As a martial arts student, I was often surrounded by people with different religious views than my own. At one school, the GM of that dojang had a kind of pan-religious/theosophical view of faith. He would talk about Jesus, Buddha, Reincarnation, and energy along with space aliens, psychics, and super human feats. I tried to keep an open mind about it and listened politely to what was being said. While he was conveying these ideas, I often wondered why I was having to hear this when I wanted to learn martial arts. After some time, he began making judgments about my "spiritual level" and how I should live my personal life. It was one of the things that eventually led to me leaving that instructor. At another school, the GM there said "you seem like a really nice guy; what kind of Christian are you? Where do you go to church?" to one of the other students. In my head, I knew that this was meant as a compliment. For my friend, all he heard was how only Christians were decent people. Along with that second GM's questionable opinions on minorities and how he treated his students overall, I feel that his insensitivity motivated me not work with that him any longer. While the relationship between me and these other schools that I used to work with is more complex than any one issue, one consistent theme was the instructor's injection of religion into school environment. It often had a polarizing and fragmentary effect on me and some of the other students.
Some of my friends own martial arts schools and they like to put inspirational quotes from religious texts on emails, Facebook statuses, and other school related materials. When reaching out to other Hapkido schools and federations in the past, they included religious quote on their promotional materials. While I respect their right to do so and their passions for those beliefs, it is something I simply won't do. I'm of the opinion that this kind of thing is reaching too far into the personal lives of the students.
The reason is simple: I'm a martial arts instructor. While I have my own opinions about religion and what some people refer to as spirituality, I see no need to proselytize to students. We are surrounded by churches, mosques, synagogues, and all other places of worship along with an online world full of these ideas. If someone is curious, it isn't hard for them to look up any religion and go from there. I have no interest in being any kind of guru or spiritual leader. I do not want to sway or control those aspects of people's lives. It feels inappropriate to me.
Is there a place for spirituality in martial arts study? Absolutely. However, I don't think it is spirituality in the manner many people are accustomed to thinking - one that even the faithless can rest easy with, I think. Spirituality, in my mind, is defined as the harmony between the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of a person. That may seem an odd use of that word; when thinking of spirituality, many people think of what comes from a book, or prayers, or mantra. Maybe, these are two different things being attributed to the same word and this is a lacking within the English language. However, I think that a person's overall psychological well-being is vitally important and makes many other things possible. A person with this kind of quality can see clearly and have understanding in much the same way a compound microscope works when all the lenses are focused and working together. Allow me to expand on this.
If a person says he loves his country but then beats his wife, he does not actually know love. How can someone know love if they are violent to the people that trust them? If someone says they love peace and yet create division in people around them by judgments or gossip, then they don't know peace. How would they know peace if they have no compassion in them? If someone is insecure, then they will crave control over others. We see this in the abusive relationships between people as much as the abusive relationships in some governments abroad. The need to control will cause conflict. When someone sees themselves as below another, then that person will not feel empowered and will not live up to their potential and obligations - there will be disharmony. If left without introspection, the abused will have the potential to become an abuser themselves. In keeping with these thoughts; one can see also that it is impossible to love what you fear - even though people try to mix the two every day. Take a wife that loves her husband but is constantly jealous. Isn't that jealousy just fear of rejection? If that fear is left without question, won't it interfere with the rapport in that relationship? If someone sees that fear and love can't be combined and that person has love, then the jealousy will be addressed and treated like the poison it is. These qualities are what I'm calling spirituality - matters of a person's spirit.
Spirituality, in this context, is more about unification psychologically and physically rather than an issue of faith. I'm sure some may argue about the use of "spirituality" to what I am describing and that's fine. While people may prefer another word, needing this inward unification in order to be a healthy person is a fact - like gravity and light. I use the word spirituality because these things deal with the spirit of a person - their quality of being. We can all come up with another word and I'd be fine with it. To my understanding, it as an appropriate word. In any case, the next natural question is to wonder what martial arts has to do with any of this.
Spirituality, in this context, is more about unification psychologically and physically rather than an issue of faith. I'm sure some may argue about the use of "spirituality" to what I am describing and that's fine. While people may prefer another word, needing this inward unification in order to be a healthy person is a fact - like gravity and light. I use the word spirituality because these things deal with the spirit of a person - their quality of being. We can all come up with another word and I'd be fine with it. To my understanding, it as an appropriate word. In any case, the next natural question is to wonder what martial arts has to do with any of this.
