Div.6 Chapter 43

Handling Weapon with Mind

“I have no courage nor can I nurture my indignation.”

“This is fine, if instead you possess a strong love of others.”

A weapon always possesses its own will and differs in no way from your hand or foot or from yourself. This weapon is already a part of Taekwondo-Een’s body. It is a law of natural that all parts of your body always move together as one, even when only a small part makes any perceptible move. You should follow this principle when using a weapon. Thus, when using a weapon you should handle it not merely with your hands but with your entire body. This means turning your body the way of the weapon so that it finds its proper place based upon your body’s movement. It makes no difference whether your body moves more than the weapon or vice versa, for such a superficial difference of a motion is not important in TAEKWONDO. Given the perfect harmony between the weapon and your body, it is neither the hand nor the body but the mind itself that truly moves the weapon. The ultimate reality of Taekwondo is nothing but the mind.

The position of the weapon, which is controlled by your mind, should be between you and your opponent, and it should protect you while attacking him at the same time in the entire distance between the two of you. This betweenness refers not only to the spatial gap between you. That your weapon exists wherever and whenever you need it in boundless change, so that it is free to move and change and find the optimum time and place to protect you and attack him, this is the full meaning of saying the weapon must exist between you and him. With a trained and skilled mind you as a Taekwondo-Een can find this way.

In this way every weapon, whether hand and foot, sword or spear, moves under the control of the mind, and though it possesses various distinctive figures it has only one essence. Thus, an enlightened Taekwondo-Een uses all sorts of weapons without difficulty, just as Do controls everything without difficulty. With sword in hand Taekwondo would serve just as well as a technique of sword fighting if you regard that sword merely as an extension of your own hand or foot. Given a stick Taekwondo would prove a perfect technique of stick fighting if you regard that stick as extension of your own body. This is why TAEKWONDO contains the suffix Do. If there is something that cannot include the best technique of using a sword or using a stick in its oneness it cannot be perfect TAEKWONDO. Do penetrates everything to its oneness.