Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 16:29:30 -0800 (PST) From: the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: The_Dojang digest, Vol 9 #146 - 12 msgs X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.8 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Sender: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.8 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net List-Help: List-Post: X-Subscribed-Address: rterry@idiom.com List-Subscribe: List-Id: The Internet's premier discussion forum on Korean Martial Arts. List-Unsubscribe: Status: OR Send The_Dojang mailing list submissions to the_dojang@martialartsresource.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net You can reach the person managing the list at the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of The_Dojang digest..." <<------------------ The_Dojang mailing list ------------------>> Serving the Internet since June 1994. Copyright 1994-2002: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The Internet's premier discussion forum devoted to Korean Martial Arts. See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Today's Topics: 1. Korean Beliefs and Religion (2) (Ray Terry) 2. Re: Dr. Dong Ja Yang (Prince Loeffler) 3. Re: Natural cures (Bruce Sims) 4. RE: Kuk Sool Family Tree stuff (Bruce.Sims@med.va.gov) 5. Re: Re: Dr. Dong Ja Yang (Ray Terry) 6. wide martial arts shoes (Arlene Slocum) 7. Korea jobs (Hapkido Self Defense Center) 8. pain is your friend and bo staff inquiry (Hapkido Self Defense Center) 9. Sciatica (Randall Sexton) 10. Re: Sciatica (Ray Terry) 11. Local/Cable TV pgms? (Ray Terry) 12. New Baby and Martial Arts (Sara Giddins) --__--__-- Message: 1 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 9:29:30 PST Subject: [The_Dojang] Korean Beliefs and Religion (2) Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Korean Beliefs and Religion [part 2] Ancient Myths The origin of the Korean people is not easily explained. However, since historical records show that Go Joseon (Old Joseon), was the first Korean kingdom, it can be taken as the original of the Korean people. The life of Go Joseon's heroic founder is described in the Dan-gun myth. In general, nation-founding myths emphasize the founder's divinity with descriptions of the founder's marvelous birth or childhood. Through the founder's divinity, the sacred nature of the founding dynasty is established, and this in turn identifies the descendants as a sacred people. This basic mythological structure is also evident in the Dan-gun myth. Foundation myths usually appeared during the Bronze Age. Those who mastered the use of bronze, and in particular, bronze weapons, were readily able to conquer less advanced tribes in their area. Before long, large tribal confederations were formed. These political federations became the first nations. The Dan-gun myth describes Dan-gun's birth from Hwan-ung, who came down from Heaven, and a bear-woman, who lived on Earth. As is generally true of mythology, this story is not some ungrounded fantasy, but is rather a means of explaining historical fact through the logic of symbols. Its symbolism is used to describe a historical fact, namely the political coalition that took place during Korea's Bronze Age. From ancient times, the Korean people have retained Dan-gun as the name of the hero who founded the first political federation of the Korean people. Dan-gun is apparently a historical person who lived during a specific stage of Korea's history, and to the extent that his memory remains within the national consciousness, he can be considered the ancestor of the Korean people. The Korean people have, throughout their history, constantly been threatened by the tremendous military might of neighboring nations such as China, Manchuria or Mongolia. In this precarious position, Koreans have found strength in the sense of themselves as a unique people who are descended from Dan-gun. The ancient records that referred to Dan-gun were lost in the chaos of frequent wars and invasions. During the Three Kingdoms period when Goryeo, Baekje and Silla vied for supremacy, the kingdoms found it difficult to promote the idea of a united people. Yet in the aftermath of Silla's unification of the Three Kingdoms in 668, Koreans' sense of themselves as a people was evident as Silla joined forces with the former subjects of Goguryeo and Baekje to drive away the Chinese Tang forces. When Goryeo's territory was overrun by Mongolian forces in the 13th century, Iryeon included an edited account of the Dan-gun myth in the first section of his work Samguk yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms). By doing so, Iryeon hoped to restore the Korean people's pride and sense of identity. After this, every time the Korean people were in peril, the Dan-gun myth was given a new interpretation. This trend is readily apparent during the Joseon period, and is especially