10/3/07 -

Story Continues


You must do the things you think you cannot do.
Eleanor Roosevelt

From Ancient times, deep learning and valor have been the two pillars of the path: Through the virtue of training, enlighten both body and soul.
Morihei Ueshiba


As my physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health increased, I not only lost the need to fight, but learned self-self defense. I could be my own worst enemy. I learned to convert toxic energy into life giving energy, and this opened-up taekwondo to becoming an expressive performance, and something that I did not fear, but gave me joy. I have found that the martial arts have become an assistant to practicing my religious faith, by helping me center and look inward. Taekwondo’s philosophy has reinforced doing the right things in my life over and over. How have the martial arts managed to take the harmony and unity of mind, body, spirit, and emotions and help me to become a truly better person?

I believe we are all seeking enlightenment whether we consciously think it or not. We search for the truth!

The Sun Buddhist of Korea believed the ultimate goal of Buddhism is to attain enlightenment and that enlightenment is the inner experience of recognizing the Buddha-nature in the nature of oneself. Meditation was the one way to achieve this. Through exposure to meditation at the beginning and end of class we start to be able to be still in ourselves, and after we can calm the mind we find the being behind endless clatter of thoughts.

When we are truly present everything becomes more powerful! Ultimately, when we know our true self, we know how to prioritize our time, use our energy, and communicate what is important!

The quest to advance belt levels and win championships helped fuel me, but in reality it was the changes in how I felt about myself and related to those around me that helped make those changes last.