From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V8 #646 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Wed, 21 Nov 2001 Vol 08 : Num 646 In this issue: the_dojang: foot surgery the_dojang: RE: Buddhism stuff the_dojang: the_dojang: Re: Body Motion stuff the_dojang: dogs the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V8 #645 the_dojang: Ssirum (and sumo) the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V8 #645 - Cultural Conflicts - the_dojang: . ========================================================================= The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~1000 members strong! Copyright 1994-2001: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The premier internet discussion forum devoted to the Korean Martial Arts. Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe the_dojang-digest" (no quotes) in the body (top line, left justified) of a "plain text" e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. To send e-mail to this list use the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Arlene Slocum Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 13:18:02 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: foot surgery I am going to have a podiatrist look at my foot next week. It has been problematic for the past 5 years. I think I may have broken a bone in the top of it (where it connects to the big toe) and it healed wrong. I sometimes get a lot of pain when roundhouse kicking targets with the top of the foot and I cannot bend the big toe back at all for front kicks. I have survived by putting a sparring footpad over the top of it when target kicking but it has gradually worsened to where I am now in pain sometimes just standing in a horseback riding stance. I went to a podiatrist 4 years ago when it wasn't that bad and she scared me by saying she wanted to cut open my foot without even knowing what was wrong. I won't have anyone cut my foot unless they can convince me that it is worth being lame for a few months (I was told full recovery from this type of surgery could take 2-4 months). This time I am going to a different dr. I would like it if other list members could share any experiences they had with foot surgery including tips for training afterwords, or whether it was worth it. I would espceially like to hear from the other "ancient warriors" whose bones just don't seem to heal like those of a 20 year old anymore... Arlene Slocum Recommended 2nd Dan Lawrence Tae Kwon Do School Lawrence, Kansas ArleneS@geoaccess.com ------------------------------ From: Bruce.Sims@med.va.gov Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 14:05:56 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: RE: Buddhism stuff Dear Michael: "....One question I forgot to ask: aren't there any pacifist schools in Buddhism? I think that I heard some Buddhists are. Mssr. Sims and Wee, do you know of any pacifist schools of Buddhism that totally eschew violence?...." I think the biggest problem in trying to communicate here on the Net is the ease with which things can get misunderstood. I hope you will accept my apology for not making myself clearer in my earlier post. Rereading what I wrote, even I got the wrong impression of what I was wanting to say. When I indicated that Buddhists can "make a place for violence" I think I gave you the idea that we condone it or support it and that is most definitely NOT the case. If it were, my personal work to resolve the puzzle I shared with you earlier --"how does violence and its use relate to a Buddhist lifestyle here in the West"--- would not be difficult at all. The fact is that some conservative Buddhist people can be so against violence so as to assume a completely vegetarian diet and and avoid stepping on insects at all costs! (I am nowhere near that committed to my practice.) However, Buddhists accept that violence exists, as does death, illness, theft and many other faults and imperfections in the Human condition. The trick is to identify a way of relating to such a thing as violence in a way that acknowledges the 4 Noble Truths and operates within the parameters of the 8 Fold Path. No small trick, that! Nor is the answer (if there is one) a one-size-fits-all solution. Whatever answer anybody comes up with is a custom fit for them with no suggestion that answer will fit for everybody. To a greater degree this is a function of being responsibly for one's own growth. On this account, at least, Buddhists can be said to be closer to Muslims in that we both believe that a God is not one to be petitioned for a change of circumstance as much as One who is honored by the way we find through the circumstances we are given while working within the framework we espouse. Sorry for the confusion. BTW: To answer your question on pacifism I would think that members of the Hinayana tradition including the Theravada (Southeast Asian) and the followers of the Tibetan traditions would probably lean the furthest in the direction you mentioned. Fakirs such as myself have been known to enjoy a good steak on occasion and wash it down with a brewsky or two. Thats probably good for a couple of lifetimes of Karma right there! :-) Best Wishes, Bruce ------------------------------ From: "Rudy Timmerman" Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 16:02:28 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends. Drive safe! Sincerely, Rudy National Korean Martial Arts Association ------------------------------ From: "Bruce Sims" Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 14:19:23 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: Re: Body Motion stuff Dear Tom: "...It seems like body mechanics are the foundation of proper movement, and like with anything else, the foundation needs to be laid before the rest of the structure. My question is, when is it "too early" or "too much?"