evident during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945). During the occupation, the Dan-gun myth spawned numerous religious movements. Among these, there were numerous religious and philosophical movements (many of which still exist today) that worshipped the three deities: Hwan-in, Hwan-ung and Dan-gun. Thus, Dan-gun has continued to be a historical force uniting the Korean people during times of crisis. Based on the Dan-gun myth, Koreans have thus maintained a sense of themselves as a unique people; yet at the same time, they have actively borrowed from foreign cultures. The wall paintings of Goguryeo tombs provide ample testimony of this. For example, those paintings drawn in the sun and the moon motif, the sun figure holds the sun disk above its head, and within the sun, there is a three-legged black crow. Likewise, the moon figure holds the moon disk above its head and within the moon is a toad. These figures are from myths found in ancient Chinese texts; however, the aesthetic sense of the paintings is unique to Goguryeo. Although the paintings include Chinese stylistic elements, such as the lively lines found on the celestial figures and dragons, the Goguryeo murals have a strong and rigid feeling that makes the figures seem heavy. This demonstrates how the Goguryeo people actively adopted China's classical tradition, yet did not lose their own aesthetic feeling. There are also paintings of wrestlers wearing a waist-wrap. Not found in China, this form of wrestling was used in ancient martial arts competitions by the horse-riding peoples of Mongolia and the Steppes. Notably, the figures in these paintings have the pronounced nose characteristic of the Central Asian steppe. The pictures therefore suggest that Goguryeo had close contacts with these peoples. As Goguryeo was developing into a vast empire in southern Manchuria, China came under the control of nomadic Turkish tribes for several centuries. As a result, prior to the Tang Dynasty, China lacked a political force capable of challenging Gouryeo. China's enfeebled position also allowed Goguryeo to develop cultural exchanges with the civilizations across the vast grasslands of Central Asia. The Buddhist art work of Silla and Baekje clearly shows that these kingdoms also actively introduced culture from the horse-riding cultures west of China. A good example of this art is Baekje's contemplative Maitreya. The figure's subtle smile deftly portrays the calm joy that is possible when the mind has been purified through religious practice. This fine example of the Baekje aesthetic represents one of the finest examples of world religious art. Silla also produced masterpieces such as the gentle and sedate Buddha figure at SCokkuram. This stone figure masterfully expresses the Mahayana Buddhist ideal of harmony. Development of the statue's artistic style can ultimately be traced back to Greek sculpture which was introduced into the Gandhara region of India during Alexander's campaigns. This artistic style developed as it made its way eastward, culminating in this serene Seokguram Buddha, which sits on top of Gyeongju's Mt. Tohamsan facing the Pacific. In this sense, the Seokguram statue represents a synthesis of Eastern and Western cultural legacies. Thus, during the Three Kingdoms period, the Korean people were actively acquiring classical cultural traditions of both the East and the West. Confucianism and Taoism were being introduced from China, and Buddhism from far away as India and Central Asia. As mentioned above, Chinese writing was adopted to facilitate political administration during the formation of the Three Kingdoms. Naturally, this also led to the introduction of Confucianism and Taoism. Chinese writing also formed the basis for a restructuring of the Three Kingdom's educational system, and as a result, Korea has been a literate civilization for more than twenty-two centuries. After Buddhism was introduced, the Silla kings eventually saw themselves as protectors of a "Buddhist realm." This shows the extent to which foreign culture had made inroads into Korea. However, during the late Silla period, Choe Chiwon (857-?) stated that Korea had possessed, from times long past, its own religion, and that this religion was not inferior to foreign religions such as Confucianism, Buddhism or Taoism. Choe rose to fame while studying in China, and returned to Silla to become a prominent Silla thinker who stressed the Korean people's unique cultural traditions and identity. As stated by Choe, Korea had its own unique philosophy and religion before the introduction of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Before the advent of Chinese writing, the Bronze Age society of Go Joseon used to forge metal and created an accurate calendar required for agriculture. Such a technically advanced society is likely to have diverse forms of religious expression, thus it is no surprise to find numerous religious