into small pieces
In our next installment, I will explain how the realization that we really do control our reactions is!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Practicing Patience
Patience requires an empty mind and discipline. In a sense patience is a practice of meditation. Viktor Frankl wrote about this fundamental principle of the nature of humans in his book: Man's Search of Meaning. The principle is that between stimulus and response is our freedom to choose. F.M Alexander also speaks of this in regard to changing habitual patterns in our lives when he speaks of "inhibition."
How often do we react the same way we always do in an argument? How often do we respond the same way to stress in our lives with self-destructive behavior? As a martial artist, how often do respond with the same counter technique in sparring? We condition a response through repetition. So how can we change these responses? The answer lies in connecting mushim and geukgi with innae of course!
At the start of our practice it is crucial that we become completely present in mind, body, spirit, and emotions. When we disconnect, we will always go to our default reaction. This is why the continual practice of putting our mind into our body and breath is so helpful. I suggest you read Eckart Tolle: The Power of Now for great incite into this subject.
As Viktor Frankl waited it out in a Nazi concentration camp, he discovered that his captors could control his enviroment but not his reaction to it. That space between stimulus and reaction is patience. If we start our training very present, move very slowly, we will be very aware of our habits. Moving fast or adrenalized, we will have no time between stimulus and reaction.
This is why I want you to start each exercise slowly and build speed slowly. This will keep you aware of your muscle's reaction to each movement and allow you to choose how fast and high you make the movement. If you stay present and slow down, you will not only hear your body, but you will hear your instructor's instructions, and you will be able to make adjustments.
For many of us who are Type A, we have a hard time going slow enough to be aware of our habits. Make a commitment to learn the value of slow movement. Try all of your forms, self-defense, etc.. in slow motion, taking at least three seconds to complete each move. If you are having a hard time disciplining yourself to do this, join in on one of my kimoodo classes. This is one of the ways I have learned the process.
In my next post, I will connect the concept of discipline, or "holding yourself to what you know is right," to our learning process.
How often do we react the same way we always do in an argument? How often do we respond the same way to stress in our lives with self-destructive behavior? As a martial artist, how often do respond with the same counter technique in sparring? We condition a response through repetition. So how can we change these responses? The answer lies in connecting mushim and geukgi with innae of course!
At the start of our practice it is crucial that we become completely present in mind, body, spirit, and emotions. When we disconnect, we will always go to our default reaction. This is why the continual practice of putting our mind into our body and breath is so helpful. I suggest you read Eckart Tolle: The Power of Now for great incite into this subject.
As Viktor Frankl waited it out in a Nazi concentration camp, he discovered that his captors could control his enviroment but not his reaction to it. That space between stimulus and reaction is patience. If we start our training very present, move very slowly, we will be very aware of our habits. Moving fast or adrenalized, we will have no time between stimulus and reaction.
This is why I want you to start each exercise slowly and build speed slowly. This will keep you aware of your muscle's reaction to each movement and allow you to choose how fast and high you make the movement. If you stay present and slow down, you will not only hear your body, but you will hear your instructor's instructions, and you will be able to make adjustments.
For many of us who are Type A, we have a hard time going slow enough to be aware of our habits. Make a commitment to learn the value of slow movement. Try all of your forms, self-defense, etc.. in slow motion, taking at least three seconds to complete each move. If you are having a hard time disciplining yourself to do this, join in on one of my kimoodo classes. This is one of the ways I have learned the process.
In my next post, I will connect the concept of discipline, or "holding yourself to what you know is right," to our learning process.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Making mushim work!
The key to enacting our words of wisdom are always the words that proceed and follow. In the case of mushim, it is choshim (beginner's mind) and innae (patience). The best way to understand this is to think about listening to someone in an argument. If our sense of self is strong, we will think that we know the answer and have the best arguments for it. Instead of actively listening, our mind will become full of rebuttals. By telling ourselves that we may not know (choshim), we open ourselves up to new viewpoints and answers. This will definitely take Innae, patience. We may start to say things before we even realize they are leaving our mouths and we have to focus on our breathing and just WAIT! The waiting is the key. Time heals all. It seems so important to say or do something in the heat of emotion, but then time goes by and it is not important at all. This is the power of patience!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Acts of Wisdom
Senior Grandmaster Choi's moogong-ryu system incorporates a list of "Words of Wisdom." This list is more like recipe for living life than just a group of nice words to think about. They have been a guide for my daily life over the past 15 years.
