Why should one study the Sword (Siljin Dobup) in the modern age of Firearms?

Why should one study the Sword (Siljin Dobup) in the modern age of  Firearms?

Written by  Jin K. Seong

The question gets commonly asked: Why should we study sword training in the modern age of guns? What is the purpose of sword training? Exercise? If so, one could do other other sports , such as running, or weightlifting. Perhaps the reasons lies in the spiritual aspects of sword training.

The purpose of the sword arouses concerns since the sword is capable of  threatening  one’s life and thus arouses mixed feelings of nervousness, fear, bravery and desperation as he or she encounters in  a life or death situation. In sword training (Siljin Doup) one trains by imagining oneself in such a situation and experiences the emotions that one would encounter under these extreme circumstances.

Life or death is a simple and basic concept. One becomes desperate to survive when he faces death. Wealth, honor, social class or occupation does not matter when someone is about to die. Life and death mark the beginning and the end and when in a situation of facing death one empties and lets go of concerns. Through the art of the sword one hypothetically situates oneself to be in an extreme situation where his life is threatened and tries to release all  concerns.

Interestingly, our brains do not distinguish between what we see and what we think. The practioneer imagines himself in a life or death situation perhaps in a different historical time period, depending on the quality of his practice, his imagination could produce the same effect as facing this type of situation.

Running and weightlifting are solely physical activities that do not deal with the spiritual aspects of dealing with life and death. In the practice of Swords the spiritual aspect  is achieved by training with the concept of  life and death.

Through the practice of Sword ( Siljin Dobup), one trains himself to control his own emotions and seek mental freedom.

The ultimate goal of Siljin Dobup

The ultimate goal of Siljin Dobup

 Written by  Jin K. Seong

The ultimate goal of Siljin Dobup is ‘controlling the mind”. The human being consists of mind and body. We think our body and mind are ours or are they? We often make mistakes, regret, collapse and abandon when we fail to control our body and mind. Can we control our mind then? Can we really become the master of our mind? Through training in Siljin Dobup we seek the answer. Siljin Dobup is designed to achieve the ultimate state were the body and mind become One.

There are five ascending stages of training in Siljin Dobup Jee (earth), Soo (water), Pung (wind), Hwa (fire), Cheon (sky). There are also some basic cutting moves to study before Jee, however major training begins at the level of Jee.

The details of each stage’s goal and mind study will be explained below.

1.Set Jee-Earth  Putting down “the self”

Jee is Earth. Earth is the origin of life and death. Since the Earth is the fundamental in all lives, it is the first stage of learning. Learning is accepting. We need to empty what we have already to accept new things. It means to be humble enough to accept the teacher from whom you’re eager to learn.

SOO-PA-RHEE- this terminology stands for the three stages of martial arts training originated from Buddhist terminology

SOO- Keeping what we’re taught. It is a stage that we keep the principles and basics learned from the teacher.

PA- Is the stage that one breaks the mold by one’s individuality and ability to create a unique style based on keeping the principles and basics. This stage is planned intentional and conscious.

RHEE- Is the stage of natural and unconscious training which is the extension of stage PA. This is the ultimate stage that the trainee performs PA freely without losing reason, rules and basics.

It is impossible to access learning without studying the stage of SOO. A trainee can fall into conceit easily and too much pride will lead to the failure of communication with others. That is why the trainee needs a guide in the beginning stage.  A strong relationship has to be built between the teacher and disciple at the stage of SOO. The disciple must have faith in the teacher’s way even though he or she disagrees with his ideology. It is a matter of sincerity not of right or wrong. Again, without emptying what you already have and being humble, the journey of learning could go wrong.

1. Chapter (Set) Jee is designed as the training stage of SOO. A trainee will learn to keep the basics and principles of the sword technically and mentally in the frame of the teacher’s philosophy. It is a very straight forward chapter that every student must follow.

2. Set SOO- Flowing like water

 SOO means water. Our mind should flow like water. Water can harmonize in any place and transform into any shape without losing its character. Our mind should be flexible like water. We should open our minds to the unlimited possibility for greater achievement. The movement of SOO should be big and smooth with flexibility as water.

3.Set Poong--- Stopping like Wind

 The wind blows or stops without being seen. We practice severing and stopping in Poong. Our minds are limitless and free of charge.  Sometimes our minds are stuck on a memory of the past or fear of the unknown in the future. This is not an efficient way of controlling our minds. If this happens during sparring or competition, one can not maintain the freedom of moving and find the weakness of the opponent.

In set Poong by abruptly cutting out unnecessary things, we make room for positive energy of Set Hwa.

4.Set Hwa—burning like fire

Fire is energy. When a person builds up Chi energy he can have more power, passion, confidence and dream bigger dreams.

You will learn how to put down “the self” and accept in Set Jee and Soo. You will learn how to make room in your mind by severing unnecessary things in Set Poong. And finally you will learn how to fill up your positive Chi energy in Set Hwa. The movements of Hwa are live and continuous. You should train to generate spirited Chi energy as if there is a blazing fire inside of you!