...." IHX, as with so many things in Hapkido, its not what you do but HOW you do it that makes the difference. Forexample, one of the best pieces of advice I ever got for teaching was never correct a person more than three times in a single class period. Working up to this level of performance forced me to be very judicious in selecting what I was going to correct and how often-- keeping me from micro-managing my students. To apply this to your question, I would effectively make the same limit for myself albeit as it relates to body motion. I think you can start anyone in with being sensitive to how they are using their body after the first week. The trick is not to attempt to press an entire facet of these principles in a single class to one individual. (The Korean word for the effect this has on a student is "burn-out".) Make a single correction of the students' technique and then close by saying something like, "by the way this also helps you to keep your balance (or 'misalign your partner', or 'untime your partner', etc). We'll talk more about this later." Then leave it at that. Also--- I work very hard NOT to use buzzwords or catch-phrases like "use your hips more" or "keep your shoulders out of it." Instead I might say something like, "do the same movement that you just did, but now pretend like you are doing "crack-the-whip" starting with your hip and ending with your hand." I also do a lot of "shaping" in which I start out by first getting the student to do just the overall general motion of the technique and then gradually coach little changes until in the end the technique comes closer and closer to what I hope the student wants the technique to be. OUt of even the worst technique there is always SOME redeeming quality that any student will admit that they have done right and that becomes the platform or foundation for building better and better performance. I don't know if any of this is helping, but I guess my overall response is that body motion is always a good thing. But as we all know it is always possible to have too much of a good thing. Best Wishes, Bruce ------------------------------ From: "john sodihlhxh" Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 15:52:54 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: dogs <<<<< Westerners hunt, kill, and eat wild deer, wild pig, wild fowl, and wild turkey. >>>> yep i eat all of those and im not afraid to kill my own dinner. funny how many folks can sit down and eat at mcdonald and think they arent responsable for taking a cows life. the same folks will say while the ketchup runs down there chin " how can u kill a deer like bambi?" I think if everyone that eats meat had to kill, clean and butcher it themselves from time to time it would produce a much more honest population. They would be much more aware of the realities of mother nature and their day to day existance. Its a cycle and we are a natural part of it. when i was in korea last summer i didnt get the chance to eat dog (that i know of);D . but I would have if it was offered. I heard that dog eating is common on some holiday in korea? Can anyone enlighten me on this? thanks Bill _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ From: DrgnSlyr5@aol.com Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 18:31:30 EST Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V8 #645 In a message dated 11/21/2001 10:59:41 AM Pacific Standard Time, the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com writes: > Les Connard is a great example > for Hapkido around the U.S. and he carries himself with the right attitude > and honor that is befitting a Hapkido Master. We worked out for a few hours > and his knowledge of Hapkido "fighting" is truly awesome,, let me say that > tangling with him would be a very foolish and dangerous endeavor! Thanks for the congrats, Michael. :) Having sparred with and watched Master Connard and his senior students, I fully agree with your assessment. Training with them is always a beneficial and enjoyable experience. He and they have excellent control and are great teachers of both technique and sparring skills. After the most recent BB-only Sparring Skills Seminars that Master Connard taught, a BB from another school remarked, "That stuff is gold!!" Sharon ------------------------------ From: "Andrew Pratt" Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2001 08:58:25 +0900 Subject: