Compiled by Master Chad Zwieg
Sin Moo Hapkido draws upon Buddhism, Zen and Confucianism. Whenever we think of our meditation we should think of each of these practices and how they are united into a larger whole. Each practice has six basic precepts. When combined they form eighteen. Each practice has a different emphasis. Buddhism focuses on moral training and is associated with the mind. Zen focuses on breathing and is associated with the spirit. Confucianism emphasizes feelings/sense of touch and so focuses on the body. Sin Moo means the mind, body and spirit united . Through the uniting of mind, body and spirit we maxamize are ki. If we develop only one area, we are weakened. Dojunim says, “For meditation, in Korea, people go to the temple to learn. But I teach you exactly. The whole meaning of my book is in what I teach today.”
Buddhist moral training is based upon cleaning the mind, having a pure Buddha mind. This is accomplished by balancing the feelings, controlling the feelings, avoiding excess feelings. Feelings and emotions are associated with the mind. Each emotion, in excess, has physical symptoms and dangers associated with it. The first emotion is happiness. It is fine to show happiness, but try not to show too much. Do not get too excited. When a person gets too excited blood rushes to the face and it is easy to have a heart attack. Next is anger. It is important to keep calm. When angry you tense up your body. This is not good. Keep calm. Fear is next. Throw fear out. When you worry too much you get afraid. Do not be scared. Do not worry yourself sick. Sadness is the fourth emotion. Too much sadness makes the face shrink, makes it become drawn and haggard; the cheeks sink in. When you are sad you lose your strength. Do not make a sad face. Greed is the fifth emotion. It is alright to have wants and needs, but do not want too much. Keep materialism to a minimum. Last is laziness. Again it is not good to procrastinate. Even if you do not want to do something, do not like to do it, do not be lazy. To become lazy is to yield to the devil. Try to control all these emotions to find the middle way.
Zen concentrates on long, slow breathing. We build ki through Zen techniques. Zen is associated with the senses, with the earth. There are many senses, many odors that you smell. Spicy, a sour sewage odor, a bloody raw smell, fishy sour odor, the aroma of perfume and flowers, the fresh odar of grass and trees. In meditation we will concentrate on six, the fresh air of grass and trees is full of oxygen. The smell of burnt ash has much carbon dioxide and should be avoided; this is the smell of blood or a dead body. Avoid taking in cold icy air. It is poison to the system. Especially do not breathe cold air in rapidly or through the mouth. It will make you sick. The fourth odor is the hot humid air of summer, the air that makes you claustrophobic. Breathe this air in slowly. Next is the smell of dry air, like the flash of lightning. The sixth odor is rainy, humid, moist air that is full of water. A student asked at this point how we can avoid those elements when they are beyond are control. Dojunim explained that of course you continue to breathe, but you avoid inhaling these odors by breathing in slowly and carefully, than you can’t smell any of those odors when you inhale. If you have too much or too little of proper breathing, your Ki is diminished, you can’t develop your Ki power. If you have the power to control the intake of the six elements that is the beginning of proper breathing for meditation. You can control the elements by long slow breathing. The balance is important.
Confucious training teaches doing nothing in excess. We are governed by the sense of touch, and so confucianism is associated with the body. Following the path leads to a healthy body. There are six elements that should not “touch” the body. Associated with the ears is cunning. Do not listen to cunning, sly deceiving words. These words touch the ears. Do not flatter or listen to flattery. Flattery is associated with the eyes. When people are flattering you their eyes sparkle, the forehead wrinkles, the eyes shine. Flattery touches your eyes. Fishiness is associated with the nose. It is the sense that something is “fishy” or untrue. It is a sickening rotten disgusting smell like blood. Do not let this fishiness touch your nose. The fourth sense is associated with the mouth. Never let excessive cold touch your mouth. The fifth sense of touch is sex or making love. Dojunim says that everyone makes love. Zen People, Buddhists, Confucians. But do not get too excited or the touching and bond between the two people is not right. To have to strong of feelings, like debauchery, lechery, and lewdness is not good. These feelings are emitted through the skin. The bad feelings, this negative sex, leads to epidemics. Wrong sex can lead to personal problems, sickness like Aids and syphillis. The sixth sense organ is the skin. It is important to work out properly. To get cut, to bleed, to get an infection when you are working or practicing is not the proper way to work. Avoid this.
If you breathe properly, keep your emotions at peace, control your physical sensations than you can develop your Ki properly in meditation. It is important to know how to control and move your Ki. This is Hapkido.
Dojunim says that when meditation is done properly, many good questions will come up. If you have no questions, then you are not doing it properly. There are different roads you can push your Ki through to do different techniques. There is control of the Ki for throwing, for killing, for proper practice of martial arts. Dojunim says, “I do not care about money. My name is the most important. If you learn techniques properly, my name is good. If bad, my name is bad.” The meditation techniques Dojunim is teaching are thousands of years old, handed down by word of mouth. The book that is the foundation of Dojunim’s practice is seven thousand years old. the knowledge is priceless. He is passing it on to you.
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