The traditional Korean bow is a rather minimalist design. No sights, wheels, counterweights, etc. There's a handle grip, where you hold on to it. There are two flexible limbs, the ends of which are connected by the bowstring. Most everyone knows what a bow looks like.
The large traditional Korean archery target is placed 435 feet away. A flag at the far end of the range indicates the wind strength and direction. The arrow rests on the thumb of the hand holding the bow. You draw your nocked arrow back and “aim with your heart”. It’s more feeling than aiming. You let loose your arrow and either hit or miss.
If you thought, that's what we do at the archery range, you missed some hidden treasures.
Because this bow has no “extras” ( arrow rest, sights, etc.) your accuracy is dependent on your self-awareness. Position of the holding hand, the tilt of the bow, the space between the bowstring and the forearm of the holding arm, the placement of the drawing hand (anchor), the movement and position of the shoulder blades, waist, feet, even the breathing… every movement has to be completely known to you.
Let's assume you've hit the target.
Now, your practice is to calm your mind away from being excited over the hit of the target. The practice of controlling the ego flutters. When you feel excited about it everything gets a little shaky, chances are your will miss your next shot.
If you miss the target.
You might feel bummed out, say, “Oh, I missed the target.” When you draw your next arrow, and you hold on to that thought in your mind, “Oh, I missed the target”, chances are you're going to miss again. So hit or miss, we practice stabilizing our emotional response.
But there's more.
The middle part of the bow, the grip, is strong, and unmoving. Our precepts, our morality, are unmoving and we hold on to that, always. The flexible limbs of the bow are your wisdom on one side, and your compassion on the other. These two always work hand in hand. If you're thinking about compassion, you have to think about wisdom. If you're thinking about wisdom, you have to think about compassion. Those two work together. Strung between those two is the bowstring. Right now, the bowstring appears to be rigid and stiff but on an unstrung bow the bowstring is soft and. But the bowstring is neither rigid nor soft. The bowstring is your mind or consciousness. Its true nature is neither soft nor rigid.
So, you're holding onto your precepts, you're holding onto your morality. You have your wisdom on one side of the bow you have your compassion on the other side. You take your mind or your consciousness, and you draw your bow (pull back on the bowstring). Your bow responds to the function of the mind, the function of wisdom, and the function of compassion. All in balance.
There are three kinds of arrows. One arrow is called your mouth karma, the second arrow is called your body karma, and the third your mind karma. Remember, “karma” means action. The arrows are the actions of your mouth, or the actions of your mind, or the actions of your body.
So, you have your arrow loaded, maybe it's your words. You draw your bow and right before you let go of the words flying out of your mouth, make sure that you have a balance between wisdom and compassion. Make sure that you're holding on to your morality and make sure that your mind, the bowstring, is flexible.
The next thing you have to do is let go. You have to let go. You have to free your mind from being attached to the outcome. You have already made appropriate arrangements, you're holding onto your morality, you're using your wisdom, you using your compassion, your mind is strung between those. Once you let go, you cannot do anything. You cannot change anything. You cannot undo it. So, let go.
Now, remember, there is a flag between you and the target. If there is no flag, you have to look at the grass, you have to look at the trees. That means when you fire your bow, when you let go of your action karma, when you fire that arrow. It's not only you, the bow, and the target. There is a world in between you and the target. That means, in your actions, words and thoughts, you cannot consider only yourself. You have to look at which direction is the wind moving. If you're talking to someone, if you're acting in any way. Your actions have to take into account the wind. They have to take into account the atmosphere and timing. “Is this the best time to discuss this?” Before you say something before you do something before you think something, consider others. ”How am I, adjusting to the environment?”. Just shooting your mouth without consideration of the world around you and those in it is a selfish act. You miss every time.
Take care of yourself and each other.
Now, remember, there is a flag between you and the target. If there is no flag, you have to look at the grass, you have to look at the trees. That means when you fire your bow, when you let go of your action karma, when you fire that arrow. It's not only you, the bow, and the target. There is a world in between you and the target. That means, in your actions, words and thoughts, you cannot consider only yourself. You have to look at which direction is the wind moving. If you're talking to someone, if you're acting in any way. Your actions have to take into account the wind. They have to take into account the atmosphere and timing. “Is this the best time to discuss this?” Before you say something before you do something before you think something, consider others. ”How am I, adjusting to the environment?”. Just shooting your mouth without consideration of the world around you and those in it is a selfish act. You miss every time.
Take care of yourself and each other.
With joined palms,
Myong-Ahn Sunim