Thibado Taekwon-Do is offering a free anti-bullying class to all children in the Pinellas county area. Beginning this Friday at 4:15pm. There have been several reports of deaths and suicides in the news lately due to bullying, such a tragedy! Don’t wait a minute longer bring your child to this class. We will empower your child to avoid situations, take a stand for him or herself, teach them the skills they need to succeed in life situations.
Universal Mind
An article written a few years ago and published in a local paper…
By
Peter Thibado
When I hear the term Universal Mind it reminds me of reading about bees in a bee hive. How the entire colony of bees know and react simultaneously to the queen or to some intruder. I have experienced this knowing in Taekwon-Do training while performing our patterns in a group formation. There is a competition called team patterns where a team of 5 people do the same pattern together and attempt to perfect their group timing. When it happens it feels as though something just clicks, you fall into a rhythm and you are all right there with each other as one in the moment with fluidity. It gets me excited just writing about it. I have also found an access to this state of being through studying the Enneagram. The Enneagram has some roots with GI Gurdjieff, a mystic from the early 1900’s. Gurdjieff taught that most our conscious mental energy is wasted on chatter, defense mechanisms and out of balance desires. We really do not have an opportunity to use our mind until we get clear and balanced in our three centers. Our intuitions, our gut center, our emotional mind, get scrambled with our mental chatter. Gurdjieff’s teaching can be found in the book The Fourth Way by P.D. Ouspensky. If we can sort these functions out and separate them so that they can do there own specified job… then we have the possibility of getting a glimpse at the access to the universe with and through our mind. I first found the Enneagram in a men’s group. When we started the group we all took this simple two question test to determine our personality type. I was amazed when I read the description of my type it was as if someone had been reading my mail. It not only described my fears and desires but also gave me tips as to how to release myself from the confines of my personality. As I continue on this journey of awakening my access to connecting with others, the collective conscious. I have found that it comes through connecting with others. We must continue to meet in groups for the purpose of finding out who we are. Men’s groups, women’s groups, prayer groups, spiritual classes, or my Taekwon-do classes, they all work. The intention of awakening should take precedent over the material or content. I have enjoyed studying the Enneagram so much that I have taken the training to certify with the authors of the definitive book on the subject. Don Riso and Russ Hudson The Wisdom of the Enneagram they are awesome teachers and loving friends. I have been training in the art of Taekwon-Do for over 30 years and hold a 7th Degree Black belt. I have had the honor of training with the founder of Taekwon-Do, Gen. Choi Hong Hi. These men that I have studied from had a very strong connection with Universal Mind, what they have brought to the world has left a mark, they have made a difference in the world in a huge way. It is my obligation to pass this on the best way I can, with the things that I have been shown, so that others may experience this connection for themselves. Universal mind is not out there somewhere, it is not unattainable, it is found on the inside through practice with the Mind, Body and Spirit. Take a class, teach a class, participate, connect with people.
Since opening the school here in St Pete I have had many people stop by and express to me that they do ITF taekwondo. But when they get on the mat with me they are suprised to find out what they have been taught is out of date and no longer what the ITF is practicing. Many have not been affiliated for several years. My rank and training have cost me alot of sweat, time and money. Traveling the wolrd, going to world championships, international instructor courses. I sometimes think I give to freely, all this information that I paid so much for… But my love for the Art and dedication to the Oath and Tenets as set down by Gen Choi keep me going!! I’d like to hear what you think?
The Future of ITF Taekwon-Do
by Master Peter Thibado, VII dan
United States
As an active Taekwon-Do Master, I feel a keen sense of responsibility to ensure the future of Taekwon-Do is grounded in the principles and values laid down by our Founder. Once or twice a year, I get my encyclopedia out and read through the opening chapters. The depth and richness of these words inspire me to re-dedicate myself to teaching these principles in my daily lessons. Taekwon-Do is so much more than kicking and punching!
Here are three areas to consider in where we have been and where we’re headed: what are we fighting for or against, family values, and cultural and social change.
Adversary
The last 55 years of history in Taekwon-Do includes many adversaries. For General Choi it started with a local wrestler when he was a child. Then the occupying Japanese forces became the opponents. The South Korean government and the WTF were the next enemies. Let’s consider a similar adversarial relationship: the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Much growth and technology resulted from pushing to be the best, first, strongest. Many good and many bad things arise out of these struggles. For us in the ITF, our martial art rose to the highest level of technique with worldwide consistency in movement and form. No other martial art has this high level of quality and consistency around the world.
