In Korean 한글 번역
https://m.cafe.daum.net/enlightenment-k/dcM5/648?svc=cafeapp
The Journey of Self-Realization through Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu
The Flow of Training: From Technique to Self-Understanding
This article is not intended merely to describe a process of martial arts training.
Rather, it seeks to present, as a single continuous flow, the journey through which a human being moves from technique toward self-understanding.
In particular, I have attempted to connect into one line the core concepts that I have taught and written about over the years.
Because I teach swordsmanship, I begin this journey with the sword.
In reality, however, the sword simply represents the beginning of martial arts training and, more broadly, the beginning of human life itself.
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① The Sword (劍)
Everything begins with the sword.
People initially start training in order to learn swordsmanship.
They seek to move more accurately, more quickly, and more powerfully.
Yet the sword is far more than a weapon.
The sword is a mirror that reflects the body and a tool that disciplines the mind.
Through sword training, practitioners learn:
Concentration
Posture
Balance
The principles of movement
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② Kimu
As physical tension begins to dissolve, practitioners start to experience movements that arise naturally rather than movements created through force or intention.
This marks the beginning of Kimu.
Kimu is not about producing movement.
It is a process through which the body and mind respond to the natural flow of nature.
At this stage, practitioners begin to experience the reality that body and mind are deeply interconnected.
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③ Healing
As the flow of energy is restored, the body and mind naturally begin to regain balance.
Healing is not something given from the outside.
It is the process through which the body's inherent restorative capacity returns to its natural function.
Through training:
Tension decreases
Pain is reduced
The mind gradually becomes clearer
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④ Energy Flow
As training deepens, practitioners gradually become aware of the movements of various forms of energy flowing both within and around the body.
Breathing,
blood circulation,
neural transmission,
muscular contraction and relaxation,
and even the flow of emotions and consciousness—
all exist within a continuous process of movement and flow.
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⑤ Follow the Energy
At this stage, what becomes important is no longer forcing movement through personal will.
Instead, one learns to observe the direction in which energy is flowing and to understand that flow.
The same principle applies to the sword,
to the body,
and to life itself.
Rather than force, adaptation is important.
Rather than power, flow is important.
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⑥ Center of the Body & Zero Point of Mind
As one begins to understand the flow of energy, the importance of center becomes apparent.
The center of the body is the reference point of balance.
The zero point of the mind is a state of stillness in which thoughts and emotions are no longer disturbed by constant fluctuation.
Through continuous practice, one develops the ability to maintain both the center of the body and the zero point of the mind.
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⑦ Mu-Ui-Dong-Won (武醫同源)
Martial Arts and Medicine Share the Same Source
☯ Taeguk
Martial arts and medicine were never originally separate.
The skills that can harm a person and the skills that can heal a person ultimately arise from the same source.
The Taeguk symbolizes a state in which:
Yin and Yang
Stillness and movement
Strength and softness
Attack and healing
exist in balance within a single principle.
Mu-Ui-Dong-Won is the stage at which one understands that martial arts and medicine originate from the same root.
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⑧ Training for Survival
Samtaeguk (☯☯☯)
At this stage, training takes on a new meaning.
The purpose of training is not victory.
It is not fame.
It is not strength.
Ultimately, it is survival.
However, survival here does not simply mean remaining alive.
It means:
Moving healthily
Adapting to change
Maintaining vitality until the very end of life
The Samtaeguk symbolizes the harmony of:
Heaven (天)
Earth (地)
Human (人)
If the Taeguk represents a state of balance,
the Samtaeguk represents a living, dynamic state of circulation and interaction.
Training for survival is therefore the process of cultivating the ability to remain alive, adaptive, and active within nature until the very end.
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⑨ Searching for the Forgotten Half in Martial Arts
The Circle (○)
Martial arts were originally a complete system in which:
Technique, philosophy, and healing
Body and mind
coexisted as one.
Over time, however, part of this wholeness was forgotten.
What I have consistently referred to as the "Forgotten Half" is precisely this missing dimension.
The training of Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu seeks to rediscover that forgotten half and restore the original wholeness of martial arts.
The Circle (○) symbolizes the result of a journey in which the forgotten half has been rediscovered and reunited into one whole.
At the same time, it represents a return to original completeness.
Yet this is not the end.
The realization gained through training is not meant to acquire supernatural abilities or enter some mystical world.
Rather, it is meant to return us to ordinary life—
a life that is profoundly practical,
deeply realistic,
and fundamentally grounded in common sense.
The final destination of training is therefore not the end of life,
but the beginning of a new way of living with deeper understanding.
To summarize, the entire structure follows a circular path:
The Sword → Kimu → Healing → Energy Flow → Follow the Energy → Center of the Body & Zero Point of Mind → Mu-Ui-Dong-Won → Training for Survival → Searching for the Forgotten Half in Martial Arts → Return to Ordinary Life
Within this structure, the final Circle (○) does not simply symbolize completion.
Rather, it symbolizes returning to the life from which one began, yet seeing and living that life through entirely different eyes.
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Conclusion
People begin training in order to learn the sword.
Yet as training deepens,
the sword leads to the body,
the body leads to the mind,
and the mind leads to nature.
Ultimately, one rediscovers the forgotten half within martial arts and grows into a more complete human being.
Beginning with the sword,
passing through the body,
moving through the mind,
and ultimately becoming one with nature—
this is the ultimate flow pursued by Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu.
It is the essence and objective of its transmission.
As the founder of Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu, this is the mission I have chosen to carry throughout my life.
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June 12, 2026
Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu
Jeong Seong Kim
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> "People begin training to learn the sword, but ultimately continue training in order to understand themselves."