traditions in Korea before the introduction what is commonly known as the "Three Teachings" (Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism). In the remote past, shamanism was found widely dispersed on the Eurasian continent. Shamanism has a dualistic world-view according to which the body and soul is viewed as separate. Thus, a particular soul or spirit can enter another body to create a phenomenon known as "possession." One particular characteristic of shamanism is that the medium perceives this possession physically. On the other hand, human beings cannot have contact, via the senses, with Hanullim ("Sky" or "Supreme Being"), the power that manages the periodic changes of the entire universe. For this reason, only through the indirect means of a religious rite can Hanullim communicate with a human being's spirit. In this sense, the religious experience of possession and the rites to Hanullim are seen to have a different meaning. As is evident from the mural pictures of wrestlers, another aspect of early Korean religion is the emphasis on mental and physical discipline as a means of perfecting the self. These diverse aspects of religious practice are still found in Korea today. During the Three Kingdoms period, Koreans used Chinese writing to actively acquire the classical traditions of Confucian-ism and Buddhism. Yet at the same time, they sought, like Choe Chiwon, to transmit and develop the unique cultural traditions of ancient Korea. These contradictory attitudes have created an ongoing tension. The history of this tension is the history of the Korean character, and the attempt to establish a means of overcoming these conflicting attitudes has been the central concern of Korean thought. This characteristic feature of Korean thought is particularly evident in Buddhism and Confucianism, the two sources of classical Korean philosophy. --__--__-- Message: 2 Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 08:54:18 -0800 (PST) From: Prince Loeffler To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] Re: Dr. Dong Ja Yang Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Hello All: Perhaps this was discussed before and if so please accept my apology. I just cannot help it when I came across this website: www.tkdreform.com Who is this person...Maybe Ray would probably know this Guy ! Prince Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage --__--__-- Message: 3 Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 10:33:43 -0600 From: "Bruce Sims" To: Subject: [The_Dojang] Re: Natural cures Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Dear Ian: "....Sciatica is something I treat routinely in my Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Practice. ...." I for myself have lost much faith in the "natural approaches" to medical conditions. Not so very long ago I was taken with the idea that oysters were good for the virility. I took it upon myself to order a plate of 20 oysters on the half-shell during an evening with my wife. Sadly I must report that only 8 of them worked. Best Wishes (and dead-panned all the way), Bruce --__--__-- Message: 4 From: Bruce.Sims@med.va.gov To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 11:34:32 -0600 Subject: [The_Dojang] RE: Kuk Sool Family Tree stuff Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Dear Folks: Maybe you will need to file this post under "be careful what you ask for". :-) Remember I was singing the praises of organizations who publish their memberships, standings and rankings? OK, so I went on the net to the World Kuk Sool Assn at www.kuksoolwon.com and sure enough there is this wicked wonderful listing of members, including recent announcements of new promotions. Nice job. Now, heres my question. Does anyone know of a person who has organized this into a "family tree" of sorts indicating how these members are related to each other in terms of lineage? The tempatation is simply to copy things down and draw conclusions based on geographic location and rank but there are just a bit too many opportunities for inaccuracy with this approach. I am sure somebody must have taken this route before, yes? Anyone? Best Wishes, Bruce --__--__-- Message: 5 From: Ray Terry Subject: Re: [The_Dojang] Re: Dr. Dong Ja Yang To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 10:27:37 PST Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net > www.tkdreform.com > > Who is this person...Maybe Ray would probably know this Guy ! Mel will probably have a different view, but... :) No, I do not know this fellow. But as I recall he was running for USTU office and this website was essentially his platform for running. As you can tell, it apparently hasn't been updated in well over a year. Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com --__--__-- Message: 6 From: Arlene Slocum To: "Dojang Digest (E-mail)" Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 12:11:33 -0600 Subject: [The_Dojang] wide martial arts shoes Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net There is a student at our school who: 1. is diabetic 2. has lost a big toe because of circulation problems associated with diabetes 3. has trouble with weight control (again due to diabetes) 4. has very wide feet (would like at least E width) She loves to practice TKD but has a lot of problems with her feet and asked me to help her find an appropriate shoe to wear since she has a lot of problems practicing in bare feet. I followed the recent thread on shoes and recommended that she look into the Discipline shoes, but she said they didn't come in wider widths. Can anyone offer other alternatives. New Balance has shoes with wider widths but I am not sure what would work well for martial arts practice. Arlene Slocum Recommended 2nd Dan Lawrence Tae Kwon Do School Lawrence, Kansas ArleneS@geoaccess.com --__--__-- Message: 7 From: "Hapkido Self Defense Center" To: Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 13:15:00 -0500 Subject: [The_Dojang] Korea jobs Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net I just wanted to pass along a thought on this subject from one of my students who just returned from teaching English in Seoul for the past 3 years. While there are many companies that offer this service, the pay and transportation perks are superior for those teaching in a educational facility such as a college, rather than through non-education services such as private groups. I have reviewed the information he returned with and I must admit, if I was younger I would do this. Jere R. Hilland www.geocities.com/hapkiyukwonsul --__--__-- Message: 8 From: "Hapkido Self Defense Center" To: Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 13:42:03 -0500 Subject: [The_Dojang] pain is your friend and bo staff inquiry Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net <> Ray, This was through Houston rush hour traffic, nothing like what these folks in the Midwest call traffic. Remember the white belt mantra: this is your wrist, this is pain. Pain is your friend. Actually I never ordered it, it just showed up one morning and never left. Anne, You mention that you are a chodan in taekwondo but you call a staff a bo. The term bo is Japanese. In Korean it is a bong. Bo staff would be like saying staff staff with any translation. Specifically there are 3 types of bong. Dan bong, which is a short stick (such anything from a folding umbrella, the length I use, to Master Booth's version of a short stick on a rope), joong bong, which is a middle length staff (like the Japanese jo) and jang bong which is the long staff. If you are practicing a Japanese form, and I assume you are as you are calling it a bo, I am not familiar with names of techniques in Japanese, but if you are interested in the Korean terms, turtlepress (www.turtlepress.com) has some books for the jang bong and the joong bong. I have not read these, but I carry them in my dojang store and they appear very popular. In addition, while I was in Korea, Master Han, president of the World Hapkido Games Federation sold me a video set (two tapes) on the subject, and I recently ran across these same tapes for sale in taekwondo times. Jere R. Hilland www.geocities.com/hapkiyukwonsul --__--__-- Message: 9 From: "Randall Sexton" To: Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 13:26:00 -0600 Subject: [The_Dojang] Sciatica Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net In addition to the advice given by Mr. Cyrus, I would recommend the following exercises.. I also use these whenever I feel back pain due to overexertion, etc. and it clears up in a few minutes to an hour. Plus I do them almost every day! In fact I do a series of meridian exercises and have not even had a cold for over 8 years! I used to be knocked down in bed for a week every year with the flu. 1. Get a partner and facing each other, grab both arms wrist to wrist. Extending both arms, both partners push their butts backward, staying relaxed. You should look like an inverted triangle. You should feel a gentle stretch all along the back as it lengthens. After a minute or so, bend your knees slightly as if you were skiing and feel the stretch go down your tailbone. You can do this alone by grabbing your pickup bumper, fence post, tree, etc.. Just make sure that your feet are not going to slip or you will bust your butt! 2. Stand with feet slightly more than shoulder width apart. Keep upper body relaxed and start moving from your hips (the movement is as if you are closing your car door with your hips while both arms are full of groceries). Start slowly and then you can increase the movement. Your relaxed arms should be flopping back and forth, slapping your sides. I do this exercise every day in HKD class to help students develop a sense of moving from their center and to keep their upper body relaxed. I works the muscles along the spine gently. 