mastercole
Master Black Belt
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2011
- Messages
- 1,157
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Dharma and Drama
“When you present the truth those who recognize truth will treat truth as Dharma and be attracted to Dharma. Those who fear truth will treat truth as Drama and be attracted to Drama.” ~ Yun Sunim
It has been said by those wiser than me that the practicing of martial arts is a path of self-discovery. It’s no mystery that Asian martial arts are based in Buddhist thought, and this thought ends up as the single minded one focus of those who truly journey long and deeply into martial arts. If you think it is not, then what are you doing in a Buddhist based practice?
To most folks this lofty idea sounds attractive, and it is on the surface, but in reality, the surface and the core are not the same. The surface is shinny and soft, but the core is old and hard. If you are a martial arts practitioner who *truly* searches for self-discovery, then you must be prepared to have your most closely held beliefs and values challenged, continuously looking back into your core, your past, the depth of who you really are. This type of challenge will take you from the stable, or static state you might tend to reside in, to an unstable or dynamic state, that very few people in the modern Western world ever experience on a continuous basis, or care to experience in such a way. This type of challenge started as a beginner martial arts practitioner and should have continued right to this very day. And as a beginner, the practitioner had many challenging moments to overcome, and after each time, reached a crossroads of decision: Will I quit, or will I *truly* accept every challenge, and stay the course? That would be the course of accepting challenge, accepting instability, accepting learning and growth.
If you have been practicing for just a few years, this memory might still be strong. If you have been practicing for more than 7 or 8 years, this memory might have faded. Why? Because you have been comfortable, stable, and unchallenged *as before* and, for some time now. To long actually. What can you do about it? You can get back on the path to self-discovery.
What does all this have to do with anything?
It has to do with Dharma or Drama and the subject matter that I present here. The subject matter can be very challenging. It can set everything you ever thought about Taekwondo on its ear, and has, or it will in the future. I do this by presenting the simple truth, not by rambling argument. Those who have truth do not need to go on and on and on ad nauseam. I have presented no false information, no ad nauseam. If I see an error, I point it out. If I see fake and fraudulent claims, I point it out. The truth is easy to see for those who seek it, hard to see for those who fear to face it. For some, this motivates them to think and research a bit. For others, it causes them grief. The thought of reflection and research can be horrible. They may be forced to reconsider their position, the one they have grown so comfortable with over the years, years of no real challenge to grow and learn.
You can see it very clearly on MT. Who is comfortable researching the facts and who is appauled by the mere suggestion of research? But how is this so clear - how can we know who is reacting in what way?
When you present the truth those who recognized truth will treat truth as Dharma and be attracted to Dharma. Those who fear truth will treat truth as Drama and be attracted to Drama.
So I say to those who see themselves as serious martial artist who are in serious pursuit of self-discovery, decide whether you are searching for truth or something different.
If you are reading this and would like to directly discuss any of it with me, feel free to e-mail me directly, Google makes that easy to do.
Good luck, seek the Dharma, avoid the Drama Ki Ki, So So!
Al Cole
“When you present the truth those who recognize truth will treat truth as Dharma and be attracted to Dharma. Those who fear truth will treat truth as Drama and be attracted to Drama.” ~ Yun Sunim
It has been said by those wiser than me that the practicing of martial arts is a path of self-discovery. It’s no mystery that Asian martial arts are based in Buddhist thought, and this thought ends up as the single minded one focus of those who truly journey long and deeply into martial arts. If you think it is not, then what are you doing in a Buddhist based practice?
To most folks this lofty idea sounds attractive, and it is on the surface, but in reality, the surface and the core are not the same. The surface is shinny and soft, but the core is old and hard. If you are a martial arts practitioner who *truly* searches for self-discovery, then you must be prepared to have your most closely held beliefs and values challenged, continuously looking back into your core, your past, the depth of who you really are. This type of challenge will take you from the stable, or static state you might tend to reside in, to an unstable or dynamic state, that very few people in the modern Western world ever experience on a continuous basis, or care to experience in such a way. This type of challenge started as a beginner martial arts practitioner and should have continued right to this very day. And as a beginner, the practitioner had many challenging moments to overcome, and after each time, reached a crossroads of decision: Will I quit, or will I *truly* accept every challenge, and stay the course? That would be the course of accepting challenge, accepting instability, accepting learning and growth.
If you have been practicing for just a few years, this memory might still be strong. If you have been practicing for more than 7 or 8 years, this memory might have faded. Why? Because you have been comfortable, stable, and unchallenged *as before* and, for some time now. To long actually. What can you do about it? You can get back on the path to self-discovery.
What does all this have to do with anything?
It has to do with Dharma or Drama and the subject matter that I present here. The subject matter can be very challenging. It can set everything you ever thought about Taekwondo on its ear, and has, or it will in the future. I do this by presenting the simple truth, not by rambling argument. Those who have truth do not need to go on and on and on ad nauseam. I have presented no false information, no ad nauseam. If I see an error, I point it out. If I see fake and fraudulent claims, I point it out. The truth is easy to see for those who seek it, hard to see for those who fear to face it. For some, this motivates them to think and research a bit. For others, it causes them grief. The thought of reflection and research can be horrible. They may be forced to reconsider their position, the one they have grown so comfortable with over the years, years of no real challenge to grow and learn.
You can see it very clearly on MT. Who is comfortable researching the facts and who is appauled by the mere suggestion of research? But how is this so clear - how can we know who is reacting in what way?
When you present the truth those who recognized truth will treat truth as Dharma and be attracted to Dharma. Those who fear truth will treat truth as Drama and be attracted to Drama.
So I say to those who see themselves as serious martial artist who are in serious pursuit of self-discovery, decide whether you are searching for truth or something different.
If you are reading this and would like to directly discuss any of it with me, feel free to e-mail me directly, Google makes that easy to do.
Good luck, seek the Dharma, avoid the Drama Ki Ki, So So!
Al Cole