5.Set Choen- Sky

Cheon is the final chapter to start controlling your mind after competing Set Jee, SOO, Poong and Hwa. Cheon is Sky and it covers everything. It is tolerant of good, bad, beautiful, ugly, hot and cold. The existence of all things is under Sky.

You should be able to recognize and accept that you are the master of you mind. Cheon is different for you and me. There is my Cheon and your Cheon. Everything is free and in harmony.

Equation for Happiness

Equation for Happiness

             A while back, a world renown singer was found dead in a hotel room.  The cause of death was overdose.  One has to wonder what made the singer’s life so unbearable that he--successful by any means, be it wealth or fame--had to put an end to it.  Thinking about the news, I concluded that no one enjoys complete happiness or satisfaction.  Everyone has his or her (female gender omitted after this point) own share of joy and pain, but it just does not seem that way because everyone is so different.  I think it is 50:50.  I think everyone has an equal amount of the good and the bad happen in their lives.  And I think it is quite fair.

             Even so, some are happier than others.  Could this be because some are simply more fortunate than others?

             I think the ones who are happy and the ones who are unhappy simply have a different way of adding and subtracting happiness and unhappiness.  That is, when thinking about the past, the ones who are happy think of the happy times as opposed to the unhappy ones.  They add the happy thoughts to the present.  On the other hand, the ones who are unhappy think more about the times that were unhappy and add frustration and remorse to the present.  What is past is past, whether one likes it or not.  What is left is only a memory, but these people hold on to what is spilt milk and torment themselves.  Moreover, the unhappy person thinks about all the things that could go wrong in the future and adds them to the present as well.  Here is an example.  Let's say an unhappy person is hiking, and it suddenly begins to rain.  Three kilometers down the path there is a brook to be crossed.  The unhappy person begins to worry about whether the shoes need to kept on or taken off.  One could simply continue to hike and decide on the shoes when one actually reaches the brook.  Instead, the unhappy person worries and takes the shoes off three kilometers in advance.

             In sum, the unhappy person brings back past unhappy events and adds them to the present.   At the same time, he looks into the future and begins to worry about things that have not yet happened (but could happen as far as he is concerned) and adds them into the present as well.  So although the ratio between the happy and the unhappy events starts out 50:50, for the unhappy person, the unhappy thoughts increase and the happy thoughts decrease accordingly.  When listening to the unhappy person, one has to wonder whether this person truly came across more unfortunate events than others or made himself more unhappy because he added the unhappiness himself. 

             On the other hand, when thinking about the past, the happy person thinks of the good times as opposed to the bad and adds those thoughts to the present.  He also takes away or subtracts the bad ones.  When the happy person is thinking about the future, he adds to the present hope and positivity and subtracts the anxiety and negativity.   So this person’s present is always full of happiness and positivity.

             There is another big difference between the happy and unhappy person: the main actors in their lives.  That is, for the unhappy person, the person inflicting the pain or suffering is always someone other than himself.  The unhappy person thinks he is in a rut, because of someone or something.  The unhappy person is always a victim of circumstance and therefore feels like he has no control over the situation.  He feels more and more helpless.  The unhappy person complains that someone is causing him grief but does not acknowledge the fact that he himself does not possess the flexibility to accept or perhaps forgive the other party.  The unhappy declare themselves unhappy, because their business is not doing well or they don't have enough money.  If what they say is true, then the very rich should not be committing suicide.  If one is not happy here and now, then one will surely not be happy even if his problems are resolved.  This is because when one is unhappy, it is not due to a particular problem but because this person has the habit or in a pattern of making himself unhappy.  Even if there are problems, one can be still be happy. 

             We are surrounded by both the good and bad--probably half and half.  But if one brings back good memories from the past and thinks about one's hopes and dreams for the future, how can one not be happy?  One has to realize that the main actor in the show that is called life is himself.  Only when this happens, does one have the ability to add the positive and subtract the negative.  That is the equation for happiness.  It is simple.  Ultimately, one makes one's own happiness.

Mindset of a Cat

"Mindset of a Cat" Not so long ago, I found an interesting passage from a book I was reading. According to the book, the mindset of a dog is: “A human provides me food, therefore, the human is my god.” This is how a dog thinks. A cat on the other hand thinks as such: “A human provides me food, therefore, I am his god.” Opposite conclusions can be reached under the same circumstances, all depending on the mindset. Do I have the mindset of a cat? Am I free to choose according to my beliefs or am I a slave to others around me?