Martial arts address these issues very directly. In sparring for example, there are no illusions about what is going on. While we operate with certain agreed upon rules to maintain safety, the goal of martial arts training is to learn how to defend yourself against another person - even in the sport styles. We take great care to minimize risk and have no tolerance for people that don't adhere to safe behavior. Still, tapping or scoring a point in sparring means that serious injury would have happened in an actual combat situation. So, there is trust that has to be developed in the school. People become very close and have to learn to communicate with each other very sincerely. In doing that, people learn how to untie the knots of fear, self-delusion, and egotism. We push each other to improve and, even though it can be frustrating, thank a person for helping us to find spots in our training where we can improve. We do this while strengthening our bodies with exercise and physical conditioning while strengthening our minds with strategy, observation, and technical conditioning. If someone lacks in this psychological unification (is fearful, confused, easily surprised or distracted), then it will come out in the training. They will be angry, easily made insecure, timid, arrogant, narrow-minded, and exhibit all other kinds of dysfunctional behavior. In the mirror of relationship with the other students, we all have to face those inner demons and conquer them when they show themselves. When a person learns how to deal with these things on the mat, then that new understanding permeates through their entire lives.
If you think about it, you can imagine the qualities that would arise from this kind of study. A person that has gone through this process becomes smoother, less quick to anger, more subtle in behavior and in observation, more allowing of different views, and more understanding of other people's situations. This is the very reason why I am a martial arts instructor - besides the fact that I enjoy martial arts, of course. In being an instructor, I am the head of a school. I see a parallel in the macro and micro - between the school as a whole and each individual student.
Because of this parallel view, I do not want to put my religious views out for students to see. My personal views on religion could cause fragmentation and a lack of unity in the school - with the same equally corrosive effects as a lack of unity in a person can have. I am interested in teaching the things that were discussed earlier and not anything more. If those things have been conveyed - not to be controlled by fear, not to be isolated, not to be without options, to question and explore, and to be a whole unified person, then the other things planted in that soil will do just fine. I keep to that religiously, if you'll pardon the pun.
If you think about it, you can imagine the qualities that would arise from this kind of study. A person that has gone through this process becomes smoother, less quick to anger, more subtle in behavior and in observation, more allowing of different views, and more understanding of other people's situations. This is the very reason why I am a martial arts instructor - besides the fact that I enjoy martial arts, of course. In being an instructor, I am the head of a school. I see a parallel in the macro and micro - between the school as a whole and each individual student.
Because of this parallel view, I do not want to put my religious views out for students to see. My personal views on religion could cause fragmentation and a lack of unity in the school - with the same equally corrosive effects as a lack of unity in a person can have. I am interested in teaching the things that were discussed earlier and not anything more. If those things have been conveyed - not to be controlled by fear, not to be isolated, not to be without options, to question and explore, and to be a whole unified person, then the other things planted in that soil will do just fine. I keep to that religiously, if you'll pardon the pun.
What do I say when someone says Merry Christmas? I respond and say Merry Christmas in return knowing that they are celebrating the birth of Jesus and time with family. During Passover, I realize that our Jewish students are celebrating the Israelites freedom from Egyptian rule. During Ramadan, I realize that my Muslim students won't be as active in the school because they are fasting in order to bring their life's focus back to god. Hindu students will be having great Diwali celebrations right before Thanksgiving and I always hope to get great vegetarian food out of it. Pagan students enjoy Solstice gatherings and playful jibs from me about going Skyclad. And, yes, even the the Atheists get a playful smile as they celebrate Aluminum, the lack of tinsel, and great 90s humor from shows about nothing on the 23rd. We accept everyone that respects hard work, growth, and this social agreement we all have with each other that I like to refer to as civilization.
So, enjoy your holidays. Go about your faith with passion and sincerity. If you want to wish me something kind from your tradition, I will be grateful and humbled that you thought of me at all. Just know that my lack of religious expression is not a rejection of yours. I want to welcome everyone to Han Mi and I want them to feel at home. I work hard to keep us a unified community inside of the school so that our students know how to be that outside. That's my job - along with the kicking, striking, wrestling, and yelling while wearing comfortable clothing.
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