3. Stand with feet slightly more than shoulder width again. Place left hand in the small of your back with palm facing out. Right hand comes up in a rising block with palm facing out. Turn to your left. Push your right palm out, moving from your lower back. Don't push from your right hand. You should feel your back muscles working under your left hand. Now, switch hand positions and do it on the other side. Move gracefully from one side to the other. 4. I call the piriformis syndrome "the tightass syndrome" as most Western people seem to have it! A friend's elbow slowly leaning into the hollow in your butt (Gallblabber 30 point) cheeks will help relax the muscles that may be trapping the nerve. Tennis balls are also good if you have no friends! A friendly forearm or foot leaning all along your butt will also help. In shiatsu I always work the butt to death! 5. Get the book, "Anatomy of Movement: Exercises" by Blandine Calais-Germain and Andree Lamotte. Many of the ancient exercises are now considered harmful with new scientific knowledge. The exercises in this book focus on flexibility, strengthening muscles, and coordination and are safe. 6. In fact, just get a pair of your used panty hose and put two tennis balls with a knot in between which keeps them separated just enough to where a ball will fit along each side your spine. Start at the top of your spine and work your way down, holding each position for a miunte or so. You'll hit enough Bladder points to make yourself feel better. 7. Make sure you also strengthen the opposite side of your body...your gut! There's more but I'll stop here. Well, heck, I might just do a video of exercises! Randall Sexton www.laughinghara.com --__--__-- Message: 10 From: Ray Terry Subject: Re: [The_Dojang] Sciatica To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 13:14:44 PST Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net > 6. In fact, just get a pair of your used panty hose and put two tennis balls > with a knot in between which keeps them separated just enough to where a ball > will fit along each side your spine. ...And just how did you know about my used panty hose? :) Excellent descriptions. Thanks! Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com --__--__-- Message: 11 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 14:18:58 PST Subject: [The_Dojang] Local/Cable TV pgms? Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net On one of our local cable TV channels there is a weekly program entitled California Judo Today. Just a low budget nothing flashy program that does various spots on Judo dojos around California, training at the Olympic Training Center, interviews with movers-n-shakers in Judo, etc. Not instructional, but informational. Just wondering if y'all have anything like that for TKD or HKD or TSD or KSW or ??? in your locales? Are you perhaps involved with same? If so, comments??? Thanks. Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com --__--__-- Message: 12 From: "Sara Giddins" To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 16:12:01 -0700 Subject: [The_Dojang] New Baby and Martial Arts Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net To respond to the Wallace's question: If the doctor said 6 weeks, listen!! I didn't even have a C-section and actually had a fairly easy birth, but the exhaustion from the feedings and healing and just taking care of the little one can be overwhelming. If she cries, make her sleep--I'm talking about the mom! I came back to class after about 8 weeks, and it was great to be active again. Just watch that you continue to get enough sleep because it will be rare for the first few months. Yes, I am breastfeeding, and my baby's mealtime came right at the beginning of class. My instructor was very understanding and he allowed me to come late and stretch out on my own. In fact, 6 months later I still am late sometimes or have to bow out early due to her feeding schedule. By 6 weeks, you will have an idea of the baby's schedule and be able to plan around it. It helps that my instructor allowed me to bring the baby to class and she slept or played in her car seat during class. It helps that the instructor is also my husband!! I suggest caution when coming back to class--especially after a C-section, and I also suggest talking to the instructor to know his or her expectations and to let them know what you are and are not capable of right away. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any other questions! Sara Giddins one_sara@hotmail.com _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx --__--__-- _______________________________________________ The_Dojang mailing list The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang 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 Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2002: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply. Remember 9-11! End of The_Dojang Digest