One adversarial problem today is the three ITF organizations. Perhaps we can shift our focus of energy from the other groups as our adversaries to a higher calling? A higher calling might be poverty, social injustice or ignorance, depending upon which part of the world we focus. One thing that I truly appreciated about Grand Master Tran was his dedication to taking Taekwon-Do to places where there was no monetary profit to be gained, such as Haiti, Ethiopia and Vietnam. The rural areas of developing countries need a good structure from the ground up, and Taekwon-Do can provide that.
Family values
As cliché as it sounds, it does take a village to raise a family. In many modern cultures, children are too separated from grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and extended family. Having a Taekwon-Do school or club to belong to can replace this social family structure. A Taekwon-Do school provides a sense of responsibility to the group, which can make a difference when a young person is faced with a difficult moral dilemma. Being surrounded by people who care is essential to find purpose and develop good judgment. A growing problem around the world is families without fathers, or without good male role models. As an organization, if we can dedicate ourselves to taking a stand for being the role models for our youth we will have accomplished a great goal. This is not a new idea: it is grounded in the Confucian ideals of our Founder’s philosophy. We only need to keep our eye on the ball, stay on track, and be reminded of our true purpose every now and then. “To build a more peaceful world.”
Cultural and social change
It is becoming more and more apparent that today we live in a global society. What one group of people does has an effect upon the entire world. General Choi had great vision with seeing beyond all political and religious boundaries, for the inclusion of people of all races and ideologies. I have attended many World Championships, and one thing that always impresses me is the great camaraderie and brotherhood that exists the day after the championship. Yet the day before they fought so hard for their country or personal achievement. Once the fight ends, win or lose, there is an overwhelming sense of relationships as brothers or sisters of Taekwon-Do.
My hope for the future of the World Championships is that this very notion of oneness is the ultimate goal of the tournament. Perhaps we could take time after the championships to have a Do seminar. We could allow people to make a few statements about building a more peaceful world. These discussions could be guided by our leaders but held by our youth. Having the youth speak these truths will be 100 times more impactful then having even 10 masters rise and orate. Perhaps we can hold a speech or essay contest with the winners be allowed a voice at the World Championships. If we expect change in the world for the betterment of society we need not only to train our youth, but to empower them. Give them a voice. Plant the seed that was planted in us by General Choi. Allow it to grow with guidance. Give our youth the tools they need to become the leaders of this ever changing world, to ensure we have the future of a conscious world, a peaceful world.
To ensure the future of Taekwon-Do let us re-dedicate ourselves the principles of our Founder. Let us find a spirit of mutual concessions in dealing with our adversaries. Let us be dedicated to our club members, love and care for them as members of our extended families. Let us continue to keep the greater goal in mind of creating a culture of no boundaries, to empower our youth to continue with our dedication to building a more peaceful world.
My first exposure to meditation I was about 10 years old. 1969, I was at my sister’s apartment, she had some friends that lived next door. There was some discussion going on, drama about school, work, children, etc. The tension was temperate, this guy got up in the middle of the conversation and said “I have to go meditate” he went up the stairs and disapeared for about 20 minutes. When he returned he seemed calmer than before he left. I was curious and asked my sisiter many questions I’m sure.
With 10 brothers and sisters there was never much quiet time around the house, so I spent a lot of time outside. We lived in the country with miles of farms, woods, lakes and rivers. My brothers, sisters and cousins spent many summer nights sleeping under the stars. Dad would take us to Wisconsin’s great north woods camping in the summer.
In high school I had an english teacher that turned me on to existential writers such as Herman Hesse. I couldn’t get enough of this dread and questioning the meaning of life.
When I was seventeen I moved away from home. Finished High school and moved to Colorado with my young wife. I went to work at an underground hardrock mine. One day my boss told me to train this new hire “take him underground with you and just make sure his doesn’t get killed”. He died that day, it took us 4 or 5 hours to get him out from underground. As I drank mself through the trama, my first wife left. Got out just in time…
As a pasttime I took up Tae Kwon Do, I met many great teachers. One in particular was a very intellegent man told me to read Kazantzakis. He said I remined him of Zorba, earthy, living my passions.
My second wife was pregnant with my second child whom I named Nikos when I left the mine and moved to Florida, 1986. Upon arrival I opened a TKD school, worked construction jobs and opened an afterhours night club. Within a year I was addicted, obsessed, dejected, divorced, still training every day. Driving down the road one afternoon after a pitcher and wings at hooters with a friend, I hit a car that pulled out in front of me. the couple in that car died. My passenger hurt his shoulder and lost his sports scolarship.
I started this note about meditation, this is what came up. I was born with Sun Square Saturn…. TKD remained my rail the only thing steady in my life.
part 2
I moved in with a woman who became my third wife. Every other weekend we spent with my kids. I’d drag my kids all over the southeast to TKD tournaments and seminars.