Mushim - Empty Your Mind
You must be present to win is often quoted. How are we present when our mind is elsewhere?
Living in the present is the only way to fully live life, yet we are so consumed by what is next and what we did yesterday that it rarely happens for the average person. There are two concepts that need to be accepted before the ego will let go of thought: Thoughts are energy and we are more than our thoughts.
Much of our modern living separates our mind and bodies activities. Right now I am writing this entry, about being present, but my mind is anything but present as it searches my memory for the right words. The best way to get into the present moment is through putting one's awareness into our bodies. One of the great benefits of exercise and particularly our martial art is how it does this. When we are "in our bodies," It is impossible to not be present.
Mushim - Empty Your Mind
You must be present to win is often quoted. How are we present when our mind is elsewhere?
Living in the present is the only way to fully live life, yet we are so consumed by what is next and what we did yesterday that it rarely happens for the average person. There are two concepts that need to be accepted before the ego will let go of thought: Thoughts are energy and we are more than our thoughts.
Much of our modern living separates our mind and bodies activities. Right now I am writing this entry, about being present, but my mind is anything but present as it searches my memory for the right words. The best way to get into the present moment is through putting one's awareness into our bodies. One of the great benefits of exercise and particularly our martial art is how it does this. When we are "in our bodies," It is impossible to not be present.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Why We Compete?
With our 16th Annual School Tournament approaching, the subject of competition invariably comes up. There will be students who will say they are not competitive. Competition is part of life. Without it there is no growth. A student may say they are not competitive, but it may really mean that do not feel the need to prove themselves in the martial arts and they may be very competitive in other areas of their lives, or it may be an excuse to not deal with the stress of the competition.
When we make ourselves accountable by competing against others or performing in front of others, we give ourselves the opportunity to infuse mind body, spirit, and emotions into our technique like never before
Healthy competition is the natural way to insure we improve ourselves. As long as you are in the world, you must compete, and if you must compete, you must win. I believe in the importance of competition within ourselves and to challenge our selves against other’s achievements. In this way, we put pressure on ourselves to change and it encourages us to bring out our best qualities and to compound those advantages into superiority.
The Dojang includes healthy competition as do all sports, but it encompasses a greater system for self-improvement than any other sport. Martial arts have a unique opportunity to train mind, body, spirit, and emotions in harmony through a unique system. This system empowers people for life!
When we make ourselves accountable by competing against others or performing in front of others, we give ourselves the opportunity to infuse mind body, spirit, and emotions into our technique like never before
Healthy competition is the natural way to insure we improve ourselves. As long as you are in the world, you must compete, and if you must compete, you must win. I believe in the importance of competition within ourselves and to challenge our selves against other’s achievements. In this way, we put pressure on ourselves to change and it encourages us to bring out our best qualities and to compound those advantages into superiority.
The Dojang includes healthy competition as do all sports, but it encompasses a greater system for self-improvement than any other sport. Martial arts have a unique opportunity to train mind, body, spirit, and emotions in harmony through a unique system. This system empowers people for life!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Welcome to 2009!
Gyul-Dan/Geun-Gi or Determination and Persistence is our CTC theme of the year! It is a theme that has to be built like a muscle, and it may be the one factor that differentiates between those who succeed at their aspirations and those who fail. World renowned sports psychologist, James Loehr writes in his book, The New Toughness Training For Sports that toughness training is the art and science of increasing your ability to handle all kinds of stress.
Determination is the acting of making one's mind up. Persistence is the act of continuing an activity without interruption. These two Moogong-Ryu Words of Wisdom should be like muscles that need to be worked-out everyday!
There are many great stories of determination and persistence in martial arts. My first instructor told me the story of the National TKD Team Coach who tried for something like ten years to make the Korean National Team without avail. After finally making the Team, he was then able to keep winning at the national level for over ten years!
Although I did not have the experience of being on top at the national level for ten years, I did have the experience of competing somewhere in the neighborhood of ten tournaments before even getting my first third place trophy. This built some muscle in me to persevere to next win a second place trophy.
I think that it is easier for students to learn determination/persistence if they do not win at their first competition, break their board the first time, etc... So even though there may be some tears to get over, on the other side is a martial artist that is empowered to stay the course!
Happy Year of the Bull!
Master Korchak
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