Power of the Mind
In his youth, Master Moo Kwang was returning home one night after practicing with his bow and arrow. When he approached the entrance to the village at the South Mountain, he saw a huge tiger waiting to attack him and his horse. The Master thought, "The tiger is hungry and will kill us. Even if I run, the tiger will chase us down. The only alternative is to shoot the tiger with my bow and arrow before he attacks." He quickly pulled out an arrow and, taking careful aim, shot straight towards the tiger. After shooting, he turned and rushed home. He arrived safely and concluded that because he didn’t hear the tiger chase him home, he must have killed it with his arrow.
The next morning at sunrise, the Master went to South Mountain where he had shot the tiger the night before. There he saw a large rock shaped like a tiger with his arrow embedded in it. At first, he was surprised that his arrow had penetrated the hard rock. Then his mind became arrogant and he believed that no one could match his strength and skill with a bow and arrow. The Master tried to shoot an arrow into the rock a second time, but it struck the rock and bounced off to the ground.
The night before, the Master was shooting from a “life or death” level of his mind. In that life or death situation, he was determined that his arrow would penetrate into the tiger’s bone, no matter how hard it was. The power of his mind was what put the arrow into the rock.
When your mind is clear of extraneous thoughts and emotions, you can display the whole power of your techniques. The ultimate aim of the martial artist is to make our techniques second nature so they happen intuitively, instinctively and without hesitation. Only, when this level is reached, where thought and action merge into a single purposeful act rather than having to take time to think and then react, can we truly be called Masters.
The next morning at sunrise, the Master went to South Mountain where he had shot the tiger the night before. There he saw a large rock shaped like a tiger with his arrow embedded in it. At first, he was surprised that his arrow had penetrated the hard rock. Then his mind became arrogant and he believed that no one could match his strength and skill with a bow and arrow. The Master tried to shoot an arrow into the rock a second time, but it struck the rock and bounced off to the ground.
The night before, the Master was shooting from a “life or death” level of his mind. In that life or death situation, he was determined that his arrow would penetrate into the tiger’s bone, no matter how hard it was. The power of his mind was what put the arrow into the rock.
When your mind is clear of extraneous thoughts and emotions, you can display the whole power of your techniques. The ultimate aim of the martial artist is to make our techniques second nature so they happen intuitively, instinctively and without hesitation. Only, when this level is reached, where thought and action merge into a single purposeful act rather than having to take time to think and then react, can we truly be called Masters.
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