Miller's Tang Soo Do Institute, Inc.

“When you train, do so as if on the battlefield. Your eyes should glare, shoulders drop, and body harden. You should always train with intensity and spirit as if actually facing the enemy, and in this way you will naturally be ready.” – Anko Itosu

Yasutsune Itosu, Anko Itosu, or Anko Shishu are names for the same person.

This gentleman was born in 1830 and studied directly under Sokon “Bushi” Matsumura in Okinawa. Itosu is credited with developing the five Pyung Ahn hyungs. These hyung were to prepare the student to learn Bassai and Niahnchi hyung. Gichin Funakoshi was a student of Itosu.

This information is part of our Tang Soo Do lineage………..

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Koan
noun
a paradoxical anecdote or a riddle that has no solution; used in Zen Buddhism to show the inadequacy of logical reasoning.
- WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

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Excerpt: Where is the Mind that Moves?

Once the temple flag was blowing in the wind. Two monks were arguing about it. One said: “The flag is moving.” The other said: “The wind is moving.” Thus they argued back and forth, reaching no agreement. Then the Patriarch [Master Huineng] said: “It is not the wind that’s moving; it’s not the flag that’s moving – it’s your mind that’s moving.” The two monks were awe-stricken [with enlightenment].

Master Wu-men, the collector of this koan, comments on this case: “It is not the wind that moves, it is not the flag that moves. Where is the Patriarch caught sight of?” This means: Where is the mind of the Patriarch? Wu-men’s total negation reveals the mind of Zen. He points to a transcendental reality that lies beyond assertion and negation and cannot be expressed in words.

- Zen Enlightenment: Origins and Meaning (Heinrich Dumoulin) p.46

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Tang Soo!

The year 2012 is here! Many people have a new year’s resolution every  year. And……many times, it is the same one as the previous year. Why? Well, I believe a new year’s resolution can be defined as a goal. Even if you were to reach the goal, then what? For instance, many resolve to lower their weight. Then they go about reaching the goal of less weight. As soon as they reach the goal, they return to their previous eating behavior. That is a mind set for disaster. Rather than set a new year’s resolution (goal), begin a new lifestyle or new way to live your life without any preset goal. For instance, eat less and eat more healthy. Just like your Tang Soo Do training, do not get caught up in preset goals. Get caught up in a lifestyle!

Tang Soo!

With time around the Thanksgiving dinner table with family and friends from different parts of the country, I noticed an immediate theme that is driven by the media. Bad news and an uncertain future. The fact is that the news IS bad and the future IS uncertain. So….. what do we do about it?

First – believe it is an opportunity! Don’t think it is an opportunity, BELIEVE it is an opportunity! Do not dwell on the message of the media. The media does not make money by reporting positive news. Turn off the media if you have to. Negative thoughts bring negative energy. Our current life style will most definitely change in the next year. Start changing now rather than wait until you have no choice. One thing that is sure in life is change. Our Tang Soo Do journeys are all about change. Change your current life style and do what you must in order to move forward. If you have an injury during training, do you
dwell on what you can not do or what you still can do? This is the mindset we will need to move forward in the current economic climate.

More to think about and how your Tang Soo Do training becomes a part of how you move through life…………….

Tang Soo!

One day… a policeman came to my temple… He was searching for me and found me wearing a very poor robe of a novice. He said, “I want to see Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.” I said, “Please take a seat.” I went up and put on my beautiful monk’s robe and came back down and said, “Dear friend, I am Thich Nhat Hanh.” When I wore the novice robe, he wasn’t sure… When I put on the bhiksu robe, he was more sure… I felt pity… because he had been caught in the color of my robe and mistook my robe for me…

Nothing to Do, Nowhere to Go: Waking Up to Who You Are (Thich Nhat Hanh) p.165

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Enjoy your Tang Soo Do journey! Do not get mentally caught up in the uniform/belt that you wear or those worn by others.

Tang Soo!

A pilgrim was walking a long road when one day he passed what seemed to be a monk sitting in a field. Nearby men were working on a stone building.

“You look like a monk,” the Pilgrim said.

“I am that,” said the monk.

“Who is that working on the abbey?”

“My monks,” said the man. “I’m the abbot.”

“It’s good to see a monastery going up,” said the Pilgrim.

“They are tearing it down,” said the abbot.

“Whatever for?” asked the Pilgrim.

“So we can see the sun rise at dawn,” said the abbot.

-Thomas Moore

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Although gold dust is precious,
when it gets in your eyes,
it obstructs your vision.

Hsi-Tang