Not Knowing Beyond One’s Own Limits — The Illusion of Ignorance and ......

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Al no conocer más allá de los propios límites — La ilusión de la .......

"Follow the Energy": The Visible and Invisible Path of Martial Arts
(Sigue la Energía: El camino visible e invisible de las artes marciales)
- Ohio, USA 🇺🇸

Title: Not Knowing Beyond One’s Own Limits — The Illusion of Ignorance and Desire: Calling It “Different” or “Wrong”

This coming October in Ohio, a Haedong Kumdo seminar will be held under the theme “Follow the Energy.” It will not only reflect on the roots of martial arts (Haedong Kumdo) but also on the essence of life itself. The seminar will invite participants to explore the following themes:

1. The History and Philosophy of Haedong Kumdo — The completeness and the limitations of HK martial arts, and the curriculum of Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu.

2. Understanding the Basic Stances — The musculoskeletal principles and the contraction–expansion of energy.

3. The Essence of the Straight Cut — Training the correct path of energy flow, leading to efficient practice and the way toward higher mastery.

4. The Foundation of Sword Training — Why Energy Flow is the basis of everything.

5. The Reality of Meditation and Breathing — Training that goes beyond comfort and relaxation, toward direct experience and awakening.

6. Change and Renewal of Consciousness — Breaking away from rigid patterns and fixed associations, awakening to new awareness, and opening new chapters in life.

7. An Open Seminar for All — Regardless of association, and even for those who are not martial artists, anyone with genuine interest is welcome to join.

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■ The Path of Martial Arts: Visible and Invisible Worlds

Martial arts training is not just about learning techniques. It is a path that crosses both the visible and the invisible worlds.

As one spends years gripping the sword, striking thousands and tens of thousands of times, one may eventually step into the unseen realm. But not everyone walks this path correctly. With the right guidance and fortunate encounters, one can deepen their practice. Without it, nine times out of ten, people are led astray. This is the trap created by human ignorance and desire.

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■ The Most Important Foundation: Energy Flow

Even after decades of training, many still circle only the surface because they have not grasped the foundation. This is why most martial arts instructors cannot move beyond the first stage.

The true root is Energy Flow.

You must be able to explain movements in terms of musculoskeletal principles, and also observe where energy opens and where it blocks. Without this understanding and lived experience, one cannot even properly explain a single straight cut.

Expansion and contraction, opening and closing — these are not abstract ideas. They are realities one must experience through training in the body. For this reason, I have divided Ki (energy) practice into nine stages and always emphasize: reflect deeply and see which stage you are truly at.

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○ Two Common Misunderstandings

There are two common misunderstandings that people fall into:

1. Denying what they do not know.
Because they have never experienced it themselves, they remain lacking and dull. Yet they do not realize this, and so they immediately say, “That’s different, that’s wrong.” They draw boundaries with their own limited level and reject anything beyond.

2. Avoiding the unseen.
Some encounter the invisible world but dismiss it as strange, superstitious, or even cult-like, and deliberately turn away.

Both of these are nothing more than the shadows of ignorance and desire that arise from never having truly studied or taught these things.

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■ The Right Attitude

For this reason, a practitioner must always seek to understand the fundamental principles first. If something is not understood, do not rush to reject it. Instead, cultivate an open heart and the effort to learn.

Until you truly grasp the principle, you do not yet have the qualification to declare what is right or wrong.

Often in training, one attacks others as “wrong” simply because they seem different. But more often than not, this is because the other person may, in fact, be on a higher level. If the heart is closed, the ability to understand is also closed. The result is that life becomes burdensome and heavy.

This is why people constantly compare themselves to others, complain about their lot, and blame others. It is the same as saying: “My cousin bought land, and yet my stomach aches with envy.”

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■ Dancing Alone in the Unseen World

Many people end up “dancing alone” in the unseen world. But there is a big difference between those who know its secret and those who fall into it blindly.

When someone doesn’t understand the principle, they build their own little world inside the infinite, thinking it is all about them. They believe they are the best, and even imagine they can control the world. This is a trap of self-idolatry. They may think they have special powers, but in the end it often leads them into superstition or mysticism. If they become a harmless fortune-teller or healer, that may be lucky — but most of the time, they just waste their life stuck there.

On the other hand, someone who understands even a little bit of truth walks carefully, like stepping on thin ice. They check themselves often, try to understand first, get along with others, and look for insight in every moment. They stay humble, and train both body and mind together.

That is what it means to walk the right path. These are simple things that everyone knows — but often, we do not hear them, or we refuse to see them.

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■ Transformation of Consciousness and Renewal of Life

To advance one’s martial skills, one must break free from old ways of thinking and the fences built around them.

Change and renewal of consciousness never occur inside the cage.

“Once a bird escapes from its cage, it will never return inside.”
Like this, we must constantly discover newness and walk along the edge of time.

Life is a path where not even the next step can be guaranteed.
That is why we must always keep learning and awakening anew.

In my own case, whenever I face certain situations, I often write reflections like this. Through the process of writing, I engage in deep thought and contemplation, constantly striving to renew myself.

Some still cling to loyalty, morality, and hierarchical bonds between teacher and disciple, but in truth, they are locked in rigid patterns and consciousness.

True learning always comes from encountering the new. That is what changes our thinking, sparks transformation of consciousness, and leads us toward deeper martial training and a richer life.

In the end, martial artists may say that martial arts are their life. But from the perspective of human life as a whole, martial arts are a tool for transformation and maturation — nothing more, nothing less.

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■ Conclusion

This October in Ohio, the Haedong Kumdo seminar will not be just another place to practice techniques.

It will be a place to open new perspectives and new ways of seeing. For the first generation of Haedong Kumdo practitioners in the United States and for all participants, it will be a moment to share the truth that runs through martial arts, philosophy, and life under the theme “Follow the Energy.”


📅 September 29, 2025 (Monday)
✍️ Jeong Seong, Kim
Founder & President, Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu · United World Haedong Kumdo Federation

Ref)
https://m.cafe.daum.net/enlightenment-k/dcM5/381?svc=cafeapp

Part 1 - Principle of Muwi & Step-by-Step Training and Self-Reflection