Master of mind and body

Written by Jin K. Seong Most everyone who takes up kumdo for the first time will talk about his or her body not listening to his or her head. This is probably because the body is unfamiliar with the new stances and movements which require the use of muscles not often used. So when teaching, I say, “That happens because you are not the master of your body.” To this, the students reply, “Obviously I am the master of my body, but if I am truly the master, how come my body is not listening to me?” To this, I answer, “That is why we train: so that our bodies will listen to our minds and move the way we want them to.” The mind wishes the body to move a certain way, but the body doesn’t listen. But through continuous training, the body starts to obey the mind, and the gap between the mind and body begins to narrow. Thus as time passes, we begin to think that we are truly the master of our bodies. But strange enough, once we think that we are truly the master of our bodies, we realize that the mind is what we really want to control but cannot. We realize we lose our sense of balance, we are easily surprised or afraid, we hesitate, we question and so on. So we feel the need to control the mind, that is, how we think. And not surprisingly, all the training and practice that took place to bring the body under control comes in very handy as the same logic can be applied when trying to control the mind. People sometimes deceive us, but our bodies never lie: when we are hit, we hurt; when we do not eat, we are hungry; when we sweat, we feel refreshed afterwards. Thus, training our bodies is a straight forward process. But training of the mind could be slightly trickier. This is why training of the body precedes training of the mind. The former serves as a practice run for the latter. And we have to believe that the training of the mind is possible, because it will never happen if we don’t first believe. So what does it mean to be able to train our bodies to listen to our minds and eventually train our minds to go where we want it to? This means one becomes the true master of one’s mind and body. Being the master of one’s mind will mean not losing one’s balance (or being able to quickly find it again after it has been lost), overcoming one’s fears, being more bold and decisive and so forth. If one is able to control one’s thoughts, one will be able purge the negative and unnecessary and replace them with the positive and productive. Only when we can truly control our thoughts like we control our bodies, can we truly become the masters of our destiny. We will be happy not because there is something to be happy about but rather because we have made a conscious decision to be happy. We will be happy simply because we chose to be.

SIL JUN DO BUP LIVE SWORD CUTTING SEMINAR

SIL JUN DO BUP LIVE SWORD CUTTING SEMINAR No Experience Necessary The seminar will cover the basic cutting technique and live sword cutting. The seminar will be taught by Grand Master Jin K. Seong (Kumdo Kyosa 7th Dan & Founder of Sil Jun Do Bup). l When : April 15th~ 16th, , 2012 (Saturday & Sunday) l Location : Pocons PA l Seminar Fee : $299 per attendee will include 8hours of intense training, 10 tatami mats, food, B.B.Q, lodge. l Pre-registration is mandatory due to ordering tatami mats and lodging reservation. l Open seminar to everyone. (Non-SungMoo students are also welcome) l Contact info : Kendo Academy Sung Moo 85 west Madison ave, Dumont NJ 07628 201-387-2200 lovekendoacademy@yahoo.com Visit our website at www.kendoacademy.com for more info about Sil Jun Do Bup. Watch video -> Cutting practice of Siljun Dobup

Essay by Ellen Hyewon Seong

The girl’s loud yelling pierces my ears. I can never forget her fierce eyes glaring straight at me as if she can hear my thoughts and sense my fear. Many people are cheering, but I am too nervous to notice their excitement. I only feel their eyes trapping me, locking me on the spot. Although she is one head shorter than me, I feel myself shrinking in front of her. Paralyzed, I lose to her in less than thirty seconds. I can still remember how I cried uncontrollably in the grim corner seven years ago during my first tournament.

Eight years ago, I was forced to practice Kumdo, sword-fighting martial art. As a timid nine-year-old girl, I had absolutely no interest in practicing a “brutal” martial art. However, I had no choice but to comply with the will of my dad, who has pursued the study of Kumdo for thirty-five years.

Unfortunately for my dad, I was not talented at Kumdo. I cried on numerous occasions because I felt like the opponents were inhumanely fast. The first time I sparred with my dad, I felt like a fragile egg, fighting a pointless battle against a monumental rock. I could not dare myself to even attempt to attack him. Even after I earned my first blackbelt degree, there were times when I felt like quitting because of the pressure I received from other masters. I felt like the masters had higher expectations of me because I was the daughter of the man with the highest blackbelt degree in the US Kumdo Association.

I admit that I have spent some time wondering why I did not inherit my dad’s gifted talent at Kumdo. I now realize, however, that these thoughts are useless. Dedication and consistency will eventually take me to where I want to be. I do not have the talent, but my persistency has led me into getting third degree blackbelt. Beginners look upon me as a role model. I am glad that I never quit. Had I quit, I would never have felt the feeling of true accomplishment. Through Kumdo, I learned that challenges do not last forever. Time will pass eventually. The key is who will continue to challenge themselves without giving up.

October 31, 2010, VA. My loud, shrieking yelling fills the big gym. I watch my opponent attentively; I can see that the opponent’s eyes are filled with fear and her body stiffens with extreme nervousness. I enjoy the admiring looks from the spectators. I am no longer the girl who felt hopeless during her first match. Instead, I am the predator with sharp eyes, ready to charge at the prey.

Kumdo has rewarded me with the confidence that I have what it takes to overcome whatever challenge I encounter in the future. I am about to step into a bigger world. I know that I will have to start as an egg again, but I am not afraid. I am no longer the fragile egg that is frightened to throw itself against the rock. I now have the courage to face a new challenge that is waiting for me because I know that the challenge will eventually turn out to be a reward.