A few years later my older Brother moved nearby. A veteran struggling with schizophrenia, I looked after him for several years, sitting with him many nights while in fits, jail, despair. His last day I held him in my arms as he passed. I was with my 4th wife by now. My Son was having a tough time at home and in middle school, the teachers and counselors wanted to send him away to a youth ranch. I fought for him to come stay with me but could not get any backing from my wife or others. That was the beginning of the end of my 4th wife. We taught tkd together and travelled the world. In 2000 we seperated. I got sober, found AA, Dad died 3 monthes into my sobriety. TKD remained my rail.
In ‘04 Nikos was struggling with his senor year of high school. Worried about his future, he attempted suicide. We talked and decided he should come to work for me. Lori, my daughter, and Nikos both came to work with me. It was an exciting time, construction boom and they both wee so much fun to be with every day. By ‘06 work running out and egos wearing thin, I fired Nikos and told him he would have to get a real job for a while until he appreciated what he had with us. A few months later he committed suicide. I got the call that there was trouble, got in the car with my new wife, on the drive to the hospital I saw a falling star come into the atmosphere and flash into a hundred lights. I knew at that moment he had passed, got the call a few minutes after. My wife Karen and I are still together, if we could survive this, we’ll be good through anything.
Gen Choi Hong Hi, the founder of TaeKwon Do was my teacher. He said “at the beggining of the class kneel and meditate take time to leave all things aside so that you can be with your practice. At the end of the training time sit and meditate again, at this time take an inventory, ask yourself how did I do? Did I try my best? was I kind?
Today, my favorite meditation is while preparing food, peeling fruit, with wet hands, salivating anticipation of the quench. That is a nice metaphor for faith, salivating anticipation of the quench.
Some say “kill the ego” as if it is of no use to the spirit and intudes it’s tensions on the body. This trinary model of subjugation is rooted in history as well as nature. I wouldn’t be to quick to toss out one third of the controlling process. I have seen real ego death and it is not pretty. If one is reborn out of ego death, I would say they generally have a new balanced ego, rather than egoless. Like mind and body cannot operate with out a heart, a heart and body cannot operate with out a mind. Annihilation of the ego is an ego trip of the most spiritual kind.
At white belt 3 step alone is important mainly to learn the format and to practice hand foot breath timing.
9th Gup 3 step with a partner, it is now time to practice timing your hand and foot with your partners hand and foot.
8th Gup 3 step intermediate, use moves from Dan Gun, practice applying them with timing and balance.
7th Gup 3 step advanced, use moves from Do San, Stategize with 3 counter attacks.
6th Gup 2 step sparring, designing/choreograph, using the brain and visualization to plan out the entire exchange, practice and repeat. 3 step is linear thinking, 2 step starts the creative thinking process. Crossing over linear and creating processes expands your thinking capability.
5th Gup 2 step advanced. Use moves from Yul Guk, stategize and make it work.
4th Gup 1 Step Sparring, one block one counter attack, this meets Gen Choi’s philosophy. One fierce counter and the fight is ended!
3rd Gup 1 Step, use moves from Toi Gye. Correct angle and distance must be studied and implemented.
2nd Gup, Semi Free basic has 2 exchanges, use formal crosses and stances move smoothly and let your mind be free. If you have done your basic work it will flow nicely as you progress. Use moves from Hwa Rang.
1st Gup Semifree Advanced. 3 exchanges, jumping attacks flying blocks.
Chon Ji The begginging pattern representing the beginning student. The plus diagram is a symbol that shows up in all cultures and religious systems. The Cross, the four directions, the four elements, etc. For us in TKD it represents the beginning, heaven and earth, the two things prior to man, and what man is here to connect through moral development.
Dan Gun is an “I” Diagram. I am going to suggest that it represents the self in this process of knowing one’s self. Dan Gun, in Korean History is reputed to be the first Cultured Human. The beginning of society, represents the beginning student becoming aware of his place and responsibility of being in this society.
Do San is named for Ahn Chang Ho, a Korean patriot that dedicated his life to furthuring the education of the Korean people. This point was very important to the Koreans because the japanese had attempted to eliminate the korean history and education system in order to enslave it’s people. Many of the first Korean Soldiers under Gen Choi’s guidance in the development of TKD were uneducated men who knew nothing of the heritage. It was important to establish a sence of pride as well as desire to study their own history. The stair step up to the right may represent this offer of a climb out of their poverty and ignorance.
Won Hyo is once again the “I” diagram pertaining to the self. Gen Choi tells us that Won Hyo was a monk that introduced Buddhism to the Silla Dynasty in 686 ad. Well, Buddhism was around much earlier than that, The type of buddhim that was introduced is Zen Buddhism. The great thing about the spread of Zen Buddhism is that it was for everyone. Prior to Zen, a person generally had to be literate, had to be able to read and study sutra. Zen was an oral tradition that was inclusive across the spectrum of socio-economic levels of society. Won Hyo’s introduction of religion to the masses providing a set of values to live by to be a better person in harmony with others.