the_dojang: Ssirum (and sumo) Dear Michael, You wrote: >> Japanese call Ssirum, "Kankoku Sumo" in other words, Korean Sumo, which leads me to believe that sumo and ssirum consist the same Chinese characters. << Just had a quick look in my Korean dictionary. As I suspected, Ssirum is a native Korean word (as you would expect with folk-culture). It is worrying that the Japanese still call Ssirum "Kankoku Sumo." I presume the term comes from the Imperial period and since they still use it, it would seem to indicate that they are still playing nationalistic games and want to denigrate Korean culture as being non-unique and a mere sub-set of their culture. >> Koreans have the funny habit of not appreciating they own rich culture while scrambling to catch up with globalization, modern civilization, and industrialization. They should invest in Ssirum as a national heritage and treasure. But, if anyone was to threaten the destruction of Ssirum, I'm sure that all Koreans, both on the peninsula and worldwide, would rise to protect it. That's just how Koreans are. << Actually, I recently read an article suggesting that sumo suffers from similar problems. Attendances to the basho are down and sumo is not as popular on TV as it was. The Japanese punter is also becoming less tolerant of the rampant match fixing. As we discussed a week or so ago, the competition from computers (games / internet), films, pop concerts, and just the development of a more sophisticated youth culture is having an impact on both sumo and ssirum. Andrew ------------------------------ From: "Joel S. Weissler" Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 16:17:36 -0800 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V8 #645 - Cultural Conflicts - >Michael Choi wrote: >Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 12:12:48 -0500 >Subject: the_dojang: Re: Fwd: Korean culture > >What non-Koreans don't understand is that Koreans do not eat domesticated dogs. We eat wild dogs, stray dogs, or dogs raised for consumption. It was only through the introduction of Western culture, particularly after World War II, that people started to raise dogs as pets. Korea does not have dog pounds for a very obvious reason: we have a natural way of controlling the dog population. Before then, they just strayed around as a nuisance. > >How can people criticize the killing and eating of wild dogs when Westerners hunt, kill, and eat wild deer, wild pig, wild fowl, and wild turkey. I can understand Buddhists who criticize people for eating meat since one of the 5 Precepts is not to kill (it does not discriminate between animal or human). (To eat meat, one would have to kill it.) But those who eat meat in general, they have less moral ground to stand on when criticizing Koreans. Those who eat beef are eating something sacred according to Hinduism (and possibly, Buddhism). When I was in India, I never saw a McDonalds. Yet, no one is harping up and down that we're eating cows. > >By the way, the news reported a case of Koreans slaughtering and killing a dog in the New York Metro area. Supposively, NY makes this illegal. As it turns out, according to the DNA, the animal was part coyote and part dog. It was a wild animal. > >I have a dog as a pet. I would never eat it. I love that dog, but I wouldn't have a hard time eating a wild, useless, stray dog. > >Even though a lot of you see me as immoral or crazy, I still wish you all a Happy Turkey Day. > >'nuff said, >Michael Choi Each culture chooses acceptable and unacceptable foods for different reasons. The sacredness of ceratin animals or in regards to the sacredness of life is the most common theme reason prohibiting foods. Most westerners have moral qualms with eating animals which either appear too intelligent or too close to human. Hence the hesitation about dolphins and monkeys is the same hesitation raised by the eating of dog. Of course consistency really requires that such objection also apply to pigs (who are smarter than dogs) - but few westerners know enough about pigs to realize this (they know more about dolphins and whales). As martial artists, we are each in a position to realize the fragility of life, and its precious nature. Before judging what others find sacred or profane we must first judge the ethnocentricy of our own rules. What are the sources of our values, are they worthy. Do they or even should they apply to others outside of our culture ? Food for thought -- JSW ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 17:05:59 PST Subject: the_dojang: . ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V8 #646 ******************************** It's a great day for Taekwondo! Support the USTU by joining today. US Taekwondo Union, 1 Olympic Plaza, Ste 104C, Colorado Spgs, CO 80909 719-578-4632 FAX 719-578-4642 ustutkd1@aol.com http://www.ustu.org To unsubscribe from the_dojang-digest send the command: unsubscribe the_dojang-digest -or- unsubscribe the_dojang-digest your.old@address in the BODY (top line, left justified) of a "plain text" e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. 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