ENERGY AND THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE
Mind
In a lot of ways Tae Kwon Do has changed my perspective on the nature of difficulty and resistance. I’m beginning to realize that the majority of problems I face stem directly from within me, and that any change must come from within. I’m learning the nature of balance in different relationships. Just as a knife requires compliance to pierce flesh; it also requires a certain level of resistance. Through meditation I’ve become more conscious of the overabundance of thinking I do that can be transcended with practice. I’m slowly learning to be aware of my emotional responses, and to live deliberately rather than impulsively.
Body
Living in an age of increased modern conveniences and culturally accepted (almost encouraged) stagnancy, I blew a lot of my youth just lying around, depressed and angry, wasting the energy and ability of my youth. I’m just beginning to test the true limits of my body and its potential. Studying Tae Kwon Do has increased my access to the reserved energy in my body, and tuned the proper timing of its release, enhancing my ability to ‘turn on and off’, depending on the situation. Forms give me an organized outlet for the energy I get at night (as well as during the day) and give me a solid basis to build from and noticeably improve. They’ve in part taught me the significance of the balance of mastery and spontaneity; two seemingly polar aspects of life that I’ve spent a good amount of time contemplating. As far as mastery is concerned, I try to apply the Japanese concept of kaizen (similar to Pil Sung, it roughly translates to ‘better every time’) to my training and my life in general.
Spirit
A significant benefit of my getting into Tae Kwon Do was how it opened me up to the philosophies and intricacies of Asian culture and wisdom. The art spiritually prepared me to begin studying Zen Buddhism, Chinese Medicine, Taoism, Japanese Budo (kendo, archery, Okinawan weaponry), and Eastern Mysticism in general. I’m more conscious of my energy levels and my relation to the universe and the planet. Conversations with Dr. Haaland have of course also been tremendously insightful. He has always been a great source of inspiration (as a role model) and spiritual guidance. With his help (along with the help of my other instructors), I’ve been able to become more aware of energy and it’s different forms and nature. Tae Kwon Do also has given me a higher purpose and zest to my life and made me more aware of the interrelatedness of the planet and its forces and inhabitants.
REALIZING MY POTENTIAL
Tae Kwon Do has helped me comprehend the nature of the relation of the mind, body, and spirit, and that the cultivation of these three (the only three) aspects of the self is indeed the true nature of health and wellness. In essence, is Tae Kwon Do not ultimately a discipline of elevating, protecting, and maintaining health? Self-defense focuses on the protection of vital organs, bones, and circulation. Meditation maximizes function, and conscious awareness of the cardio-vascular and respiratory systems, which in turn power the lymphatic, digestive, renal, and nervous systems. Forms and sparring strengthen the muscles and bones, as well as focus and sharpen the mind, eventually transcending it’s role in fighting, leading to mu-shin or empty-mind.
AWARENESS OF YOUTH AND THE REALITY OF DEATH
Breath
Studying Tae Kwon Do has taught me the importance of breath, insofar as its role in the kihap and meditation. From a martial arts standpoint, the kihap seems to be the ultimate manifestation of breath. Adding voice to the power and focus of breath in an attack instantly focuses and commits one to the movement and the present moment. The kihap also serves the purpose of grabbing the attention of everyone involved in the situation and nearby, and presents the willingness to engage in battle.
Ideally though, mastery of the six levels of self-defense (awareness, avoidance, discourage, delay, disable, destroy) puts the practitioner in control of dangerous situations in their early stages by virtue of the first two levels. I believe that the combination of awareness and avoidance is the essence of self-defense. Just as the most massive of oak trees could have been ripped apart as a seedling, so too could the most feverous battles have been snuffed out in their early stages of development.
Meditation
Beyond the increasing of my lung capacity (that could have also been accomplished by stamina-building exercises), my practice of meditation has made me more aware of the rhythms of my body and my surroundings. By continually noting and dismissing different sounds, sensations, emotional responses, and thoughts, I feel that I’ve become better at isolating myself from distractions and have quickened my responses. In application for fighting, I’ve found meditation has helped me focus less on my own event and more on the opponent’s actions and intentions, allowing me to move more in relation to him. Again, this seems to require a degree of mu-shin, or empty mind. Another example of this would be when Gordon and I ran down Eagle Mountain. Despite the fact that the top half of the path down the mountain was very steep, consisting of protruding rocks, boulders, and roots, the two of us were able to run/jump down the side of the mountain for minutes at top speeds (essentially flying through the air) without making mistakes, I believe by virtue of the fact that neither of us were thinking at all. Like any animal we were able to rely solely on instinct to guide us.
Universal Relationships
Studying Tae Kwon Do and meditating has made me more at peace with my position in the universe and with the reality of death. Death is an inescapable aspect of life that I believe should be accepted if one wants to live fully and reach their potential. Living with this awareness gives me a higher appreciation for my youth and my life, and makes my shortcomings easier to accept.
SUFFERING
“He who cries in the dojo, laughs on the battlefield.”
— Feudal Japanese proverb
The acceptance of the fact that life is suffering allows me to see my concepts of ‘problems’ as mere perceptions of an objective reality that exists outside of right and wrong / good and bad. In the conversations I had with Dr. Haaland, when interviewing him a few years ago for my senior paper, he told about the Buddhist belief that human suffering can be deduced to grasping, aversion, and self-ignorance. The first two seem so intrinsic to life, its no wonder we spend so much of our lives suffering. How can one discriminate without love and hate? How can one strive for freedom from desire without desiring that freedom? Obviously these are questions that cannot be answered using rational thinking. Perhaps for the purposes of ending suffering (enlightenment) we must move beyond rational thinking, memory, foresight, introspection, etc., beyond the past and future, and into the present moment. Now!
A FINAL NOTE
I’d like to thank all the instructors at the Center for helping me realize my potential, for their patience, and their intense devotion to the art. Lastly I’d like to thank Gordon for initially suggesting I get involved in Tae Kwon Do and for the countless hours we spent training together down at the park.
PIL SUNG!