Yul Guk is in the shape of a the symbol for scholar. Yi I was a Confucian Scholar. He was an advocate of having a strong goverment, an education system based upon the Confucian values for the ruling class. These confucian values are the source of much of Gen. Choi’s writings around the the tenets and student instructor relationship. The student at this level should study these ideas.
Joong Gun We come back to the “I” diagram, Ahn Joong Gun assasinated Hiro Bumi Ito, a patriot to a country that had been under occupation of the Japanese. martered himself for the love of his people. The question could be asked “how dedicated are you to the unfoldment of your true self on your taekwondo path.”
To be continued…
June 27 2011I am Booking flights today for the trip to Haiti for July 10th. It amazes me how the universe lines up when the time is right. A few thousand dollars have been donated to date. I will be starting the TKD program on this trip and meeting with a local Black belt who will hopefully keep things going there for me between trips. I am planning to go once per month, or every 6 weeks. Many people are asking me two main questions.
The needs are many, food and clean water are number one. Shelter for the children, for now, is a low roof tin structure in the middle of the cemetery. I am making plans to build the new orphanage. The mayor of the town has granted 15 acres of land to the cause. First order will be to put a well and a windmill for a clean water supply. Next a fence and security building. Start a garden for food source. Food is available in Port au Prince, but the orphanage needs cash to purchase the food. Cash is the biggest need right now. In the long term, My plan is to make them self sustaining through farming and a small construction business. Academics are strongly needed as there is no public education system. Pay for the teachers 150 US per month and we have 3 teachers at the orphange. When we fly in it costs $50 for the first extra bag with a limit of 50lbs, so it is more practicle to take cash and buy some items there. With bigger items such as construction equipment, tools and certain materials, I’ll get a shipping container and send it down. I am planning to drive a 4″ well casing on the property to see how deep we need to go for water. Then get a windmill for pumping. http://www.aermotorwindmill.com/ This company is helping out with a big discount. There are millions of yards of broken concrete buildings in Haiti, No place to dump it, I would like to buy a crusher, a loader, a concrete batch plant, and a cement block press. Set it up on the property and teach the young men there a trade, create our own building materials out of recycling the waste and a self sustaining business for the community.
Here is a list of things you can do right now.
6-28-11 It has been nearly five years since my Son died. Before he died, he and I went on a humanitarian trip to southern Mississippi to help out in the aftermath of Huricane Katrina. The town of Bay St Louis got hit very hard. We were there to clean out some flooded houses, clear brush and trees, remove soaked drywall. Do what ever needed to be done. My construction business was doing pretty well at the time and I convinced Nikos to go with me for 10 days to work for free, offer our help to those in need. Nikos was not too happy about this trip on our way there. He could not understand why we would go work our asses off for free when there was a ton of work to do at home that paid well. After the second day of work he spent the night down by the waterfront with some of the newly homeless folks drinking beer and hearing their stories of seeing their homes washed away and destroyed. In the morning he had a whole new outlook. He was telling me all about how desperate these people were and how cool it was to be there helping. That day we were asked to go look at a house that had about 30 trees blown over on to it, no one wanted to help them because it seemed an impossible task to get all the trees off the house with out damaging the structure. I love a challenge! Nikos and I went to work, two chains saws, 5 people dragging limbs and logs away as we surgically took those trees apart with out a scratch to the house. The elderly couple had no insurance and no one to assisit them. They were so grateful, hugs and kisses were more than we could handle. I’ll never forget Nikos and I both all teared up walking away from that couple. What is that emotion? I am happy that I could help you, I am happy that you are feeling blessed, glad to be the conduit, but choked up and crying? It comes back to me even now, just thinking about it. Probably mixed with a little longing for my Son… He died about 6 months later.
So, today we bought the tickets to go to Haiti, myself and two friends will go down to the orphanage Mission Par La Foi. Some people have suggest that the reason I go is to compensate for my loss. That somehow taking care of the orphans will make up for my not being able to care of my Son. Could be… but I think I took good care of him. No need to take care of anyone to make up for something in the past. Today I have a beautiful daughter that will soon deliver my first grandchild. I have plenty to love and be loved by. Also a loving wife and stepson. So, why am I going? I did not chase or grab after this. I am not seeking an outlet for blocked up compassion for self. It jumped out in front of me all lined up. Watch me go! Check the pictures close, you may see Nikos standing there next to me. Children are hungry and with out shelter, no clean water. How can I not help? I am a builder, of homes, of a school, of young men and women, a builder of a community of citizens. Help me out. Come down and see for your self. Check back for updates…